#UrbanMixologist

[urbanmixologist]

Bacardi Legacy: Rock’n’Blue.

A great recipe from my friend Sergey Slesarenok for his Bacardi Legacy 2020 entry.

The Rock’n’Blue cocktail was inspired by mountain climbing. Mountain climbing is more than just sport. The first people to conquer Everest did not know for sure whether life is possible at an altitude of 8.5 km. Just like the guys who went into space, they were pushing the boundaries. ROCK ‘N’ BLUE is a mountain Odyssey where we will go together with Bacardi. 

Recipe:

50 ML Bacardi Carta Blanca 40 GR Lime Sorbet 15 ML Jalapeños Blue Curacao* 30 ML Soda water 1 GR Fresh Mint 

Method:

Shake and fine strain over ice into a sling glass.

Garnish: 

Orange peel in Sling glass

Ingredient prep:

Jalapeño Blue Curacao - Mix 1000ml Blue Curacao syrup with 150gr marinated jalapeño peppers and warm cup until 60 degrees. Let it sit for for 3 mins before fine straining into a clean bottle. Label as necessary.

[urbanmixologist]

My recipes: Comfort Zone

The Story of Comfort Zone:

My idea came to me the first time I started to research how to use the new acquired ‘Amaro Sfumato’. I stumbled upon a post on punchdrink.com where Abigail Gullo (which happens to be my cocktail god mother, yey!) of Compère Lapin, New Orleans, made a Manhattan twist called the Wry Smile. <3

Here’s the article: https://punchdrink.com/recipes/wry-smile/

I’ve had drinks I’ve worked months on, and drinks I’ve made in one night. This is one of those one nighters. I do believe these are always my best work, because when a big shot of inspiration hits, somehow the process becomes effortless and natural. Even the super catchy and matchy name came to me on the same night! That is a keeper, ladies and gents, this is my COMFORT ZONE. I wanted to put my mark on the drink world with this refined amaro. Recently I started to really keep to the mentality that less is more. I do not like when a cocktail has too many ingredients and most of them are overly whacky and complicated to replicate. I feel sometimes these ingredients are used for the sake of their momentary hipness, rather than them making sense in the cocktail itself. Just like a good Italian chef, I want to use high quality ingredients and mix the right flavours with the right techniques to accomplish something incredible.

Saying this, ‘Comfort Zone’ is a not seen before mr.potato head of one of my favourites, the ‘Last Word’. I started with the Amaro Sfumato, which is a drier and more smoky version of the more popular Rabarbaro Zucca amaro, and that substituted the herbal Green Chartreuse. Rhubarb pairs lovely with berries so I substituted the maraschino liqueur with Creme de Cassis. The ‘des Peres Chartreux’ behind my bar is especially outstanding. Lemon took over limes job, as it made more sense in flavour pairing. I also seen a hint of a cheeky Bramble inspiration with these two. Because we lost that famous Carthusian round-house kick, I needed to find a spirit with more punch in it. Rittenhouse Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey (a bartenders favourite for a long time now) was a great choice! Also I imagined complementing all these warm flavours with a ‘dark’ distillate.

What you end up with is a spicy, smokey, bitter, sour, berry sweet, round and complex concoction ready to imbibe! Salute!   17/12/2019

Ingredients and Ratios:

22.5ml (3/4oz) - Bottled in Bond Rye 22.5ml (3/4oz) - Lemon Juice 22.5ml (3/4oz) - Amaro Sfumato 22.5ml (3/4oz) - Creme de Cassis

The method:

Hard shake and double strain into a chilled coupe. You will know if you did a good job when you see how much foam you’ve made. ;)

The garnish:

Express oils from lemon peel on surface. Float a dried lemon wheel with a sprinkle of salt on top.

(Photography courtesy of me) xD

If you enjoyed this article share it with people and hit that like button! Also if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts please comment below. - UM. Thanks guys!  

[urbanmixologist]

I’m back! The Urban Mixologist Blog.

Hey everybody! The Urban Mixologist blog is back on and with new content ready to flow your way. I hope all of you have been keeping well… it’s been nearly two years since I’ve been posting my articles! Time does fly, huh. In my defense I have been pretty busy in my bar growing and getting better in this game. From just learning cocktails and being a fresh staff member, to becoming a Bar Manager and Team leader, training others, creating new cocktails, creating menus, and doing anything in between.

So now I want to make an announcement that I will be working again on the Urban Mixologist when I find free time, bringing recipes, techniques, tips, tricks to all cocktail enthusiasts and curious alcoholics out there!

Salute! - UM (Matheus Dela Rune)

[urbanmixologist]

The legend himself, David Wondrich came to visit us last Thursday! Had a couple of drinks and signed our Imbibe book. What a great night in Barnum Cafe. Happy to be back to blogging after such a long time. So many fantastic new project on the way!

[urbanmixologist]

Mixology 101: Panorama.

The Panorama cocktail has been recently created by Sergey Slesarenok, a leading Belarusian Bartender for the BLGCC 2017 (Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition).

Sergey’s inspiration for the Panorama came when he stumbled across an old Bacardi poster. It showed Buzz Aldrin in swimming trunks, swim fins and a space suit in a role of a diver on the Mars. The Artist’s task was to add a bit of tropics in unusual situations. This poster is one of the most prominent among a series of works Just add Bacardi. A panoramic picture taken by NASA agency was used to create this particular poster. The ingredient that shines through the most in the Panorama is the romaine lettuce. The choice for using lettuce Sergey says was not accidental. Ramain Lettuche is the first plant, which was grown on a near-earth orbit as part of an expedition to Mars. Panorama cocktail has a unique story that links together the past of Bacardi company and the future of a whole mankind... Let’s learn how to make it.

We will start with placing 20 grams (about two big leaves) of romaine lettuce into the bottom of our shaker tin.

To that we will add 20ml of sugar syrup.

Muddle the sugar into the lettuce. The gentle press will release all the flavour from the lettuce and incorporate it into the sugars.

Once we have done that we can add the rest of the ingredients which is as follows...

30ml of fresh pineapple juice. You can use a good quality bottled juice but if you have the possibility to get your hands on freshly pressed pineapple juice it does make a huge difference! A centrifugal juicer does the trick!

To balance out the sweetness, 15ml of lime juice. Cut it in half and squeeze it in!

To add a gentle touch of bitterness we follow with 10ml of Campari Bitter. Adding herbal and fruit notes as well as slightly tinting the colour of the cocktail.

And last but not least the star of the show, we pour in 50ml of Barcardi Carta Blanca into our shaker tin. You could use other good quality white rum if unavailable but this is a Bacardi Legacy cocktail so using Bacardi is the way foreward.

Add ice and shake! Giving it a nice hard shake incorporates the ingredients, chills the drink, and dilates it to lower the alcohol percentage making it more enjoyable to sip while you are on the beach or on the moon!

Double strain it onto fresh ice cubes in a highball glass.

Garnish with a lime wheel! And enjoy!

If you enjoyed this article share it with people and hit that like button! Also if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts please comment below. - UM. Thanks guys!

[urbanmixologist]

My Recipes: Dreamin’ of Beets.

Recently we have recieved news of a tragic loss. Marc Sutton a friend of mine has unfortunately passed. A passionate chef, he has always dreamed of starting his own business, which he eventually did few years ago with his partner in the french alps (Morzine) Les Gets Ski Resort. The restaurant and catering business is called Wild Beets Kitchen. I wanted to pay homage to his life by creating a special cocktail. He has been an inspiration to me and many that with hard work and dedication you can achieve anything you dream of... so this one is for him. Salute!

A twist on a Tom Collins where the carbonation comes from the foam instead of soda that also adds creaminess. On the other hand sweet vermouth and beetroot juice add a herbal, vegetal, earthy tone to the cocktail.

The Recipe is as follows:

40ml London Dry Gin

10ml Sweet vermouth (I used Martini Rubino Riserva Speciale)

30ml Freshly pressed Beetroot Juice

22.5ml Lemon Juice

15ml Sugar Syrup (2:1)

I.P.A Foam

I.P.A Foam Recipe:

350ml I.P.A beer of choice

150ml egg whites

30ml Sygar syrup (2:1)

15ml Orange Juice

15ml Lime Juice

Method for the cocktail: Shake all the ingredients apart from the foam rigorously in a shaker full of ice and strain into a highball glass. Add some ice cubes and a straw. Fill up the rest of the glass with I.P.A Foam and garnish with dried beetroot.

Method for the foam: Add all ingredients into the iSi Whipper, give it a gentle stir, close it tightly and charge it with 1 Nitrous Oxide cartridge. Give it a shake and let it rest in the fridge for 2hrs before use.

If you enjoyed this article share it with people and hit that like button! Also if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts please comment below. - UM. Thanks guys!  

[urbanmixologist]

Bar Knowledge: 5 Essential books for cocktail enthusiasts and passionate bartenders.

We are living in a great age, the internet is flooded with information and you no longer need to visit your local library, and shuffle through dusty books to acquire the knowledge you’re looking for. It’s crazy just to think that most of the people in developed countries hold an unlimited source of knowledge in their pockets, but only use it to catch pokemon or watch other people fuck.

There are courses for bartenders, and sure, you can learn some practical basics, but the best way to learn is through a bartending job, direct experience. And what about the history? University degrees in Mixology and Cocktail History don’t exist. If you are passionate about this craft you have to dig for it yourself! Lucky for us there are plenty of great books on the market that go above and beyond to teach and inspire the younger generation of bartenders. I have written out a list of books, that in my opinion are essential, and a must read for any devoted mixologist.

NOTE: I have reviewed the books in order based on their difficulty/knowledge level. I suggest reading them in this order. First basics, than rapid Nitrous infusions and clarification with agar.

1. THE BAR BOOK by Jeffrey Morgenthaler. The bar book is where we start. Infact I believe to maintain a certain standard of quality across the globe, every barman should read the Bar Book. Focused on techniques only, this book teaches you how to make syrups, infusions, tinctures, how ice is formed, how to use dairy/ eggs in cocktails, different measuring formats, stirring, shaking and everything in between. Jeffrey Morgenthaler is a great guy and a funny one at that. You can find him on youtube (smallscreennetwork) telling funny bar stories and showing you how it’s all done. This book is a perfect example of his laid back personality. When I was reading, it felt like my friend was teaching me the ways. 

2. THE JOY OF MIXOLOGY by Gary Regan. One of the first cocktail books I have read and still one of the best. The joy of mixology is a great read and an “all around” cocktail book. It is more or less segregated into three parts. The first part covers the history of the cocktail and drinking culture, starting from the earliest pre-prohibition days to the modern era. The second part goes into the techniques and how to implement them into your work. The third and final part is the recipes themselves. Gary Regan made sure to include the most important cocktails, and even with some recipes he writes out the history behind it. But the most important thing to learn from this book is categories. It will teach you how to categorize cocktails based on their ingredients. This will help you understand the structure behind a cocktail and will also aid you in the future when you want to invent your own.

3. IMBIBE by David Wondrich. Time to brush up on your history! David Wondrich is the most respected writer and considered a historian in the cocktail world, and Imbibe is his most famous book yet. This book pays homage to the godfather of mixology Professor Jerry Thomas, it tells you a story of his life as well as his recipes. Imbibe is a great read that focuses on the early days of the culture. Recipes and history of punches, daisies, slings, crustas, cobblers and more old-school cocktails fill the pages and are a joy to study by any cocktail geek. Imbibe is a must read.

4. THE DRUNKEN BOTANIST by Amy Stewart. Now we know the techniques, categories, and history, it is time to learn about the origins. You see the bottles behind your bar? This book opens your eyes and makes you realise how much work goes into each bottle before it is placed on that shelf. Written by a botanist this book is all about the plants. It will take you on an adventure where you explore how the distillation process works, how malt starch is converted into sugar and in turn eaten up by yeast to release alcohol and co2, how oak barrels flavour aged spirits, where agave plants grown and how they are harvested, and much more. After finishing The Drunken Botanist, not only will you appreciate each spirit more and look at it in a different light, but you will also feel confident when surrounded by all that spirit, because you will know exactly how, and from what it was made.

5. LIQUID INTELLIGENCE by Dave Arnold. Are you ready for the next level? Now that you know your techniques, categories, history and origin of each spirit , it is time to move on to some serious stuff. Dave Arnold being the obsessed perfectionist he is in the field doesn’t disappoint with this book. A heavy read filled with tons of information, but if you’re up for getting into the chemical details and are willing to start some fascinating experiments at home or your bar, this is deffinitely for you! Rapid infusions with ISI, bottling drinks and carbonation, fat washing, egg washing, milk washing, clarification, vacuum seals. Geek-gasm!

Extra: There are so many more books around that I would love to add to the list, but I had to narrow it down. From Jim Meehans PDT, to the infamous Savoy Cocktail book. A whole book on bitters, or a whole book on one specific spirit itself. Do your research and have fun!

If you enjoyed this article share it with people and hit that like button! Also if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts please comment below. - UM. Thanks guys!

[urbanmixologist]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL1345slGlU) Thank you everybody! I have hit 1000 Subscribers! Here is my first video promoting my twist on the beautiful classic Negroni. I will be making more videos in the future and they will all have different styles. Some artistic and some where I talk and take you through the recipes. If you like the video give it a thumbs up and please share, subscribe!

[urbanmixologist]

Creating a new cocktail menu for Ecru. A vegan, raw, organic restaurant and drinks bar. :) urban mixologist has a challenge!

[urbanmixologist]

Mixology 101: Caipirinha.

The summer is getting hotter and hotter, and articles need to be written! This is the Caipirinha. The Brazilian national drink begins its origin story in the state of São Paulo towards the end of World War I. It was drank as a medicine to ease the effects of the Spanish flu, but back than the ingredients were slightly different. Apart from Cachaca and ‘green lemon’, garlic and honey were used in the drink. Sometime, somewhere, someone decided to replace honey and garlic with sugar and ice and thus the modern day caipirinha was born. The cocktail became more popular in larger cities in Brazil when the small town folk brought the drink with them. In Brazilian Portuguese, “caipira” is a term given to describe peasants of the inland; someone who is not accustomed to life in the big city. The word “caipirinha” literally means “small caipira” or “little peasant”. From being a medicinal drink in a small town of Piracicaba, to being one of the most famous cocktails in the world. The Caipirinha is a must learn cocktail for any cocktail enthusiast/bartender. Here is the UM detailed recipe!

Clean your lime, cut it into equal pieces and throw it into your shaker tin. Cut it lengthwise, and then the half also lengthwise, and those into smaller cubes.

Add a large tablespoon of sugar. Now there is some controversy regarding the sugar. Some people say it is done with raw cane sugar some say it is infact the white sugar that tastes better in the drink. I say choose what you like and go with that. I like using raw sugar for a rugged Caipirinha and white sugar for a clean Caipiroska.

Muddle the sugar and lime together. The roughness of the sugar will excoriate the oils from the lime peels and release much flavour, and the juices of the lime will help turn the sugar into into a unified solution.

Pour 2oz (60ml) of Cachaca into the tin. If you can, get your hands on Leblon Cachaca. It is of the best quality and works wonders in this cocktail.

Add cracked ice. I do not like using full ice cubes as they only bruise and stay large in the glass (unless you have shit ice and it falls apart easily). Same goes for using crushed ice as it dilutes the drink too fast! So I take a canvas bag and gently crack the ice cubes inside it into smaller pieces by hitting them gently with a big muddler.

Shake thoroughly. Cover your tin with a half tin or boston glass and give it a nice shake! This will mix the ingredients together, dissolve the sugar, dilute the Cachaca and chill the drink.

Taste check! Use a straw to taste your Caipirinha. If it’s too sour add a splash of sugar syrup and give it a very quick shake. If the cocktail is to sweet the same rules apply. Squeeze a bit of lime and shake! The drink might not be balanced well as limes vary in size, and different sugars have different levels of sweetness.

Pour contents of the tin directly into your rocks glass. No need to strain, no need for fresh ice! This is a rough rural drink!

Garnish with a lime wheel and pop your straw in. Enjoy your delicious Caipirinha during these hot summer days!- UM x

If you enjoyed this article share it with people and hit that like button! Also if you have any questions or want to share your thoughts please comment below. - UM. Thanks guys!

[urbanmixologist]

I know I haven't written in a while and I apologize! So many things have happened recently. :) Family coming over, mine and my partners birthday, creating the new menu for the bar, referendum tantrums for Britain and now I'm going to Berlin for 4 days. When I get back get ready for new articles and also..... The first Urban Mixologist video I've been working on with my friend ;)

[urbanmixologist]

Give it a shot! Or two... 😏

[urbanmixologist]

Story Time: How I became the Urban Mixologist.

Now, this is the story all about how my life got placed inside a bar. And I'd like to take a minute so don’t you roam, I'll tell you how I became the mixologist of a town called, well, Rome. LOL *slow clap* *slow clap* *slow clap* So how did I become the “Urban” Mixologist working in one of the best cocktail bars in the Italian capital? The story begins when I was 18 years old. Like many people my age that have moved out of their parents house, I needed a job to pay rent in my flat share, plain and simple. A job that would not interfere with my University of course. I thought that working in the bar is the best idea as I get to study in the morning, have a few hours break and go to work at night. After a couple of days of looking around, I got a job offer working in a huge Irish pub called Waxy O’connors in Picadilly Circus. Having no experience in the field I had to start from the bottom (now we here). I was hired as a glass collector AKA bar back AKA do the shitty chores guy. From the beginning I looked up to the bartenders. They wore white shirts with black ties and flirted with girls while making drinks, and I was wearing a green polo covered in stains and smelling of beer, taking out rubbish. I was determined to become one of them so in the period of 7 months I moved up to being the waiter and later on the bartender.

At the same time I started to fall out of Uni. I could not manage my time well and decided that what I chose might not be the thing I want to do all my life. I realized that I need a break to figure out what I’m doing in life, so I left everything behind. I traveled around Europe and worked in average bars meeting people and having fun. One of these people turned out to be my girlfriend that I have moved to Rome for.

When I got here I knew that the only job I can get is a bar job, and it has to be in the touristy center as I didn’t speak a word of Italian. Luck was on my side, I got a job 3 days into being here. The story repeated itself, I stared to work for an Irish bar called Trinity College. With my previous experience I was hired as a bartender and worked there for 11 months. During that time I wanted to figure out what I want to do in life.

It being an Irish pub I was surprised that the people working there were passionate about making cocktails. The menu was filled with them and I was introduced to the basics. Many customers complimented my work and made me feel like Im doing something Im actually good at! There were times people would ask me for a cocktail I didn’t know and I had to check my phone under the bar to find the recipe. I found it fun to memorize them and get to know more. With all this happening my shifts got cut and I was forced to look for another job. While being jobless I decided to spend hours to study as much as I can everyday about this industry. From recipes, to history, techniques and more. But where would I put all this knowledge? I don’t want to be selfish and write it all in a black book. BOOM! Urban Mixologist.com was born (so happy the domain name was available). Every time I learn something I write it down and use the page as an archive of my knowledge, but at the same time I will share it with people that have the same interest as me!

I decided that even with my Italian being average my love and knowledge for mixology grew strong and I will give it a shot. I gave out my CV’s to the best cocktail bars in Rome. You can achieve everything if you don’t give up. Try and try was my attitude. Eventually I was hired and started my real work in Barnum cafe, where my story continues... And here it is. From collecting glasses to being the head bartender foreigner in a real mixology bar. From learning classic cocktails, to creating my own twists and having them on the menu for people to enjoy! I guess the moral of the whole story is that if you put your mind to something and believe in yourself everything is possible. Love what you do and thrive!

If you like my story and my content on Urban Mixologist please share! I want to thank all of you guys for supporting me up till now!

[urbanmixologist]

Less than 100 subscribers to 1000.

11 days to my birthday. Can I make it? :D That would be the best gift ever! Share Please! -UM x

[urbanmixologist]

Please do! haha XD

[urbanmixologist]

Urban mixologist in costume brining you margaritas this cinco de mayo!