The Bit by a Fox Podcast is now on its fourth episode in the Bartender Interview Series – The Master Blend. In collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy, the Bit by a Fox Podcast is hosting a series of interviews with some of America’s most acclaimed and innovative bartenders.
This week’s interview is with Christine Wiseman, Bar Director of LA’s most fabulous rooftop cocktail bar, The Broken Shaker at the Freehand Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. We discussed her 20 year journey through the industry, from managing the busiest Outback Steakhouse in the country to creating scratch and sniff cocktail menus, and spearheading the LA cocktail scene with a heavy dose of her signature sparkle along the way.
Christine Wiseman’s BERTOUX Brandy cocktail: Crème de Ciel
Crème de Ciel 2 oz BERTOUX Brandy .50 oz Gentian Infused Chinola* .75 oz Lemon Juice .75 Blue Curacoa 1/8 oz Simple Syrup
Combine all ingredients in tin and shake, double strain into a coupe. Garnish with a marigold.
*Gentian Infused Chinola 750 ml Chinola 3 oz Gentian Infuse for 1 hr and strain
Hobbiest mixologist, viral video personality, and cocktail book author of Suck It Up: Extraordinary Cocktails for Everyday People, Dan Magro has a real-talk and hilarious approach to mixing drinks. We gabbed and laughed about the proliferation of multi-hyphenates in LA, his deep love of brunch…as a LIFESTYLE, and his ultimate, if unexpected, drinking buddy to get bit by a fox with!
This week’s cocktail recipe is a brunch favorite from Dan’s book, Suck it Up, Lavender Mimosas.
Lavender Mimosa – served in a champagne flute Brut Champagne or Sparkling Wine Lavender Honey Infusion* a lemon, quartered Garnish: fresh lavender
Rub the lemon slice around the rim of the flute, squeeze the juice into the glass, and the drop the wedge in. Fill the glass with 3/4 of bubbly, top off the remainder of the glass with the lavender honey syrup. Garnish with lavender.
*Lavender Honey Infusion Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 1/3 cup of honey and stir for 3 minutes, then reduce heat to medium. Add 1/4 cup of dried lavender, and stir for 1 minute making sure all lavender is immersed in water. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit overnight. Strain the cooled liquid, discarding the solids. Store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
The Bit by a Fox Podcast is now on the third episode in the Bartender Interview Series – The Master Blend. In collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy, the Bit by a Fox Podcast is hosting a series of interviews with some of America’s most acclaimed and innovative bartenders.
This week’s interview is with Devon Tarby who discusses her bartending beginnings at famed cocktail bar The Varnish where she met her future partners in the highly successful hospitality firm, Proprietors LLC. We talk about her music background and how she incorporate that into her cocktail creations, how she stays sane with such a busy scheduled, and what it’s like to be nominated for a James Beard Award.
Perfect Timing 1.5 oz BERTOUX Brandy .75 oz Fusion Verjus Blanc .75 oz Ramazzotti Aperitivo .25 oz Giffard Creme de Peche 1 tsp. Simple Syrup 2 dashes acid Phosphate 2 drops of salt solution
Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with edible flower.
This week on the Bit by a Fox Podcast marks our first foray into the world of Cachaça, the Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane, that many may only be familiar with because of the Caipirinha – Brazil’s national cocktail.
Avuá Cachaça, which officially launched in the United States in 2013, is a Cachaça brand that is a very good place to start. Peter Nevenglosky, co-founder of Avuá Cachaça was in town briefly for a tiki competition and took the time to sit down with me to discuss the category of Cachaça and it’s rich history, how he got involved in this Brazilian spirit, and how a little known cocktail legend named Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey was the first to give this little brand a leg up.
This week’s cocktail recipe is the Pan Am cocktail created by Cervantes Ramirez from Milk & Honey in New York City.
Pan Am by Cervantes Ramirez 1oz Avuá Amburana 1 oz Dry Vermouth 1 oz Dry Curaçao orange twist
Add ingredients and ice to a mixing glass, stir until well chilled, strain into a rocks glass over ice. Swipe rim of glass with orange peel, squeeze, and drop into the glass.
In collaboration with BERTOUX Brandy, the Bit by a Fox Podcast will host a series of interviews with some of America’s most acclaimed and innovative bartenders.
This second interview is with Yael Vengroff, one of the most decorated young bartenders out there. While she runs the award winning cocktail program at The Spare Room in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, she has her hands in a number of other LA bars, and still makes time to feed her love of dancing and movement.
We discussed the importance of body mechanics in her personal and professional life, and how creating a strict sense of structure actually helps to free up her wild child creativity.
Yael Vengroff’s BERTOUX Brandy cocktail, East Broadway Sour, is currently being served at LA institution, Genghis Cohen.
East Broadway Sour 2 oz BERTOUX Brandy .74 oz Lemon Juice .75 oz Chinese 5 Spice Syrup 2 dashes Toasted Pecan Bitters 1 oz Red Wine Float
Shake all ingredients, except the wine, over ice. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Float 1 oz of a full bodied red wine. Garnish with orange wheel & grated nutmeg.
This week’s Bit by a Fox Podcast episode is a great deep dive into what it’s like to start and run a successful micro distillery.
Catoctin Creek, a microdistillery in Purcellville, Virginia founded by husband and wife team, Becky and Scott Harris in 2009, is known for their award winning rye whiskies and their devoted cult following. On the cusp of their 10 year anniversary, I spoke with Scott about their journey into the distilling world, and their path to success over this past decade.
This week’s cocktail is Scott’s favorite Manhattan recipe…
Catoctin Creek Manhattan 2 oz Catoctin Creek 92 Proof Distillers Edition Roundstone Rye 1 oz Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth 1 dash aromatic bitters or another favorite 1 tsp Maraschino cherry juice Maraschino cherry for garnish
Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish.
This week on the Bit by a Fox Podcast, we are kicking off an exciting new series, The Master Blend – A Bartender Series.
In collaboration with Bertoux Brandy, the Bit by a Fox Podcast will host a series of interviews with some of America’s most acclaimed and innovative bartenders. They’ll be discussing their distinct style, inspirations, and journey to influencing today’s cocktail culture.
Kicking off this first episode in the series is Aaron Polsky. Part Mad Scientist, part Jimmy Page, part sweet Jersey boy, Aaron is the creative bar director behind the lively Rock & Roll cocktail bar in Hollywood, Harvard & Stone.
Aaron’s BERTOUX Brandy cocktail recipe is a riff on the French 75, named after a Kiss song, Black Diamond.
Black Diamond 1.5 oz BERTOUX Brandy .5 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur .5 oz homemade elderberry or blueberry liqueur* .75 oz fresh lime juice Champagne
Shake BERTOUX Brandy, liqueurs and juice over ice. Strain into coupe with sugared rim. Top with champagne or sparkling wine
**Blend 1/2lb fresh elderberries or blueberries with 500mL vodka. Strain, combine with 500mL simple syrup and bottle. Will hold indefinitely.
For this week’s Bit by a Fox Podcast, I spoke with Andrew “ AJ” Garcia, the co-founder of Filipino Rum brand Don Papa Rum. This premium small-batch rum made from native sugar cane in the Philippines was created in 2011 by the Bleeding Heart Rum Company, but has only recently been making its mark on the states.
Don Papa Rum co-founders, Andrew “AJ” Garcia and Stephen Carroll
In town from the Philippines, AJ and I discussed the genesis of this spirit, the unusual barrel aging process, if spirits can have a terroir and the inspiration behind the name, Don Papa.
Ben Rojo – the national brand ambassador of Don Papa Rum was also in town and sat in on my interview with AJ. I wanted to get his take on the rum category as a whole, and the difference in Rum culture in the states versus other countries.
This week’s cocktail recipe is a simple daiquiri recipe that works great with the 7 year Don Papa Rum expression.
Don Papa Rum Daiquiri 2 oz Don Papa Rum 1 oz Lime Juice 3/4 oz Simple Syrup Garnish: Lime Wheel
Add all ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake until very cold. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lime wheel.
Jack McGarry & Sean Muldoon from The Dead Rabbit with Tim Herlihy, Ambassador to Tullamore D.E.W.
To research the book, Muldoon, McGarry and Herlihy conducted two, month-long whirlwind tours in a VW bus driven by McGarry’s father. They logged over 4,000 miles, visited 111 pubs and every single working whiskey distillery on the island. In the process, they explored 29 counties and recorded 120 hours of interviews with distillers and publicans.
Every step was documented by Elaine Hill, a noted photographer, whose images grace the book. Drinksology, the Belfast firm behind The Dead Rabbit’s award-winning menus and its two cocktail tomes, designed this handsome book.
This week’s cocktail recipe is the legendary Dead Rabbit Irish Coffee recipe from the book
Dead Rabbit Irish Coffee 1 oz Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey 1/2 oz Demerara Syrup 3 1/2 oz medium-dark roast, made in a French Press Thumb of prepared whipped cream Garnish: freshly grated nutmeg
In an Irish Coffee glass, build all ingredients, top with whipped cream and grated nutmeg
On this week’s Bit by a Fox Podcast, writer, Jason Horn and I discuss how cannabis is infiltrating the booze industry, and whether or not this is one of The Booze World’s Worst Ideas!
For the second half of the podcast, we interview Abe Stevens, founder and distiller of Humboldt Distillery, located in Humboldt County in Northern California, where some of the best marijuana crops in the world grow.
Four years ago he launched ‘Humboldt’s Finest’, a cannabis infused vodka. They were one of the first spirits brands to dip their toes in the cannabis industry and his efforts have recently payed off.
This week’s cocktail recipe was created after I took the bottle of ‘Humboldt’s Finest’ Cannabis-infused Vodka home and tinkered with a martini recipe.
Martini Sativa 3 oz Humboldt’s Finest 1/2 oz Dry Vermouth 1/2 oz Olive Brine
Stir all ingredients over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with green olives.
