Columbia Bartending Test

Shaken Drinks

Shaken drinks cover a wide variety of cocktails, but very broadly can include any drink that contains ingredients that are hard to mix easily. In general they are shaken for a few primary reasons:

1- to chill the contents

2- to mix many liquors and liqueurs evenly

3- to mix anything with cream, syrups, or solids

Mixology Technique: Shaking and Straining

Shake vigorously for at least 10 sec in order to properly chill the contents.

Shaking a drink dilutes it.

Steps: Fill 1/2 shaker w/ ice; add ingredients to shaker (except carbonated); shake vigorously; served over ice in highball or collins glass

Mixology Technique: Flags

Take a toothpick and stick it through a cherry and an orange, or any other fruit combination to make a creative "flag" for your drink. Either float the flag on top of the drink or use two toothpicks and wedge it on the side of the glass.

Mixology Technique: Garnishes

Garnishing the Rim: take the lemon or lime garnish and run it along the outside edge of the glass. Then, turn the glass upside down into a dish of salt, sugar, or whatever else you are using to rim the glass, and turn the glass slightly. Make sure that you only coat the outside of the glass. You don't want your customer to start drinking and end up with salt floating in their glass.

Rum: White/Light

Clear colored. Usually un-aged, but some are aged for short periods. Cleanest taste and used most often in cocktails.

Rum: Dark Rum

Result of longer aging process. More aromatic and has richer flavor than light or gold rum.

Spiced Rums and Flavored Rums

Clear or dark colored. Flavor obtained through addition of spices and other flavoring agents such as caramel or coconut.

Cachaca

Rum-like liquor made from fermented sugar cane juice and not molasses.

Smoother finish than most rum.

Most common to Brazil.

Tequila

Sweet and fiery spirit made from the blue agave plant.

Blanco/plata: un-aged or aged less than two months in stainless steel barrels.

Joven/oro: aged for a couple of months in neutral oak barrels and sometimes color added after distillation.

Reposado: aged just less than one year in any sized oak barrel. These tequilas have subtler, smoother finish.

Añejo: aged for over one year in small oak barrels giving it a complex and smooth finish.

Whiskey

Whiskeys are predominately characterized by the region in which they are produced. Each region has specific laws governing the production of whiskey. In general, they will be brown in color and they are always aged. The taste is always warming, with some whiskeys being sweeter while other are smokier in flavor.

Scotch Whiskey

Made from malted barley and whole grains, distilled and aged in Scotland, aged in oak casks for a minimum of 3 years, and contains no additives other than water and caramel color.

Lowland scotch tends to be more mild and delicate, while highland scotch tends to be more firm and Islay or coastal scotch tends to be smokey.

Scotch can be divided into single malt & blended.

Single malt means whiskey came from only one distillery using only malted barley as the grain. Blended means the whiskey came from several single malts, and usually also grain whiskey.

American Whiskey

American whiskey varies significantly depending upon the type of grain used. The most common types are Bourbon Whiskey, Rye Whiskey, Tennessee Whiskey, and Straight Whiskey. Unless listed as blended, American Whiskey must be aged at least briefly in charred new oaks barrels; there is no minimum time.

Irish Whiskey

By law, Irish Whiskey has to be distilled and aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks. Irish Whiskeys obtain a unique taste through the use of both malted and unmalted barleys. Irish Whiskeys are rarely peated which makes them smoother in finish than most scotches.

Canadian Whiskey

Must be aged in wood barrels for a minimum of three years. Canadian whiskey is often the lightest of the whiskey as it is generally made from two components: a base whiskey and a flavoring whiskey.

Liqueurs

Triple sec: made from sweet and bitter oranges. It is well brand of a family of orange flavored liqueurs:

Cointreau- clear brandy based liqueur made from the peel of sour and sweet oranges

Grand marnier- cognac-based liqueur produced from a blend of orange peel, spices and vanilla

Blue curaçao- wine based liqueur made from the peel of green oranges from the island of Curaçao. It is mostly used for its bright blue coloring.

Liqueurs: Vermouth

Vermouth: fortified wine aperitif, normally infused, macerated or distilled with herbs, spices, alcohol, and a blend of other ingredients. Main types: dry & sweet.

Dry vermouth: clear or yellow in color and has a very dry taste, with less than 4% sugar content. Typically lighter bodied than sweet vermouths.

Sweet vermouth: deep red color and sweetened with sugar or caramel additives. Sugar content- 10-15%.

Liqueurs:

Sambuca

Galliano

Jägermeister

Chambord

Creme de casis

Sambuca- cordial derived from the anise seed, which tastes like licorice.

Galliano- sweet, herbal liqueur named after an Italian war hero, Major Giuseppe Galiano. It has almost an electric yellow color and tastes heavily of licorice.

Jägermister- 70 proof German liqueur made with 56 herbs and spices and is served at 5F. It has a dark brown color and imparts a strong licorice flavor.

Chambord- raspberry liqueur made from raspberries with honey.

Creme de casis- made from black currants, has a very sweet flavor. It is a dark red liqueur.

Liqueurs:

Peach Schnapps

Crème de Methe

Sloe Gin

Southern Comfort

Amaretto

Peach Schnapps- sweet peach-flavored schnapps with relatively low alcohol content.

Crème de Menthe- made from mint and spearmint and comes in green and clear varieties.

Sloe gin- sweet syrupy liqueur made by infusing sloe berries (wild plums) in gin.

Southern comfort- popular proprietary liqueur from New Orleans. It is essentially a peach-flavored bourbon.

Amaretto- sweet and nutty liqueur sometimes described as almond-flavored. Originated - Saronno, Haley, and made from apricot pits and almonds.

Liqueurs:

Frangelico

Kahlua

Bailey's Irish Cream

Frangelico: brand of noisette liqueur, that is also flavored with cocoa and vanilla. Yellowish brown color.

Kahlua: made from coffee and the alcohol distilled from cane sugar. Has pale yellow color and chocolaty taste from the coffee.

Bailey's Irish Cream: tastes like a chocolaty creamer. It is made from fresh dairy cream, Irish whiskey and natural flavors. Bailey's does not spoil due to preservative qualities of whiskey.

Bitters

Angostura Bitters

Bitters: a staple of many classic cocktails, bitters are usually high in alcohol content and have very potent flavors. Adding just a couple drops to a cocktail is enough to taste its flavoring.

Angostura bitters: most common type of bitters in use today. The oversized label makes the bottle easily recognizable. It is most adaptable to cocktails using brown spirits.

Bitters:

Campari

Aperol

Campari: an aperitif, campari is a potable bitter with an alcohol content between 20-30%. It is flavored with herbs and fruit giving it an intense flavor and a unique dark red color.

Aperol: also an aperitif, aperol is flavored with bitter oranges, rhubard, and other herbs giving it an equally intense and unique flavor, but with a lighter deep orange color.

Substitutions: Spirits

Triple sec ~ Blue curaçao ~ Cointreau ~ Grand Marnier

Schnapps ~ Liqueur

Vanilla Vodka ~ Citron Vodka ~ Regular vodka w/ a splash of rose's lime juice

Substitutions: Mixers

Roses Lime Juice ~ Lime and sugar and simple syrup

Sour Mix ~ Simple Syrup, fresh lemon juice (optional egg whites)

Seltzer & Sugar (e.g. in a Mojito) ~ 7up (sweeter)

Cream ~ 2% milk ~ soy milk

Simple syrup ~ use water and sugar

Not Interchangeable

Tonic water does not equal club soda or seltzer

Rose's Lime Juice does not equal plain/regular/fresh lime juice

Whiskeys are not interchangeable

Dram Shop Act

Section 11-101 of the General Obligations Law of the State of New York, states: Don't serve underage people or people who are too intoxicated. If you do, you are liable for what they do.

The Standard Drink

12 oz beer = 5 oz wine = 1.5 oz hard liquor

Beer: 12 oz beer has 4.5%, but craft brews and malt liquors = higher % of alcohol

Liquor: 1.5 oz shot of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whiskey= 1 standard drink. Martinis have more. Higher proof (ABV%x2) drinks = caution!

Wine: 5 oz glass of wine = most table wines, 9-14% ABV. Fortified wines, such as vermouth or Brandy, have more alcohol, so 5 oz glass = more than 1 standard drink.

ABV & Proof

ABV = alcohol by volume = how much of liquor is comprised of alcohol, expressed as %.

Beers (3-20%)

Pilsner 3-6%

Lager 3-6%

Brown Ale 4-8%

IPA (India Pale Ale) 6-15%

Stout 5-20%

Wines (8-14%)

Sparkling wine 8-12%

Table wine 9-14%

Dry white 10-12%

Cabernet 11-14%

Proof = twice ABV and just a number

Fortified Wine & Spirits ABV

Fortified wines (10-22%)

Sherry 17-22%

Vermouth 15-18%

Port Wine 16-20%

Spirits (20-98%)

Light liqueurs 15-25%

Vodka/Gin/Rum 40%

Absinthe 55-90%

Absolute Alcohol 96-98%

BAC

BAC is used to measure intoxication. Blood alcohol content is the amount of alcohol in the bloodstream, measured as a percentage.

Ex: BAC of 0.10% means 1 part alcohol per 1,000 parts blood in the body.

Legal driving limit is a BAC of 0.08.

Effects of Drinks/hr on BAC

est. # of drinks BAC Effects

per hour

2 0.05 Release of inhibitions

3 0.08 DWI legal limit in NY state

4 0.10 Loss of coordination, slurring

8 0.20 Loss of emotional control

12 0.30 Walking Blackout

14 0.35 Coma, min lethal level

16+ o.40+ Death

Factors That Will Affect a Person's BAC

Size- musculature, not body fat.

Rate of Consumption- more drinks/hr & drinking faster = quicker someone becomes intoxicated.

Strength of the drinks- not every drink= one standard drink; carbonated drinks= increased intoxication rate because alcohol increases in bloodstream.

Food- eat before or during cause after doesn't matter.

Gender- women have less muscle mass and less digestive enzyme for alcohol.

Drug use- any drug thoroughly skews intoxication rate.

Asian descent- 50& of Asians= no liver enzyme to process alcohol.

Age- very young or old people= more susceptible to alcohol.

Behavioral Cues of Intoxicatoin

Loss of judgement (J)- making poor choices, driving while intoxicated, trying to buy everyone in the bar a shot.

Loss of inhibitions (I)- increased talkativeness, acting more friendly, uncharacteristic behavior.

Slowed reactions (R)- not being able to catch a set of keys, not being able to recall names, slurred speech.

Poor coordination (C)- dropping things frequently, spilling drinks, walking into things.

Garnishes

1. For visual accompaniment

2. Extra flavor

3. Aroma

Red Drinks = Green

Blue Drinks = Yellow

Tonic = Lime

Seltzer= Lemon

The Tolerance Myth

After frequent alcohol use, the body is able to suppress certain indicators and effects of intoxication. Tolerance does not affect BAC. The BAC of someone with high tolerance can equal the BAC of someone with low tolerance.

How to Cut Someone Off

1- simply say no

2- suggest non-alcoholic alternative (food, soda, etc.)

3- suggesting water before drinking anymore

4- saying you will be fired if you continue to serve them

5- calling a bouncer over to escort him/her out (last resort)

Set-Up the Bar

Top Bar: oddly shaped bottles and rarely used ingredients

Middle Bar: sits right at the customer's eye level and contains high-end liquors (call brands) and items being pushed by the bar

Bottom bar: holds more liqueurs, syrups and other frequently used ingredients

Beneath the bar or Well: the speed rack for well liquors, as well as sink(s), ice, dishwasher, and drying stations

Spirits and Liqueurs

Spirits (or hard liquors)- any distilled liquor that does not contain added sugar and has more than 20% alcohol (ethanol) by volume, or ABV. Spirits are the alcoholic foundations of a drink.

Liqueurs (aka schnapps or cordials)- liquors that have added sugar after distillation. Most liqueurs also have added flavorings (like fruits, creams, spices, flowers, or nuts). The ABV of liqueurs is usually between 15-20%, but some can be stronger than a spirit.

Vodka

Most sold liquor in the US, clear and colorless.

Should be odorless and tasteless, but low quality vodka often smell strongly of rubbing alcohol due to congeners. Vodka is used as the standard base for the majority of cocktails because it is flavorless and allows the flavors from the other ingredients to stand out.

Gin

Dry taste, although the level of dryness will vary from brand to brand as each uses a different recipe.

Gin should be clear, colorless, and impart a bitter and floral smell.

The dry and floral qualities of gin come from the use of Juniper berry.

Gin is typically used in classic cocktails such as martinis.

Rum

Sweet tasting and smelling spirit.

Distilled from the fermented byproducts of the sugarcane plant/molassses.

Unlike vodka or gin, rum can be aged to enhance flavor.

Rum is divided into several grades, which determine the color and taste.

Martinis

Martinis were once considered the quintessential American cocktail. Consisting of 3-4 oz of a base liquor, a flavoring agent, and sometimes bitters, martinis are almost always served "straight" and "up."

Straight means without ice, and up meaning in a cocktail glass. The ingredients are combined in a shaker, chilled, and strained into a glass.

Chilled in shaker

About 4 oz liquor

Served straight up in Martini glass

Mixology Technique: Chilling a Glass

Fill glass with ice, then cold water. Prepare cocktail, then holding stem of glass, shake downward to remove ice and water. Strain cocktail into glass and serve.

Coat inside of glass with water, the dumb excess water. Place glass in the freezer until it frosts, then remove frosted glass from freezer, fill and serve.

Shaken vs. Stirred

To properly stir, hold a bar spoon between your thumb and forefinger then roll the spoon with your fingers while plunging it up and down.

Mixology Technique: Garnish - Twist and Spiral

Take a short piece of rind, twist it over the drink to release the aromatic oils, rim the glass with it (take the twist and rub the outer rim of the drink) and then drop it in the glass.

Martini

Gin and Dry Vermouth with an olive garnish in these proportions.

Regular: Gin: Vermouth (4oz:1/2oz)

Dry: Gin: Vermouth (4 oz: >1/4oz)

Perfect: Gin: Sweet Vermouth: Dry Vermouth (4:1/4:1/4)

Dirty: Gin: Extra-Dry Vermouth: Splash of Olive Juice

Naked: 1:0 (no vermouth)

Classic Cocktails Glassware

Rocks glass: the rocks is a short tumbler used to serve alcoholic drinks "on the rocks." It generally has a thick base to allow for easy muddling and holds between 6 and 10 oz of liquid.

Brandy snifter: the brandy snifter is designed to accentuate the aromas of brandy, which are very important to the brandy-drinking experience.

Mixology Technique: Muddling

Muddling is a technique used when a cocktail calls for sugar, fresh fruits, or fresh herbs in its recipe. The act of muddling breaks down the fruit, releasing the juices and aromatic oils as well as dissolve sugar. When working with herbs, be careful not to muddle too much or else you may create a bitter plant pulp!

Infusion Tips

Infusion is the process of adding the flavor of herbs, spices, and fruits to liquors to create a custom spirit.

Tips:

-High proof spirit > low proof spirit. You can dilute with water if you need to.

-Use a jar with a tight-fitting lid, but with space to agitate the contents.

-Keep your infusion away from direct sunlight.

-After a week an infusion is unlikely to gain any more flavor. Strain into a bottle with a cheese-cloth and mix!

Herbs and Spices

Borrowing herbs and spices commonly used int he kitchen is a great way to expand the possibilities in the bar. The goal is to create a balanced drink that combines the aromas and flavors of both the alcohol and the herb or spice. This requires knowledge of the smells and tastes and the interactions of the ingredients.

Some commonly used herbs and spices are: Basil, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, lavender, vanilla bean

Wine

Made entirely from fermented grapes. Each wine has its own personality, its own aroma, and its own taste. Nature guarantees that no two bottles of wine will ever have quite the same character year to year, even if they come from the same vineyard and winery. This factor, combined with the changing character of wines as they age, results in a complex beverage that can satisfy nearly every taste and suit ever occasion.

How Wine is Made (Vinification)

Red wine is made from the must of red or black grapes and fermentation happens together with the skins. The skins contain tannis that give red wine its distinct deep red color. In order to make pink, or rosé, wine, the skin of the grape is only used in the primary fermentation and is then removed from its secondary (malolactic) fermentation. White wine, instead, is made through the distillation of grapes without the skins.

Popular Wine Grapes (red)

Cabernet Sauvignon - One of the noblest red wine grapes, used in Bordeaux, also as either 100% varietal or in red blends.

Merlot - A very good red wine grape. Accordingly, in recent years, for many people, "a glass of Merlot" has become all but synonymous with "a glass of red wine."

Pinot Noir - classic red grape, widely accepted as one of the world's finest.

Wine Grapes (red)

Sangiovere - the predominant red wine grape of Tuscany in central Italy, primary player in the Chianti blend; also sometimes used as a varietal there and in California. Makes a hearty, dry red wine.

Shiraz/syrah - the classic Rhone Valley red grape, shiraz is its Australian name.

Zinfandel - declared the American wine grape because it reaches its highest level in California. At its best, it makes an exuberantly funny, ripe and big red wine.

Wine Grapes (white)

Pinot Blanc - White wine grape: a dry, full white wine.

Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio - French and Italian names, respectively, for the same grape: a dry, crisp and acidic white wine.

Sauvignon Blanc - Noble white grape, native to the Loire and Bordeaux (where it is usually blended with Semillon); also widely planted in the western US, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Wine Grapes (white)

Vouvray - Outstanding Loire white, based on Chenin Blanc; table wines may range from dry through slightly sweet, and it also makes a spectacular desert wine.

White Zinfandel - "Blush" wine, usually from California and often simple and slightly sweet, made by removing red Zinfandel grapes from the juice before they impart significant color.

Wine Appreciation: Appearance

Appearance: Evaluate the wine's specific color by holding the glass at a slant (best if you can do this against a white background)

Red wine: The color at the edge of a young wine will be fuschia or deep violet, or in a older one, ruby.

Rosé: Range in color from a light strawberry to apricot.

White Wine: Ranges from yellow-green to deep gold.

Wine Appreciation: Smell and Taste

Smell: Aromas of a wine both inform your taste buds and enhance your overall experience. Here, you are looking to identify the intensity, individual characteristic smells, and harmoniousness of its aromas. There is a certain vocabulary to describe the individual odors: herbal, vegetal, floral, fruity, woody, smoky, toasted, mineral, animal, and chemical (usually the mark of a poor wine).

Taste Taste the wine; your palate should be identifying its level of acidity, tannins (in the case of red wines), smoothness, balance, body, and persistence of taste.

Wine Service Temp & Preservation

All wine should be stored at the same temperate, regardless of color. Red wine should be served between 60-66F, while whites should be served at 45-52F. Champagne and sparkling wine should be served at 40F. After wine has been opened, it spoils after 3-5 days.

Beer

Basic ingredients: water, a fermentable starch, yeast, and hops.

Beer types: Beer styles largely fall into two types, determined by the time and temperature of primary fermentation and where the yeast sits during fermentation, Ale and Lager.

Beer Type: Ale

A type of beer brewed from malted barley using a top fermenting brewers' yeast. This yeast ferments the beer at a higher temperature and quicker speed, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste.

IPA- very hoppy/bitter beer. English added hops, a natural preservative, to beer in order to transport it to soldiers in India. E.g. Brooklyn IPA

Witbier- cloudy beer from additional wheat in mash. Always spiced. E.g. Hoegaarden, Blue Moon.

Stout- dark brown color, roasted or coffee flavor usually.E.g. Guinness, Left Hand Milk Stout

Beer Type: Lager

Most brand name beers are lagers. They are often crisp, light in color, and smooth tasting. E.g. Bud Light, Coors Light, Natural Light, PBR Pilsner - German. Spicy or herbal aroma and taste. E.g. Victory Prima Pilsner, Brooklyn Pilsner.

Lager- compared to ales, lager is brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast, and ferments in cooler temps. The yeast works slower than ale yeast and is more aggressive, meaning fewer byproducts are left behind. The result is a cleaner, crisper beer. Lager is generally less fruity and spicy than ales tend to be. Lagers are currently the most commonly consumed beers in the world.

How Is Beer Made?

Beer is made through fine essential stages: 1) mashing, 2) sparging, 3) boiling, 4) fermentation, 5) packaging.

Mashing is the process of converting starches to fermentable sugars. Sparging extracts the wort, a very sweet and syrup like substance, from the mash. Boiling increases the concentration of sugar in the wort. During this stage, brewers can add different strains of hops to introduce bitterness and flavor into the beer. Fermentation uses yeast to turn the sugars in the wort to alcohol and carbon dioxide, creating beer. At this stage the liquid can officially be called beer. Packaging is the final stage of the brewing process, where the beer is prepared for distribution and consumption.

*tilt at 45degrees, about half-way through, straighter, then finish pour with 1 in head.

Beer Appreciation: Aroma & Malty

Aroma- a beer's characteristic aroma comes from its unique combination of pre- and post-fermenting ingredients. The fresh crispness of a beer generally comes from the starches and grains used to ferment the beer. Overt fruitiness and cocoa notes, for example (e.g. Blue Moon, Guinness), can come from post-fermenting flavoring. Is the beer sweet, roasty, smokey, piney, yeasty?

Malty- Flavors and aromas that include chocolate, toast, woody, bread, and coffee. These flavors are a direct result of the different grains used to produce the beer.

Beer Appreciation: Flowery & Appearance

Flowery: Flavors and aromas that include piney, floral, bananas, vanillas, and fruits. These flavors come from the addition of hops in the boiling phase. Note that some flavors may also be a result of post-fermenting ingredients such as beers that are dry-hopped or lagered with cocoa nips.

Appearance: Important visual characteristics include the color, the clarity (if the beer is filtered or unfiltered), and size of the head (think: the thick layer of foam on a Guinness). Head is good! head contains lots of aromatics which significantly contribute to the drinking experience and taste of beer.

Beer Appreciation: Flavor & Mouth-feel

Flavor: Flavoring is due to three main factors, among others. The type of grain used (e.g. a wheat-based Witbier vs. grain-based Budweiser) changes the crispness of the flavor. Hops, depending on how early they are introduced into the boiling process, impart their characteristic bitterness to beer (think: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale).

Mouth-feel: The feel of a beer in the mouth, both from thickness of the liquid and from carbonation. For ex, oatmeal stouts (fermented from oatmeal) tend to have a smoother, velvety mouth-feel.