Amaretto Sour

1 ½ oz (45ml) Amaretto
1oz (30ml) Freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ oz (25ml) Bourbon (cask strength if available)
1 barspoon (5ml) 2:1 simple syrup
½ oz (15ml) Egg White (optional)

  • Combine ingredients in shaker tin and give a dry shake
  • Fill with ice and shake to ideal dilution
  • Strain over fresh ice in an old fashioned glass
  • Garnish with lemon peel

*Note- because of the sweetness of the amaretto and lack of other ingredients, there is a fine line for getting the drink perfectly balanced with the sour of the lemon juice and dilution from shaking with ice. After 15 seconds of shaking, test the drink and determine if it requires more shaking or more sweet or sour ingredients.

3 February 2013

If you ever see a bartender place a straw into your drink while it's being prepared only to pull it out and place it in her mouth, she might be sending you subliminal messages hoping to fatten her tip jar. However, it's far more likely she is simply sampling the drink to make sure it is well balanced, consistent, and is of satisfactory quality. Plus it helps us maintain our shift-long buzz. But if the cocktail tastes a little too tart, we know to add a touch more of the sour agents such as lemon or lime. When it's too sour, we dash in a bit more of the sugar syrups or extra sweet liqueurs.

But what happens if the drink has gone completely wrong? The overwhelming sour of this once potential masterpiece is beyond saving and no combination of exotic purees or sucrose-liquefied candy can salvage the flavor. It's time to scrap the drink, admit defeat, and start over.

I'm flying to Olso, Norway for a job interview at the Hard Rock Café next week. My Copenhagen cocktail took on the flavor of too many of the wrong kinda sours and it's time to grab a clean glass and scoop out some fresh ice.

Landing this job isn't my only obstacle. Every time I uproot and head to a new city there is always the stress getting oriented and finding an apartment to live in. It needs to be available for the right time, affordable, close to work and public transportation and hopefully my roommates are enjoyable and capable of cleaning up after themselves. But not too clean that they are those uptight roommates that always seem to be leaving passive-aggressive post-it notes on every surface of the common area. The logistics of moving are always a pain, but the start of a new adventure is the reward.

These are my stories as a travelling bartender. I have many, but I've got to start this blog somewhere and the present is the only time that makes sense. Bartending is one of the best adventure jobs I know. Almost any country you travel to, there is bar that requires tending and adventurous expats looking for something different. These are my stories of tending bar.