Caroline on Crack | bartender

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Tag Archive: bartender

October 19, 2011

I Won My Very Own Leblon Cachaça Bartender for the Day

Lookie what I won!

I’ve always wanted to throw a cocktail party where I had my very own bartender for the evening. I wouldn’t have to worry about my guests going thirsty (read: sober) and it would just make things extra class-ay. But when I won Liquor.com/Leblon Cachaça‘s Win Your Own Caipirinha Party where I scored my own caipirinha-making bartender for two hours, I had only invited about 10 people. Primarily because I was told that I could only invite up to 10 people. Yeah, wuuut?

So I invited a group of friends who I KNEW could put it away: my food blogging friends. Hey, bloggers can draaank! Anyway, Busy Beth, EstarLA, LA/OC Foodie, Mattatouille, Squashblossom as well as a couple of civilians (shout out to Dre and Joanne) showed up at my place Sunday at 2pm.

Eyes Wide Shut Caipirinha party.

Our bartender du jour, a handsome young fella named Jayson Carvalho had already set up a bar in my kitchen, complete with an ingredients caddy of mangos, figs and limes as well as CDs of Brazilian music, green glittery masks and recipe pamphlets for the guests.

I felt bad that he had such a great layout and only eight people to make drinks for. “Yeah, usually people invite 20 or so to these things,” he said. “Wuuut?! I could have invited more people?” I replied, kicking myself when I realized I could have scheduled a Brazilian-themed Halloween or housewarming party around this. Bah! But then I got over it. It was nice having an intimate cocktail party with my friends.

We hung out in the kitchen with Jayson while he made us a variety of Caipirinhas — mango, fig, mango-fig, and traditional. He said he could also make mojitos but we stuck to the Caipirinhas. And boy, did we keep that guy busy. Even with just the eight of us, he was making drinks nonstop, save for one little lull as we took a collective deep breath and dove in again. I was just happy that we were drinking at my place. Heh.

In any case, all the cocktails were pretty good, a tad sweeter than I usually prefer but perfect for a Sunday afternoon. The group’s standout favorite was the Fig Newton Caipirinha. Mm, figs! It was a little sweeter than the mangos but then again the mangos, Jayson admitted, weren’t all that ripe. What’s perfect is that these are so easy to make at home.

The fave of the day: Fig Caipirinha

Leblon Cachaça’s Fig Newton Caipirinha

1 1/2 oz Leblon Cachaça
1/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/2 Fig
Ginger Ale

Muddle fig with simple syrup and shake all ingredients over ice. Top with ginger ale and served on the rocks. Easy peasy!

In case you wondered just what is Cachaça (kuh-sha-suh), it’s been classified by the U.S. as a Brazilian rum but it’s really its own thing. Where rum is made from molasses, Cachaça is made from fresh sugar cane. So there’s this “Legalize Cachaça” movement to get the spirit’s identity recognized instead of lumped together with rum.

Thanks again, Leblon Cachaça for Jayson and his nommy Caipirinhas! Now I can’t ever throw a party without having my own bartender. Can he live in my kitchen? Please?

Hey out there, if you had your own Leblon Cachaça bartender, what kind of party would you have thrown?

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles

4 Comments

December 27, 2010

Vu Restaurant: Calvin Klein Cocktails, Manhattans on Crack

Vu Restaurant's Jolie Klein

Jolie Klein, one of the four bartenders responsible for the cocktail menu at the new Vu Restaurant in Marina del Rey, seems to have the deck stacked against her: 1) Unlike a lot of L.A.’s renowned bartenders who can claim training under New York’s elite mixologists, she’s self taught; 2) she doesn’t have much on her resume, a couple of months at Tasting Kitchen where she helped with the bar menu, among the listings; and 3) the bar she works in is located in an MDR hotel with the not-great name, Jamaica Bay Inn.

And yet her cocktails, at least the ones I tasted during a hosted dinner last week, compel me to come back as they are unique. But maybe that could be attributed to the very things that stack that deck, in that she’s coming from somewhere new.

Usually, hotel bartenders (with the exception of Matt B. at Library Bar) tend to go for the tourist-pleasers — syrups, Schnapps and creams — but Jolie’s specialty is layering and balancing flavors so no overdone drinks here. And like classic cocktails, her drinks are spirit forward. “I want to taste the spirit,” she said. “I want clean and beautiful and I want it to last for a long time. That’s my philosophy. I want to taste everything.” She calls her cocktail philosophy “the Calvin Klein runway of spirits.”

She pooh-poohs 17-ingredient cocktails, the muddling of beets and the crutch of flavored vodkas. “I really believe if you just keep it simple, keep it clean and delicious, you can be as creative as you want. Just don’t take away from what you’re trying to balance.”

This is apparent in her cocktails, which are fun takes on old favorites. Here are some of my picks:

Guestacy

Guestacy: Asian pear with Hendrick’s Gin and Dimmi with honey powder. “Guestacy,” a combo of words “guest” and “ecstacy,” is Vu’s term for “Bartender’s Choice.” Yeah, kinda cheesy but this drink did make my eyelashes flutter. This cocktail was honeyed but not too sweet and its rim lightly dusted with an expensive honey powder which boosts this price to $20. It’s a perfect way to start off the evening — light, clean and luxurious. I could totally imagine a CK commercial about it. Cue Gabriel Aubry picking it up off a pedestal.

White Manhattan

White Manhattan: Death’s Door White Whiskey, Luxardo maraschino liqueur and The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas� Own Decanter Bitters. If anything epitomizes what Jolie is doing with cocktails it is this one. A classic possessing the same complexity and potency of my favorite cocktail but minus the familiar hue. For some reason she calls it a Manhattan on Crack, but I call it right up my alley, just as long as no one mistakes it for a ‘tini.

The Spicy Hunter

Spicy Hunter: Tapatio, jalapeno, agave nectar, fresh-squeezed lime juice, Cazadores Reposado. A margarita with a lot of kick that pairs nicely with basically anything. The spiciness of the cocktail makes you just want to drink more and soothe the burn.

Beer After Branca

Beer After Branca: Fernet Branca, Canton liqueur and Averna with a ginger beer back. Fans of Fernet will be familiar with this mix where you sip the Branca first and follow it with a ginger ale chaser. Here, Jolie adds a little sumthin-sumthin by swirling the glass first with Averna and then pouring an ounce of Fernet Branca with Canton. Personally, I think it would be fine without the Canton since you already have the ginger beer, but it doesn’t hurt it. This would be interesting to have with my instant Vu favorite, the pork belly with root beer jello over fried grits. Mmmmm! Tastes like chicken and waffles.

However, the only problem with Jolie’s cocktails, at least for now, is that apparently she’s the one who makes them the best at Vu Restaurant. Fortunately, she’s currently schooling the other bartenders, each who also have their own cocktails on the drink list. But if you don’t want to take any chances with anyone else, she’s at the bar Wednesday and Thursday during the day and Friday, Saturday and Sunday at night.

Happy Hour: Monday thru Friday, 4-7 pm; Reverse Happy Hour/Service Industry Night Sunday nites, 8 pm-close — $6 cocktails and wines, $4 tap and $5 small plates.

Vu Restaurant at Jamaica Bay Inn
14160 Palawan Way
Marina del Rey, California 90292 (map)
(310) 439-3032
Twitter: @VuRestaurant

Categories: Cocktails, Featured, Los Angeles, Nightlife

4 Comments

March 1, 2010

A Q&A With Joseph Brooke of The Edison

Joseph Brooke, The Edison's new director of spirits

I was bummed that I couldn’t get anywhere near the dreamy and very much in demand Joseph Brooke, the Edison’s new director of spirits, when he was mixing cocktails at the packed Radio Room last week. But was thrilled when I got the chance to interview him for LA Weekly‘s Squid Ink. For that, Joe gave me 40 minutes of great stories, insights and even cocktail recipes.

I thought for sure my editor wouldn’t want to use the whole Q&A. Although damn interesting, it was pretty long for a Squid Ink blog post. But I figured I’d just take whatever questions she didn’t want to use and post them on my blog. Turns out she liked ‘em all. Yay!

It’s long but if you’re so inclined and have any interest about where the Edison is heading under Joe’s command, what’s going to be the next It cocktail and who’s his bartender idol, you might want to give it a look-see. He’s a pretty funny and interesting guy so you won’t get bored.

And I’m happy to say that Joe was also good enough to give me a couple of cocktail recipes that he’s going to add to the Edison’s menu. His Porco Rosso debuted at the Radio Room last week and his tentatively named Jack Doe is an aromatic that he created for a quick shake and dump. But I’m especially excited that he gave me a mocktail recipe, too, since I’m on my booze fast til April. Anyway, enjoy.

Although it’s pretty dark, here’s a video of Joe shaking up a cocktail.

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles

5 Comments

February 12, 2010

What’s the Most Romantic Cocktail?

Lambrusco Rosemary Gin Fizz photo by Claire Barrett

Ferget chocolates. I don’t know about you but nothing says “olive juice”(mouth it) like a custom-made cocktail. But out of curiosity, I asked some of L.A.’s top mixologists/bartenders what they consider to be the most romantic cocktail; specifically what would they serve their luh-vuh. I got some interesting answers, all seem to involve bubbly, and even a couple of recipes for you to try on your own special someone, be it for yourself or your SO.

For Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, The Liquid Muse and cocktail book author (Preggatinis), it’s all about her Lambrusco Rosemary Fizz, which is actually cited in her new cocktail book, The Bubbly Bride. “Originality is the key to a creative girl’s heart, so rather than the same old hum-drum champagne, surprise your sweetie with a red sparkling cocktail. I love Lambrusco, which is an Italian sparkling red wine – and I especially like it with the earthy rosemary nuances in this drink. Whether you’re getting married or having a simple romantic occasion, this is a drink to remember!”

Lambrusco Rosemary Fizz
by Natalie Bovis-Nelsen, The Bubbly Bride

1 orange wheel
3-4 fresh rosemary leaves
3/4 ounce Grand Marnier
4 ounces sparkling Lambrusco
1 sprig fresh rosemary

Muddle orange wheel and rosemary leaves in the bottom of mixing glass. Add Grand Marnier and shake with ice. Strain into a champagne coupe. Top with Lambrusco. Garnish with the sprig of fresh rosemary.

Aidan Demarest, The Edison and First and Hope: “Champagne. Girls think it’s harmless because it’s all bubbly but then it hits them. It’s a real panty dropper.”

Steve Livigni, of new rum bar La Descarga, offered a short and sweet: “A giant glass of Veuve Clicquot Rose with my girlfriend in it.”

For Pablo Moix, also of La Descarga, his idea of a “romantic cocktail” also involves effervescence. “Bubbles and strawberries have been a romantic staple for years but, I think that if you make it delicious and with a twist, raise the ABV of your cocktail just a little, it will get the romance started a little sooner.”

1 ounce Cazadores Blanco Tequila
1/2 ounce Lemon juice
1/2 ounce Lillet rouge
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Top with Martini & Rossi Prosecco

Served in a flute and garnish with a strawberry.

Rhachel Shaw of Malo: “My barback made a Ramos Gin Fizz for his girlfriend once. Now she loves them so he makes them all the time despite the fact that they are a pain in the ass to make. I think it’s pretty romantic that he shakes his little arms off to make his lady happy.”

Rhachel also shared a V Day cocktail special they’re serving up at Malo: “Maybe it’s because I’m having a contrarian streak about Valentine’s Day but in addition to the other cocktail specials we’re having just for this weekend, I have one called the Lover’s Dare Margarita. It’s Ocho Tequila Reposado, Grand Marnier Centenaire, lime and agave. You also have the option of added salt which is Velvet De Guerande Sea Salt from France, which tastes like butter. It’s a $25 margarita. I don’t know if I’m looking to start couples a fightin’ [over its cost]. I might be. I like to think of it as the ‘Do these jeans make me look fat?’ of cocktails.”

Damian Windsor of Roger Room: “How about ‘the Pash,’ common slang in commonwealth countries� for French kissing? Not to be confused with an Australian kiss which is a French kiss down under…. [My wife] loves passionfruit, it’s very exotic, and just like love it is sweet and sour at the same time, a reminder that relationships are work.”