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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 8, April 10, 2008
by Gary Regan and Mardee Haidin Regan
© 2008 Reganomics, Inc.
A Glimpse of Mark Pollman |
| Life Behind Bars: Two Hours with an Old Codger |
Watcha doin' on May 25? Wanna come listen to an old codger reminisce about the glories of the swinging 70s on the Upper East Side? Wanna hear him drone on and on about how Kevin Noone, his Irish mentor, was a complete asshole? Yep. Gary has managed to talk his way into doing a gig at the Astor Center. And he means to make sure that they live to regret it. Did we mention that he'll make drinks for anyone who manages to last the whole two hours? |
| Details Here |
| Cheap Date |  |
Brian Rae, for those of you who don't know him, is a classic bartender.
A man who served the likes of David Embury at the 21 Club in Manhattan.
And a man with a heart of gold.
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| Here's a pic of Brian making nice with the one and
only Aisha Sharpe. It was very very late . . . |
And here, for your perusal, is the Bartender's License that Brian
sent to Gary recently. Attached to the license was a note: "I know you're an operator. Now you have a license." Thanks, Brian! |
| The Cocktailian |
image courtesy of the good folks at quanya
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First published in
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Around 15 years ago, when the Food Network
first started broadcasting, my wife and I were called into on-screen
action on a fairly regular basis. We weren't summoned because we were
talented, and neither were we considered to be eye candy for the
viewers. The fact that we lived just about 10 minutes from the studio,
though, made us very attractive to various producers when scheduled
guests didn't show up, or they realized at the last minute that they had
seven minutes to fill at the end of a show. "Can either of you get here within the hour?"
was, seemingly, a far more important question than "Do either of you
have anything of interest to say?" |
Read the whole article here
| 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 Fizz, a once popular style of drink, can
be made in myriad ways. The Gin Fizz is light and refreshing and
deserves re-discovery. Feeling like a professional bartender at home
can be as easy as having the right tools. Here are some special
suggestions that can up your game the next time you entertain.
|
| And don't forget to check out Robert's DrinkBoy Community |
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| The Gang at MOTAC are re-opening their New Orleans Branch!
It's gonna be pretty spectacular, too. A Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony is planned for Monday, July 21st at 10:30 am. |
| Follow this HOT LINK for more details. |
| the cocktail guru blog |
 our friend jonathan pogash recently acquired his very own blog. our friend jonathan pogash recently went to vale, colorado our friend jonathan pogash wrote about his trip (which involves cocktails, cocktailians, skiing, more cocktails, and lotsa Grand Marnier and Navan) in his new blog. |
Follow this Hot Link for more details. |
| Bar Crawl |
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Sazerac Company Introduces A Revolutionary Cordial Line
Source: Beverage Digest News
April 1st, 2008
New Orleans based Sazerac Company announced at a
press conference yesterday that it will be launching a revolutionary line of
cordials at this year's upcoming Industry conventions.
After 3 years research and $3.0 million in
development costs in conjunction with leading flavor companies, the company is
unveiling a complete line of food flavored cordials. The line will be led by a
Beef flavored liqueur and a Chicken flavored liqueur. These two new 42 proof
products will be available in 750mls and Liters, with the 750ml retailing for
$19.99. As an accompanient to the Beef and Chicken liqueurs, the company will be
also be shipping four cordials in 200ml stackable bottles - Tomato, Carrot,
White Corn and Broccoli cordials, these products will also be 42 proof. Finally,
as part of the initial rollout, a ginger liqueur and a wasabi liqueur will be
shipping in the miniature (50ml) size. Almost a complete meal!
Consumer research has shown that consumers are increasingly interested in new and different products, as evidenced by the explosion in sales of flavored vodkas and rums.
Consumer tests have apparently shown high product
acceptance for the new line in association with BBQs, picnics, and dinner
occasions. Given recent cutbacks on food being served at 35,000 feet, at least
one airline is reported to have shown early interest in the product line.
Released under the brand name "Main Course", the
company is planning on adding additional products to the line up including a
Ham, Bacon and a lamb cordial as well as appetizer and dessert items. "We are
very close to perfecting a great shrimp cocktail offering", said the company's
New Business Development spokesperson April Pfoule. "We are also hopeful that we
will able to convince retailers to devote a special section to shelve and
merchandise the product line.
The product rollout will be supported by a national
magazine campaign targeting gourmet food and leisure publications.
Notice Anything Weird About The Announcement Above?
Check the Date
That's right. It was an April Fool's Day prank that was puit into moption by that wag of all wags, Mark Brown, CEO of The Sazerac Company. The same guy who was gullible enough to let Gary talk him into issuing a line of orange bitters . . .
On the following day, April 2, Mark did a follow-up:
Thank you to all our readers who joined in the fun of
yesterday's April 1st celebration through the story about........"Sazerac
Company Intro's Revolutionary Cordial Line", which indeed was a hoax, however,
Sazerac does report taking orders for over 30,000 cases of product! We
also received lots of enthusiastic suggestions for line extensions, the best of
which are listed below.
Line Extensions, suggestions received:
| The Whitehouse "Lamburgini" |
|
1 part vodka 1 part Main Course Lamb flavored cordial 2 parts tomato juice Shake over ice and strain into chilled martini glass |
Okay, Mark. That's quite enough for this year. Time for you to get some sleep now. About 45 minutes should do it . . .
| Worldwide Bartender Database |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| APRIL 12 |
|
Elements
of Mixology with Jonathan Pogash |
 |
|
Location:
The Astor Center's Kitchen Discount for members
of the Food and Bev Industry: Write to
jonathan@ardentspirits.com
for details Date:
Sat, Apr 12th, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Buy tickets here or call 212-674-7501 |
| MAY 8 - MAY 13 |
| World Cocktail Week |
 |
| The Museum of the American Cocktail has some great
plans for the 2008 celebrations. Wanna See? Thought so. Details here |
| MAY 13 - MAY 19 |
| San Francisco Cocktail Week |
 |
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 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 |
|
June 1 - June 4 |
|
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 23 - June 24 |
| The New York Bar Show |
 |
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 |
Wanna sponsor a feature in Ardent Spirits? Contact theguys@ardentspirits.com
 | Just Who Are The Regans Anyway? |
| (Click the Pic to Find Out) We'd love to hear your comments about Ardent Spirits: What would you like to see more of? What would you like to see less of? Just write to we@ardentspirits.com |
|
Please remember to drink safely and responsibly. |
