Bartender HQ Podcast : Bar Culture, Cocktails and Flair Bartending for Everyone.

We absolutely love having Brian Weber from Bartender Journey on the show as often as possible and this week is no exception!

Straight off the back of recording an episode for his show covering his experiments with different juice extraction techniques on limes, as well as giving his audience an overview of our conversations last week with Samuel on sustainable bartending.

On this show with Brian Weber

On this week’s show we’re talking about anything the comes to mind! Amongst other things, Brian and I discuss the London Sessions, Podcasting at Tales of the Cocktail, Camp Runamok, how good Sam is, the Patron Hacienda and how rep life in the UK works.

Find Brian Weber’s Bartender Journey Online

BartenderJourney on iTunes

BartenderJourney on Facebook

BartenderJourney on Instagram

 

Keeping a low footprint in what we do in our personal as well as our work lives on the planet is becoming more and more important, so how can we practice sustainable bartending and reduce our wastage and consumption?

In this episode of the BartenderHQ podcast, Samuel Boulton and David Eden-Sangwell discuss easy wins that you can implement in your bar to cut your impact. Specifically recently there has been video of the impact of using plastic straws on the environment and wildlife circulating on Facebook. The biggest problem being the time that it takes for these to break down in the environment once they’re disposed of.

Sustainable Bartending: Straws, Glass & Waste

We look at a handful of the other options, from paper to biodegradable plastics, and even more extreme options like using pasta as a straw replacement.

We’ll continue talking about some of the other options in future weeks including reduction of glass usage, using otherwise waste products like citrus peels from juicing and much more. So if you have any tips to share with the community, we’d love to hear them!

David & Sam discuss what we’re up to this week at BartenderHQ and in the real world, as well as including some omissions from our podcast review episode last time. Many thanks to LeamWineRob (@Robpatchett09) on twitter for sharing Bartender at Large and Speakeasy Radio, so we now have EVEN MORE BARTENDING GOODNESS to consume directly into our earholes each week!

The ever growing list of bar industry (and enthusiast) podcasts is a great indication of the passion around booze and its culture, so its great to know there’s even more out there than we knew!

We also touch on Sam’s projects on BartenderHQ now he’s joining the team beyond the podcast.

Vermouth Index

The Vermouth Index that Sam is creating is intended to be the most complete resource on the internet for all things vermouth. He’s putting together tasting notes, categorisation and more as we speak and we’ll make sure you’re the first to know when we’re ready to launch.

Vermouth is one of the most exciting categories in the industry, fitting perfectly into the lower alcohol serves that are gaining popularity as well as having incredible complexity of flavour.

Bartender Spotlight

Our Bartender Spotlight feature will showcase the best in bartending that we find, especially those making the most of the vermouth and fortified wine trend. Drop us a tweet at BartenderHQ if you’d like to feature a drink!

The BartenderHQ podcast, talking about bartender podcasts! Okay, its a little meta this week but there’s a growing community out there of people talking about the drinks industry and what you can do with cocktails, so we’re running down the best (or at least the best we’ve found!).

Mixology Talk Podcast

The A Bar Above podcast (abarabove.com) is one of Sam’s go to resources for information, and they’ve been guests on BartenderHQ on multiple occasions. (one and two) They’ve also got a mixology certification course which is AWESOME and you can find at our link here (and it helps support BartenderHQ as well as ABarAbove!)

Bartender Journey Podcast

Possibly the original bartending podcast, and as far as I know at least the oldest still running podcast on bartending! Deeply involved with Tales of the cocktail and much more, Brian Weber is an upstate New York bartender that you really should be listening to, and giving an iTunes review to. He’s not telling you how many stars to give him, but 5 is the most you can give, just so you know. Again, featured on BartenderHQ a couple of times (one and two).

Common Man Cocktails (YouTube)

One of Sam’s main picks, the Common Man Cocktails channel on youtube is a home bartender podcast. He’s been going for years and has created a great brand around his videos, showing how to make cocktails online. Sam is super impressed by his skills!

Speaking Easy Podcast

Another home bartender outlet, these guys have a great dynamic and no preconceptions of drinks being enthusiasts over professionals. Well researched shows and avoids all the politics that occur within the industry from time to time. Check them out on iTunes or other places too.

Booze Broad Podcast

One of the newest arrivals to the bartender podcast universe – Booze Broad is  a long form podcast that focuses on the bartender lifestyle, especially out in Las Vegas where Sarah is based. Booze broad is rapidly becoming the voice of Vegas in the bartending world! (hear our interview) Perfect to listen to while you set up the bar!

Steve Schneider Show Podcast

Steve Schneider is best known for Employees Only in New York (and Singapore) and has become one of the world’s most prominent bartenders after the release of the Hey Bartender Movie/Documentary. A lot of lifestyle and stream of consciousness stuff which ranges from judging competitions to playing Xbox One with his friends.

Cocktail Chemistry (Youtube)

Another YouTube entry, Cocktail Chemistry came to prominence from their Ice Ball Negroni video (below). Check out their channel and subscribe!

 

Tipsy Bartender…

He had to make it in – no-one has probably got more people making cocktails than this guy so how can we leave him out!? Check out their channel here.

NON-BARTENDING PODCASTS (and Tubes…)

* Rhett & Link’s Ear Biscuits

Hello all! The changes are in motion and I’m starting my new job Monday – so keep your eyes peeled for our first update from that. I’ll be looking to do more video blogs during the week coming soon on our YouTube channel so keep an eye out. I’ll be looking after a portfolio of drinks across the midlands in the UK so come travelling with me and we’ll have an epic time!

Memorise Cocktails the Easy Way!

So we mention in the podcast how you can help out with keeping the podcast going (as it costs us money to make and host). The great bonus of this is you’ll also get some incredible techniques for memorising huge numbers of cocktails that you can recall at the drop of a hat!

Our ebook is for sale here, and details the methods I used to memorise over 600 cocktails for the TGI Friday’s Bartender Challenge. I was a national finalist 4 times, and every time could be asked any 40 of the 600+ drinks during the technical testing, as well as any three in front of a crowd of hundreds of my peers and 4 judges, needing to make them perfectly to spec every single time. Whether you’re new to bartending or moving to a new job and needing to learn new cocktail recipes, this is for you.

Click here to make your life behind the bar easier and to start making more tips!

Welcome back! This week’s guest on the podcast is Sarah Gage, host of the Booze Broad podcast in the first half of a two parter show.

Sarah is based out in Las Vegas Nevada and has been bartending for years. She’s a committee member for the USBG focusing on Health and Wellness as well as being the newest addition to the bartender podcast community. The Booze Broad Podcast is really conversational and a fly on the wall style while bartenders talk all about their experiences and life behind the bar.

We talk about some of the big differences between the UK and US scenes as well as getting to know Sarah with some of our usual interview style questions.

As promised, the Hotel Nacional Cocktail mentioned by Sarah in the podcast (as featured on Liquor.com

Booze Broad’s Favourite –  Hotel Nacional Cocktail

* 1½oz Caña Brava Rum

* ½oz Fresh Lime Juice

* ½ox Petite Canne Sugar Cane Syrup

* ¾oz Fresh Pineapple Juice

* 1 Bar Spoon Blume Merillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie

* 1 Dash Angostura Bitters

Shake hard with ice and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Where to find the Booze Broad online

* facebook.com/boozebroad

* twitter.com/boozebroadpc

* instagram.com/boozebroad

* Podcast Page

The BartenderHQ Booze Broad podcast part two will be released on Sarah’s channel in April, so subscribe today on Stitcher or iTunes

 

It’s Space Season at BartenderHQ! On the show we’re talking about what Space Season is all about, why I love geeky space stuff so much and eventually, we even talk a little about cocktails – specifically the Gagarin Cocktail made with Polugar Single Malt Rye.

Its a solo show this week, Sam and his Vermouth Ambassador stuff will be back on the next show, so send us over any questions or suggestions for what you’d like us to talk about.

Why I’m a Geeky Space Nerd

As a 10(ish) year old kit I visited Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and loved every second – I corrected the tour guide on the pronunciation of the Saturn V, should be Saturn 5 (although looking at the above image, its actually the Saturn 1B in the garden – I’m assuming they were talking about something else at the time!). I’ve loved space ever since and so this gives me a chance to geek out and indulge myself while also creating some drinks!

Space Season Show Links

Vintage Space on Youtube – Amy Shira Teitel – Awesome content on space history and how early spaceflight affects the world we live in today.

Scott Manley on YouTube 

On this week’s podcast, Samuel, The Vermouth Ambassador has been travelling to Barcelona, Spain, in mainland Europe to seek out some of the best vermouth bars in the world.

We talk about his visits to Bodega 1900, watching local bartenders throw every drink and tasting the local blends and house vermouths.

We talk about social media video for bars too and our week, so join David Eden Sangwell and Samuel David Boulton for a chat about the world of bars and bartending.

Find Sam over at The Vermouth Ambassador and David at BartenderHQ

The Vermouth Ambassador, Samuel Boulton is joining us on today’s podcast to talk all things Vermouth, as well as some of his background in bartending and what he’s up to today.

Sam will be joining the BartenderHQ team to provide more articles and content on the site covering his journeys around Europe to discover the best Vermouths and spirits from around the continent.

We talk with the Vermouth Ambassador about keeping your Vermouth in top condition, vacuum packing smaller quantities to make sure it stays fresh and all about his favourite drinks and history in the industry. Sam has been a champion bartender, created his own liqueur which is on sale now and much much more.

Find Samuel on the Vermouth Ambassador Facebook page to follow his adventures.

Taking Cocktail Photos without a Pro Camera

Social media is a great way to get attention for your bar or personal brand and having great images is a must, so here are my top 5 tips on getting great cocktail photos. The images below are all taken by myself using an iPhone 7plus – nothing more advanced than the camera that’s in your pocket all day long.

1: Light Light Light

The main difference between a pro camera and a smartphone other than the attachment lens options is the physical size of the sensor that light needs to hit in order to create the image, so to give your cocktail pictures the best chance, get as much quality light on them as possible. Daylight is great and different times of day can give different effects, but if you need to shoot indoors grab some lights (white if possible), you can always bring the brightness down after you shoot.

2: Pick your location

Make sure what’s in the background of your image is what you want to end up in your image. If you’re at work, avoid rubbish bins (trash cans), cash registers etc. Multiple textures will always add interest and context to the image, or if you want just the focus on the drink, try using cloths in different colours to remove distractions.

3: Props

Take a look at what’s in your drink and what emotions you’re looking to provoke and find props to match – for example, with the autumn (fall) drinks I bought the relevant fruits, gathered fallen leaves and spices to arrange around the drinks, giving them context.

4: Spend time on Garnishes

Don’t skimp on the garnish, make sure if you’re using citrus slices or wedges that you take a couple of moments to remove seeds and cut fresh. Spend those few extra minutes to make sure the drink looks amazing.

5: Include brands for more shares

Including bottles in your images will give the brands a reason to re-share your cocktail photos, article or website, so why not encourage them to help you reach a bigger following‽