Trust Your Bartender.

The bartender is your best friend.

Bartenders tend to be an overlooked and neglected species. Having served in that capacity in an ad hoc manner, both in Williamsburg’s Corner Greeks and The Lafayette Restaurant – I can attest to that. So in the words from the Hotel Inter-Continental Stephen Fry Bar menu

TRUST YOUR BARTENDER!

Let the bartender mix you a drink, tell him your mood or desire.

As I write about this exciting town, the music, the food the people, I am recalling Candace at the Drisskill’s observation of W Hotel, “Yes, the Secret Bar, or “The Redroom” and the girls, it looks like Amsterdam”.

To repeat myself on the charming Katherine,   Who so eloquently said -

“No cell phones at the bar. It’s a corporate world out there, find an office.”

Experimenting at the Kenichi Restaurant and Lounge  we ate samplers at the bar and had a great guide  to the experience, while not the bartender, this expert waitress introduced us to fusion oriental dishes.

We started off with a cold Saki, Suisham (in the green bottle). The meal covered an experience from seaweed to Black Cod with lemon confit my ova which had been marinated for 72 hours.

Well then. All said and done there is wisdom to the entreaty to “trust your bartender”. Get to know him or her, establish a relationship, choose to call him or her by another name.  I call The Trellis’ Brentley by the name “Zach”, in turn he calls me “Bob"!

Cocktail

Suisham Saki

When I Met An Elf

When I met an Elf at Austin's Annies Cafe and Bar, 319 Congress Street

Katherine is a self-described "Elf" bartender whose origins are Ulster; another thing we have in common - besides being mixologists, is that our families hail from Ulster and also hail from Massachusetts.

I met Katherine at Annies Cafe and Bar during a recent visit. This Elf had, like those in Eire, pot(s) of "gold". Our conversation started off when I made the observation - I was surprised to observe St. Germaine spirit in the bar's "well". That led to an extensive conversation on mixing and her Blushing Flamingo cocktail concoction.


Blushing Flamingo
       Watermelon infused vodka
       St. Germaine
       topped with Champagne

During our long lunch of superb farmer's market salad with chicken, and wine at this celebrated spot, Katherine the Elf kept introducing us to new concoctions. The samples would  appear in front of us on the zinc lined counter ... an apple liquer, blackberry liquer, watermelon infused vodka, Averna Amaro Sicialiane. All of these while she expertly catered to the other patrons, there for the happy hour that started at 3:00 PM. (Love Austin!)

I was very interested to learn of her opinion on rye whiskey. She too uses Old Overholt. She explained rye whiskey is such a subtle flavor it is overpowered in cocktails and infusions. So what's the purpose in using more expensive rye in a cocktail? Save it for sipping.

Katherine's last bit of advice for us on the topic of music was to go next door to the Elephant Room for jazz. This recommendation was repeated by others during our stay.

         Tip - by Katherine at Annie's, no cell phones at the bar! "its a corporate world ... they need to find a place to go to".