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| It takes a lot of hands to make a Cocktail. Hautvilliers, Champagne Region France |
In the World's Best Bars and Pubs.
Some might say I am repeating myself from a blog post that I have had before. Either in general or specifically to a particular bar man, such as Rob. Or a bar woman such as Stephanie.
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| The Nacarat Bar, Le Reine Elizabeth, Montréal |
But I was reminded again of the very satisfactory experience you can have if you get to know your bar woman/man. {Just trying to be politically correct.} Over the years and in different experiences, I have met Stephanie of the Trellis, Patrick at the Merry Widow Bar of The Red lion Inn, Stockbridge and Rob at The Prime Rib of Washington. All of whom have made positive impressions upon me. My experiences have been enhanced by recognizing their talents, skills, knowledge, personalities, and friendliness. OK, not always as friendly as say Stephanie or Patrick. But Patrick is still the consummate barman; maybe the term I mean to use is his charm. That’s it .... "its that Irish charm".
Do not be confused by their charm and good-naturedness. This is their job. This is their life. This is what brings them income. Hopefully it is also a satisfactory experience for them, and they enjoy their customers as much as so many customers enjoy them. As much as I enjoy speaking with them and learning from them, I am respectful that they have others to serve both at the bar and in the dining room. Don’t overlook - this is a profession. These are people who over time and training gain great experience to bring you the pleasure they do.
They go out of their way. I am reminded of Sarah at The Little Red Door in Le Marais, Paris climbing up a ladder, then onto an ice chest, reaching to the top back of the shelf to locate the Masticha, all to make my girlfriend’s drink. It was quite a show. She demonstrated her desire to please.
And with that, I think that I can succinctly characterize what makes these bar women and bar men so special. And that is their desire to please the customer and meet the customers' expectations. That's the criteria I have used to select these people, in my experiences around the world.
So, to begin - sharing with you these ‘tres cool’ people whom I have come across, exemplifying fantastic customer service, great knowledge of creativity and devotion to their profession.
Stephanie, The Bar at The Trellis Restaurant, Williamsburg, Virginia etats unis
Patrick The Red Lion Inn Stockbridge, Massachusetts etats unis
Patrick is the unequivocal older Irishman at a pub in Massachusetts. A stoic. Quiet and calm. Knowledgeable, no nonsense. And he works a busy bar for the whole restaurant, the bar area and the Porch, and the Living Room. And god knows, where else? Yet he still has time to cover up a gift for your girlfriend and surprise her with it at the bar. On New Year’s Eve, he did just that. Took the girlfriend a trinket on the plate, covered and wished her Happy New Year. The best $10 I have invested. I like Patrick and always look forward to seeing him when I go to the Red Lion Inn.
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| The Red Lion Inn Tavern without Patrick |
Dan, The Marine Room La Jolla, California etats unis
Another consummate professional bar man responsible for drinks for the restaurant and the bar. And yet still has time to introduce me to NOLET gin, and between shaking and stirring, talking with me about the bar business and his life. If you don't see Dan at The Marine Room, you've missed out. Did I mention the “gold sparkle” in the girlfriend’s cocktail! Really, “gold sparkle”. This man goes all out. If you don’t see him, ask Maître d’ Dimitrios for help.
Anne-Marie and Mackenzie at the Noble Speakeasy, The Middle Spoon Desserterie & Bar Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
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| The Noble Speakeasy, Halifax Ann-Marie with Mackenzie |
Stephanie AF55 All Premier Air France 380 over the Atlantic
This is a woman who knows her Champagne and her French wines. She goes to great trouble to keep her clients well-nourished and has a good eye for spotting when someone needs a touchup in their glass. What an affair this was. The glass was never empty. And a delightful personality as well. A perfect choice of an Air France Champagne aficionado.
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| Air France Champagne at 5 miles up! |
David at Bar of the Fat Canary Williamsburg, Virginia etats unis
Dave makes very charming drinks. He has a warmth about him, that all successful bartenders must possess to be a success. He's quite a charming person in a quiet way. Very knowledgeable of his wines and cocktails. He works very hard to make sure that you are pleased with your drink. He's one of the few that I have seen offer a glass of water before he serves you a drink. I admire that and applaud it. However, I was perhaps one of the few people who has been at a bar and see the rack of glasses crash. It happened one evening when my girlfriend and I were seated at the bar. Dave and his bar mate were working diligently to serve those at the bar as well as the servers. Suddenly, out of the clear blue. No one even near the glass (fortunately). Two shelves of glasses crashed down on the liquor bottles, seated on the display case. Dave did not skip a beat. Turned to an associate to get it cleaned up. Continued making cocktails for those at the bar and the servers. I was quite impressed. And am even now still quite impressed. To see someone oh so smoothly continue to operate during a calamity. The Chef-co-owner came over. Checked to see if everybody was OK and everything going OK. Calmly went back to the oversight in the kitchen.
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| Oh, oh. All those glasses. |
Julian Bar 1608 le chateau Frontenac Québec, Canada
You know that you are at an exceptional bar when the barman overhears you speaking of “Sazerac Cocktail". And follows through, with “I am bringing you our Sazerac”. Their version of a Sazerac cocktail. In Québec vieux carre, as with most, if not all the bartenders and servers at The Chateau Frontenac and Le Reine Elizabeth, you can expect exceptional service. Over and above the top. Not only is the 1608 Bar an exceptionally designed and accessorized bar, the Saint Lawrence River just makes it a magical experience.
SAM Bar, Louis, Marie Alexie, Kha'em le chateau Frontenac, Québec, Canada
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| SAM Bar, le chateau Frontenac Quebec |
It's tough walking into a bar and hearing almost all the bartenders yell out to you, "Bonsoir monsieur Constantine, bonsoir." I then realized it was because we had been there the night before. And, apparently, with all my questions. My affection for the smoked cocktail that they made in front of me. Yes, under a glass dome. Yes! Amazing! I had never experienced anything like that before. So, we returned the next night as we had such a fantastic time the night before. And we were delighted to do so. At the end of the evening. Kha'em took us to the best table in Québec. I thought someone was joking when they told us that. And then the waitress, the server, passed by again and said, “you do realize, this table allows the two of you to look out at the Saint Laurent. And can look at each other with barely a turn of the head. Then we realized why this table was so unique. Only adding to the exceptional service food and excitement we shared that evening again at the le chateau Frontenac. 
SAM BAR, Guillame, Isabelle, Simon The SAM Bar, le chateau Frontenac, Québec, Canada
More formal than the 1608. Dinner is served in the dining salon. At this bar, at least this winter, the bar had icicles hanging down above. The sitting area at the bar; I always prefer sitting at the bar, you get to observe and learn from what the bartender does, to interact with different people, much to the chagrin of my girlfriend, who may feel neglected from time to time? So not a good habit to get into. And this evening Guillame treated us to a cocktail that included their own house-made “SAM” tonic. I returned from Canada with my own autographed bottle. Of the same tonic.
The Prime Rib Washington, Rob, District of Columbia etats unis
A Jack Rose Cocktail is what my girlfriend ordered from Rob that evening, seated at the bar - piano and double bass live playing in the background. Me, I am having a Dewar's with one ice cube. Drinks served ever graciously by Rob. Well the girlfriend says "ooooooh this is quite nice, try it". As every outstanding bartender knows, you keep your eye on the patrons. Rob meanders over shortly and asks
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| The Prime Rib Bar in Washington |
if everything is ok. I told him this was very good but different from the one I make. Well then, Rob begins to tell me that he did not have all the exact ingredients so he improvised. Don't you just love that? Improvisation. He just could have said - ... "gosh Ma'am, I don't have the ingredients, I'm sorry". But au contraire. He goes on to tell her the recipe; that he used: Normandy Calvados in lieu of American Apple Brandy. For the stronger apple influence he added German Berentzen apple schnapps to the grenadine and lime. What a cocktail! I told her that she had a "top shelf" Jack Rose with the best of ingredients. Now this is a bartender who knows how to please a "bar fly".
C&O Bar, Barry (retired) Charlottesville, Virginia etats unis
I'm a romantic at heart. So, it doesn't take much for me to buy a particular gift for my girlfriend. And often, I'll tip the bartender to serve it. I tip heavy for that. I mean, this is not their job, they're just doing it to be nice. This evening, since I had purchased a sapphire ring for her birthday, I mentioned it to Barry, now since retired. Sitting out on a sailboat somewhere is what I understand. Well, telling him that I'm going to order her a Bombay Sapphire Martini, and I would like for him to put the ring inside the drink. Which he did with the greatest of precision. And professionalism. What I misunderstood was the optics of having an object inside liquid versus outside the liquid. So, as she went along with having a Bombay Sapphire cocktail - not her most favorite drink in the world, she was not able to see the ring. So, I called Barry over, again. And asked for a fork. He immediately wanted to know was there something wrong and could he help? I said no, there just appears to be an object in my wife's drink. And, I smiled and winked, tapped my nose, at him. Fortunately, he picked up on that. And so, handed her the fork. She fished out the Sapphire ring. The C&O Bar has always been a magical bar for as long as I can remember. It continues to be so, for all these experiences as well as the fantastic French cuisine they serve. Barry is the barman’s barman “nonplus”. French for extraordinary.
The 1608 Bar, Kevin, Jonathan, and George - le chateau Frontenac, Québec Canada
Kevin, what a man! What a barman. Comes from out behind the bar. Says, I understand you want something unusual. He turns to the girlfriend and says, what do you like in your cocktail? He departs, walking back to the bar. Next thing we know, he comes out with this giant cocktail. With this orchid. One you'd almost have to anchor down to keep from falling out over the glass. It was so huge. And then he took time to talk to us about the concoction that he created. Between Kevin, Jonathan and George, we enjoyed another exquisite night at the 1608 Bar, in the le chateau Frontenac hotel. And you know, you cannot have a bad experience in Vieux Carre Québec.
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| Kevin's Creation, 1608 Bar le chateau Frontenac, Québec |
A very nice pub, in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay. We were on our way to Dublin. With a stopover in Boston. As a compliment to the bar man for the very good Irish whiskey he poured, and a cocktail for my girlfriend, I sent him over a Two (2) “Cuban” Peso bill. He came running over. He literally was looking forward to going to Cuba. He wanted to know all about it. And then, lo and behold, he sends me over one of the nicest daiquiris that I have experienced since being outside of Cuba.
There are more bars & pubs that offer that extraordinary experience. And while I have enjoyed them tremendously, I was not able to meet the bartender in person to have , that je nai sai quoi experience - among them are The Prime Rib Baltimore, The English Pub on Key Biscayne, El Floridita Bar Habana, Herringbone La Jolla, Piatti's La Jolla, Conti Bar in Québec, La Ambos Mundos Roof Top bar Habana, & of course the Parisian Cabaret Hotel Nacional Habana.
A recognition of someone special in my heart and life.
Constantine “Buzz” Beler, Co-founder of The Prime Rib Washington District of Columbia and Baltimore Maryland, etats unis
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| "Buzz" BeLer preferring to go by Beler |
No commentary on hospitality would be complete without the mention of my two cousins. The founders of the Prime Rib restaurants. Buzz and Nick were the consummate hosts. At their initial location in Baltimore, Maryland and then later Washington. As well as other Prime Rib restaurants. You succeed in this business for over 50 years with truly hosting a high-quality restaurant and a great bar. Well, both have now passed. As a cousin of theirs – and their father - my Uncle Peter, I learned much from them. Especially in the field of hospitality. Interestingly, I worked in the younger years of my life with Nick at he and his father's restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia. Much later I worked with Buzz in his restaurant in Washington. Initial appearances of the two of them seated at the bar, martini or wine glass in hand, might lead you to believe they were ambivalent to the operations going around them. One evening to my surprise I hear the two of them. One commenting to the other. “I see table 17 is still open. William must be holding it for a "special client”. That came as a surprise to me. Wow, although with customer being entertained, they were still quite prescient to what was going on in their operations. Even with an exceptionally fine staff that they had managing.
“Here's looking at you guys.”
In closing, the women and men who serve you, your favorite beverage, open your Champagne bottle and otherwise cater to your social bar needs - are professionals who perform this job to earn a living.
Tip them and tip them BIG!
Boisson
Queens Park Hotel Super Cocktail
Source Difford's Guide
2 oz. rum
2/3 oz. sweet vermouth
½ oz. simple syrup
1/6 oz. grenadine syrup (prefer home crafted)
5 dashes (yes, 5) Angostura bitters
Appetizer: Crisp with anchovy with drops of olive oil EVOO
Music: Melody Gardot, ”From Paris With Love”
* Difford's Guide at Diffordguide.com a library, repository, liquor source and an “all around town guy” from the mother country - and that be Great Britain.
