This Saturday I am hosting Tiki Kon VI, a wild tour of two Portland Tiki bars and two Home Bars of Portland-area denizens.

At Thatch, I’ll be giving a short Tiki Mixology seminar and offering thirteen classic and new Tiki beverages on our menu. This is what is in store for our group of intrepid Tiki Adventurers:

The weather should be in the middle 90s and sunny. Our last stop will be a home bar with a pool. I think by that time, I will be just about ready to immediately jump in.

I find myself in Denver, Colorado on business.

Does anyone have any interesting bar recommendations? I haven’t had a bunch of luck on my own. Boulder or Aurora will do fine as well. I miss my dear old Portland.

I’m living in a world full of boxes. As soon as I can get the liquor, glasses, and mugs unpacked, I’ll get a nice article for you all.

cheers,

-=C

Greetings cherished readers!

Due a a rash of sickness, Last night I was called in to the lone service at Thatch and rescue the place last night. Yep, That’s right - I finally got my rum slingers behind the bar and ran the place last night. We were slow, so the silver lining was that I had some breathing room to stop freaking out and show some confidence. It was exciting and terrifying. No major mistakes, and all my drinks were good (and some great - that Singapore Sling rocked). All that home practice paid off, I suppose. That and all the outstanding support and instruction from Zorn. He’s a gentleman’s gentleman.

To celebrate (when I got home) I poured myself a concoction I’ll call:

Fancy Rhum (*please* don’t call it a Maitini.)

1 oz Appleton Extra
1 oz Martinique
½ oz Cointreau
¼ oz Green Chartreuse
dash orange bitters (Regan’s)

Shake with crushed ice and strain into 4oz cocktail glass. Drink it while it is still laughing at you.

So with that behind me, I can now proclaim myself officially a (greenhorn, resident, newbie) professional bartender.

I don’t really need to sleep, right?

Cheers,

-=C

Well the free time was cutting into my rum reserves anyway.

The new house and the new (2nd) job has been cutting into my drinking time. I’ve only made Last Words and quick Donn-like long tiki drinks. I didn’t even take pictures. Heres a quick outline of what I do when I just throw something together

Quick’n'Loose ‘Donn’ Style Double Drink

• 2-3 oz citrus (e.g. 1oz each lime, orange, grapefruit)
• Up to 1.5 oz of spiced syrups and or sweetener (e.g. 1/4 pimento dram, 1/4 vanilla syrup, 1 oz honey mix)
• 2-3 oz rums in matching flavor to your modifiers above (e.g. 1 oz Jamaica Dark, 1 oz Demarara, 1 oz Virgin Islands gold)
• 6 drops Herbsaint
• Dash bitters
• Plenty of cracked ice

Add ingredients to mixing glass, top with cracked ice. Shake and pour into double rocks glass.

As my whims move me and what I see first is what drives the flavors - Cinnamon, Honey, Grapefruit. Orange, Vanilla, Pimento Dram. I’ll usually guide the rums after that.

So what kept me so busy? The new job at Thatch. I have my official schedule now. I’ll be there Wednesday and Thursday nights. But, don’t be surprised to not see me behind the bar.

I have an extended training program there - since I’m a newbie, and even though I have the knowledge and skills, I need to prove myself. The actual working group and lead ‘tenders want me to move my way up before I’m lone man behind the bar. And you know what? I totally agree with them. I’m not that young upstart who thinks he knows everything. I have knowledge that I’d love to share and use to help make Thatch a better place; But here’s the catch: I have no real experience of knowing when or where to apply it for their business. That will come in good time, and I’m patient. There’s plenty of work to do there, helping to make thatch the best thatch that it can be. I’m happy to have the opportunity to be an agent for positive change.

And you know what else? I love it. I freaking love it. When it’s hectic and I don’t know exactly what to do and when to do it, I love it. When I feel like I’m asking the 100th stupid question of my co-workers, I love it. The group at thatch are wonderful hardworking folks. It’s very much like a ship, each cog running its course for the whole. I’m just lucky I seem to have a talent for analyzing systems, recognizing how to make them more efficient, and positively affecting (to borrow some corpspeak) that change. It just takes positive attitude, patience and hard work.