The 'Ol One Hand Two Spoon

If you have two hands so you might as well use both of them. I'm sure you have seen bartenders employing a variety of method's to insure effeciency of putting drinks out to guests. The shaker in one hand the spoon in the other, the two shakers going at once, and the stir or shaking in one hand while jiggering out a completely different drink in the process. But what about the two spoons in one hand technique. That's right I have just given you a reason to buy more bar spoons! How is this technique executed? I'll walk you through it.  Start with the Japanese style of stirring with one spoon in the normal position between the middle and ring fingers with shaft resting in the palm between the first digit and the thumb. I will refer to this spoon as the top spoon. The second spoon, which I will refer to as the lower spoon, rests in the same space but slides between the ring and pinky finger. So far so good right? Now comes the difficult part of actually moving the spoons in unison.

Here we go:

1. Move the mixing glasses close together

2. Insert the spoons at the same angle with the spoon facing the same direction (I like to start at the top left)

3. I start by pulling the spoons towards me which should move them clockwise. (you can stir in any direction you freakin want though)

4. This is the step that is the most difficult and will determine weather or not you wil have success and get a full rotation. You have to release your ring finger from the lower spoon and push the top spoon forward (moving it clockwise). This is what you would do normally with just the one spoon. The lower spoon get pushed forward with the pinky. In order to accomplish this you must crimp the shaft a bit where it rest between the upper palm and thumb.

5. Repeat.

It's really not the most elegant or aesthetically pleasing stirs. Using this method is actually kind of jerky and spastic. Also it's pretty freaking hard to master with both hands. It takes a lot of practice and hand strength. So far I can only do it affectively with my right hand but lefty is learning. That means I can stir two drinks while shaking another which is cool. Theoretically in the future I will be able to stir four drinks at once which goes beyond cool into the stupid/ridiculous area.

A side note: I have only used this method with Yarai mixing glasses. I fear that a standard pint might topple over so proceed with caution if you are not using a weightier mixing glass. Also, this is even more of a pain in the ass to accomplish with Kold Draft ice though I have been successful. If this is too confusing to read and visualize I will happily post a crappy video showing the movements.

Festive Drinking around Seattle

Tis the season for drinking holiday cocktails. They remind you of warmth, comfort and cheer. Hot toddies, egg nog, Tom and Jerry's and hot buttered rum. Now where oh where can one drink these festive beverages? Here is a short list. If you know of more please leave them in the comments and I'll add it to the list. 

Zig Zag Cafe - Hot Buttered rum.
Vito's - Tom and Jerry.
Rob Roy -  a different holiday cocktail will be served through the month of December.
Sun Liqour & the distillery will be serving eggnog Christmas eve and day.

To make cocktails of the festive nature at home keep the following on hand:

• Eggs
• Sugar
• Nutmeg
• Allspice
• Cinnamon

 For a Tom and Jerry separate your eggs and whip them individually until the whites are frothy and the yolks are thin. Then add your sugar to taste. I like to use a rich simple syrup so that it incorporates better. A demerera or moscovado wouldn't hurt either. Do the same with your spices. There is your batter. Now pick your favorite rich booze (I like a cognac and/or rum) and add it to the batter. This is where you have some options. Jerry Thomas used boiling water. However, as David Wondrich mentions in Imbibe, milk can also be used and will add body to your Tom and Jerry cocktails. It is certainly the option that I prefer.

Play around with the spices and alcohol. Maybe even throw in some chartruese or amaro's. It's a pretty versatile set up. Happy Holidays!

Batching and Bottling Cocktails

Imagine coming home from a long day of work and reaching into your fridge and instead of reaching for a beer reaching for a bottle that contains your favorite cocktail. Sounds nice right? Sure it does. 

Basically batching a cockail is like baking. You simply multiply the recipe to get the desired quantity. However, there are some steps and guidelines I should cover before beginning:

1. Choosing a cocktail. I would recommend that you do not make a prebatch with juice unless you are absolutely sure you will be going though all of it before it expires. Using spirits (vermouth should be fine for up to a month or so in the fridge) cocktails allows for longer storage life.

2. The math. Make sure you are accurate in your conversions in whatever measurement you are using either in parts or some other volume unit.

3. To dilute or not to dilute? 

a. Diluting the cocktail before bottling can be achieved by exposing the whole batch to ice and treating it like one big cocktail or, my preferrence, adding chilled water is small doses until it tastes right. This option is nice if you have refrigeration space to keep them cold. 

b. Dilute afterwards if you do not have refrigerator space to store your batch cold. You can dilute as much as you need as you want to drink it.

Your choice will depend on the presentation that you desire as well as your access to ice and refrigeration. Either way these options make great gifts if you bottle them individually. Keep that in mind for the upcoming holidays.

As a side note the application behind the bar is pretty obvious. It keeps the drink consistent everytime no matter who makes it or how busy it is.

Murray Joins Canon

So, I'll be the last guy to post about Murray's joining the Canon team. I watched him fill out his paperwork. I am excited to be able to call him "Rook" since he's the FNG. We must have the shortest bar team in town. Seriously though, I am looking forward to working with him. Being able to pick the brain of someone so experienced in the field is an invaluable opportunity.

We don't have set schedules and we are always covering for each other but keep on coming in no matter if you want a particular bartender or not you should be well satisfied with everyone who works at Canon.