Happy Thanksgiving (from my office.)

I'm writing from my office today. Yes, It's thanksgiving. There are about 20 people sitting at my bar and I'm missing my favorite pair of gloves that, much like most of my clothes, I've had for over 10 years. Let me rewind.

The holidays are a tough time for my family. For me, it's pretty simple. All year long people look forward to their christmas parties. People plan reunions at their local bars with their old friends the day before thanksgiving and the night after the big meal. My doors must be open, and they are. The holidays are about spending time with your loved ones, and it has never stopped being difficult on my parents, extended family, and now my wife, that during these designated family times I am often entertaining in my place of business. It is less difficult for me because I am used to it and fundamentally understand how important it is to be open even on the days when you will only have a few customers. Here is why...

I touched a table (industry talk for visiting and checking in on...) of a young couple, indulging in sushi and the most expensive sake I have to offer. I like to spend a few minutes with everyone who walks through my doors, and today was no exception.

"I burnt my turkey to hell," the young man chuckles as his eyes dart nervously towards his wife. "It was inedible. The cat sniffed it once and ran off." They both laugh. I come back to my office and realize that I have unwittingly given them a night they will never forget. "The thanksgiving that he ruined the turkey and they went out for sushi instead." They may one day tell their children about this night. They left happy. My bar is full of people who either don't celebrate thanksgiving or don't have a family near enough to celebrate them with.

I am asked often what the best part of this job is. The answer is simple: food and drink are the punctuation of our lives. People propose over dinner. They celebrate in restaurants. They meet their future wives or husbands and create memories with their friends. I am not so egotistical to want to be associated with these memories. Rather, I know that I have provided them with the stage to create it themselves. These couples will never remember my name, their server, perhaps even the name of the restaurant. But it will be there, along with that moment of happiness that could very well carry them through some immensely dark times. This is something to be proud of.

Someone asked me what I am thankful for. The honest answer is that I am thankful to come to work on the holidays. I am thankful that while I am still young, I can work hard to create a life for myself and my family that will give them every opportunity. I am thankful to the owners of this company, Farees and Mauricio, who believe in me and trust me to do right by their name and reputation. I suffer now so that in the years to come, I can enjoy the time off, and let some other young man or woman put in the sacrifice that I have paid forward. Mauricio told me something I will never forget: "You work your ass off in your 20's, get rich in your 30's, and start to enjoy your life in your 40's." I am in my office on this Thanksgiving for my unborn children and their grandparents-to-be.

As I was touching my tables, I saw a man that is always outside of the Lounge. I went out to say hi, like I always do. He talked about how cold he is, and how hard it is to live where he does; right now it's in an alley.

There are some brief shining moments in your life that you can do something that is really a deed that will result directly in something important. I marched inside, grabbed my favorite wool gloves from my coat, and brought them back out. I asked if he needed anything else, and he said, "blankets and socks would be great." My staff, who I have come to respect immensely, didn't miss a beat. One of my servers told me she would be bringing extra blankets tomorrow, and I know I have socks in my closet that I no longer use. I am so proud to work with some of these people.

I am not writing this for accolades or because I want any of you to think me a good person. I write this to express a point. The message on this holiday is: be thankful. Do not give because society expects it, give because you can, and many cannot. That is the point. I am so thankful for my wonderful family and I will forever be sorry that I can't spend this holiday with them, but I work so that one day I can be there as much as I would like. I work because it allows me to give, and allows me to help. Show compassion for others that have done nothing to deserve it because it makes you a bit more human. Be thankful that you can be warm and full, surrounded be people that love you.

It makes me happy knowing that my Mom and Dad raised me to be the man I am today. I am so thankful for that.

I told my wife this story, and she responded, "I've never been so proud that you're my husband." That woman is incredible, and I am blessed. Our puppy is pretty awesome too.

Happy thanksgiving, and remember to tip heavy on the holidays; the servers at your local restaurant probably are working so that they can afford something for the holiday.

Be good to one another.

and of course...

Stay thirsty,
Eric

Concerning Pisco

I still remember my first Pisco Sour.

I really can only imagine what a slack-jawed fool I looked like as I saw my good friend and bartending mentor, Alex Davin, reached for a raw egg, and gracefully separate the white into his tin.

“Are you baking a cake?” I asked incredulously.

“Shut the f*** up and watch,” he replied in a far-off tone. I knew when he was concentrating.

“There are three drinks that mark the quality of any bartender out there,” he began, “the Manhattan, the Sazerac, and the Pisco Sour. The first one most beginners can fumble through. The second indicates that the bartender may be better than average. The last; however, means that you have someone who knows how to mix making your drink.”  I would never forget this moment.

I began to understand a well-kept secret that bartenders who truly understood their craft had long kept. Pisco, an un-aged brandy originated from Peru and Chile, is one of the most versatile liquors out there. While vodka fundamentally lacks any sort of flavor on it’s own and is merited on its smoothness, Pisco’s subtle notes of citrus, herbs, or fruits (depending on what you are tasting) are what make it the complex and well deserved patron saint of those who mix.  It does not insist upon itself like whisky or gin, and it does not embarrass you in front of your friends like tequila. It doesn’t swear like rum. Pisco is like my dog: content in itself, happy to change, and easy to be around.

As someone who loves infusions, Pisco offers the most complimentary flavor to create something new. I make a Pumpkin Pisco Sour that will knock your socks off. I serve a Pineapple infused Pisco punch that is refreshing in all seasons. In fact, in every menu that I design and serve, I make sure that there is at least one Pisco cocktail on the list for the already-converted or those seeking the gospel.

There is an increasingly exciting world of alcohol that is being discovered by the once dominated world of vodka, gin, rum, and tequila. Much like with soccer, Americans are beginning to open up to what the rest of the world is doing in regards to their drinks and really seeing what other liquors there are to offer. Pisco represents the singular joy I get in the response to when a guest asks me to make something “I’ve never had,” because I’m almost always reaching for the nearest bottle of Pisco behind my bar. 

Get out there, drinkers, and don’t be afraid to let your bartender mix you something that you’ve never had before.

I would just suggest you taste their Manhattan or their Sazerac first.

SOS: Shutdown in DC

My preamble for this post is two fold.

First, there are three things people say you should never discuss at a bar: Politics, religion, and sports. The last of these three is impossible so don't bother ignoring it. The middle is always right, but the first is hard to avoid in Washington, DC, where I now manage a Lounge.

Second, those of you who know me know that I have a history in politics. I was quite good at it. However; I made the choice to get into this industry.  I think it has taken a uniquely bi-partisan effort to this adequately fuck up the government, but at this point the Republicans are being sore losers. If Cruz had ever been in a fight in his life, he would've already had a lesson I learned when I got my ass kicked for the first time when I was 11: sometimes you lose. Suck it up.

Now, onto what this post is really about.

I need your help.

See, there is an unseen victim to this government shutdown. Everyone knows that by our esteemed members of congress throwing a temper tantrum,  they are screwing hundreds of thousands of federal employees, people who just want to do a job, out of their money. But all of this is hurting a second group two. People just like me.

As many of you know, the DC license plate boldly says "Taxation without representation." Why, some may ask? Well, unlike most of my readers, I don't have a Senator or Congressman that I can call up and say, "Hey, asshole, do your job and stop acting like a child." DC lacks representation. What is the most ironic out of all of this is that the local businesses in DC are the ones being hit the hardest. See, Nationally, 14.9% of jobs are public sector. Here in our nation's capital, its closer to 30%. I am lucky and have not been feeling the crushing effects of the shutdown as bad as some, but with the debt ceiling looming, federal catering events are canceling.

Ryan, a good friend of mine, told me yesterday "It was a ghost town on U Street. The first weekend was fun with shutdown parties but people are legit nervous now. They're saving their money."

Understand that the service industry ceases to exist with nobody to serve.

I know the members of Congress don't give a shit about anyone in DC because we don't get them elected, but call your Congressmen. Call your senators. Let them know that its more than the parks and the federal employees. It's the entire food-chain that they are toying with. All because they are throwing a temper tantrum.

I think that house republicans and democrats need to sit down, have a shot, have a cocktail, have another shot, and get all of this out of their system. Clear the air and actually talk to each other. En Vino Vertias.

In fact, come down to Mate Lounge. If you promise to actually negotiate, first round is on me.

...But I won't hold my breath.

The Old Fashioned

The fall is upon us, and everywhere whisky drinkers rejoice.

The fall is my favorite season. The turning of the leaves and the dropping of the temperatures somehow make my pale complexion and bald head and beard look just a bit less stupid. It also means that marathon eating days are upon us (Thanksgiving and Christmas. Yes. Just, YES.) and that whisky just tastes better. Something about a scotch on a cold day feels appropriate. Though for bartenders everywhere, this can be a harrowing season.

Unlike the mojito, which  even the greenest of bartenders can throw together, whisky cocktails are like angry wives; not to be handled by amateurs. Manhattans are a the measuring stick by which I measure other bartenders, as taught to me by my teacher, but Old Fashioned's are another monster entirely.

Much like peace in the middle east and the Batman vs. Superman conflict, how to make a perfect old fashioned is not agreed upon and can actually draw blood. I've seen it.

I've decided to let the Master handle this one. Those of you who have read my blog before know my good friend and teacher, Bear. I asked him about the old fashioned. Here's what he had to say.

Alex Davin, Lincoln

Do you like whisky?
Ahhhh, yea, that would be a yes. Next.

Just...yes.

What's an example of a bad OF?
Oh, I've had 100. You walk into a bar you don't know and think about getting a fancier drink but gotta dip in your toe to test the water, my go to is a Manhattan. It's classic but simple, and really is used to see how good the bartender is. If a bartender can make a decent Manhattan, I feel better about gambling with an Old Fashioned.

Muddled Old Fashioned's are popular and are a travesty. They're neon red grape colored and filled with all the crappy stuff. I've had a few and I say keep the garbage out of my drink. I don't want a salad I want a drink."

The best example of a bad OF is probably the time that you were going to roll out your newest menu and I needed to teach you one last lesson. We went to a newly opened DC bar on an off night (tuesday, I think...) and looked at the menu. It had some classic cocktails on there, so we ordered a few. I ordered the drink that was a play on an OF, and you ordered the pisco sour.

*Eric's note: that pisco sour was truly horrific. Egg yoke in the drink. Nightmares are founded on less.

We had one sip so you could understand the lesson: your staff will undoubtedly fuck up your recipes. Sorry. That's life. I made you take one or two more after so you wouldn't forget it.

We tipped and left. It takes a deft hand to make [an old fashioned] well.

What's the biggest mistake that bartenders make when making an OF?

Muddled fruit. I know people that like it are of an older generation, but it just ruins it! That and bartenders go too light on the bitters. Don't be afraid, I need more than a dash.

What Whisky do you prefer to use?
High proof bourbon or a bold rye (over 100 proof, maybe bonded)

It's a man's drink, its supposed to kick you in the ass.

Will you share your recipe?
Not a huge secret.

Make rich simple syrup (2pts sugar in the raw to 1 part water)
Puddle upsimple syr the bottom of the mixing glass (I don't measure, depends on the whisky, but usually around a half ounce)
5 dash angostura (That's right! FIVE!)
2 oz whisky, some people call, I like to default to Jim Beam Rye
Build the cocktail with no ice to have the bitters mix into the simple syrup, add ice and strain onto an oversized 2x2 ice cube, garnish with a big orange zest and home-made bourbon cherries.

What's the funniest story of that drink being sent back?
Well, this guy came in, young early 20s on a date, not a first date but not far off, and asked for an OF. I made it with the forementioned recipe, which in my unbiased opinion is fucking delicious.

The guy comes up to the bar from a table and asks: "Where's the muddled fruit?"

Well, that's the way we make it here," I reply. He quickly says, "but the muddled fruit is the best part!"

So I "fixed" it, but it was weird having a giant ice cube with muddled fruit. Though as you know, people like to drink the way they like to drink, but I just think my way is better.

Failure

I am not good at failing.

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I hate to lose. I am competitive by nature. This drives my wife crazy because I need to win. Adversaries make me work hard, and their doubt makes me work harder.

"I like the idea, but you have failed in the execution," my owner told me as I served him a dish that Chef and I worked tirelessly on.

It was a bit of a shock to me; I'm not used to failure. It was the certainty of the word "failure" that really hit me. He didn't suggest it needed to be tweaked. He didn't say "It's ok, but I don't love it." He told me I failed.

And he was right.

It took me a bit of time to really surrender to that realization, but once I did, I found myself almost relieved. As the General Manager of Mate Lounge, it is my charge to come out with a brand new food and drink menu for the fall. This, for those of you who don't know, is a daunting task.

The owner of the Lounge asked me if I had read his blog, which I had. It's appropriately called "I Love Failure" and it turned out that his use of the dreaded "F" word was far more honest than I was expecting or prepared for.

It is not often that you get to speak with someone who has succeeded (and failed, as it turns out) in so many ventures in his life. I assume that he saw me go tight-lipped and stopped and said "Now that you know you have failed, try something different."

I share this because of the importance of persistence in these little moments. Creative pursuits such as food and drink are beset on all sides with traps that you can fall into, and losing sight that sometimes everyone doesn't share the quirks of your pallet is a dangerous game. Sometimes you just have to let go.

So, I kept working. And Mate's new food and drink menu is dangerously close to being done.

Thomas Edison, besides being a thief and a bit of a fraud (See: The Oatmeal Comic on Tesla and how Edison stole his ideas....) did say something I find very useful:

"I have not failed 10,000 times. I have successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work."

Don't be afraid to fail. It doesn't hurt as bad as it seems.

Response: Bruce McAdams and tipping

Recently I watched a very interesting video from TED about a man named Bruce McAdams essentially saying that America should follow the European model and eliminate the gratuity system in America. For your viewing pleasure, I am linking it HERE.



Now, put the knee-jerk reaction aside, (after all, if this guy is a "restauranteur," than by his definition, so am I....) I decided to offer my points to show the ridiculous fallacies in his arguments.

First of all, I am going to have to question the credibility of this source. Realistically, I would hesitate from taking any sort of real instruction from a man with his resume. He never owned a single restaurant in the Oliver & Bonacini food group which he began work in 1997, and I usually reserve the word "restauranteur" to someone who both owns and operates. Now after his career he has ventured into academia, and as the old saying goes, "Those who can't do, teach." Now this is somewhat unfair because it's not always true, but if you are skilled enough to effectively operate a venue, I can't imagine why you would choose instead to teach it. Regardless, this is all conjecture on my part. On to his arguments.

Argument One: Tipping is irrelevant because we tip on the check amount.

Bruce sets up this argument with one presupposition: We tip based on previous tipping behavior. I find this leg of his argument to be sound; most people choose a percentage and tip above or below it based on the quality of service given. However, it's the second scenario that he falls into trouble.

Bruce gives a scenario in which he buys a $100 bottle of wine, and consequently tips %15, and the table next to him gets a $50 bottle of wine, and tips the same percentage. If the server is performing the same, why should I be tipping $15 on one table and $7.50 on the other? Sounds logical, right?

This argument really falls upon the ridiculous ignorance of Bruce. While I agree, opening the bottle and pouring the wine is the action, it's what takes place before that is the deciding factor. A server is a salesperson. Many consumers don't know enough about wine to make an educated choice, and saying that tipping on the check amount is as absurd as saying that a guest orders based on the price tag. I've had many a bottle of wine that costs at least $50 and felt it was over-valued. A true server sells the product on the menu, and doesn't let the menu do the selling for them. If you can have a guest who would have normally stopped at a $50 bottle of wine and is able to be sold one that is $70, the additional tip, in that situation, is a reward from the guest for introducing them to a superior product and is an incentive for the server to sell more. If the elevated check amount is a result of the salesmanship of the server, then the elevated tip is the reward.

Argument two: "Tipping promotes discrimination."
This is one of the black marks of the service industry. Bruce is not all wrong about this; in general men tip better than women, and businessmen tip better than families. Ok, I buy this. But once again, this is a short sighted view of the industry.

Any server or bartender worth their salt knows the golden rule: Regulars pay the bills. Discrimination over the short term is something that is frequent with servers who are tourists, and don't really have any intentions to stay in the industry. Saying that serving is a low-skill occupation is true with tourists, but not with those who take it seriously.  A good server or bartender has an encyclopedic knowledge of liquor, wine, and beer. They go to great lengths to know what they are serving so that they are able to "up-sell." I can't tell you how many times I've had a businessman come in with his family, and come back with clients or friends. The tip amount can vary, but the fact is that I have that individual visiting my establishment frequently, which makes him more valuable than a one-time visitor. A smart server will serve well in the hopes of a return visit, not of a big tip.

Furthermore, there is some study that Bruce fails to mention. Often times it is said that "black people don't tip." A recent study explains that black patrons tip off of perceived service, NOT off of check averages. I rarely see bad tips but that is because I am an excellent server. However let's suspend my personal ability for a moment and take a look at a simple fact.  For every five times I receive at bad (<10% tip) from one of the stereotype groups that supposedly tips badly, I get one that tips FAR over an anticipated amount (>35%). The law of averages begins to take over for me.

Argument three: "Tipping does not alter the quality of service."

How Bruce can, in one breath, utter his previous argument and then say this is a simple contradiction unto itself. Tipping not only alters is for the next person, but it also alters it for you when you return. Furthermore, Servers remember who tips well and who doesn't.

Argument four: A universal service charge insures universal service standards.

Go to a pub in the UK, and try to tell me this again. Please. I dare you. Service where tipping is not used typically sucks. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule, such as many of the fine dining European restaurants, but your average place doesn't give great service. If I want excellent service I will go to a highly accredited or highly regulated restaurant. I'm not holding my breath at Olive Garden. Source: My wife who lived in the UK for 28 years.

Argument five: Tipping isn't fair to the back of the house.

My father worked in very complicated fields in his life. He once told me that at most tech companies, salesmen are the second best paid people in the corporation. This is the way of the world. This is the same as the restaurant industry, with a tiny tweak.

First of all, salesmanship is not a skill that can be learned, it's a talent. You can't really go to "sales school." You can either sell things or you can't. I was born with the ability to sell, and I have honed this talent over the years until I could make myself a very comfortable living. I can put a price tag on what a cook creates and offers to the restaurant; it's called a menu. It's far more difficult to put a price tag on what a server does. Bruce likes to talk about "equal value creation," but you can't measure apples and oranges. I have seen VIP clientele that spend thousands of dollars because they "like" a server. That is how it happens.

"Well, cooking is a talent, too!" you say! "Culinary arts, right?" RIGHT! You are entirely correct. Every cook out there sees what they do as art, or at least the good ones do. Since when is art profitable for more than the top 1%? Furthermore, most servers cannot invest their time in their talent to transition it to a career. Cooks can. Servers invest their time for a monetary yield. You start somewhere that isn't good and you eventually move into the high-profit venues. Your end-game is just a bigger paycheck so that you can save that money to do something with it. Cooks invest their time for their own kitchen; it's a career that they are chasing. If that's not your goal, you probably shouldn't be cooking.

Bruce made a few points on the end regarding strife between the staff and accountability with the allocation of tips. At the end, this is not a problem with tipping, that's an issue with management. (Wasn't that your job, Bruce?)

The bottom line in my book: tipping works here. A lot of people don't want to tip for any number of reasons. I often times hear people say "I'm not paying someone extra just to do their job." Servers in the US make less than $3/hr. The system is predicated on tipping.

I will say that there are many restaurants that have taken tipping out of their business model; I have friends that work for them. At the end of the day, the one thing I always hear is that it discourages individual achievement. Servers no longer try to up-sell, and just do the minimum that they can get away with.

I'm not sure when competition in the work place became a bad thing. I know that in all the high-end clubs, restaurants, and lounges, it drives the venue to be the best.

If money is what makes the world go round, competition is it's fuel.

As we would say behind the bar, "Go home Bruce, you're drunk."

Ginger Beer

Bartenders of the USA, I know why you did it. I can't blame you. The 90's and early 2000's were good to us in a way that we never thought imaginable. The days of the 12 dollar tab and "keep the change" are over due to the new age of the credit card. I know that we collectively became bitter and tired and no longer wanted to deal with the bullshit. Could anyone really taste the difference between the home made stuff and the stuff you could buy on the cheap?

Well, the answer is yes.

I've started to get a bit of critical attention from the food and drink reviewers of DC. This is all well and good, and I recently had a young lady from Brightest Young Things come by my bar and have some of my ginger beer.  I have posted the link here.

The young lady came in and tried my Dark and Stormy. She asked me where I learned everything, and I told her the truth: someone else did it before Prohibition.

Now I have people asking for my Ginger Beer recipe all the time, asking how I do it, and what's involved. It brings me back to the time I spent in Central America, where I met a woman named Miss Helena, who ran her own little restaurant.

I had asked her for a soup recipe, and she happily told me the ingredients and method. I asked her if she ever worried about giving out her recipes, and she told me something I take with me to this day:

"Taste is in your hands, not in your ingredients. I can tell you how to make it, and you never will be able to. It's in your hands."

As I sat there looking into her calloused, wrinkled hands, I thought about what that meant. There was something spectacular about that.

So, in honor of Ms. Helena, I present you with my Ginger Beer recipe.

1. Get fresh ginger, and slice to about 1/4 inch width. Get as much or as little as you want. DO NOT peel the ginger. I know it will turn out brown, but the flavor is in the peel.
2. Add equal parts water to cut ginger in a pot. Make sure the water is cold.
3. Bring quickly to a boil, and add 1/2 sugar to 1 part ginger. Depending on the freshness of the ginger, this will make it sweet or spicy. Add more water if the ginger is too hot.
4. Let cool and filter. I like to run it all through a cheesecloth but don't feel obliged. You can simply put it through a siv.
5. Add in about 1/4 cup lemon juice. Taste and decide for yourself. Bear in mind that carbonation changes the flavor and sharpens sugar and reduces lemon - at least in my taste bud's opinion. Make it your own.
6. Carbonate. I use ISI tanks with chargers, but I hear good things about the Soda Stream systems.

Always remember, make it your own. Don't be afraid to spice or get creative.

After all, the taste is in your hands.

Stay Thirsty,
Eric