The Big Motivational Speech

This Monday is the last class for bartending until the Fall and all the time on the 9th class I give a big motivational speech especially aimed at the young ones.

What I say is quite simple. Thirty years ago I was in a Bartending course just like this one and I had no idea at that time where it would take me. But what I said was this and that was go big. This course is just a teaser on how far you can go. If you want to be a bartender then be a great one and work in places where you can make scads of tips. There are places out there where people are making a $1000 on a weekend. Maybe not where I am but elsewhere.

Go to Las Vegas and work in the casinos , try the cruise ships and get paid to travel , head out to resorts where there are guests throwing money at you when you serve them , or just head to the places wherever they are where the super rich go.

At the start yes of course go to places where you can get the experience and continue learning and practicing recipes. But don't settle for places where you have to clean the washrooms after your shift either. Go to places that will be good on your resume.

Continue taking courses such as Bar Management and don't drink on the job. Don't steal! Set yourself apart from the others.

The world is yours' in the Food and Beverage Business and you can go and work where you want anytime.

At the start just get out there and make some mistakes and learn. You are not going to be perfect your first day out. No one is. Nothing I can teach them in the class will prepare them for their first busy night other than get ready for when it happens.

At that point they were all gung ho to make some more drinks.

It Is The Tuesday Quiz Time

Okay I am going to make this difficult this time around for a change , okay? The answers will be posted later tonight as usual.

1. Today you see in the liquor stores many different flavoured vodkas that are used to make many different martinis such as your raspberry or sour apple martinis. However in Russia and Poland where vodka is drank often they also have many different flavours added to their vodkas. One of the great vodkas come from Poland called Polish Zubrowka. It is infused with Zubrowka. What is Zubrowka?

2. Bonne chauffe is what the second distillation of this spirit is called?

3. A measure of Scotch whiskey is called what in Scotland?

4. Jersey lightening is a term used for what brandy?

5. When you serve a drink such as creme de menthe frappe what does that mean?

I think if you get 2 right you are an expert. This was difficult.

The Five Questions of the Day

Here we go with the Tuesday quiz. Good luck!

1. Crema de Lima from Spain is what flavoured liqueur?

2. Creme Yvette is made from the petals of violet parma , is highly scented , and named after the French actress Yvette Guilbert. Where is it made?

3. This liqueur comes from the Basque region in the southwest of France and is flavoured with Armagnac , with fruits , honey , and flowers from the Pyrenees that are close by. First introduced in 1835 it comes in both yellow and green with the former at 43% and the more intensely flavoured green coming in at 55%. What is the name of this liqueur?

4. In French cuisine a chasseur sauce is made from mushrooms , shallots , tomatoes , and white wine added to a sauteed dish such as chicken for example. What does the word chasseur translated into English mean?

5. You should prepare shirred eggs where in the kitchen? It is not important how just where?

That is it. I made this one a bit harder and trickier to peak your interest.

Answers later.

The Bartending Course

Last week I completed one bartending class and next week finish up another. For those out there wondering how I go about teaching the course here is an outline of each week and what is all involved. The other day I was picking up our new van when I ran into a former student who was still thinking of doing some bartending and waitering part time to make some extra money. I asked her how she enjoyed the course and her reply was how can anyone not enjoy my bartending class.

Let's face it , what can be more fun than making drinks! Then tasting them after you make them!

The school gives me over 10 weeks $300 to go out and buy the liquor , ice , cream , juices , garnishes for the drinks , does the photocopying of the recipes and provides me with any other equipment that I need like show a DVD to the class. Because I work in the business I can provide some insight as to the job market and some service tips as well. Also since I have worked practically everywhere and in different venues I can help them choose what would be the best path for them.

Each class I make some drinks to show them how it's done and everyone has a straw to taste each one. They do not have to of course and one drink is sufficient enough to be passed around the entire class. No one is getting intoxicated. In fact , I would say during a 3 hour class maybe someone might consume the equivalent of 2 oz of alcohol. Nowadays it is rare that a bartending class will use actual liquor. Instead many use coloured water which is fine but it is nice to be able to taste the real thing and see how the flavours of the drink blend in all together. This is what makes the course I teach fun.

On top of this , I add some role playing when students pretend they are the bartender and others come up and ask for a drink and they have to remember what goes into it. This tells me as well who is studying and who isn't. The exercise helps the student think fast on their feet. I may even blare a radio in the background to distract the student and give it a feel of it being a real bar.

During the 10 weeks we may go on a couple of field trips to different local bars to talk to bartenders and owners about the business. This may also help the students themselves get an in to a job with the owner right there knowing that this is a pool of potential future employees. In fact , one owner offers students to work on the floor for a couple of hours in his sports bar to get some experience. How great is that!

Throughout the course I give some quizzes as to what they have learned and at the end give them a real easy multiple choice quiz. For me it is not so much about the test but them getting the experience of making drinks. The real test comes when they are behind a real bar the first time and seeing and serving someone.

Well here is the outline of the course I teach at Georgian College that so far anyway has worked very well.

Week 1 Introduction to Bar Set-Up , Glassware , Teminology
Week 2 Smartserve Video and Test ( Mandatory for all servers of alcohol here in Ontario )
Week 3 Standard Cocktails ( Cocktails that never change over time ex. Martinis )
Week 4 Cream Drinks
Week 5 Frozen Drinks
Week 6 Flavoured Martinis
Week 7 Wine , Beer , Sherries , Port , Eau-de-vie , and other fortified wines
Week 8 Shooters and Specialty Coffees
Week 9 Make your own drinks ( this is when I bring everything in and they make whatever)
Week 10 Final exam

After the course if anyone needs help looking for work , a reference , or just needs some questions answered they have my email and phone number.

Well that is about it on the bartending course. It is fun for everyone and some have gone on to get some good jobs which makes me grateful that I can be of some help in another person's life.

Answers to This Morning's Quiz

Okay here we go once again with the answers to the quiz questions earlier today.

1. The main flavour component aside from a few herbs in Fior d'Alpi are the flowers that come from the region. Fior in italian means flower so literally, " flowers of the Alps."

2. Irish whiskey is the only whiskey that is triple distilled.

3. The Prairie Oyster is a hangover cure that contains both alcohol and a raw egg yolk. The recipe goes like this ,

2 Measures Brandy
1 Egg Yolk
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
1 dash Tobasco sauce
1 pinch Cayenne pepper

Then stir all the ingredients in a glass without breaking the egg yolk and drink it all down in one gulp. After you will probably lose your hangover and just be sick the rest of the day. Yecchhh!

4. Salmis is a game stew.

5. Sorrel of course is an edible green plant originating in Northern Asia and Europe. It has a slightly bitter taste but is high in magnesium , potassium , and Vitamin C. It is cooked in a similar way as spinach.

There you have it the quiz of the day and the answers.

The Answers to Today's Quiz

Hi everyone and here are the answers to this morning's quiz.



1. Bagaceira is the Portugese brandy made from the pomace of crushed grapes. It's called Marc in France and Grappa in Italy. That was a tough one. You pretty well had to be Portugese to get it right.

2. The name of the pasta that is shaped like a butterfly or what I commonly refer to as bow tie is Farfalle.

3. The plant from which Tequila comes from is the Blue Agave or what it is sometimes called the argarth , maguey , or mezcal. Although there are many varieties of the plant , by law , tequila can only come from the blue agave that is grown in the state of Jalisco.

4. Strega comes from Benvenuto Naples in Italy. It is a bright yellow liqueur made from more than 70 different herbs , fruits , and bark. Strega means " witch " in Italian and they say if you share Strega with someone you will remain good friends. Hmmm..

5. Cygne in english mean swan. You know that dessert everyone loves with whip cream on the inside and drizzled chocolate all over the swan of puff pastry. Yummy!

Hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did! By doing I keep reviewing!

Christmas Cocktails

Since it is near the season I have decided to pass on these drink recipes I did on TV last week. Then next week we will do something else. The TV show went extremely well and they want me back closer to when the next courses start in mid - January to do some wine tastings on some grape varietals. My goal is to wait part time and teach more in 2009. I really like it and it is less tiresome on the body and the hours are more manageable , plus the pay is good and consistent. Also with a family one can look toward the medical benefit aspect to it as well.

Anyway here they are , they were all a big hit and once I get the demos on You Tube I will pass them on.

Christmas Cocktail

1oz Southern Comfort
1oz Godiva White Chocolate Liquer
Put in Highball with ice and fill with Egg Nog
Sprinkle Chocolate Shavings on Top

The Poinsetta

In a chilled flute glass
Pour 3/4 oz Triple Sec
Pour 2 1/2 oz Champagne or Cava
Top up with Cranberry Juice

Anti - Freeze

1/2 oz White or Green Creme de Menthe
1/2 oz Irish Cream
Fill Mug with Hot Chocolate
Top with Whip Cream
Sprinkle Chocolate Shavings on Top

Cabin Fever

1oz Peppermint Schnapps
Fill Mug with Hot Chocolate
Top with Whip Cream
Sprinkle Chocolate Shavings on Top

Chocolate Martini ( A different version )

1oz Godiva Liquer
1oz White Creme de Cacao
1/2 oz Vodka
Splash of Peppermint Schnapps
3 oz 10% cream
Shake and strain into Cocktail glass
Top with Chocolate Sprinkles

Try them at home. I know I did and liked them all. Any surprise?????

Any cocktails for Christmas that you can pass along that you like , please do so.