Classic Martini
2 oz gin
1/4 oz dry vermouth
Fill a cocktail glass with shaved ice and water to chill. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Using a long handled bar spoon and a fast motion, stir 5o times. Dump ice out of glass and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass. Garnish with one or two olives.

Manhattan
2 oz bourbon whiskey
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
Fill a cocktail glass with shaved ice and water to chill. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Using a long handled bar spoon and a fast motion, stir 5o times. Dump ice out of glass and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass. Drop a cherry into the glass.

Sidecar
1 1/2 oz brandy
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz lemon juice
Fill a cocktail glass with shaved ice and water to chill. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Dump ice out of glass and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Ward Eight
2 oz blended whiskey
1 tsp grenadine
1 tsp powdered sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
orange slice
maraschino cherry
Shake first four ingredients with ice. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with orange and cherry.

Presbyterian
1 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
club soda
ginger-ale
lemon peel
Pour whiskey and equal parts of soda and ginger-ale over ice in a highball glass. Give a quick stir and drop in a lemon peel.

Chicago Cocktail
2 oz brandy
1 tsp triple sec
1 dash bitters
Rim an old-fashioned glass with lemon and dip into powdered sugar. Pour ingredients into a shaker or mixing glass half filled with ice. Stir well and strain contents of shaker into prepared glass.

Wherever you are, lift a glass to liberty!

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

October 12, 2009

Local character hones his bartending skills

By KARI COBHAM
Staff Writer

FLAGLER BEACH — Thirteen years ago, Mark Woods came to visit and never left.

On a mental break from life as a counselor at a Missouri juvenile detention center, Woods landed at his parents’ pad to figure things out. And that’s when the beach called.

“That was kind of a crossroads,” said Woods, 37, now a bartender at the Golden Lion Cafe on State Road A1A.

Woods — also called “Tikitender” from his tiki hut-serving days at a local resort — is known for wearing kilts (“They’re very comfy; I recommend every man tries one.”) and for his red goatee and easygoing grin.

Thanks to Kari Cobham for making me sound so interesting! Please click below to read the article and leave some feedback for the author. Wouldn’t it be fun if it became the most popular article of the day!?

I wouldn’t call it pride, but I am very happy to love what I do!

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Flagler/flaFLAG02101209.htm

Last week I posted a quick list of basic vodka drinks and received a nice response. To show again how to take a basic drink and build on it, here is a baker’s dozen of rum drinks. Unless indicated, the rums used are silver, light, or white rums (think Bacardi).

We will start with the most famous of all rum drinks, the Cuba Libre, (not to be mistaken for a “Rum & Coke”) and a couple others that are basically two ingredients.

Cuba Libre
2 oz rum
1/2 oz lime juice
cola
Pour rum & lime juice over ice in a highball glass. Top with cola.

Susie Taylor
2 oz rum
1/2 oz lime juice
ginger-ale
Pour rum & lime juice over ice in a Collins glass. Top with ginger-ale.

Monkey Wrench
1 1/2 oz rum
grapefruit juice
Pour ingredients over ice in a highball glass.

Building on a basic rum & juice drink…

Brass Monkey
3/4 oz rum
3/4 oz vodka
orange juice
Combine ingredients over ice and stir.

Caribbean Dream
1 oz rum
1 oz peach schnapps
splash grenadine (optional)
orange juice
In a large glass filled with ice, combine all ingredients and shake gently.

Screwball
1 oz rum
1/2 oz Midori® melon liqueur
pineapple juice
Combine with ice in a highball glass, balancing with pineapple juice. Shake and enjoy.

Blue Whale
1 oz rum
½ oz blue curacao
Pineapple Juice
Build over ice in a highball glass, balancing with pineapple juice.

Jamaican Crawl
1 oz rum
1 oz melon liqueur
pineapple juice
splash of grenadine
Pour the first three ingredients over ice and stir well. Drizzle grenadine on top.

Tiki Girl
1 1/2 oz rum
1 oz amaretto
Orange Juice
Pineapple juice
splash grenadine
Pour all ingredients except grenadine into a large glass filled with ice. Shake well and top with grenadine.

A couple of old style cocktails for you:

Classic Daiquiri (no blender required)
2 oz rum
1/2 lime juice
tsp superfine sugar
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Naked Beachcomber
1 1/2 oz white rum
1/2 oz triple sec
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a shaker half filled with ice. Shake or stir to chill . Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime. If you like, you can rim the glass with sugar.

And one of my favorites:

Lounge Lizard
1 1/2 oz rum
1/2 oz amaretto
1 cherry
1 lime wedge
cola to balance
In a large glass, crush the cherry and lime wedge with a muddler. Fill with ice and add remaining ingredients.

There you have it. A bottle of rum, some fruit, some sugar, some juice and a few cordials. You’re ready for a rum party now!

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

On my long wedding weekend I found myself ordering a Baybreeze for TikiWife in a small town Ohio pub. My reaction was “Really?” when the cute bartender told me she didn’t know what was in it. I realized that drinks that I consider elementary might not be so simple after all. To that end, I am posting a blog about building vodka drinks. I will also be discussing this tonight on Island Time Radio.

Here you go, a baker’s dozen of drinks that you can mostly make with a bottle of vodka and three juices, including the Baybreeze.

I will start with a basic, the Screwdriver (or as I call it, the easiest cocktail in the world).

Screwdriver
1 1/2 oz vodka
orange juice
Combine ingredients over ice in a highball glass. Stir and serve.

Hairy Navel
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz peach schnapps
orange juice
Combine over ice. Stir and serve.

Madras
1 1/2 oz vodka
orange juice
cranberry juice
Combine ingredients over ice in a highball glass. Stir and serve.

Take it up a notch:

Sex On The Beach
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz peach schnapps
1 oz cranberry juice
orange juice
In a large glass, combine all ingredients over ice. Balance with orange juice. Shake and serve.

Oral Sex On The Beach
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz peach schnapps
1/2 oz blue curacao
pineapple juice to balance
In a large glass, combine all ingredients over ice. Balance with pinepple juice. Shake and serve.
I like to joke that people come from miles to try my “Oral Sex On The Beach”.

Quickie On The Beach
1 1/2 oz vodka
1 oz peach schnapps
Pour into a shaker with ice. Shake & strain into a shot glass.

Back To Basics:

Cape Codder
1 1/2 oz vodka
cranberry juice
Combine over ice. Stir and serve. Garnish with a lime if desired.

Bad Habit
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz peach schnapps
cranberry juice
Combine over ice. Stir and serve.

Baybreeze
1 1/2 oz vodka
cranberry juice
pineapple juice
Combine over ice. Stir and serve.

Cool Breeze
1 1/2 oz vodka
cranberry juice
pineapple juice
Combine over ice. Top with a splash of club soda.

Greyhound
1 1/2 oz vodka
grapefruit juice
Combine over ice. Stir and serve.

Salty Dog
1 1/2 oz vodka
grapfruit juice
Combine in a shaker with ice. Give it a quick toss and serve in a salted glass.

Seabreeze
1 1/2 oz vodka
cranberry juice
grapefruit juice
Combine over ice. Stir and serve.

For more drink ideas, visit tikitender.com and click on the recipes tab.

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

Obviously they have been to the Bahamas recently, where this drink was born.  Specifically, credit for this creation is given to the Blue Bee Bar on  Green Turtle Cay.   Care must be taken when making this drink or it will just end up being a Bahama Mama.   The biggest difference, when I make them at least, is the Creme De Banana in a Bahama Mama.

First off, the name.  A Smash is typically a drink with muddle fruit or mint (i.e. an Old Fashioned or Mojito).  My theory is the smashed in a Goombay Smash refers to the drinker!

The Ingredients:
Dark rum
Coconut rum
Triple sec
Lime juice
Sugar
Pineapple juice
Cherries
Lime wedges
Lemon wedges

The Method:
Drop about 1/2 tsp of sugar into the bottom of a Collins or Hurricane glass. Pour in 1 1/2 oz of dark rum. Stir around in the bottom of the glass to dissolve the sugar. Fill the glass with ice. Add 3/4 oz coconut rum, 1/4 oz triple sec, 1/4 oz lime juice, and 3 oz pineapple juice. Shake vigorously. Garnish with a cherries, a lemon wedge, and a lime wedge. Pretend you are sitting in the Bahamas.

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

So I told her and the barely 21 girl who ordered it had two, so I guess the recipe was good.

For the record, here is the recipe I gave her:

Tiki’s Bahama Mama
1 1/2 oz coconut rum
3/4 oz light rum
1/2 oz creme de banana
dash of grenadine
pineapple juice
orange juice

In a hurricane or pint glass filled with ice, combine all ingredients using equal parts of pineapple juice and orange juice. Shake and serve with a fruit garnish if you like.

A couple variations that are damn tasty. There will be variety in a drink like this, but the consistent flavor is the coconut and pineapple.

Blended Bahama Mama
1 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
1/2 oz colada mix
2 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice

Fill a blender one-quarter with ice. Add ingredients. Blend and pour into your favorite tropical glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and cherry.

Banana Mama
1 oz light rum
1/2 oz dark rum
1/2 oz banana liqueur
1/2 oz cream of coconut
1 oz strawberries
1 oz pineapple juice

Fill a blender one-quarter with ice. Add ingredients. Blend until smooth and pour into a wine goblet.

Bahama Mama #2
1/2 oz dark rum
1/2 oz coconut rum
1/4 oz Kahlua® coffee liqueur
1/4 oz 151 rum
juice of 1/2 lemon
pineapple juice

In a Collins glass 3/4 filled with ice combine all ingredients and shake until frothy. Garnish with a cherry.

So there ya go, four similar but distinctive recipes!

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

I read about a bar owner one time who claimed a simple interview process for potential employees.  He would simply say to the applicant “Go behind the bar and make me a Martini.”  If the applicant reached for a bottle of vodka, the interview was over.   Simply put, a Martini is gin and vermouth.  Nothing more, nothing less.    I’m not saying that a vodka martini is not a legitimate cocktail; just call it what it is.

The Daiquiri can cause similar confusions.   A Daiquiri is a Daiquiri.  A Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri is a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri.    A Strawberry Daiquiri prepared with fresh strawberries is a delicious treat.  It is also a rare find.   Most bars, including my home bar, will use a strawberry syrup.  Frozen daiquiris made with this super sweet mixture are actually quite popular.   It must be the American sweet tooth at work.  Unfortunately such shortcuts take all creativity away the process.   If you want the real deal, try your hand (or challenge your bartender) at these two takes on the classic.

Originally posted at tikitender.com:

Much easier to make than it is to spell, the Classic Daiquiri can be a challenge to those who haven’t taken the time to learn the history of cocktails. “Created” in the early 1900′s, this classic cocktail is actually very similar to the grog that British sailors drank.

*Spoiler Alert!* A Daiquiri is NOT a frozen drink unless it is ordered as such.

The Classic Daiquiri, a favorite of John F. Kennedy & Ernest Hemingway, is believed to have been created near Santiago, Cuba.

Try these recipes:
Classic Daiquiri
8 parts white rum
2 parts lime juice
1 part simple syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker half-filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Dream of the days when Cuba will be open for tourism.

Daiquiri Old Style
Fill a tall glass with cracked ice. Pour a teaspoon of sugar over the ice. Add the juice of one or two limes to taste. Yes, I mean freshly squeezed limes. Pour two or three ounces of rum over the ice. Stir with a long-handled spoon until the drink is thoroughly chilled. Enjoy.

Don’t even look at the blender.

As you can read, the Classic Daiquiri is a far cry from today’s processed  sugary mess.  Much like the the Classic Margarita which has given way to artificial sour mix rather than a squeeze of fresh lemon, the Daiquiri has become over-sized,  over-sugared, and over-priced.  I can not imagine Papa Hemingway waxing poetic about a noisy blender.

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

Ingredients
Vodka
Orange Juice

Method
Put some ice in your favorite glass, paper cup, thermos, or sippy cup (you get the idea). Pour in some vodka. Pour in some orange juice. Stir. Taste. Too strong? Add some orange juice. Too weak? Add some vodka. Stir. Repeat.

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

Orginally posted at blog.tikitender.com

The Highball

According to legend, American railroad engineers used to raise a ball on a pole if a certain train was running late. “Highball” loosely translates into “a drink in a hurry”. What is easier that throwing together Scotch, ice, and water, giving it a quick stir and sipping? Anything less would be a shot or a Scotch on the rocks, and those aren’t cocktails, my friend.

Whiskey Highball

1 1/2 oz whiskey

soda water

Fill a highball glass 2/3 up with ice. Pour in whiskey, add soda to balance. Stir and enjoy.

Want to have fun and at the same time find out what kind of caliber of bartender you are dealing with? When asked “Watcha want?” (or, at my bar, “What’s your pleasure?”) ask for a Dewar’s Highball. You will know instantly if he or she was hired for window dressing or mixology knowledge. Don’t be too rough on them though, there are so many drink names. But there is a glass called a highball so, like the old-fashioned (ever heard of an “old-fashioned” glass?), most people who have a little bit of bar experience should know what you’re talking about.

There are some variations and personal preferences to take into account. Tony, the owner of The Golden Lion,  drinks Scotch highballs but likes it in a “long glass” (Collins glass), only about 2/3 full. So basically, the same amount of water in a larger glass. Want some other highballs? How about a Gin & Tonic? Try an Irish Cooler, which is simply Irish Whiskey and club soda, with a little lemon garnish if you’re feeling zippy. A 7&7 is a Seagram’s 7 Crown Whisky and 7-Up. A Horse’s Neck is a bourbon and ginger ale that is traditionally garnished with an impossibly long spiral-cut lemon peel that reaches from the drink’s top down deep to the bottom of the glass. But if you’re looking for a “drink in a hurry” why are you sitting there trying to cut a long-ass lemon peel?

Mark Woods “aka” TikiTender is the principal bartender at the Golden Lion in Flagler Beach, FL. For more information about him, drink recipes, and general good times visit www.tikitender.com.

Remember to always spread Aloha and enjoy yourself a little bit every day. Mahalo nui loa!!!

I actually enjoy ordering this the first time I walk into a bar,  just to test the bartender.   Cruel maybe, but it is a good test of his or her knowledge.