Bon Vivant Series presents Jacob Briars – Guest Bartending
Come watch Jacob Briars behind the stick tonight slinging drinks.
Who is Jacob Briars?
Jacob Briars is the 42BELOW ‘Vodka Professor’ and the 7th most famous bartender in New Zealand. In the course of nearly 10 years working in bars, drinking in bars and talking in bars(mostly the latter) over 6000 bartenders have learned things they didn’t really need to know about vodka, cocktails, and how to find New Zealand on a map so that it may be avoided in future. Jacob’s cocktails have been featured in the (Motueka) Guardian, the (Levin) Chronicle and the (Bangkok) Post. One day his cocktail training led the news on Fiji’s national television, but then it is a very small country. He also spent time in Casablanca, but it was spent at a police station for bringing too much vodka into a gin joint. Jacob is famous for being a mine of (mostly) completely useless information about spirits and cocktails and other pointless trivia, and he is the only bartender who can claim to love vodka and Fernet Branca equally.
National Pisco Sour Day
This Saturday is National Pisco Sour Day and we are celebrating it, well because we love Pisco Sours.
In Peru, “Pisco Sour day” is celebrated on the first Saturday of February. Years ending with zero (0) are of special significance. When the Peruvian National Anthem is played, all Pisco Sour’s must be finished as a mark of respect.
Come down and enjoy one of these classic South American cocktails (we won’t get into where it comes from) and celebrate the night in style.
PISCO SOUR
2 oz Pisco
1/2 oz sugar syrup
20mL lime juice
10mL lemon juice*
egg white
Hard shake & double strain, garnish with drops of Amargo Chuncho bitters.
We use lemon juice as South American limes are much more acidic.
Maker’s Mark Old Fashion Off
Nate & I are entering the Maker’s Mark CPBA Cocktail Competition next week, by tonight we will know if we are heading to Vancouver to represent Clive’s and Victoria. We thought we may as well show you what we have put together for the night and showcase them for you on Friday. Here are the recipes, come on in and try them out.
“Don’t Picon The Makers Of Homemade Cola”
2oz Makers Mark
10ml Amer Picon
10ml House Cola syrup
Build over ice in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a cola candied orange peel.
Old Fashioned Steam Kettle
2 oz Maker’s Mark 46
½ oz Lighthouse Belgian Black syrup
10mL Fernet Xocolatl Mole Bitters
Stir and strain with an orange twist over a Japanese ice globe.
EAT Magazine – Fernet Flip
By DEANNA LADRET - www.eatmagazine.ca/clives-fernet-flip-cocktail/
Now that the excitement of the holiday season is behind us, we’ve had our Big Two Days of Snow and everyone has misplaced at least one umbrella, the reality of winter in the Pacific
Northwest is really starting to set in.
Pacific Northwesters are annually forced to adapt to this environment, and will typically turn to one (or more) of the following strategies to lift our spirits:
-Plan a tropical getaway
-Buy another pair of Hunter Boots (there’s no point buying anything else)
-Go to Hot Yoga and imagine it’s Miami
-Drink
The following recipe comes from internationally acclaimed Executive Barkeep Shawn Soole of Clive’s Classic Lounge, located inside theChateau Victoria Hotel. Called the Fernet Flip, this drink will not only beat away those winter blues, it’ll boost your protein for the day too (one whole free range egg––you won’t even need breakfast).
Fernet Branca is an amaro spirit from Italy, with a distinctly bitter taste that matches the season’s mood to a tee. Combined with homemade kola syrup, a fresh-cracked egg, some ice, and a sprinkle of nutmeg, the flavours come together wonderfully in this balanced and inventive cocktail. Cheer up, things are about to get better.
Fernet Flip
2 oz Fernet Branca
2/3 oz Clive’s Kola syrup
1 whole egg
Hard shake & double strain into an ornate flip glass and garnish with powdered nutmeg.
Kola Syrup (3 different sources)
Rose’s Kola Tonic – Pepper’s Market, Cadboro Bay
Cola Syrup - Simmer a bottle of coca cola with 200grams of sugar. Reduce, cool and use.
Clive’s COLA RECIPE
4 Zest Oranges
4 Zest Limes
2 Zest Lemon
1 Teaspoon Powered Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Powered Nutmeg
4 Points Star Anise
1 Teaspoon Lavender Flowers
2 Teaspoons Powered Kola Nut
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
½ Vanilla Bean (seeds removed)
1 L Water
½ Teaspoon Citric Acid
Put on induction burner on MED-LO heat for 25-30 minutes. Take off heat and strain, return to same heat & add 1 KG of Turbinado Sugar. Dissolve (about 15 minutes) & bottle.
Homage Cocktail Friday – Hoxton Pony, London
For our newly relaunched Homage Cocktail Friday, which now we will be making bigger and badder once a month instead fo every week, we couldn’t think of anyone better than Gerry Calabrese’ place in London, The Hoxton Pony.
Review from View London
As you walk into the Hoxton Pony the natural inclination is to head down the stairs immediately opposite you but it’s worth taking a moment to soak up the wow factor of the upstairs space. A bar stretches across the far wall, a ripple of silver which is backed by waist to ceiling display cases housing stuffed owls and bright green leaves which lift the otherwise black, white and silver colour scheme. In the past, the wealthy used to bring back unusual birds and animals from their travels to show to those less fortunate and although it’s not intentional, it’s not hard to draw a comparison with the Hoxton Pony and the quality of cocktails it’s offering amidst a sea of bog standard bar menus that’s previously been the only thing bringing down the otherwise eclectic quality that the Hoxton scene is famed and loved for.
When you’re facing the bar, to the right there’s an open kitchen where the chefs rustle up East End grub and to the left an installation that’s part of a crushed car spray painted white hangs over the seating and mirrored wall. Downstairs, it’s dark, loud and high energy. The DJ’s tucked into the nook of space beneath the stairs, there’s seating to left and right and another long bar is perfectly placed for nipping to when you’re not tearing up the space in front of the decks.