In today’s restaurant and bar scene, with both fancy ice programs and water sommeliers, clearly people have begun to appreciate the finer aspects of H20’s role behind the bar or at the dinner table. But, water plays an even bigger role elsewhere, before it’s ever frozen into those perfectly aesthetic, slow-melting ice spheres, or bottled up for exorbitantly priced sales all on its own. Water sources, and their unique and distinctive attributes, have a huge impact on the specific flavors and qualities of spirits from around the world.
Water & Whiskey
A great place to begin a global journey in search of the importance of water sources for spirits is in Kentucky. While the development of the burgeoning whiskey industry in Kentucky hundreds of years ago had more to do with farming, the limestone water is what made the whiskey particularly good to begin with, and what kept the industry rooted there.
“Water sources, and their unique and distinctive attributes, have a huge impact on the specific flavors and qualities of spirits from around the world.”
Kentucky’s limestone water supply provides minerals to the water, filters out certain undesirable compounds, and also affects pH levels, which plays a key role in the distillation process. Step into any distillery in Kentucky and “limestone” will be a prominent player in that particular brand’s story.
As it is with New York’s bagels and pizza crusts, Kentucky’s whiskey is imbued with minerals from local water that affect, and improve, the end product. Meanwhile, some of the best bourbon made outside of Kentucky hails from locales touting limestone water supplies.
Limestone quarry in Jessamine County, KY
In Japan, Suntory Whisky, which produces the Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki brands, takes their relationship and balance with nature quite seriously across all fronts. This includes with their water sources, both of which were designated by the Japanese Ministry of Environment as among the “most precious” water sources in the country.
Suntory calls their water sources “soulplaces” for the brand, referring to the concept in Japanese culture of a dwelling that becomes a source of spiritual inspiration. The brand explains:
“Water, with its purity, has always been the representative elemental force for Suntory soulplaces.”
The Japanese whisky giant seeks to embody balance and harmony between “the art of Japanese nature” and “the art of Japanese people” to create their tagline, “The Art of Japanese Whisky.” A pure water source is an integral component of that equation.
Elsewhere in the whiskey industry, in Scotland, water is actually the source of one popular misconception about Scotch-namely how it’s peated. Peaty flavors do not come from water which flows through or comes into contact with peat, bur rather is the result of using peat smoke to dry barley.
Clear Spirits
Water quality and purity is even more important for spirits other than whiskey, where barrels and the aging process may account for upwards of 60 percent of the whiskey’s final character. Vodka, for instance, has no such helpers along the way to producing a desirable flavor profile.
“For us, the biggest piece is water,” explains Chris Doyle, Finlandia Vodka brand manager at Brown-Forman. “It’s the number one ingredient with vodka.”
Finlandia’s water source is pure glacial spring water which has been naturally filtered through moraine sand deposits that resulted from the end of the Ice Age.
This process allows the company to forgo modern purification systems such as deionization or osmosis, and offers their vodka a signature quality.
Maintaining water purity not only in the brand’s home of Finland, but across the globe, has become a priority for Finlandia. They donate one percent of all U.S. sales to water-centric environmental nonprofits in conjunction with the 1% For The Planet association.
Finlandia also just released a video documentary series, Journey From the Source, highlighting unique water adventurers while seeking to raise awareness for the importance of preserving pure water sources, such as the one they depend upon for their product.
Extreme paddleboarding in ‘Journey From The Source’
“Our partners are about keeping water clean,” explains Doyle. It’s not only for vodka’s sake, though, “But keeping water clean environmentally, and also so you can go out and enjoy it, and do cool stuff in it.”
Martin Miller’s Gin is another clear-spirit brand which places a premium on the purity of its water. After distillation, they proof their gin down with pure spring water from Borgarnes, Iceland.
The water they use there is said to naturally have 8 to 30 parts per million of dissolved solids, comparative to leading bottled water brands at about 300 to 400 parts per million, making it at least 10 times purer based on that measure.
Borgarnes water also has a particularly high surface tension, which the brand explains works by “inhibiting evaporation of the volatiles that want to escape quickly -the aromas, the bouquet.”
Therefore, their gin is touted as having a softer nose, to go along with a distinctive flavor profile, and a delicate mouthfeel. It hides more of the alcohol’s heat and showcases more of the herbal flavors.
Water Purification at the Bar
Back behind the bar, controlling the specific taste of water remains important. This includes ice used in drinks, whether it’s part of an “ice program” or not. Anybody who has ever had an at-home batch of ice go bad because, who knows what was stinking up the space next to it in the freezer, can understand that controlling the flavor of ice itself is important.
Further, bars who regularly produce their own syrups and other ingredients want more control over the water they’re using. For instance, at DC Harvest in Washington, D.C., bar manager Matthew Fisk filters the District’s notoriously funky-tasting tap water, and then adds in his own preferred levels of minerals to ensure he’s getting the perfect result from his ingredients.
If he’s considering every other factor and carefully fine-tuning his recipes, why wouldn’t he also want exacting power over the water itself?
Across town at Jack Rose Dining Saloon, the entire three-story building has a water purification system in place. Therefore, when imbibers carefully add a touch of water from an eye dropper to a dram of whiskey, one is accurately opening up the spirit’s aromas, not mucking them up with tap water.
From Suntory’s soulplaces to Finlandia’s glacial springs, Kentucky’s limestone and beyond, don’t overlook the role of water in the spirits and cocktails you love.
It’s that time of year again; the gift-giving season is upon us. And while some have no trouble finding a perfect present, others may need a little assistance. So, to lend a helping hand, here are 20 gift ideas for the alcohol enthusiast. Whether it’s a taste for wine or liquor, knowledge or gadgets, we have them here.
These whiskey and wine glasses, blown in Fort Collins, Colorado by Ben Belgrad, are great examples of hand-crafted love and attention. Belgrad, a Chicago-born glass-blower puts careful attention into each glass and offers individual glasses as well as full sets. Whiskey drinkers love having their designated whiskey glass, so give them what they love while supporting local art.
Terry Theise’s “Reading Between the Wines” is a perfect gift for wine enthusiasts. This expansive yet accessible book reflects on the beauty of wine culture and the intricate, refined industry. These goes deep into the wine experience from tasting and pairing to cultivation and technique. “Reading Between the Wines” is a tribute to the elaborate, emotional connection that we have with wine and offers an in-depth look at how the industry has grown and blossomed.
Experience whiskey at its full potential. With these whiskey stones, made from Vermont soapstone, get the cool temperature in your bourbon, scotch or whiskey without diluting the taste. Simply freeze these cubes in your freezer and use them as you would ice cubes. The perfect gift for the whiskey aficionado.
For the white wine drinkers out there, enjoy your beverage without compromising the taste by watering it down with ice cubes. These wine pearls are a great addition to summer drinking experience. Freeze these stainless steel pearls in your freezer and use them to cool down your wine.
Dazzle your friends and family at your next cocktail party with this ten-in-one, all-purpose bar tool. This Swiss Army knife of bartending tools includes a jigger, zester, muddler, strainer, channel knife, corkscrew, bottle opener, stirrer, reamer and bar knife. Have everything you need in the palm of your hand.
Discretion has never been so convenient in this portable flask with stow-away shot glass. Perfect for when you’re on the go, this flask is a handy way to measure your consumption. Take it camping or use it for your backyard barbecue.
Decant your wine straight into your glass with this innovative self-aerating wine glass. Simply pour the wine right into your glass and let it do all the decanting for you. This new technology allows you to aerate the wine, as you would in a decanter, through the inner cell, releasing the aroma and tannin equally into your glass.
Paul Clarke, Editor of Imbibe, has nicely distilled a decade of accumulated knowledge to provide some 200 recipes along with snapshot-like essays about cocktail history and the evolution of the American bar. Cocktails covered range from the oft-quaffed (daiquiri, old-fashioned) to the newfangled (Chartreuse swizzle, Fort Washington flip), and will easily provide a year’s worth of exploration for those forging deeper into the thickets of bottles and bitters.
Give the gift of beer. The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club is one of many places to get this perfect gift for beer lovers. Buy your loved ones a subscription to the Beer of the Month Club and let them sample some of the best craft beers in circulation.
A veteran columnist for the Wine Spectator, Kramer wants to establish fresh guidelines for assessing the quality and character of individual wines and to toss aside the two most common critical tools: the 100-point rating scale and the trusty array of fruit, vegetable and mineral wine descriptors. The better way to get at a wine’s attributes, Mr. Kramer argues, is via seven simple words: texture, insight, harmony, finesse, nuance, layers and surprise.
So you think you’ve tried them all? Prove it. With this 50-state beer bottle cap map you can let your beer lovers prove their wide-ranging love of beer. Fill the map with a beer from each state and feel a strong sense of…accomplishment.
Perfect for the aspiring bartender, Mittie Hellmich’s book, “The Ultimate Bar Book”, contains over 1,000 cocktail recipes and techniques. From simple, everyday cocktails to old-time favorites, Hellmich covers everything you need to know to make all the important drinks. This in-depth look into bar knowledge and form will help anyone become a better bartender and hone their skills.
Add some character and hilarity to your drinking experience. These beer mustaches simply hook onto your beer and bring joy to you and whoever gets to watch you drink.
Whiskey enthusiasts unite over this beautifully written guide to some of the worlds best whiskies. Buxton’s book takes you on a global tour of some of the most famous and most interesting whiskey varieties while peppering in some new and rare brands that you may have overlooked. If whiskey is your game, this is your book.
Never confuse your drink with someone else’s again. With the chalkboard glasses, easily etch your mark on your drink to ensure that you never forget which one is yours. Perfect for parties and narcissists, chalkboard glasses are a fun way to keep track of your drink and bring some added fun to drinking.
Nothing says “I love you” like a fridge full of beer, but a fridge that IS beer, that is above and beyond. The kegerator lets you joyfully express your love for beer with a built-in tap and easy-to-use filter system. Blow the minds of your loved ones with this ideal gift for the beer drinkers in your family.
The wall bottle opener will ensure you always know where your bottle opener is. Perfect for your bar at home or wherever you do your drinking, the wall opener is a convenient way to add style and show your priorities.
These creative coasters give you the perfect place to put your wine corks. Simply place the corks in the wood from and glue them down and you have a perfect set of usable coasters. Recycle all your favorite wine corks in a simple and fun art project, making a perfect gift.
Ever wonder where bars get those huge ice cubes for your Old Fashioned? Look no further with this simple big ice cube mold. Just fill it with water, toss it into your freezer and pop out the cubes for a better whiskey experience. The perfect gift for those post-work, wind-down drinks. Whether you’re drinking your whiskey on the rocks or mixing a drink, do it right using the whiskey cube mold.
Pay homage to Oktoberfest with this boot-shaped beer glass. This playful and unique vessel will take you back to the beer gardens in Germany and prove your love for beer. Don’t forget to twist the glass at the end so you don’t splash.
They’re the reason you use emojis instead of email and Snapchats instead of real chats. But will millennials also upend the wine establishment? As Lettie Teague, wine columnist for the Wall Street Journal discovers, this relationship status is complicated.
“So many millennials are interested more in the narrative of the wine rather than the wine,” said Jason Jacobeit, the 29-year-old head sommelier of Bâtard restaurant in New York. “A lot of mediocre wine is being sold on the basis of a story.”
Mr. Jacobeit lamented the fact that few of his generational peers took the time to understand why certain wines are greater than others. The rustic sparkling wine Pét-Nat (short for pétillant-naturel), for example, may be hip and fun, but it will never be as great as Champagne. Mr. Jacobeit said that his peers need to learn to distinguish the difference between “being excited about wine and wine that is genuinely exciting.”
Taylor Parsons, the 35-year-old wine director of République in Los Angeles attributes these “gaps” in millennials’ wine knowledge to their incessant search for the next cool thing, be it orange wine or Slovenian Chardonnay. “We get tons of requests for Slovenian Chardonnay,” he said.
Which might just mean you’ll soon be seeing many more Slovenian Chardonnays on restaurant wine lists. After all, millennials have been heralded as the generation capable of changing everything. The largest generation to date at 75 million strong, they certainly have clout.
This group of 18- to 34-year-olds is technologically savvy, environmentally engaged and eager for stories about the things they love.
They’ve helped transform the way we connect with one another, but will they also (re)shape the way we drink?
I’d say “perhaps,” although a millennial might answer “Yaaaasssss!”
In search of an answer, I talked to as many millennial sommeliers, winemakers, retailers and wine drinkers as I could. I also began combing through piles of data, starting with an August survey from Wine Opinions, a California-based wine-research group. In the survey, the results of which will be released later this month, the group polled 2,634 wine drinkers from three generations-millennials, Gen X and boomers-about their wine preferences, buying habits and information sources.
One of the biggest divides turned out to be the numerical rating system. Millennials regard the 100-point scale as the creation-and the provenance-of their older wine-drinking peers. They won’t be “duped” into buying an expensive wine just because some critic awarded it 92 points; they value stories and a personal connection.
Though their rebellious tastes can lead them into trouble, millennials’ enthusiasm for the obscure has also been a boon. As Mr. Parsons observed, it means “you can have a restaurant wine list today without Napa Cabernet or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc,” two wines that achieved fame thanks to Gen Xers and boomers.
But a wine list designed to appeal to millennials shouldn’t be too pricey. According to Wine Opinions, they spend less money per bottle than their older peers-79% of regular millennial wine drinkers bought wines in the $10-$15 range. (This isn’t all that surprising since most young wine drinkers have less money to spend.)
So how and where are millennials getting their wine education?
“Millennials don’t like ratings, but they like some kind of review,” said Adam Teeter, the 32-year-old editor and co-founder of VinePair, a New York-based online wine magazine for millennials.
“They have a great thirst for knowledge.”
That’s why you’ll find a good deal of VinePair editorial content devoted to educational articles, including an extensive Wine 101 section where readers can learn the names of important grapes and how to taste wine. It’s also why Mr. Teeter says some of his non-wine-professional friends have sought to become certified sommeliers. “I don’t remember my parents’ friends having sommelier certification,” he said.
I thought about pointing out that sommelier certification was virtually nonexistent when Gen Xers-let alone boomers-were growing up, but I held my tongue. After all, the Wine Opinions research showed that only 17% of millennials care what a wine columnist like me says. In fact, just 22% subscribe to a print wine magazine or newsletter-that’s about half the percentage of Gen Xers (41%). All three generations, however, surf the Web for wine information. Interestingly, baby boomers and Gen Xers went online even more than millennials, with 65% of Gen Xers looking on the Web, versus 61% of boomers and 50% of millennials.
There were other points of convergence in Wine Opinions’ data, and the three generations seemed to agree more often than not. For example, when asked if they would buy a bottle they’d never tried or a new wine by the glass, 86% of millennials said that they would; 72% of baby boomers said they would, too. All three liked red wine more than white or sparkling, and they all liked Moscato.
Yet with conventional wisdom holding that millennials don’t care about luxury and aren’t loyal to brands, it’s little wonder that wine producers all over the world-like every other business-are scrambling to figure out what they want.
And it’s safe to say that whatever millennials do want, they’ll probably get it.
By 2017, they’ll have more buying power than any other demographic group.
So though boomers and Gen Xers helped build and sustain the wine business over the years, companies big and small are paying attention to millennial habits and marketing their products accordingly.
Sipping by the Numbers
The majority of millennials are now over the legal drinking age in America, and the habits they acquire might shape the wine industry. Get a glimpse of the future with these factoids from Wine Opinions’ 2015 survey of wine-drinking millennials.
54% haven’t purchased-and have no interest in purchasing-wine in a can.
86% buy a bottle or glass of wine they’ve never tried before at least two to three times a month.
22% subscribe to a print wine magazine, newsletter or other publication.
85% have met someone after work for a glass of wine at least once in the past month.
43% have visited four or more winery tasting rooms in the past 12 months.
61% have commented on wine on Facebook or read the wine comments of others on Facebook in the past month.
72% have posted a photo on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or other social media showing wine they enjoyed in the past month.
E.&J. Gallo Winery’s Carnivor Cabernet is a perfect example. Launched in 2013 and priced at $15, the wine is aimed at young male drinkers.
“Millennials are very driven by word-of-mouth, so we engage key influencers in conversation about our product,”
Molly Davis, Gallo’s vice president of marketing, wrote in an email about the brand’s strategy. In other words, they send bottles to bloggers and hold tasting events. Carnivor Cabernet’s website is heavy on social media, promoting the hashtag #DevourLife and featuring a feed from its Instagram account. And the company has put together a guide to meat cuts, with recipes, in the hope of furthering its millennial appeal.
While it was interesting to read about millennials and talk about millennials, I wanted to actually taste with millennials. So I assembled a mini-focus group, with two men and two women ranging in age from 25 to 32. While my group’s wine knowledge was limited, they were enthusiastic and one of them had recently joined a wine club.
I bought wines that millennials were purported to like: Prosecco, a red blend (Bordeaux), Riesling, Beaujolais, Moscato, Malbec and an obscure wine with hipster cred-Cour-Cheverny, a white wine from the Loire Valley. I spent around $15-$20 a bottle, staying close to their favored price point.
The group didn’t particularly like the Prosecco I’d chosen. The Le Vigne di Alice Doro ($20) was too fruity, they said. In fact, they didn’t much like Prosecco at all. They did like the slightly sweet and frothy 2012 Jorge Ordonez & Co. Botani Sparkling Muscat ($16) from Spain, but none could recall ever buying a Moscato before.
The same was true for the Riesling. Although they liked the 2014 Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger Alte Reben ($17) from Mosel, it wasn’t a wine they’d ever think about buying because they didn’t know much about German wines. “Aren’t they all sweet?” asked Rachel, a 30-year-old freelance fashion consultant.
The Cour-Cheverny was acceptable, but the back story I told them-an obscure white grape (Romorantin) that almost disappeared-was deemed uncompelling.
“Maybe if the story was more interesting I would have liked the wine more,”
Said Steven, a 32-year-old lawyer. In this regard, at least, my focus group supported the research I’d found.
Egidio, a 25-year-old financier, preferred Italian reds above all. They were the wines his father had taught him to love. (Both he and Steven had wine-collecting fathers.) As for the Beaujolais, a 2013 Fleurie from Château de Fleurie, it was simply “too light.”
They loved the rich, lush, concentrated 2013 Achaval Ferrer Mendoza Malbec ($18), and all knew something about Malbec. But they said that there were too many different types. “I would never order a Malbec in a restaurant. It’s too various, unlike a Cabernet,” said 28-year-old Leah, a public-relations professional.
The red blend was a hit as well, though none of them knew that Bordeaux was a blend. The 2010 Château Sénéjac Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois ($24) initially failed to thrill-too tannic and dry, according to Leah-but when I suggested trying it with some cheese, the wine was transformed.
When it came to buying wine, three of the four said they sought the counsel of retailers, while Egidio asked his father’s advice.
None consulted online sources or, of course, magazines. They preferred a personal connection to the person making the suggestions. “You really want someone with experience who knows you,” Steven said. This may have been a classic millennial attitude, but it’s something I’ve heard said by many Gen Xers and boomers as well.
Will millennials in the end “revolutionize” wine- or banking or dining, for that matter? Will they render wine scores obsolete and classic wines like Bordeaux and Burgundy mere runners-up to Slovenian Chardonnay?
Perhaps. They’ve certainly done their part to promote small producers creating interesting wines in odd corners of the globe.
But to truly claim their position as the most powerful consumers in the world, they’ll need to develop a broader context and a deeper understanding of the entire world of wine, and not just an appreciation of a good story or a few obscure grapes.
The colors of Denver’s bursting restaurant scene shined brightly last night at the 2015 Chef and Brew Festival. The festival featured some of Colorado’s most prominent restaurants and breweries teaming up to form unique amalgamations of craft beer and fine food. From sour beers and ramen to pork belly and Gotlandsdrika, 21 local restaurants and breweries flexed their creative muscles to reinvent the art of food and drink pairing.
What made this event so unique was that it not only reflected the innovativeness of Colorado’s craft beer and food scenes, but also the daringness exhibited by the teams in pairing esoteric beer and exquisite food to accent the flavors of each.
Each restaurant offered both a savory and a sweet option, allowing for a variety of pairings with the breweries. The chefs and brewers flipped the conventional notion of food pairing on its head by meshing unlikely flavor profiles together, a stark contrast to the ever-so-predictable wine and cheese pairing.
While beer and food pairings are nothing new, Chef and Brew took the game to a whole new level by introducing uncommon approaches to highlighting taste. Darrell Jensen, Executive Chef of Samples World Bistro, exemplified this edgy experiment. Teaming up with the Great Divide Brewery, Jensen prepared a dashi-marinated shrimp lettuce wrap to pair with the brewery’s Titan IPA. It may sound like an odd pairing; a light and fresh dish with a hop-heavy IPA? But however odd it may seem, it worked! The hops accentuated the dashi broth in the shrimp while the crisp finish of the beer combined with the dish’s bib lettuce, pickles and carrot made for a truly delicious experience.
The pairing presented by Acorn and River North Brewery was the epitome of the night’s uniqueness, serving a chicken and pork belly ramen with the ‘Oud Bruin’ Belgian-style brown sour beer. Having won the contest last year, Chef Amos Watts and River North picked up where they left off by masterfully masking the dominant sour taste of the Oud Bruin with a hearty, savory ramen soup. Amos’ success in dismantling the structure of a sour beer with opposing, yet somehow complementary flavor profiles demonstrated the creativity illustrated at the event.
On tap were some of Denver’s most experimental and new-age beers. Jagged Mountain Brewery provided two of the most intriguing beers, a Swedish-style smoked-malt Gotlandsdrika called “Men Who Drink from Goats” and a Grizzly Peak session porter. Teaming up with Anthony Smith and CY Steak, Jagged Mountain accentuated Smith’s pork belly and arugula dish, delivering a powerful blow of lasting smoky richness when combined with the Gotlandsdrika.
The session porter, a prime example of the event’s innovative beer technique, reflected the dynamic world of Denver craft brewing by taking a traditionally heavy beer and transforming it into a light, low-alcohol-content session beer to be paired perfectly with Smith’s sweeter dessert.
The inventiveness displayed by all of the participating restaurants and breweries most definitely showcased the bountiful talent and enormous originality of Colorado’s food and brew scenes.
For me, the Chef and Brew Festival opened my eyes to the developing identity of Colorado’s food and beverage industry. With a vibrant craft brewing community rapidly taking root here in Colorado, the local restaurant industry is taking advantage and leveraging peoples’ propensity for unique beers by catering their tastes to match. Festivals such as this clearly demonstrate that this is what the future holds for the food and drink scene. As a Colorado resident, I am eager to see this trend continue and watch as the restaurant and brewing industries form a new and intertwined culture.
Skilled bartending has become an intriguing, flashy trend, inspiring a plethora of competitions all over the world. From dazzling bar flare to unique cocktail recipes and speed bartending, these events are catching people’s eye and developing a strong following. But in this world of colorful drinks and innovative mixology, the art of basic service technique and bar knowledge falls by the wayside.
Together, Monkey Shoulder and the United States Bartender’s Guild (USBG) have created an innovative international competition that refocuses the art of bartending by challenging competitors to demonstrate their knowledge and service rather than just their flare. Labeled a “no b.s.” competition by the members of the Monkey Shoulder team, the event aimed to focus on “skills that pay the bills,” a no-nonsense, practical take on being a good bartender.
Lead by Dean Callan, Brand Ambassador at Monkey Shoulder, the event has traveled to four other U.S. cities including Milwaukee, Charleston (SC), Chicago and Philadelphia and internationally, in Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Poland, France, Germany, and Singapore. Bartenders from each city took part in the same 7-round competition and the overall point leader at the end of this year’s competition will be crowned the Ultimate Bartending Champion.
On Monday, November 18th, 2015, the Ultimate Bartender Championship came to Denver. Hosted by Punch Bowl, the competition featured 12 local bartenders, competing in 7 different rounds that tested their technique, insight, speed and skill behind the bar.
The Rounds
1. Quiz:
In the quiz round, contenders were read 100 multiple choice questions ranging from an array of bartending topics. From identifying recipe ingredients to naming various countries’ national beverage, Callan rapidly quizzed the opponents to test both their knowledge of beverages and their ability to think quickly on their feet.
2. Mixiodic Table:
For the competition, Callan and the Monkey Shoulder team created an ingenious bartender version of the periodic table. The table consists of various components to cocktail recipes, featuring ‘elements’ like sugars, juices, mixers, bitters, ices, liquors, glassware and garnishes. The goal for this round was to solve ‘equations’ by naming the cocktail. For instance, if Vm=vermouth and V=vodka, Ol=olive juice, Sh=shaken, Up=martini glass then V+Vm+Ol+Sh+Up = A vodka martini. Competitors had 10 minutes to solve 20 equations.
V+Vm+Ol+Sh+Up = A vodka martini
3. Nosing:
In this round, opponents had two minutes to identify ten different spirits in a blind nosing test correctly. 1/2 a point was awarded for knowing the spirit (i.e., vodka, bourbon, scotch, Irish whiskey) and a full point for naming the brand (42 Below vodka, Glenmorangie scotch, etc.).
4. Pouring:
This task included glasses listing specific pour quantities (1/3 oz, 1 oz) and the bartenders needed to measure out the exact pour for each. The goal here was to pour the right amount into each glass and be exact on as many as possible while being as quick and efficient as possible.
5. Tray Service:
This round required competitors to take drink orders for ten people, get the drinks from the bar and, in the correct order, serve the right drinks to each corresponding person. To do this, Callan printed off ten pictures of celebrities and recognizable people to serve as the ten places at the table. By doing this, it required the bartenders to remember who ordered which drink and place each drink down in the correct order (women first, than men). Each opponent had a different arrangement of pictures and needed to adapt to the right order. Again, this pushes the importance of service technique, efficiency and drink knowledge.
6. Stock Take:
A crucial part of being a bartender is inventory. This round featured the skills of taking stock of various liquors as if they were doing inventory. Competitors needed to eyeball measure the amount of liquor in 10 different bottles and output an accurate inventory sheet.
7. Building Challenge:
The final round required the competitors to produce eight cocktails in 5 minutes. These cocktails were taste-tested by the audience. If the audience decided that a cocktail was not adequate, they could send the drink back, therefore, docking points from the bartender. This last round was in place to showcase the skills and mixing techniques of the competitors and tested how they managed their time while optimizing taste and technique.
The competition was a captivating, enjoyable experience that drew a great deal of interest due to its uncommon, practical nature. While the notion of a service knowledge and recipe knowledge-based event may seem pedestrian, Callan and Monkey Shoulder did a phenomenal job with their innovative challenges, unique creations (like the Mixiodic Table) and focused on bartending functionalism and skill. Both competitors and spectators enjoyed this new format, and all benefited from the showcasing of no-nonsense bar knowledge and service technique.
As a member of the food and beverage community, I believe that this innovative, practical-knowledge-based event is exactly what the industry needs. Yes, bar flare is fun and captivating, but the importance of service is what keeps the industry alive. Callan did an extraordinary job of incorporating functional, pragmatic bartending skills into a competitive, unique event. His focus on “skills that pay the bills,” I believe, will inspire more bartenders to pay closer attention to the importance of the basics; knowledge, efficiency, preciseness and good service. I admire Callan’s ingenuity and creativeness in bringing service into the forefront through useful yet fun skill challenges.
While this is the first year of this competition, Callan and Monkey Shoulder look to expand the event throughout the globe, creating new innovative challenges along the way and spreading the focus of service and technique. We can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year and the years to come.
