Tag: bar

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Tonights Cocktail: The Gin Fizz

Sincerely, Shawna

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1.5 oz london dry gin (I used Tanqueray)

1 oz fresh lemon juice

.75 oz simple syrup

egg white

shake ingredients in a mixing tin with a little bit of ice

splash a little club soda in the bottom of your glass (DON’T SHAKE WITH THE REST OF THE DRINK. or do, it’ll be hilarious

strain into a highball over ice or a martini glass like I did. The former is the traditional way to prepare this classic cocktail.

Garnish with a lemon twist

The person I made this for tonight was someone who wanted a unique martini that wasn’t too sweet. I think that this was a good choice. The guys who order them come in about once a week to have a few of my Shipwrecks or Irish Trashcans. These are the type guys who have ordered a drink by saying “I don’t know surprise me” So after pulling 100 different drinks out of my ass they finally found 3 or 4 that they drink usually in the same order every Thursday. These guys are college kids, I think they turned 21 recently. They talk about playing golf and smoking weed. Total fratbros, but pretty entertaining nonetheless.

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Tonights Cocktail, The Zaya Shipwreck

Sincerely, Shawna

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This cocktail has been made many different ways online, most of which contain Malibu or Kraken rum and Jack Daniels or some other whiskey or bourbon, but here is my personal recipe.

1 oz Zaya Aged Rum

1 oz Bulliet Bourbon

.75 oz fresh Lime Juice

.75 oz Simple Syrup

3 dashes of Angostura Bitters

shake all of the ingredients and pour into a highball glass with fresh ice

garnish with a fresh mint sprig

This drink is all about the quality and proportions. Zaya Rum has a noticeable vanilla taste to it, which comes out in the cocktail. You would think that a drink of this caliber would be harsh and hard to drink, but its almost too easy going down. It starts strong and finishes deliciously, with the bitters giving it a hint of spice that pairs very well with the Zaya and the Bulleit bourbon. I would describe the taste as complex and earthy. I found this cocktail on Reddit a few months ago and I took a few liberties to make it my own. It’s been a hit in my bar ever since.

Cocktails

Tonight’s Closing Cocktail- The Irish Whiskey Smash

Sincerely, Shawna

whiskey smash

Ingredients: 4-8 mint leaves

2 lemon wedges

Irish whiskey- I used Tullamore Dew

.5 oz simple syrup

sparkling water

Directions:

muddle mint leaves, lemon wedges, and simple syrup

add ice and 1.5 oz of Irish Whiskey

shake and pour into glass

top with sparkling water

garnish with a pretty little mint sprig

My bar runs a special on Thursdays on Jameson Irish whiskey so I try to mix it up a little. The citrus and the mint compliment the spice of the irish whiskey, while the simple syrup keeps it from being too tart. The sparkling water is optional, or it could be substituted for regular water. It really up to personal preference but when I’m making it for myself, I add sparkling water. I also prefer it with Tullamore Dew as it is smoother and citrusy and less spicy.

Cocktails

Tonights Closing Cocktail- The Luckytini

Sincerely, Shawna

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2 oz Absolut vodka

.75 oz Midori

splash of pineapple juice

shake and strain into chilled martini glass

garnish with orange wedge

This is a very popular green martini that I found online, however the original recipe says to use grape flavored vodka. I thought grape vodka was a little too sweet so I substituted it with regular vodka. It’s been so popular that I put it on the specialty cocktail menu at work. Its great for people who want something sweet and fruity. 

The person who ordered this particular cocktail was a nice older lady who stayed at my bar for most of the evening. She said that she used to frequent The Royal N’orleans, which was the restaurant that used to be in the building that Katy O’s is located. She used to come in with her husband and sit at the bar, sharing a bottle of wine before dinner. They would come in on their anniversary, which was May 12th 1970. Forty-five  years to the day. She told me he died seven years ago to lung cancer, and since the Royal N’orleans closed in 2009, she hadn’t been back since he died. She had heard that we opened in the old N’orleans building, and that we are an Irish pub. She decided on a whim that she was going to come in today and sit at the bar, just like her and her husband used to do. She asked for a wine list and we talked about the wine we offered for a while, Finally, she decided that she didn’t really want wine and asked me what else I could make. I showed her our speciality cocktail list and asked her what she was really in the mood for. She said that she wanted something sweet and fruity and something that would lift her spirits. I suggested the Luckytini. She fell in love and had a few more. She relived her past with her husband over the drinks, and when she was ready to leave I called her a cab. She gave me a big hug before she walked out of the door.

I love my job.

Cocktails

5 ingredient Margarita (The Perfect Margarita) Closing Cocktail

Sincerely, Shawna

Tonight’s Closing Cocktail is the Perfect Margarita

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My perfect margarita

1.5 oz tequila- I used Patrón Silver

.5 oz Cointreau- This is important. Not Triple Sec

1.5 oz Lime Juice

Kosher Salt Rim

Ice

These are the only five ingredients in a perfect margarita. Notice that there is none of that nasty sweet and sour mix. Fresh lime juice is prefered, but I only have Rose’s at my bar so I made do. I have fresh lemon juice on hand but limes are kind of costly right now.

To build:

Set up kosher salt in a rimmer or a plate if no rimmer is available.

Rim glass with lime juice and kosher salt.

Fill glass with ice and set aside

In cocktail shaker put ice cubes, tequilla, Cointreau, and lime juice. Shake until vigorously.

Strain and pour into glass, Garnish with lime.

This is literally the only way I can drink a margarita. I would love it if “margarita” wasn’t synonymous with sugar filled neon green tequila cocktail. Or worse, when they’re blue.

I don’t pretend to be a margarita professional, this is just personal preference. Plus I don’t think it could get any simpler. The simpler, the better in my experience.

Cocktails

Todays Closing Cocktail: The Irish Wristwatch

Sincerely, Shawna
Danielle, the lady I made this cocktail for. I told her I was going to take a picture of it and she insisted on being in it. It was more green than the picture let on. I'll remake this at some point and post a picture
Danielle, the lady I made this cocktail for. I told her I was going to take a picture of it and she insisted on being in it. It was more green than the picture let on. I’ll remake this at some point and post a picture

1 oz Jameson

.75 oz Bacardi

.75 oz Gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)

.5 oz Triple Sec

.5 oz Peach Schnapps

.5 oz Blue Curacao

Splash of fresh lemon juice

Redbull to the top

This drink was originally supposed to be an Irish Trash Can, but with as many modifications as I did it ended up being almost nothing like the trash can. This drink was delicious.The Jameson, Bacardi, and Gin was complimented well with the lemon juice, which I think helped neutralize the alcohol taste. The peach schnapps, triple sec, and blue curacao really made it a summer cocktail. I could see drinking this out of a fish bowl beside a pool on a summer day. The Redbull made it turn green, and made the whole drink taste like a soda. I named it the Irish Wristwatch because if you can’t say the name, you probably shouldn’t have another one.

Cocktails

Tonight’s Closing Cocktail, the Irish Shillelagh

Sincerely, Shawna

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1.5 oz Jameson Irish Whiskey

.5 oz Sloe Gin

.5 oz Bacardi

.5 oz Peach Schnapps

.5 oz Simple syrup

.75 oz Fresh lemon juice

stir and garnish with a lemon

wpid-20150501_231509.jpg Here is a picture with flash so you can see the color. Its a dark pink which is unusual for the Irish drinks I have been serving. It had a much sweeter and lighter taste than I was expecting. I thought that it would taste more like whiskey. It is definitely a summer cocktail. It is quite strong so I would suggest drinking it it moderation. If I was going to add anything to it, I would probably add some carbonated water or Sprite just to give it some fizz. This is actually the first time I have used Sloe Gin in something that I have drank myself, which is kind of exciting.

Usually on Friday or Saturday night when I close the bar, I try to make myself something unique to try so I can better understand how the different flavors pair together. I suppose now that I’m doing this blog I’m going to make it a point to take each of their pictures and post the recipes.