Vacation in Arizona - Arizona Distillery Product Tasting

So I recently spend a few days in Arizona.  The cocktail culture is really growing and becoming a great area to find some incredible craft cocktails.   Part of my vacation was a Whiskey tasting at the Arizona Distilling Co, located in Tempe, AZ.  My beautiful girlfriend set this up and it was an incredible experience.  My favorite product to taste was the  Bourbon.  Flavorful with hits of vanilla.   What really grabbed my attention was the Gin.  I'm not a Gin drinker, but this Gin was incredible.  No overpowering Juniper Berry smell or taste.  The first smell that you notice was lavender.  Very unique and tastes mellow enough to be palatable for me.  This company products will make some great cocktails.  I'm going to be recommending the gin for beginner gin drinkers.  I also plan to experiment with it on my own.  Thank you to my wonderful girlfriend for thinking of this cool activity. I recommend stopping by and tasting their product.  You will definitely want to buy a bottle and take it home.  Call to schedule a tour/tasting.  Be sure to like their facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/AZDistilling

Lessons in Margaritas

For this 4th of July, I spent it working a party in Stevenson Ranch.   Near magic mountain in Southern California.   The family has this event every year for the past 20 some years.  The normaly have a margarita machine to handle drink tasks, but this year decided to try a live bartender.   That was me.   Since they only wanted margaritas, I created a menu with 6 versions and a tequila sunrise.   

The challenge-  they family decided to use a mix then just add the tequila and done.  Instant margarita.   Now for the home drink, that is good enough.   But for my clients they deserve better.  I normally make margaritas with fresh squeezed lime juice, agave nectar, triple sec (Cointreau) and tequila.  Simple, clean tasty.   The mix says 4 ounces of mix with 1 ounce of tequila.  This doesn't cut it.   I had to experiment with the mix, triple sec, agave, and tequila ratios to make a refreshing, non-chemical tasting margarita.   So after a few tests here is what I came up with. 

1.5 oz tequila

0.75 triple sec

1/4 oz agave nectar

3 oz of mix

Shake everything together and strain into cup with ice.   Everyone loved this mix.  

For the fruit versions simply add a handful of the berries to the shaker and pick large ice pieces to smash the Berries with hard shakes.

A guest decided she wanted jalapeño / pineapple margaritas.  So she brought the ingredients with her.   I had no idea how to make this so I used my chemistry skills to figure it out.   Pineapple is acid so it needs balance by equal parts of the mix.  Then muddle in 2 jalapeño slices , and the rest of the ingredients and magic.   The margarita was a hit too.   

Lesson learned- don't be shaken when your normal ingredients are not available.  Be flexible! Be creative!   Clients will be appreciative.  

Giving more than what a client expects is what it is all about.  

Raising the bar and toasting your spirits.

Bartender Vince