"The Martinez? ...what Jerry Thomas said it was."

The title of this piece is an answer to a question originally posed by Dan Priseman of Bitters&Twisted, European Brand Ambassador for Four Roses Bourbon;

"What's a Martinez?"

To quote directly from Dan's article;

"On the surface of it, the question of ‘what’s a Martinez’ seems pretty self-explanatory; after all, you can walk into any good bar, order one and be pretty confident about what you’ll get in your glass. The chances are you’ll get a lot of sweet vermouth, a little bit of gin, a splash of maraschino and a dash or two of bitters. Occasionally there might be a bit more gin and a little less vermouth, or you might get Boker’s bitters or orange bitters; you might even get a splash of curacao instead of maraschino, but all in all you’re likely to receive a sweet vermouth and gin cocktail, with a splash of liqueur and a dose of bitters."

I have long suspected the lines between the Manhattan, Martinez and Martini are blurred, with the latter evolving (as we know it today) from the former two drinks but only by name, gaining popularity because of the Martini brand who I believe created it, and coupled with a switch toward drier drinks. You see, I believe the Martinez and Martini were originally one and the same, differing only due to ratios of gin and vermouth. This also means that the Martini started off as a sweet drink, with its dry variant following in later years.

Call me crazy, but this article covers my thoughts on that belief. Not revelatory as the two have been linked many times before, long before I entered the drinks industry in 2001, but still the debate rumbles on even though there is an abundance of information which makes a link seem obvious. Of course there will be conflicting detail but this is an attempt to tidy it up somewhat.

As I (am pedantic and) have been working on a more extensive piece covering the as yet un-named family of drinks, arguably the favourite of bartenders the world over (those consisting of spirit, vermouth, bitters and dashes of liqueur if applicable), I first wanted to get this down in print so as to be able to explain my reasoning for claiming the Manhattan and Martinez are the grandfather and grandmother of all that have followed. To name but a few of these libations; Turf, Jumbo, Hearst, Marguerite, Brown University, Zabriskie, Monahan, Rosemary, Rob Roy, Kangaroo, Sherman, McKinley's Delight, Palmetto, Honolulu, Lone Tree, Harvard, Brooklyn, Narrangansett, Bradford, Hanky Panky, Dia de los Muertos (see recipe at bottom of article)...

A lot of these drinks have distinct similarities with their only difference being a sole ingredient or ratio change, which in the late 1800s was enough for a beverage to earn itself a new name. I won't be covering this in too much depth within this article but it is something I'd like you to keep in mind as this article moves on.

Anyway, I digress. Back on topic I know some of you will possibly need a little convincing of my belief so please read on.

The Martinez & The Manhattan

O.H Byron's 'Modern Bartender's Guide' (1884);



...and Jerry Thomas' 'Bartender's Guide, How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks' (1887);



...are the earliest known references to the Martinez (and Manhattan) recipes in print that have been uncovered up to this day. As you will see in Byron's book the only difference between the Manhattan and Martinez is the base spirit, so it is also worth noting the Manhattan recipe in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas' book calls for;



...which is virtually identical to the Martinez save for a couple extra dashes of bitters (to stand up to whiskey versus gin?), the additional option of curaçao instead of maraschino (pairing orange with whiskey?) and straining into a claret glass. At this stage it would be hard for anyone to argue that the Martinez and Manhattan are not closely linked.

The only unanswered question is the choice of vermouth which is commonly accepted to have been sweet (or Italian) as over 90%, possibly as much as 95%, of the vermouth imported into the United States during the 1800s was as such.

The prominence of dry (or French) vermouth would occur in later years with a trend shifting toward drier cocktails coming into play toward the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, again around the same time when books started listing recipes with the Dry or Sweet prefix clearly defining a style, or preference if you must. The Martinez would largely remain unchanged in print until some thirty-eight years later, when Robert Vermeire's 'Cocktails and How to Mix Them' replaced the original sweet vermouth with dry vermouth. This takes us nicely onto...

The Martini

The importance of first, or earliest known, references to a cocktail recipe should not be over-stated or under-stated. They serve only to provide an insight into what was accepted at that time, with drinks and their names constantly evolving as you'll see throughout this post but also in the current drinks world. The Cosmopolitan being a perfect example of a modern evolving drink.

Unless a cocktail were to come with a signed affidavit (could anyone really be bothered after a skinful?) we can only apply our knowledge and common sense to what we consider as fact and sadly this was never provided with the creation of the Martini. I can think of no other cocktail that has spawned as many variants or has had as many words devoted to it. So where did the Martini come from?

Following our earlier lead taken by the Martinez and Manhattan, our first clear references to a Martini in print comes courtesy of Harry Johnson's 'New & Improved Bartender's Manual' (1888);



...which was also accompanied with this curiously labelled image of the Martine, not the Martinez or Martini;



As there is no Martinez recipe to be found in Johnson's tome it should be assumed that this was a simple mis-spelling of Martini. Either that or a deliberate attempt to confuddle our brains in later years.

UPDATED [11am, 10th March 2012] - After Craig Harper's comment at the bottom of this article I quickly revisited my references which has brought a couple of queries to my attention. The first is a curious quirk regarding the drink on the left of this Martine picture, which Lowell Edmunds believes to be a mixing glass in his excellent book 'Martini, Straight Up: The Classic American Cocktail,' though I have been wondering if this was a Frappe (served over crushed ice) of sorts. Was the Martini also served Frappe style? There are references. More on this later.

After Harry Johnson, the next known Martini reference is brought to us by Henry J.Wehmann in his '...Bartenders Guide' (1891);

Martini Cocktail

(Use large bar glass)
Fill the glass with ice
2 or 3 dashes Gum Syrup
2 or 3 dashes Bitters
1 dash of Curaçao
1/2 wine glassful of Old Tom Gin
1/2 wine glassful of vermouth

Stir well with a spoon, strain into cocktail glass, squeeze a piece of lemon peel on top, and serve

Now, I won't be the only one that's noticed these Martini recipes are identical to the Martinez from Byron and Thomas, with the sole change relating to the gin and vermouth ratio, now equal parts as opposed to two parts vermouth to one part gin. To recap;

The common denominators for the Martinez;

Two parts sweet vermouth
One part Old Tom gin or whiskey
Dashes of bitters
Dashes of maraschino or curaçao
Gum syrup optional

And the Martini;

Equal parts sweet vermouth and Old Tom gin
Dashes of bitters
Dashes of maraschino or curaçao
Gum syrup optional

From this it would be fair to conclude that the Martini was originally a drink calling for sweet vermouth, and equal parts gin. Would that ratio change be enough to warrant a new name? In short yes as there are numerous examples of this, but what if we had another consideration. Let's say a company called Martini that produced an ingredient found within the drink...

Martini & Rossi Vermouth

Originally founded in Turin, The Martini & Rossi company began exporting their sweet vermouth to New York around 1867 and quickly grew to be a market leader, sending more vermouth to the United States than any other company. This tells us that Martini & Rossi had been doing business in the US twenty-one years prior to the first mention of the Martini in 1888.

With Martini's dry vermouth not making an appearance stateside until it was launched on New Year's day 1900 (after originally launching in 1890 in selected worldwide countries) and the Martini having showed up in print twelve years earlier (1888), I think the previous conclusion that the Martini started life as a sweet drink holds a lot of weight. I would also guess that the Dry Martini was likely created sometime in the early 1890s when you factor in the release date of Martini Dry and the timeline of the original Martini as above. The Dry Martini is a branded variant of a branded cocktail if you must.

In 1894 the Oxford English Dictionary credited the Martini company with the creation of the Martini Cocktail. This is a claim that is regularly debunked but from all the sources I've stumbled across what is being falsified is the Oxford English Dictionary's claim that the Martini company had created the Dry Martini. As I understand it this isn't necessarily their claim, the Martini the Oxford English Dictionary are referring to is the sweet variant of 1888. Also consider that up to 1894 there had been no mention of a Dry Martini (which I'm aware of), or of a Martini specifying French (dry) vermouth which it would most likely have to, though there is every possibility that the Dry Martini did appear between 1888-1894.

This is stengthened by the knowledge that Martini & Rossi began placing various newspaper advertisements detailing the Dry Martini Cocktail toward the end of the nineteenth century and at the start of the twentieth ("It's not a Martini unless you use Martini"), with the first printed recipe making an appearance in 1903/4 which we'll come back to shortly.

With the Dry Martini holding this specific designation it is clear that it was separating itself from something else. That something being the 1888 Martini. Or Sweet Martini as we'd call it nowadays.

Of course, dry vermouth had been around in the US prior to the introduction of Martini's bottling, by way of Noilly from France. This is where the correlation between sweet-Italian and dry-French stems from, but would anyone seriously claim that Noilly was the original vermouth used in a Martini Cocktail which, to me anyway, clearly began life with sweet vermouth? Unless of course you believe the Martini di Arma di Taggia story from 1911. A story which seems to have a strong link to what would now be a competitor to Martini in the dry vermouth stakes, Noilly. I would actually hang my hat on the Martini di Arma di Taggia story having come from Noilly after the swift success of Martini's marketing. If you're still not convinced, note the 1903 date, and ask how it could have been created almost a decade later?

The Dry Martini

In the 1890s there was a shift from sweet and/or sugary drinks to their drier counterparts, most notably recognised in the switch from Old Tom gin to London Dry. Olives also start making a regular appearance in this decade, and the obligatory dashes of curaçao and maraschino, often called for in Jerry Thomas' Fancy or Improved cocktails, would also be seen less and less with many drinks being simplified to a degree. It's apparent there's an increase in 2-3 ingredient cocktails versus those containing 5-6 which seemed all to common in the decade or so previously.

This dumbing down is recognised in the first recorded mention of a Dry Martini which appeared in Frank P. Newman's 'American Bar: Recettes des Boissons Anglaises et Américaines' (1904);



Written in French this roughly translates to;

Take the glass mixture No. 1, put a few pieces of ice:
3 dashes Angostura (or orange bitters)
Finish with gin and dry vermouth, quantities equal, stir, strain into the glass no. 5, serve with a twist of lemon, a cherry or an olive, to the taste of the consumer.

In the same book a recipe can also be found for a Martini which reads;

Take the glass mixture No. 1, put a few pieces of ice:
3 dashes Angostura (or orange bitters)
Finish with gin and Turin vermouth, quantities equal, stir, strain into the glass no. 5, server with a twist of lemon, a cherry or an olive, to the taste of the consumer.

The Turin vermouth being called for in this Martini would obviously be sweet vermouth, but most importantly it had now been joined by a sibling which utilised dry.

UPDATED [11am, 10th March 2012] - When Craig Harper made mention of the 1903 Dry Martini that he and Jeff Masson uncovered I realised I needed to revisit a book I (do not readily own at this moment in time but) had used as a reference point when piecing together this article. 'Daly's Bartender's Encyclopedia' by Tom Daly (1903) makes reference to the word Martini five times. The first two are in the Index, the third under a listing for Cocktail Frappe where it suggests, "Manhattan and Martini cocktail should be made the same way, except using orange bitters," the fourth links to a Bottle of Martini Cocktail and the fifth to a Martini Cocktail that shares similarities to the 1888 Martini (equal parts Old Tom gin and vermouth with bitters, curiously no liqueur though).

It wasn't until I revisited this that I noticed a couple of important things. Firstly the Bottle of Martini Cocktail;

Use bar shaker for mixing

1 pony glass of orange bitters
1/2 pony glass of maraschino
Half fill the shaker with fine ice.
1-3 bottle of French vermuth
2-3 bottle of Tom gin
Mix well with spoon, strain into a full quart bottle, cork and label.
Always use a dark-colored bottle when mixing cocktails for a party.
This is supposed to be a very dry cocktail.
Ice should always be used in making bottled cocktails.

I have bolded the relevant line from this recipe, I'm still not sure how I missed this first time around. Is this the first reference to a Dry Martini? Also interesting that the ratio of gin to vermouth has changed from equal parts to a two-to-one preference. Other than that it is identical to the 1888 Martini.

The second important element of this book are the references to Frappe Cocktails. Recalling the mystery beverage to the left of the 1888 Martine picture, and considering the third mention of Martini in Daly's book under Cocktail Frappe, it's apparent that at some point the Martini wasn't just served straight up, but may have also been offered Frappe style.

For what it's worth the recipe for the Martini Cocktail;

Use a mixing glass

Half fill with fine ice.
2 dashes of orange bitters
1/2 wine glass of Tom gin
1/2 wine glass of vermuth
Spoon well and strain into a cocktail glass; put in an olive, and serve.

...in this 1903 guide still cites a 50/50 ratio, inclusion of bitters, and Old Tom as the gin of choice associated with the Martini. I also wonder if we can assume that the vermouth was optional at this point, typically served sweet but also available as a dry option as per the Bottle of Martini Cocktail? Definitely something to stew over.

For the most part, in the years following the 1903 and 1904 references the Dry Martini would remain as equal parts gin and vermouth (as first called for in its original guise in 1888) in a selection of notable books such as Jack's Manual (1908), the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) and the Cafe Royal Cocktail Book (1937).

There we have a simplified explanation of the evolution of the Manhattan, to the Martinez, to the Martini, and finally to the Dry Martini. The relation between the Martinez and the Martini takes further interest when it is noted that few, if any, books reference a recipe for each. If they were so different, why does no book list both? The increase of Martinez recipes calling for Dry Vermouth also correlates with a time where the preference was away from sweeter recipes. It also intrigues me that many Martinez recipes call for French vermouth, as if separating itself from the Martini which was by now largely associated with the Italian brand.

There's just one more matter I'd like to address and it relates to a recipe printed seven years prior to Tom Daly's Martini, eight years to Frank P. Newman's Dry Martini.

Marguerite Cocktail

1896 saw a reference that is now commonly linked to the Martini for obvious reasons, the Marguerite Cocktail from 'Stuart's Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them' by Thomas Stuart;

1 dash of orange bitters
2/3 Plymouth gin
1/3 French vermouth

There's no doubting the relevance of this drink and that it may well have influenced later variants of the Dry Martini but I believe this was a stand-alone drink for a few reasons, predominantly the call for French vermouth and the fact it is quite a large deviation away from the 1888 Martini. It is only a Martini by association as proven by the Martini recipes above.

It makes more sense that the 1888 Martini would evolve into the 1903/4 Dry Martini, and then for a whole variety of reasons we'd see a selection of variants of the 1903/4 Dry Martini, most often calling for little-to-no bitters (I've covered the rise, fall, and rise of bitters in a previous blogpost) and a decrease in the usage of vermouth, which is understandable given factors such as Prohibition in the United States and that both vermouth producing nations, France and Italy, were involved in the World Wars around this same period with production of their bottlings being affected.

Bartender's Ketchup

I'll leave you with this final thought. Was vermouth the St. Germain of its day? The bottle you'd reach for if all else failed? I ask as this is the Gin Cocktail from 1862 as per Jerry Thomas...



Fair to say we've come full circle and it's the addition of vermouth to the Gin Cocktail that gave rise to the Martinez?

Many thanks to Craig Harper, Angus Winchester, Dan Priseman, Jared Brown, Anastasia Miller, Wayne Collins, Dave Wondrich, Jeff Masson, Tristan Stephenson, Gary Regan, and everyone else that chimed in to the many discussions we've been having offering their thoughts, knowledge, book collections and common sense, ultimately leading to this prose.

This piece, in essence, captures where my thought process leads regarding these drinks but I do look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, insights and of any evidence regarding this topic. Should there be anything amiss, or any question you'd like to raise, then please ask away. Just don't bring up the Turf Cocktail (this image came courtesy of Dave Wondrich and was found in George Winter's 'How to Mix Drinks: The Bar Keeper's Handbook' from 1884);



...that's a conversation for another day. All I will say is that I believe it's the lack of fancy dashes (by way of maraschino, curaçao or similar) that separate it from the Martinez. It's a confusing business, enough to drive you to drink. I suggest one of my own as created in March 2011;

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

60ml / 2oz Tapatio Reposado
30ml / 1oz Byrrh
3 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Spanish Bitters
1 Dash Luxardo Maraschino

Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass fill with cubed ice and stir for 15-20 seconds
Glass: Frozen vintage cocktail
Garnish: Aromatise inside of glass, rim and stem with fresh grapefruit zest and discard
Ice: N/A

Sláinte!

-----


Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters

E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters

The Return of... Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Spanish Bitters

It's around 18 months since I reformulated and released Spanish Bitters as a Limited Edition bottling following their original creation as an ingredient for a bartending competition. With stocks now running low bartenders have been inundating my distributors and myself with enquiries asking if I'd bring them back as a permanent addition to my portfolio. As a fixture on many drinks listings a number of barkeeps were beginning to panic, not quite on the level of the great Angostura shortage but enough to warrant begging messages and emails.

Being a man of my word I didn't want to go back on my original pledge; they were to be a Limited Edition batch and once they were gone they wouldn't be seen again. Consigned to the annals of history. Disappearing in the sands of time. A thing of the past. You get the idea...

However things have changed dramatically in the months following July 2010, specifically new partnerships set-up with a host of distributors covering various markets, predominantly territories in the United States and across Europe (Spain included). Couple this with increased awareness of my bottlings and demand for the portfolio has increased exponentially. As we all know the market dictates the success of a bottling and as with my original reformulation of Boker's Bitters, people have spoken and they want Spanish Bitters. Who am I to decide they can't have them?



I'm not going to cover the history of Spanish Bitters in this posting as it is so lengthy that it deserves one of its own. I'm still putting together the finishing touches to an open treatise covering the subject which will also look at a number of uses for Spanish Bitters in food and beverages. Spirit pairings and suggested serves will be the order of the day.

What this is really about is to offer a little background into the raw materials, production processes, tasting notes and a couple of recommended servings. This detail is typically kept under wraps by bitters producers however I believe it is essential to arm bartenders with this information so they have a deeper knowledge and understanding of the product they're working with. I can't be the only one that believes botanical considerations should be taken into account when reaching for a bitters.

Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Spanish Bitters start with eight natural botanicals, namely roots (Polypody, Angelica, Orris and Gentian), citrus peels and chamomile flowers. My further discourse on the history of Spanish Bitters will cover these botanicals in depth but as a brief overview; Polypody is the root of ferns, Angelica root from the Angelica herb, Orris root from Florentine iris, Gentian from Gentian plants, citrus peels from oranges and lemons (seriously, I went there) and chamomile flowers are stating the obvious. Some of you will instantly recognise these as botanicals used in a host of gins and if you've had the chance to smell or taste them you'll have an idea what to expect from Spanish Bitters. More on tasting notes later...

These are carefully prepared before being macerated in overproof rum and agitated twice daily for no less than two weeks, or until such time that the desired flavour profile is reached. As with any diligent producer a number of controls are put in place to ensure consistency, most importantly relating to the source of my botanicals, how they are prepared, how they are weighed and the maceration time which rarely, if ever, fluctuates due to these stringent controls.

After the initial maceration stage the bitters go through a two-step filtration process before being diluted to bottling strength with Scottish water and coloured with caramel (burnt sugar) to an abv of 38%. The caramel also enhances the natural sweetness found in the botanicals creating an aromatic, perfumed, bitter-sweet bitters, unlike anything else on the market. All natural, all singing, all dancing.



Rated 4 / 5 in CLASS Magazine

Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Spanish Bitters evoke memories of a style of bitters dating back to the early years of the cock-tail. Based on Spanish Bitters recipes from the 1800s, these bitters have been reformulated to work in harmony with modern spirits and libations and are now in demand across the globe.

Handcrafted, hand-bottled and hand-labelled, Spanish Bitters are a great addition to any bitters collection adding depth to simple beverages such as a Tequila & Tonic or Gin & Tonic, a point of difference in a wide range of classic cocktails, a substitute where citrus bitters are typically called for, or in original libations such as Dr. Adam's rum-based Union Flip or the Mariachi with Tapatio Reposado, Campari, Agave Sec, fresh lime juice and Spanish Bitters.

Tasting Notes: Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Spanish Bitters have layers of complex flavour including coriander, violet, raspberry, honey, citrus, pomegranate, toasted orange and predominant chamomile all leading to a long bittersweet finish.

Bottle webpage: Spanish Bitters
Bottle Image: Available on request, please contact adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Dedicated recipe archive: Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Spanish Bitters recipes
Purchasing contact: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Distributors: Global Distributor PDF
Retailers: Please contact your local distributor on the above PDF

-----


Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters

E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters

The Eager Beaver by Jason Williams

One of the great aspects of my work is that I regularly receive drinks recipes featuring my bitters from bartenders and enthusiasts the world over, giving me a snapshot into global trends whilst somewhat justifying my need to regularly partake in the odd cocktail or three.

Every so often one of these drinks will land in my email inbox and I'll know instantly that it has worldwide appeal. The beverage this post is about is a perfect example and is too good not to share, proven by the reaction when I posted this picture on my Twitter feed and Facebook page.



The cocktail has been created by Jason Williams (of the Keystone Group and Australian Bartender of the Year 2010) for the Parched March launch and will be available at theloft, Gazebo Wine Garden, The Winery, Kit & Kabooodle, Manly Wine and Cargo Lounge from the 1st - 31st March 2012. Priced at $17.00, $2.00 from the sale of each cocktail will go to the Animal Welfare League. So not only do you get a tasty libation with excellent bitters, you're also contributing to charity as well. Everyone's a winner...

For those of you who aren't in Australia, Jason's kindly shared the recipe for you to make at home or in your bars.

The Eager Beaver

30ml Tanqueray Gin
15ml Massenez Creme de violette
15ml Fresh apple juice
15ml Fresh lemon juice
Barspoon sugar syrup
3 Dashes Dandelion & Burdock Bitters
Fresh egg white

Method: Add egg white, lemon and sugar in that order then add remaining ingredients to mixing glass and dry shake for five seconds. Fill with cubed ice and shake hard for a further ten seconds
Glass: Coupette
Garnish: Rose bud
Ice: N/A

For more info on Parched March please clicky this linky.

Should you wish to pick-up my bitters portfolio in Australia please contact my distribution partner Vanguard Luxury Brands

Vanguard Luxury Brands
57 Bream St
Coogee, NSW 2034
Tel: +61 (0) 408 411 859
Email: james@vanguardluxurybrands.com
Web: www.vanguardluxurybrands.com

Salute!

-----


Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters

E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters

"Can you do that Tom Cruise stuff?"

The question every bartender has been asked.

The answer we have all wanted to give...



-----


Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters

E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters

Christmas Bitters, by Heather Duncan and The Elves

Many of you will know the story behind the creation of Christmas Bitters, something that ranks as one of the best and most thoughtful presents I've ever been given, but assuming some of you don't it's worth explaining a little of the history;



Before you begin, please click play on the video above, then continue reading.

In October 2009 during a conversation regarding the trials and tribulations involved in the production of a quality bitters, Heather told me she believed she'd learnt so much by following my progress, and listening to me talk about the subject incessantly, that she was confident she could make bitters. I had no doubt that Heather had listened intently and had picked up various tidbits having helped throughout the early days of my research into, and experimentation of, Boker's Bitters (which then spawned Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters), but I doubted whether enough had been stored away. "You can't make bitters," I declared, underestimating just how talented she is...

Unbeknown to me Heather decided to do everything possible to make the bitters she promised she could, in this instance a Christmas Bitters. In order to keep this present under wraps she contacted Santa Claus (no, really) who allowed her to borrow two of his Elves so long as he had them back by Christmas Eve (seriously). One of the Elves set about designing a beautiful label so that the bitters would stand out, whilst the other let Heather use his grotto and some tools from his workshop. Lastly, Heather focused on devising a recipe and set to work. Let's just say that I may have had a wee tear in my eye on the morning of 25th December 2009 when presented with a few bottles of Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters. Who was to know that humble pie was a Christmas delicacy?

Though a handful of Heather's original batch made their way to bars in Scotland, England, France and America, the next 24 months were spent fending off requests for Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters, right up until October 2011 when some mysterious happenings started taking place in and around my house.



It all started when I received some junk-mail addressed to 'The Elves'. Like most of you will have experienced, all sorts of rubbish starts dropping through the letterbox in the lead-up to Christmas so I didn't really think anything of it.

Then, whilst carrying out a stock count, I spotted that some botanicals and bottles had gone missing. Again, I didn't read too much into it and put it down to an oversight regarding a delivery that hadn't arrived yet.

The next oddity was the appearance of botanicals, namely currants and cranberries, that I couldn't recall purchasing. I'm always experimenting with recipes for products and have hundreds of botanicals in my workshop so presumed I'd forgotten about an earlier idea I'd had hence why they had come to be in amongst my existing stock.

Things changed on the morning of 31st October when I was awoken by what sounded like my office window closing. Scottish weather in October is a time where you'd rarely open windows during the day let alone leave them open at night so I knew something wasn't right. I ran through to find nothing untoward, the window was closed as expected and everything seemed in order. That was until I spotted a small green & red hat (like the one pictured above) outside my office window. "Surely not..."



Weighing everything up there was only one explanation for it, The Elves had returned and they had unfinished business. I knew what they were after so I decided to set-up a trap for them. Gathering a few bottles and some festive spices, I left them on my kitchen worktop and headed to bed to wait.

Within minutes the sound of tiny footsteps could be heard, I crept through to my kitchen, held my camera round the corner and took a picture (above). Caught. In. The. Act. This was when I realised that The Elves and Christmas Bitters were back...



The Elves didn't want to give too much away regarding the bottlings though I eventually learnt that themselves and Heather had used overproof rum as a base spirit, with three different roots as bittering agents. Dried cranberries and currants are offset with a host of freshly ground festive spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove and star anise. A citrus edge is provided by dried orange and lemon peels, extra depth from cacao nibs, mace blades and coriander seed, finally finishing with a hint of port to round everything off.

Macerated for no less than two weeks, the Christmas Bitters then go through an exhaustive filtration process before being bottled. The first handful have been bottled with another 250 to be produced for release in early December before The Elves have to head back and prepare for Christmas day with Santa Claus (I'm not making this up).

Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters



Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters capture the spirit of Christmas in a bottle. Initially created in 2009, these have been reborn by a handful of Elves who didn't want to see Heather's work left in the past.

Elf-crafted, elf-bottled and elf-labelled, Christmas Bitters are a unique addition to any bitters collection adding depth to simple serves such as a Horse's Neck, a point of difference in classics such as the Pink Gin or Corn & Oil, or in original libations such as the award winning Rum-Plum-stiltskin.

Tasting Notes: Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters are dark ruby-red in colour with an enticing nose of freshly baked gingerbread, clove, and spiced fruit. An initial soft sweetness swiftly moves into a complex middle with clove-studded-orange and a host of festive spice all dancing on your tongue before a long bitter finish welcomes the return of hot gingerbread, spiced cookies and clove.

To round things up I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of Heather. If the music above is still playing please scroll up, press pause, then scroll back and listen to Heather singing, with her dad Bryan on guitar and backing vocals, instead. I did tell you she is talented...

There's also a couple of recommended serves provided, one of which was created by Heather, whilst the other is a twist of a favourite of the new doctor in town.

Rum-Plum-stiltskin

50ml / 2oz Havana Club Especial
25ml / 1oz Ruby Port
4 Dashes Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters
25ml / 1oz Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Fresh egg white
20ml / 0.75oz Homemade Plum Syrup

Method: To your mixing glass, add egg white, lemon juice and plum syrup in that order followed by remaining ingredients. Dry shake for five seconds then with ice for a further ten seconds
Glass: Chilled wine goblet
Garnish: Snap orange zest over drink and discard
Ice: N/A
Notes: Heather's winning cocktail from the Havana Club Cocktail Competition at Mim Bar & Lounge

Christmas Tree

50ml / 2oz English Harbour 5 year old
12.5ml / 0.5oz Falernum
4 Dashes Dr. Heather Duncan's Christmas Bitters
Barspoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Method: Add all ingredients to glass, fill with crushed ice and swizzle. Top with crushed ice and swizzle again if necessary.
Glass: Highball
Garnish: Lime zest spiral (use a vegetable peeler to create a long strip)
Ice: Crushed
Notes: Adaptation of the classic Corn & Oil and aptly named after an oil well Christmas Tree

For purchasing information please contact me directly at adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org as these won't be available with my distributors or retailers, they're going fast and before we know it the festive season will be over.

Why not buy your favourite bartender a bottle for Christmas?

-----


Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters

E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters

The Professional Bartender (in the words of Fernando Campoamor)

Arguably the modern bartender's holy grail, the following passage is taken from a book that very few have encountered in the physical sense. The book, by Cuban writer Héctor Zumbado, first came to my attention a few years back due to this exact passage and since then I've spent considerable time in the search for a copy. As it stands I've had no such luck.

This was until recently when a good friend (whose name I'm sparing as they'd be bombarded by pleas from bartenders and collectors) has promised that they will try and obtain a copy of this book for me, should this happen I will be eternally grateful as my search has proven both fruitless and frustrating. The latter due to the fact I originally believed the book was written by the author who first penned this definition of the perfect bartender, when in fact he was one of Héctor's influences and Héctor included it in his book. Funny thinking about it now, not so much at the time.

If there is a better definition of the professional bartender I've yet to read it.

"Diplomatic, polyglot, like skilled ambassadors... discreet and reserved... They have a good feel for psychology, and a deep understanding of human nature. They are father-confessors, competent advisors on a multitude of complex and delicate issues. They are stoic, capable of enduring with unlimited comprehension and courtesy, all the incoherence of the mad world that sometimes condenses in a bar.

They have the elegance of a symphony conductor, the precision and calm of a surgeon ready to operate. They are the chemists of today, the botanists of the eighteenth century, and the alchemists of the middle ages, capable of willing the creation of cool, shining gold.

They are experts in the topics of sport and international politics, but they never give into passionate discourse. They are philosophers, and when need be, telepaths… and to top it off; they need the memory of an elephant."

- Fernando Campoamor

As featured in El Sexto Sentido Del Barman (The Barman's Sixth Sense) by Héctor Zumbado Argueta.

You'll notice a lack of imagery in this posting as I've no image of the book, Héctor or Fernando to share so I'll leave you with a fitting video featuring 'Papa' Fabio Delgado who sadly passed away in 2004 but whose legacy lives on, not just in his home country but around the World;



Let's raise a Palmetto (a.k.a Cuban Manhattan) in honour of Fabio, Héctor and Fernando;

45ml Havana Club 7 year old
15ml Sweet Vermouth
3 Dashes Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Aphrodite Bitters

Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, fill with cubed ice and stir for 15-20 seconds. Julep strain.
Glass: Frozen cocktail glass
Garnish: Cocktail cherry
Ice: N/A

Sláinte!

-----


Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters

E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters

26,000 hours

...and counting.

No, Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte aren't making another film, this is in fact the absolute minimum number of hours I estimate I worked behind a bar between 2001 - 2010;

10 years x 52 weeks x 50 hours per week (on average) = 26,000 hours

The next figure is 10,400 hours. That is the absolute minimum number of hours I estimate I've spent reading related literature, attending trainings, practising my hobby and conversing with fellow industry colleagues in that same timeframe (2001-2010);

10 years x 52 weeks x 20 hours per week (on average) = 10,400 hours

Total figure = 36,400 hours which I have dedicated to my career choice between 2001 and 2010, primarily relating to cocktails but encapsulating all things Food & Beverage. I'm confident the actual figure far surpasses that but we'll stick with it for now.

"Why is this relevant?" you say. "What are you rambling about?"

I have a theory that (for the most part) there's no such thing as natural-born-talent, it's all about hard-work, dedication, a want to improve, and a desire to learn. Continue reading and all will be revealed.



I'm proud to call myself a bartender. No fancy filth-flarn-filth name here, I'm a bartender and I'm good at what I do. As you'll see from the hours above I've spent considerable time, "in the trenches," as they say. I've had the ice-machine pack in at 9pm on a Saturday night when the bar is four-deep, I've had girls show me their breasts (and more), and a guy show me his penis (Scots in kilts are a tricky bunch), I've had to be the court jester, I've been given phone numbers (from both sexes), I've had drinks bought for me, I've had drinks thrown at me, I've been offered jobs, and marriage proposals, I've made friends, I've lost friends, I've cut-off friends, I've cut-off family damn-it, I've held back hair as people have thrown-up, I've then had my hand down that same toilet to unblock it, I've worked 100+ hour weeks, I've been on the open on the 1st January, and the close on Christmas Eve, I've been the photographer, the party-planner, the magician, the shoulder to cry on, the mixologist, the plumber, the pacifier, the historian, the bouncer, the children's entertainer, the politician, I'm the guy who ends up in the kitchen at a party making fucking drinks. I'm the bartender. It's what I do. It's quite an enjoyable experience truth be told.

I learnt the basics on the front-line at TGI Fridays and worked my last bartending gig at Yatai where we were offering libations on par with (in my humble opinion) the best that London and Edinburgh have to offer. Yatai is in the middle of a sabbatical with new premises on the horizon but I can confidently say that the beverage program I was putting in place was unrivalled in this part of the World. If only the premises owners had the long-term vision...

Unsurprisingly, many of the spirits, drinks and drink's styles introduced to that wee 25-seater bar have since cropped up on other local bar menus. I would even go so far to say that the Yatai menus along with the menus I've written for Mim (which I'm updating and showcasing to the owner next week) have been imitated in other local venues, many drinks repeated again and again. Many bartenders telling porkies about where they learnt that drink. My old shaking style also mimicked, which then led to me later being told by the same bartender/s (who started long after me and who I trained) that they came up with it. Even though I adopted it from one of my peers who is rightly mentioned in most training sessions I host. That peer is Angus Winchester, whose time in the trenches is likely the same as above, but with another 'zero' on the end. He's getting old, but he's fucking good. The other day Craig Harper referred to Angus as the modern day Charles H. Baker and I couldn't have put it better myself.

Skip to 1:41 to see that shake. In fact, don't, just watch the whole vid;



Imitation. Flattery. You know how it goes. It's when you're not prepared to give credit that people will lose respect. I digress.

I'm also proud to say that my menus have been featured around the World, notably in homage nights at Clive's Classic Lounge in Victoria, headed by bartender Shawn Soole and this year nominated for World's Best Hotel Bar at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail Awards in New Orleans. That's a pretty humbling experience for someone who is primarily self-taught and from a city whose cocktail culture is no older than a decade. When I started the Mojito was like an alien to people. Nowadays? It's the norm to find Aberdonians sipping Last Words, Flips and Brandy Crustas. All beverages I introduced to the local scene and are now mainstays of menus in the better cocktail bars.

My influences come from far and wide and not just in the drinks industry, everyday life influences everything I do, I hoard drinks menus from all over, I pester the game-changers, the face-melters, the trend-setters, the ones truly at the forefront of the modern renaissance of cocktail culture, I have a book collection my bank manager disapproves of, I scour and collect rare spirits so I can recreate drinks as they were meant to taste, I am a regular contributor to forums such as Barbore, e-Gullet and The Chanticleer Society, there is a wealth of great videos on Youtube with hardly any views and the views they do have have been from me on more than one occasion, I attend trainings and seminars all over Europe, I don't go for a drink I go for an education. You get the idea, I am immersed in this shit. It's my life and I love it. "I'm going to get a real-job now!" I hear people declare. Why the fuck would you do that? Real job. Real job? Why have a job when you can have a life.



In 2006, halfway through those 10 years as a bartender, I set-up my own bar consultancy, training and events business. Evo-lution is now in its seventh year of trading making it one of the longest running consultancies of its kind, not just in the UK, but around the World.

I've consulted for a number of venues including Mim Lounge, Yatai and Dusk. These bars have been some of the main drivers in the ever-growing cocktail culture in my hometown.

I've trained hundreds of bartenders in traditional pubs, cocktail bars, nightclubs, restaurants and hotels, many of which continue to pursue successful careers in the Food & Beverage Industry despite never planning to stay in it.

I've set-up and run hundreds of events from themed corporate parties to cocktail evenings, private whisky dinners to tutored tastings, cocktail masterclasses to corporate entertainment. These have ranged in numbers from as little as four people attending to the many hundreds. Where there's beverages and food to be served, I've served it. And it's been bloody great fun.

I've only ever had one client that I've never worked with again and that was down to them not paying the agreed contract. This was my first client and the one that triggered me into setting up Evo-lution. You learn from your mistakes. Since then, every client I've ever worked with has either returned to me for business or referred me on to someone who has used my services. Not many companies have that success rate.



Evo-lution has later encapsulated the ever-growing Dr. Adam Elmegirab's... which is now running into its third year and is very much at the forefront of my career. I'm a full-time producer, brand ambassador, marketer and PR company all rolled into one. Expansion is in the works though for now, this baby is mine and she's quickly growing into a beautiful girl.

What started as the most in-depth research into the history of the Boker's Bitters company (due to this very project, which is only one-tenth completed) and a picture of five bottles posted online, has now grown into a global brand portfolio with four bottlings now being distributed in no less than sixteen global markets. To date, all my bottlings have scored between 4 and 5 out of 5 in highly respected industry magazine CLASS.

As I understand it I'm in the top five cocktail bitters producers in the World; behind only Angostura, The Sazerac Company, The Bitter Truth and somewhat on par with Bittermens. I've never spent a penny, a nickle or a dime on advertising. And still people ask what it is I do for a living. Go figure.

I aim to revolutionise the bitters market and consolidate it as a category in its own right. Along with the good work being done by those aforementioned it's already happening somewhat. It is us, the producers, that are responsible for the perception of a category and it is us who are now charged with giving the end consumer the knowledge they're after.

I think I've easily spent five-figures (in hours) on the bitters category, that goes back at least five years. Go look on Webtender if you don't believe me. My username there is Adam Elmegirab. Even taking this all into account, I've had bartenders tell me I'm wrong when offering advice with regards their housemade bitters. Advice they asked for in the first place. I'll touch on this in another article soon. Back on topic...

I'm currently working on new bottlings for my own portfolio (not just in the bitters category) and I'm in ongoing discussions with companies (that I can't name here) who are looking to use my expertise. I've also been outsourced by a handful of the most revered bars and bartenders the World has to offer with regards producing bespoke products. These are people with five-figure numbers in excess of my 36,400 asking me for advice. This pleases me. this pleases me greatly. The hard-work is beginning to really pay-off. There's those words again, hard-work.

All in all I think I've done alright so far in my short career. I've worked damned hard, I've still lots to learn, and lots I aim to achieve, but it'd be fair to say I've exceeded anything I've set out to do thus far. And probably worked harder than I knew I could.



Okay, okay, I'm getting to that. A few weeks back I was speaking with a local-bartender, an eager young whipper-snapper whose number won't even be in the high hundreds yet. I think he'll do alright, though I did lose a little faith in him when he made a remark similar to the following;

"It's not fair that you're such a good bartender and that you get to go on all these trips and win comps and stuff, why don't I get to go? I know a lot and I think I'm as good as anyone here."

Later he remarked, and asked;

"Some are born with it, do you think I'm one of them? Or maybe you're just lucky?"

I laughed this off. Lucky? He's lucky I didn't slap him up side his head, the cheeky sod. It made me think of this famous quote;

"The harder I practice, the luckier I seem to get." - Gary Player

Fucking luck. 36,000 hours and this is luck apparently. Pfft. I'll show him. So, I've been thinking a lot about what he said. Thinking about my career, and the careers of those that I respect, those at the top of our game. Then awards season rolled into town with both the CLASS Awards and the Mixology Awards taking place in the same week, and I'm seeing the same bartenders complain that they're not nominated. Complain that they haven't won. Complain that they've not been recognised. Complain that they're not respected. Complain that it's the same guys winning the comps and awards. And it got me thinking, why is that? We live in a time where people demand recognition and respect and it is a real ugly side of the bar industry, though it's prevalent throughout society.

By the same token I see the same people congratulating the winners and nominees. The same ones buying drinks and bending elbows with the winners at the award shows. These people are the ones that didn't win. These people are those that will go away and come back next year. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. And they will likely win. Their time will come. And it got me thinking, why is that?

Then I thought back to the, "Some are born with it," comment and similar thoughts I've seen in recent times with both an increase in the use of social media and in sharing ideas and techniques. Coupled with my belief that there is no such thing as natural-born-talent I started to look at recurring trends within the winners and trend-setters I refer to above.

The same names kept popping into my head. The first of which you'll all know, Erik Lorincz.



For those that have been locked away in an Austrian cellar for the last few years, Erik was the winner of Diageo's World Class competition in 2010 (fending off 9000 bartenders from across the globe), UK finalist in Bacardi's La Legacia competition (won by Matthew Dakers, another reaping the rewards of hours of hard-work), one half of the crime-fighting duo Ago & Erik that tended bar at the quite phenomenal Connaught, and is now the head bartender at the Mecca of bartending, The American Bar at London's Savoy Hotel.

He's like the Cristiano Ronaldo of bartending, highly-skilled, highly-respected, revered, good-looking. It's almost as if the man's blessed. Anyone that's seen Erik work will straight away tell me that he isn't exactly proving my point. He's so fluid, so slick, so fucking cool, that you can't learn it. You're born with it. What he's got is God-Given.

Well, you're wrong. What Erik's got is an immeasurable desire to be the best that he can be. A desire to work as hard as required to get to the top. He wasn't born with a barspoon and jigger in his hands, he's looked at the best around and worked exceptionally hard to get himself to a similar level. He mastered the hard-shake by going to straight to the source in Japan, Kazuo Uyeda. His mastery behind the bar is practiced and learned by a combination of hard-work and exposing himself to work in a variety of different bars, travelling to expose himself to the best bars and bartenders you can find in Germany, France, USA, the United Kingdom and Japan to name but a few countries. He's worked alongside some highly-talented bartenders, exposing himself to their skills and knowledge and showing him what he needs to do to get to the top of his profession. Key-words here, exposure and hard-work.

Whenever Erik's come into conversation the same words are used regarding him; gentleman, humble, driven, passionate, hard-worker. Having met the man on a number of occasions I can testify for all of these things. You are hopefully seeing a recurring theme here. Here's a direct quote from the man himself;

"For me it's not a job. It's not work. It's a passion, and a lifestyle." - Erik Lorincz

I'm confident that Erik has a similar five-figure number. I know he's also worked his hours in the trenches. I'm confident he would put his success down to hard-work.

To further my thoughts on bartenders such as Erik, the other day the following video appeared in my Facebook feed and it cemented another of my suspicions regarding those at the top;



Exposure. From a young age Erik was already learning skills that would assist him in later life. It never surprises me how many great bartenders have been exposed to the industry in some way, shape or form from a young age. Whether it be the likes of Gary Regan whose dad Bernard owned a pub, or the likes of Erik who had a grandparent making their own liqueurs, the exposure to the skills that would later shape their careers can't be a coincidence. Study this quote about Tiger Woods from the excellent article, 'The Talent Myth';

"The most talented player of all time," was the assessment of one pundit. But now consider that Woods was given a golf club five days before his first birthday; that by the age of two he played his first round of golf; that by five he had accumulated more hours of practice than most of us achieve in a lifetime. Far from being a golfer zapped with special powers that enabled him to circumvent practice, Woods is someone who embodies the rigours of practice."

Tiger Woods, the man oft-referred to as the most naturally-talented golfer of all time was in fact exposed to the game at a young age and put through an abundance of practice hours. In recent years his aura of invincibility has slipped somewhat, his rivals have had to put in the practice to match Tiger and eventually they caught him. Tiger's roar is more of a whimper now. The bar was raised but others have reached it. If Woods wants to return to the top, he will have to revisit his game and improve.

This is the same throughout the World and everyday life, music, sport and in this instance, bartending. Childhood prodigies are a myth. They more often than not have pushy-parents, opportunity, and the two things I've been referring to over and over in this article, exposure and hard-work. You want recognition and respect? You put the hours in. Simple really. If at this point you find that you're still not getting the respect and recognition it's because others are putting in more hours so you have to up your game yet again. The same faces at the competitions and award shows are there for a reason. Hard-work.



Still not having it? I refer you back to Matthew Syed, author of 'Bounce' and the article I linked to earlier;

"If you are still unconvinced by the power of practice, consider again my journey in table tennis. To many enthusiasts my skills seemed nothing less than a miracle. But was it?

When I hit the top of the England rankings, most of the other top players in the nation were not merely from the same town as me, but the very same street: Silverdale Road in Reading. Had some ping-pong virus spread through the area without touching the surrounding roads and villages? Of course not: the success was about the coming together of factors of a similar kind to those that have, from time to time, elevated other tiny places into the sporting ascendancy (Spartak, an impoverished Moscow tennis club, created more top 20 women players between 2005-2007 than the whole of the US).

In particular we all had access to a top coach (who happened to be a teacher at the local primary school) and to the only 24-hour-a-day club in the county. We started out as ordinary table tennis players but through a peculiar set of circumstances we were transformed into extraordinary players. The evidence is overwhelming: excellence in sport is not explained by talent, but by hard work, will and opportunity."

In an industry that is currently booming, to stay at the top and to stay relevant you've really got to work damned hard, but I really think the warning signs need to be put out. This article will upset some and those are the people it's aimed at. I can guarantee that those who have done their time will be nodding in approval. Don't get me wrong, this is not a tirade of old-school versus new, I'm merely pointing out the undeniable facts regarding those who are rightly held in regard in this wonderful industry. I've heard it argued that information is so widely available that less time is needed to move on and be successful. I disagree, as most information out there isn't worth considering and you're going to have done all the right things to be well-informed. Even then part of life is learning from mistakes, you learn more when things go wrong than you do when it's right all the time.

When we have bartenders hanging up their bar-blades and bar-spoons after less than a year's bartending to call themselves consultants that's problematic. That does nothing to help the industry and only ends up with bars not living to their true potential. It's damaging for what is a credible career. In nearly every other business that calls on consultants the minimum requirement is 10,000 hours, or five years full-time work. Think about the most common timeframe covering a university course and a year's placement. 5 years.

5 years x 52 weeks x 40 hours = 10,400 hours

The best consultants around have this as a minimum. In fact, they often surpass it. Tristan Stephenson, 2011 CLASS Bartender of the Year, I salute you.

When there are brand ambassadors who know less about their product than those they're supposed to be nurturing things aren't right. Brands need to address this, and bars and bartenders shouldn't accept it. The best bartenders around are dedicating a lot of time and money to learn about products and categories, so if you're a brand then your ambassador better know more by putting in the hours of hard-work. The best ambassadors around do this, they know who they are. They're time-served and more often than not got their position due to respect and recognition. Julien Lafond, 2011 CLASS Brand Ambassador of the Year, I salute you.

When there are those more interested in their fifteen minutes of fame than satisfying their guests needs it ruins the good image that bartending is currently gaining. We're bartenders, so stop trying to rename yourself to create a relevance. You are relevant, but not by calling yourself a Cocktologist, a Bar-Ninja, or a Mixtender, but by putting in the hours and the practice. Create menus specific to your bar and not to seek approval from your peers. They are where they are because they understand the business and will know straight away whether your menu is fit for purpose. They aren't interested in a fifteen minutes, they're filming a blockbuster and it's fucking hard work. Mal Spence, 2011 CLASS Best Bar Menu, I salute you.

And to the endless list of game-changers and face-melters I haven't mentioned and could've mentioned, keep up the hard work.

Related reading;

Matthew Syed - 'Bounce'

Matthew Syed - 'The Talent Myth'

Malcolm Gladwell - 'The Talent Myth'

Sláinte!

-----


Adam Elmegirab
Bar Consultant / Compounder
Evo-lution / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters

E-mail: adam.elmegirab@evo-lution.org
Web: www.evo-lution.org / www.bokersbitters.co.uk
Facebook: Adam Elmegirab / Evo-lution Bar Consultancy / Dr. Adam Elmegirab's Bitters
Twitter: @AdamsBitters