I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream… Cocktails!?!

Say it ain’t so… Ice cream cocktails are making a comeback? Well… it ain’t so, but it should be. Many of us who lived through the 80’s remember TGIF’s innovative bar program where they rolled out syrupy sweet classics like the Oreo Mudslide and Orange Creamsicle. The concept was simple, different flavored ice cream with vodka… ugh. These over-sweet cocktails quickly took us out of a Good Humor and had us waking up in a Breyer’s Patch the morning after. Initially, ice cream cocktails fell out of favor with the general public because of the high caloric nature of dairy based drinks. And they’ve stayed out of flavor favor as mixologists prefer to source out local fresh ingredients and balance the acidity. With the dawn of the new golden age of the cocktail, consumers have grown out of their adolescence and are demanding acidic adult cocktails. And like many adults we have traded in our evening bowl of ice cream for a cheese plate with membrillo.
What you may not know is that the ice cream industry is going through its own revolution. Ice cream makers are creating some very creative flavors that any respectable mixologist would begrudgingly approve. Take Neal Gottlieb at Three Twins Ice Cream (www.threetwinsicecream.com) for example, he is creating flavors like Sea Salted Caramel, Lemon Cookie, Balsamic Strawberry and my personal favorite, Dad’s Cardamom. He is using cane sugar and other natural ingredients to make some of the most innovative and delicious ice creams in the world. Combine these flavors with Cognac, Gin, Aged Tequilas, Mezcals, Whiskies and Piscos and you have some extremely tasty drinks that any pastry chef would be proud to serve as their signature dessert.
Still not convinced? Here is a simple recipe that I created for the American Airlines “American Way” in-flight magazine. Give it a try and tell me your thoughts:
Don Julio’s Three Twins
1 ¼ oz. Don Julio Anejo Tequlia
¼ oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
1 ½ oz. Melted Three Twins Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream
¼ oz. Agave Nectar
½ oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
Glassware: Small Cocktail Coup
Garnish: Rim inside of glass with thick aged Sherry Balsamic Vinegar (15 yrs+); add one strawberry on rim dipped in agave nectar and chipotle chili powder.
Method: Ganish Glass, add all ingredients to mixing glass with big ice cubes, shake vigorously and double strain.
Btw, this philosophy applies to sherbets, sorbets and gelatos as well. So mixologist… you heard it here first. The ice cream cocktail is coming back and I predict that with so many sweet teeth in the world, there will be better Daaz ahead.

I only Act to support my bartending career…

An actor walks into a bar and says “I’m sorry, I just didn’t feel that…” so he walks into it again.

For years bartending as been the job-of-choice for actors everywhere. Good money, flexible hours and the fringe benefits can be very, ahem, let’s just say… educational. Plus, the very nature of the job usually requires energetic, dynamic individuals. When you think about it, how many people actually go into the service industry with the express intent of becoming a professional bartender? Prior to 1920, before Prohibition, bartending was a proud profession. Icons like the professor Jerry Thomas were leading the industry with innovative craft recipes. However, in recent decades tippling has been relegated as a job for actors, writers and law students. Only since the turn of the century have we seen a new generation of bartenders regard their jobs as careers. Bar owners are demanding more from their applicants. Knowing your recipes and keeping a clean bar just aren’t enough anymore. Unless your pulling beers and pouring wine, today’s bartender is expected to actually make a tasty cocktail.

I remember one of my first bartending gigs. I took it to generate some income while I aggressively pursued my acting career. I found I was pretty good at slinging drinks even though, at the time, it was just a job. I was bartending at the Veritable Quandary or the VQ as the locals call it (http://www.veritablequandary.com/) during the day and performing Vaclav Havel by night. My friend, Lana Veenker was directing the play and I fancied myself a starving artist. For me, bartending was only a means to an end.

Fast forward a couple decades… Lana is a successful casting director. I moved back to New York, finished my college degree and made the decision to quit acting as a career. Yet, I have successfully transformed my bartending job into a rewarding career as a Mixologist. I travel the world to redesign cocktail programs, teach bartenders about craft cocktails and create media opportunities. I am regularly asked to do TV and radio appearances and have been featured in dozens of articles all around the world. Today, I am far better known as a mixologist than I ever was as an actor. I love my career and the best part is I didn’t have to sell out or give up on my dreams to achieve success in my new field. I combined passions and found a niche. Still, as much as I enjoy the art of mixology, I never would have achieved this level of success behind the stick, if not for my years of training on the planks.

I used to be hesitant to mention acting when applying for a bar position. If I was asked by a restaurateur what I studied in college, I would give a vague answer for fear it would be held against me if it came out that I was a theater major. In the upper echelon of the service industry it is understood that hiring actors to staff your bar is a risky proposition at best. Even if they aren’t flaky or bail on you with no notice for a chance to audition for Preparation H commercial, their passion lies elsewhere. It is rare to find an actor who gives a damn about their restaurant job.

Thespians need not worry about this new restaurant trend; there will always be bartending jobs available for those with a pretty smile. In fact I would rather hire an eager actor who was open to learning a craft than a snooty mixologist who puts his career above the guest experience. There are a lot of talented mixologists out there with poor people skills but they are outnumbered ten to one by charismatic actors who can’t make a decent cocktail.

I once had an acting teacher who told the class that we should all quit acting for a length of time and learn another profession. At the time I believed he was reciting the cliché about having something to “fall back on” in case we all didn’t become as successful as we all knew we would. As I look back, I always thought it odd that my professor was teaching by day, acting by night, yet went to school for a law degree. Now I finally get it. Acting is the study of the human condition and the smart actor is constantly observing others behavior. For me, bartending provided a limitless cast of character studies for the aspiring actor. More to the point, I believe a well-rounded actor must experience life outside of the acting community if they are to develop depth in their work. And by extension a successful bartender must make a connection with their guests in addition to simply making a delicious libation. Acting taught me passion, bartending taught me discipline. Any fortune 500 CEO will tell you that the combination is the recipe for success.

After reading about my cocktails in the New York Times, I once had a guest at PER SE (http://www.perseny.com/) ask me: “So what do you want to be when you grow up?” I never occurred to me to be insulted. I’d been asked this question before in other restaurants. For years my pat response was always to proudly boast that I was an actor working hard to be discovered. However, in that moment, I smiled, found my voice and from the diaphragm I stated: “When I grow up, I hope to become a professional bartender!” She looked confused for only a second when I saw the epiphany dawn. She smiled back and without hesitation ordered another cocktail.

Why can’t mixologist be more like bartenders?

Welcome to MyMixologist.com’s first official Blog post! I have big plans to blog about events, post recipes, and let you in on some trade secrets. I’d also like to hear your thoughts and ideas about this blog or anything on you mind related to the industry. I appreciate the opportunity to share my experiences or learn something new everyday.

WHY CAN’T MIXOLOGISTS BE MORE LIKE BARTENDERS?

Not that I have anything against mixologist. Some of my best friends are mixologists. The problem is that in my experience, the amount of professional arrogance in the industry is staggering. It’s not enough to be a talented, passionate know-it-all anymore.  Todays consumer has choices when it comes to craft cocktail lounges.  It wasn’t long ago that my friend, mixologist James Menite, and I went into a well established local cocktail lounge here in NYC (no, not that one) and sat at the bar. We were happily chatting away while we waited the obligatory 15 minutes to get our perfectly made craft cocktails when a young lady stepped up to the bar and ordered a Cosmopolitan. James and I winced as we braced ourselves for the response. Then our mixologist said “If you want a Cosmo, I suggest you go out the front door, make a left, go to the end of the block until you see a dive bar on the corner. Maybe they’ll serve you a Cosmo”.

Direct quote.  I swear on my bottle of KNOCKANDO (or No-Can-Do as the case may be).  Sadly, though I should have been floored by this response, I’d heard it before. Sometimes the admonishment is directed toward Vodka, grenadine or a blue cocktail, but the message always comes across loud and clear: ‘WE DON’T SERVE YOUR KIND HERE!’

It seemed obvious to me that guest simply didn’t know what she wanted, but what if she did?  Not only was she a paying guest, she is a human being.  The whole incident reminded me of the pompous chef who refuses to do substitutions for no other reason than his guests “just don’t get the vision”.  It suddenly occurred to me that a lot of talented mixologists could learn a thing or two from a good bartender.
[figure class=”alignright”][/figure]Take Tommy Rowles for example. Tommy has been a bartender at the Carlyle Hotel for over 53 years. If you ask him his favorite cocktail to make, he’ll tell you straight out: a Heineken. The man doesn’t know from mixology, but he knows how to make his guests happy. The only time Tommy grunts at a cocktail request is if you order a Mojito and that’s only because he has arthritis and it hurts to muddle that mint properly. Everybody’s has their own story on why they got into the customer service industry, I just think that if your going to be in this business one of your priorities should be, hmmm, I don’t know… customer service?

The really sad part is that everyone I know in this business has a similar story and yet no one is ever guilty of having done it themselves. In the three years I worked at PER SE I only had three guests request a Long Island Ice Tea. These diners were about to embark on the most memorable (if not expensive) meal of their lives and yet they ordered a cocktail famous for its amnesiac qualities. It never occurred to me to roll my eyes, or whisper in hushed tones to my fellow bar mates.  Instead I did what a bartender/mixologist is supposed to do, I made their drinks, without judgement.  I didn’t make them overtly strong, I didn’t rip them off. I used premium spirits, fresh ingredients and balanced the acids and sugars. It was the “best tasting L.I.T. they’d ever tasted” hence the second round. Chef Thomas Keller once said, “We (in the service industry) are in the business of creating memories”. Bartenders more than most.

So the next time a customer leans over the bar and orders that ‘Mudslide with extra cherries’ tap into your inner bartender.  Consider it a personal challenge and make them the best damn Mudslide they’ve ever had, even if your blender is still broken!

(COMMENTS?  FEEDBACK?  SHARE YOUR OWN STORY?  I want to hear from you… send all comments to: Brian@MyMixologist.com)