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  Ardent Spirits, is the website for Gary and Mardee Regan. These two truly ardent spirits are recognized cocktail connoisseurs, spirit experts, authors, as well as bartending and restaurant consultants. Through this site you can find out more about who they are, what they are doing now, and what amazing things they have planned for the future. |
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Ardent Spirits is a free e-mail newsletter for anyone and everyone with an interest in cocktails, bars, bartenders, distilled spirits, and beverage-related topics. If you were forwarded this letter from somebody else, then to become a subscriber, just click here to sign up. |
Volume 10, Issue 10, May 8, 2008
by Gary Regan and Mardee Haidin Regan
© 2008 Reganomics, Inc.
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Cheap Date: Wondrich Holds Forth
| Cheap Date |  |
| Wondrich Holds Forth |
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If you scrunch your eyes up you can just about see he of the goatee at the back of the room. M. Wondrich led a classroom full of Sunday Afternoon Revelers through a bevy of 19th century bevies at the Astor Center a few weeks back. Gary was there to observe. He got in for free. It was the closest thing to having Wondrich buy him a drink . . .
Here are the recipes we played with
| This was the Star of
the Show Amazingly Good |
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| And this was pretty darned good, too. |
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We're beginning to suspect that Wondrich might just know what he's talking about . . .
| The Cocktailian |
image courtesy of the good folks at quanya
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First Published in
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| I was in Dallas recently,
and although Cowboy Dave doesn't work on Wednesdays, I dropped by the
Windmill Lounge anyway . . . |
Read more about Cowboy Dave, the Windmill Lounge--perhaps the Best Little Cocktail House in Texas--and see the recipe for Bookie Bob's Manhattan, by following this Hot Link |
| Hot Links |
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Take a lookie below to see what our buddie
Robert Hess has been up to in
The Cocktail Spirit, a grand series of on-line video thingies. The Mint JulepAs the Kentucky Derby approaches there is one cocktail that is essential to have in your repertoire, The Mint Julep. Whether at the track or on the veranda watching the sun set, this refreshing, simple and elegant cocktail should be sipped and savored.
The Traveling MixologistNot only must you stock your bar with the best ingredients and most useful tools, you need to be able to take your act on the road. Robert packs up his traveling mixologist bag and let's you in on some secrets of transporting those all important bitters. |
 And don't forget to check out Robert's DrinkBoy Community |
| Potent Quotables |
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| Scenes from a Gin Palace |
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The two old washerwomen, who are seated on the little
bench to the left of the bar, are rather overcome by the head-dresses
and haughty demeanour of the young ladies who officiate. They receive
their half-quartern of gin and peppermint, with considerable deference,
prefacing a request for 'one of them soft biscuits,' with a 'Jist be
good enough, ma'am.' They are quite astonished at the impudent air of
the young fellow in a brown coat and bright buttons, who, ushering in
his two companions, and walking up to the bar in as careless a manner as
if he had been used to green and gold ornaments all his life, winks at
one of the young ladies with singular coolness, and calls for a 'kervorten
and a three-out-glass,' just as if the place were his own. 'Gin for you,
sir?' says the young lady when she has drawn it: carefully looking every
way but the right one, to show that the wink had no effect upon her.
'For me, Mary, my dear,' replies the gentleman in brown. 'My name an't
Mary as it happens,' says the young girl, rather relaxing as she
delivers the change. 'Well, if it an't, it ought to be,' responds the
irresistible one; 'all the Marys as ever I see, was handsome gals.' Here
the young lady, not precisely remembering how blushes are managed in
such cases, abruptly ends the flirtation by addressing the female in the
faded feathers who has just entered, and who, after stating explicitly,
to prevent any subsequent misunderstanding, that 'this gentleman pays,'
calls for 'a glass of port wine and a bit of sugar.' |
| From Sketches by Boz, Charles Dickens, 1836. |
| Bar Code |
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Is It The Year of Don Lee?
Read on . . .
Damon Dyer from New York's Death and
Company, and Don Lee, of PDT fame, just got themselves a trip to Sicily by
winning Averna's North-east Regional Cocktail competition.
Here's Don and Damon with the rest of the finalists and various and sundry other misfits.
Tad Carducci among them . . .
Top Row: Paolo Domeneghetti, Zachary Sharaga, Phil Watts, Ann R Tuennerman,
Lowell Supran, Don Lee, Suzanne C. Taliercio, Ryan McReynolds, Damon Dyer,
Elba S. Giron (Gary met her once), Tad Carducci. Bottom Row: Jim Ryan, Sam Treadway
And Here are the Winning Recipes
La Cola Nostra
Created by Don Lee
1 1/2 ounces Ron Zacapa 23-year-old rum
1 ounce Averna
3/4 oz Lime juice
1/2 ounce Simple syrup
1/4 ounce Pimento Dram
2 ounce Moet Chandon White Star Champagne
Shake, strain into long glass with ice. Top with Champagne
Tuesdays with Mole
Created by Damon Dyer
2 ounces Goslings Black Seal rum
3/4 oz Averna
1/2 oz Demerara syrup
1/2 ounce Lemon juice
1 Egg white
Shake,shake,shake, strain into coupe, float 5 drops Xocolatl Mole Bitters.
Now hang on to your hats. Here comes Don Lee again . . .
Rhum Clément’s 3rd
Annual Clement New York Cocktail Challenge
And the winners are:
1st
Place: Daniel Eun for his drink, “Bitches Brew”, 2nd Place to
Don Lee
and his cocktail the “Sargasso,” and 3rd Place was given to
Lydia
Reissmueller from Eletaria for her cocktail called “The Sweetie
Pie”. Daniel Eun was given an all expense paid trip to Martinique –
the home of Rhum Clement and Rhum J.M. (At least he doesn’t have to go
there with Don. Don will be in Sicily with Damon. Mind you, Daniel
has to work with Don . . . )
Here's a nice pic of Daniel Eun (his name is pronounced DANyul)
And Here are the Winning Recipes from this one
Bitches Brew
Created by
Daniel Eun, PDT,
New York
1 oz Clément Première Canne
1 oz Pampero Anniversario
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 oz St. Elizabeth All-Spice Dram
1/2 oz Demerara Syrup
1 egg
Combine all ingredients in a shaker, dry shake, add
ice, shake and strain into a fizz glass.
Sargasso
Created by Don Lee, PDT, New York
2 oz Clément V.S.O.P.
3/4 oz Lustau East India Sherry
1/2 oz Aperol
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir with cracked ice and strain into a chilled
cocktail glass.
The Sweetie Pie
Created by
Lydia Reissmueller,
Eletaria, New York
2 oz.
Clément V.S.O.P.
1/4 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram
1 1/2 oz. Fresh Pressed Apple Juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Pinch of Sea Salt
Build over ice, stir and strain into chilled Nick ‘n
Nora glass.
Okay, Don Lee. That's quite enough from you for this issue.
Late Breaking News
Debbi Peek of the Drawing Room at Le Passage in Chicago, Jeffrey Hollinger of Absinthe Brasserie & Bar and Thomas R. Waugh of Alembic Bar in San Francisco, are also finalists in the Averna contest. Guess they’ll be off to Sicily with Don Lee . . .
| Worldwide Bartender Database |
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| If you haven't joined yet, you won't know about the gigs we're letting our
members in on, will you? Join now and get our weekly Worldwide Bartender Bulletin, telling you about lots of gigs at bars, restaurants, hotls, and with top-of-the-line liquor companies (we've helped more than a couple of brand Ambassadors get jobs). |
Join the Worldwide Bartender Database
Wanna see where some of our members work?
|
Boston: Eastern Standard,
Excelsior, The Langham Hotel, The Savant Project. Brooklyn: 12th St. Bar &
Grill, 5 Front Restaurant, Applewood, Atlantic Chip Shop, Café Bar &
Restaurant, Dressler and Larry Lawrence, Franny's, Jack the Horse
Tavern, La Martini Lounge, Lillie's Bar, MiniBar, Sheraton, The Hideout,
Zombie Hut. Chicago: Cuatro, Custom
House, Excalibur Nightclub, Green Zebra, Moxie, Nacional 27, Pier 37,
Piranha Bros., Quartino, Sheraton Chicago, Smallbar, Spring, Drawing
Room, The Gage, The Tasting Room. Las Vegas: Allegro Bar @
The Bellagio, Seahorse Lounge, Dino's Lounge, Envy Bar, La Femme
Bar, Luxor Hotel and Casino, MGM Grand, Studio Café, N9NE Steakhouse,
Parasol Down @ Wynn, Petrossian Lounge, Picasso @ The Bellagio, Shibuya
Restaurant, Silverton Casino, Teatro Bar, The Mirage, Trader Vic's,
Tuscany, Wynn Hotel & Casino Los Angeles: Luna Park,
Minibar, Republic Restaurant, 7 Grand Whiskey Bar, Sona Restaurant,
Water Grill. New Orleans: B Street,
Commander's Palace, Herbsaint, Jackson, The Library Lounge at the Ritz
Carlton, The Swizzle Stick Bar. New York: 107 West, 21
Club, 44 & X Hell's Kitchen, 5 Ninth, A.O.C., Agave, Aix, Alain Ducasse,
Alfama, Aquavit, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Aureole Restaurant, Babbo
Ristorante, Balthazar, Barmarche, Bemelmans Bar, Blue Smoke, Bobby
Van's, Bolo, Bond 45, Brandy Library, Bridge Café, Bryant Park Grill,
Buddha Bar, Café Boulud, Café des Artistes, Campbell Apartment,
Chanterelle, Daniel, Death & Co., Devin Tavern, Dylan Prime, Elettaria,
Eleven Madison Park, Flatiron Lounge, Freeman's, Gramercy Tavern, Jean
Jorges, Le Zinc, Milk & Honey, Nice Matin, Oceana Restaurant, Passerby,
Patroon, PDT, Peacock Alley, Pegu Club, Public, Soho/Tribeca Grand
Hotels, Sortie, SushiSamba 7, Taj, The World Bar, Typhoon, Vig Bar Philadelphia: 1601 Café,
Monkey Bar, Azure, Chick's Café & Wine Bar, Hotel Sofitel, Ristorante La
Buca, Sheraton Hotel, Solaris Grille, Tangier Portland, OR: Andina, ,
Meriwethers Restaurant, Mint/820, Paragon Restaurant and Bar, Teardrop
Lounge, Typhoon! on Broadway. San Diego: Addison,
Arterra Restaurant, Confidential Restaurant, JC Resorts, Modus
Supper Club, Sheraton Harbor Marina. San Francisco: Absinthe
Brasserie, Alembic, Bacar, Balboa Cafe, Bix, Bong Su, Bourbon & Branch,
Cantina, Capurro's, Cortez, Elixir, Frisson, Globe, Starlight Room,
Jackson Fillmore, Jardinière, Lark Creek, Levende Lounge, Nopa, One
Market Restaurant, Oola Restaurant, Palmetto, Perbacco, Ponzu
Restaurant, Prana, Presidio Social Club, Range, Restaurant Gary Danko,
Rye, Scoma's Restaurant, Solstice Lounge, Swig, The Orbit Room,
The Slanted Door, Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, Tres Agaves. Seattle: Cafe Presse,
CHAC Lounge, Liberty, The BalMar, Union, Vessel. Washington D.C.: Bourbon,
Central Michel Richard, Corduroy, Kinkeads, Mie-N-Yu, Rock Creek
Restaurant, Roof Terrace @ JFK Center for the Performing Arts, Source by
Wolfgang Puck, Urbana Wine Bar. |
| Ardent Events Calendar |
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| At a Glance May 8 - 13 World Cocktail Week May 13 - 19 San Francisco Cocktail Week May 25 Gary at Astor Center* June 1 - 4 Santé Restaurant Symposium June 22 - 23 New York Bar Show July 16 - 20 Tales of the Cocktail* September 17 - 18 Sydney Bar Show* *Gary has managed to talk his way into being at these events. |
| MAY 13 - MAY 19 |
| San Francisco Cocktail Week |
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Those Crazy Kids in San Francisco are pulling out all the stops again with events planned for every evening during this fun-packed week. Details here |
| MAY 8 - MAY 13 |
| World Cocktail Week |
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| The Museum of the American Cocktail has some great
plans for the 2008 celebrations. Wanna See? Thought so. Details here |
| MAY 25 |
| Life Behind Bars |
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Join Gary for a couple of Happy Hours at
Astor Center where he'll talk about his “life behind bars,” tell
tales about his first few years behind the stick in Manhattan during
the 1970s, and talk about what it means to be a bartender.
(Will somebody shut him up, please . . .) Details Here |
|
2008
Santé Restaurant Symposium Join us for a four-day feast for the body, mind, and the bottom line!
The Santé Restaurant Symposium is the most comprehensive and compelling conference of its kind, designed specifically for fine-dining and upscale-casual hospitality professionals who want to increase profits, stay on top of trends, and learn from and network with the most successful restaurateurs in the industry.
Click the Banner Below for the Full Scoop
|
| June 22 - June 23 |
| The New York Bar Show |
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This show gets better and better every year. Don't miss the 2008 version Details Here. Register Here. |
| July 16 - July 20 |
| Tales of the Cocktail |
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The biggest cocktail event in the country--don 't miss it. Details Here |
| SEPTEMBER 17, 18 |
| Sydney Bar Show |
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Gary's never been Down-Under before, so this might prove interesting . . . Details Here |
