In the 26 years I’ve been in the biz I have trained almost every aspect of the bar and restaurant industry. I started as a busboy and dishwasher/ I went from there to cooking, then to front of the house …
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Gloves Off!
I started in the restaurant industry while I was in high school bussing tables at a now closed (sadly) pizza place in Atlanta, Georgia. About a year or so into the job I became a cook. This was back in …
Master Distiller Bill Scott Joins Ocean Vodka as Brand Expands
A little while back I reviewed Ocean Vodka with resounding praise. Here is an update on what is going on with them. Notice please that Bill Scott has pioneered many organic spirits and I am glad to see him now…
Spiking Up Snow Cones
Recently I moved (again) and during the move I found a cheap little snow cone maker that I had bought a couple years ago. My son was especially excited and and we filled the ice molds in hopes of a …
“Craft”y Marketing
There is a buzz on social media right now as some people have “blown the whistle” on the fact that many “craft” products are made at a couple mass producing distilleries. I have needless to say seen and …
Balanced Life: Lessons from a Cocktail Glass
Let’s face facts here. No matter how good your upbringing, no matter how genuine your intentions, no matter how decent your action and no matter how you surround yourself and in turn express Love…….shit happens. Not just …
The Hunt for Apple Cider
Autumn is rapidly approaching and it is time for my annual search for a local unfiltered Apple Cider. Apples grow in abundance in Northern New Mexico believe it or not. For half a century there was even an orchard here …
Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey toasts the opening of the Tullamore Distillery
$50 million investment sees production return home after 60 years September 17th, 2014: Tullamore D.E.W., the world’s second largest Irish whiskey today celebrated the opening of its new $50 million distillery in its hometown of Tullamore in the Irish midlands. …
36 Hours in Santa Fe
Santa Fe is a huge Mecca for so many things: art, music, food, and drinks. Take a look at what some of us in Santa Fe showed The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/travel/things-to-do-in-36-…
Enchanted Weekend: Albuquerque Staycation
A change of scene helps recharge our batteries. Albuquerque – otherwise known as the gritty backdrop to Breaking Bad – may not be the first place that springs to mind when planning a health-focused, indulgent weekend escape. But, for …
Los Angeles: Kitchen Meets Bar Class at Spork Foods
Teaching is my favorite thing to do in the liquor business. Whether training distributors’ sales teams, doing an on-premise spirits talk in bars and restaurants, or teaching a cocktail class for the everyday person who loves to entertain, sharing …
Keeping It Real: Mind, Body, Spirit(s)
“No matter how much it gets abused, the body can restore balance. The first rule is to stop interfering with nature.” Deepak Chopra The nature of the bar business is late nights, long hours and physical exertion. Bartenders, Brand …
In Good Taste: Chocolatier, Lydia Studier-Tarzia
Santa Fe is a town where food and art collide. So, its not surprising for a creative person to leave her hometown of Leonia, New Jersey, in 2007, to study art at the College of Santa Fe, and wind up heading …