While I have a few original gin cocktails to showcase here soon, I was recently forwarded a few from Hendricks in the spirit of the national drinking holiday. While most will opt for Guinness and Irish Whiskey, why not throw a little gin into the mix? Have any of your own St. Patrick’s Day themed cocktails? Please submit them below!

The Silent Symphony
Sweet, sour, and definitely green, this cocktail will help launch the drinker into the St. Paddy’s celebration.

1.75 oz Hendrick’s Gin
1.5 inch piece of half shaved cucumber
Half a kiwi muddled, with a tsp of sugar
0.75 oz fresh lime juice
2 pinches of salt
1 pinch black pepper
½ oz sweet and sour (equal parts fresh lemon, lime and sugar syrup), spiced with a pinch of wasabi

Muddle and stir all ingredients together in a mixing glass. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a wheel of kiwi or cucumber.

Mr. Pickles
For something really unusual, try Mr. Pickles. The mixture of Chartreuse and honey may elicit a true Irish jig!

2 oz Hendrick’s Gin
0.5 oz Honey
1 tsp Green Chartreuse
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar

Ice and stir well into a chilled glass (a coupe is suggested). Garnish with a thin slice of black radish and if you really want to kick things up a notch, include a demitasse spoon with a little caviar on it.

In the spirit of Hendrick’s, just a friendly reminder that the next round of Iron Bartender, sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin, takes place on Tuesday, March 23rd at Johnny Rocco’s St. Catharines. Competing that night will be bartenders Wes Galloway (Black Beans Steakhouse and Lounge, Port Hope), and Ashley Gendron (Johnny Rocco’s Italian Grill, St. Catharines)

Popularity: 23% [?]

When I started at Johnny Rocco’s a little over two years ago, there was very little to differentiate our bar from any other chain restaurant in Canada. Unlike many of the bars and restaurants across the United States and throughout Europe, Canada has been slow to adopt a “fresh” cocktail culture, and finding a place here in Niagara to grab a quality cocktail was more than a little bit of a challenge any given night of the week. So much, in fact, that when I went to Tales of the Cocktail this year, it even warranted a story in the local paper.

About 6 months ago, I made the move from Bartender to Bar Manager, and we’ve slowly but surely been making progress in the way we approach our bar. As we get set to open our second restaurant in St. Catharines, Ontario, I’ve been given free reign over our wine and cocktail list. After countless days and weeks of meetings and tinkering with everything, I’m proud to present our new cocktail list. As we photograph everything, I’ll post recipes and photos.

Johnny’s Bellini
When it comes to Italian cocktails, the Bellini is king, and it’s no wonder why this combination of fresh peach puree and Italian sparkling wine is our favourite, too. Johnny’s over-the-top garnish is the perfect compliment.

The Rocc-It Caesar
Fueled by Johnny’s own secret blend of spices, this huge Skyy Vodka Caesar stands tall with an Antipasto skewer and a Montreal steak spice and bacon rim. Now that’s one bloody good Caesar.

‘Cara Mia’ Strawberry Sour
With hints of vanilla, and captivating strawberry Grappa, this strong and sour cocktail is complimented by a carefully placed tinge of Ruffino Chianti. Nothing short of love at first sip.

Supersonic Gin and Tonic
Gin is in, and this could quite possibly be the best G & T we’ve ever made. Packed full of fresh lime and slightly sweetened with a hint of Apricot Brandy, we dare you not to try another.

Sicilian ‘68*
Johnny’s favourite aperitif – a combination of Italian Amaro and Rossi D’Asiago Limoncello, complimented by fresh citrus open up the palate for a cocktail worthy of pairing with Nonna’s best meal.

The Villa-Perosa Cocktail**
This pre-prohibition tipple is making it’s return featuring exclusive G’Vine Floraison gin, sparkling wine, and fresh, seasonal berries for a quite unusually tasty gin cocktail sure to leave you wanting more.

Espresso Yourself
For the serious caffeine lovers, this bourbon based brew is served tall dark and handsome – rich in aroma and style, and finished with a sweet dessert topping.

Vino Vidi Vici
Julius Caesar may have “came, saw and conquered”, but we’re not that far off with this house specialty Vino cocktail. White Zinfandel and Sherry, paired with vanilla Cognac pave the way for the new king of Johnny’s cocktails.

All cocktails above will be sold for $7.99CDN, which, by the way, is a ridiculous deal.

*Sicilian ‘68: The “68″ is in reference to the year (1868) the distilleries for the two main ingredients, Averna Amaro and Rossi D’Asiago Limoncello were established
**The Villa-Perosa Cocktail: Initially, I had hoped to include a Bramble or Clover Club cocktail on the menu, but after playing around with recipes and adding some Prosecco into the mix, I realized my cocktail was getting much closer to a French 75. “French 75″ was the name of a French Artillery gun during world war 1, and the Villar Perosa is the name of its Italian counterpart

Please feel free to leave any questions or comments about the cocktails here for me. I’d be more than happy to chat with you about them. Cheers!

A note on the restaurant:
By no means are we “fine dining” at Johnny Rocco’s. Instead, what we offer is a family style, quality approach to casual dining, and because of that, it was important that our cocktail list reflected that.

One of the first things I learned about creating cocktail menus was that for most people, a simple listing of ingredients does very little to sell drinks. Instead, “romancing” ingredients and flavours to present a cocktail in ways less discerning guests will recognize will do a far superior job.

Who taught me that? A good friend and mentor of mine, Dean Serneels, of Flairco and Mad Mixologist fame. And oh yeah, by the way, I just hired him to tend bar at our St. Catharines location.

Popularity: 61% [?]

Yesterday, I posted an article dealing with some facts and figures on launching a fresh cocktail program, compared to using pre-mixed, sugary substitutes. You can read the article here.

While at Tales of the Cocktail this year, I was very fortunate to sit in on a seminar led by Philip Duff (door 74, Amsterdam) and Dushan Zaric (Employees Only, New York City) titled “The Fine Art of Banging Out Drinks Like a Maniac” which illustrated how two of the top bars in the world deal with making quality cocktails quickly.

Launching a fresh cocktail program? In case you missed it, here’s an awesome video of the daily prep Employees Only goes through to sell more than 237,000 quality drinks per year.

Popularity: 25% [?]

While quality cocktail bars around the world have embraced the idea of fresh, quality juices paired with premium spirits, much of the rest of the world has been slow to follow. While it may seem like a no brainer to most of you reading this, the idea of using quality ingredients for a superior cocktail has often been trumped by the idea of “cheaper”, ready made substitutes to make the bartender’s job faster, and more cost effective.

The truth is, the cost of a fresh cocktail program can often be on par with, if not cheaper than, post-mix “bar lime” or margarita mixes that are now all too common in bars across the world.

The next time you get in the “fresh cocktail” debate, here are some facts and figures that just might help you provide your guests with that quality cocktail.

Assumptions / Omissions
*This is the price I currently pay in my bar. In a seminar at Tales in July, Dale Degroff quoted a cost of $15 / 220 limes from his supplier, which brings the cost down to $0.06 per ounce of juice
**This assumes that each lime yields approx. 1 ounce of juice
***Omits the cost of simple syrup (sugar & water) to balance sour (approx. $0.01 per ounce)

Comparing Costs: Then and Now
When I took over the bar at Johnny Rocco’s here in Niagara Falls, the margarita was blended, using the Island Originals Margarita Mix and a ready-made, low quality tequila and triple sec combination. When we launch our new restaurant and cocktail menu, we’re going all fresh, and here’s the difference it’s going to make.

*Note: To get a full picture of the cost of a cocktail, factors such as labor cost, ice, cost of cleaning glassware, and more must all be considered as well

Which cocktail do you think will sell better? Providing a better quality drink and experience for your guest doesn’t have to be more expensive or inconvenient to you and your bar staff. With the proper preparation, and education of bartenders, we can all expect a little bit more value from our next drink.

Popularity: 91% [?]

It’s certainly been a busy week for me. In addition to the recent coverage in Pulse Magazine, and the Niagara Falls Review, my most recent article for Taps Magazine just hit shelves here in Ontario. For those of you not familiar, Taps is the Canadian authority on beer, and the magazine gets published countrywide four times per year. For the summer issue, Taps wanted to take a refereshing look at what we could do with beer on the patios this year, and I recommended Beer Cocktails.

Putting together this article was a bit of a challenge for me, as I hadn’t really worked in depth with beer as an ingredient in cocktails before. In the end, I came up with a few accessible, easy to make at home cocktails using some of my favourite beers, and the reception has been incredible. Without further adieu, I present to you Taps Magazine’s Cool (Beer) Cocktails for a Hot Summer.

Innis & Gunn Hibiscus Manhattan

Nick Nemeth
Taps Magazine, Summer 2009

Summer’s here, and patios across Canada have already started to rock. In previous years, pomegranate cocktails were all the rage, citing their “anti-oxidant” benefits, and more recently, the Mojito has made it’s way to becoming the king of patio cocktails. Unfortunately for many of us beer lovers, spirits, liqueurs, and juices thus far have dominated the summer cocktail movement. It’s time to shake things up a little.

This year, why not throw a little beer into the mix? For years, the “Shandy” has dominated the beer cocktail market. It’s tangy, refreshing, albeit simple, mixture was served initially as a means of masking the quality of poor beer. By adding ginger ale, ginger beer, or lemonade to your lager, bartenders created an instant classic, and today, the possibilities for beer cocktails stretch about as far as the bartender’s imagination.

In recent years, the “Michelada”, and blend of beer, lime juice, and hot sauce, served in a salt-rimmed glass over ice has become another new favourite, alongside contemporary efforts like the Beer Margarita. Today we’re going to try something a little different. I’m proud to present to you my top five cocktails for beating the heat this summer. Be warned, though, these cocktails pack quite the punch! Cheers!

Nickelbrook Green Apple Pilsner – Green Apple Smash

Maple syrup in a cocktail? I know how weird it sounds, but for the longest time, this has been one of my favourite “secret ingredients”, and it lends a smoothness and unique flavour to cocktails which help round them out very nicely.

Pair that with apple, and you have a sure-fire winner. Nickelbrook Green Apple Pilsner blends natural apple juice with a hint of lemon to a light pilsner, making it a great beer to enjoy on a hot day, on its own, or in the Green Apple Smash.

Ingredients / Method
0.50oz Forty Creek Whiskey
0.50oz Galliano
0.50oz Maple Syrup
Build ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker, shake hard, and pour into pilsner glass. Fill with Nickelbrook Green Apple Pilsner.

Creemore Springs Premium Lager – The Creemore Caipirissima
For those not familiar with the term, muddling is the process of crushing the limes in the glass to express their juices and essential oils. This cocktail, an offshoot of the Mojito, adds elderflower cordial to sweeten it, and add a tropical depth which rounds out the drink very nicely. Creemore has long been a beer synonymous with summer to me, and this cocktail will surely be one I’ll be enjoying on the patio this year.

Ingredients / Method
1.00oz White Rum
0.50oz Elderflower Cordial (Available in most grocery stores)
½ lime, cut into quarters, muddled
1 teaspoon Raw Sugar
Fill with ice, top with Creemore Springs Premium Lager.

Alexander Keith’s Premium White – Keith’s Premium Punch

With the weather warming up, the “white” beers are already starting to dominate bars and restaurants everywhere. Traditionally served with citrus, the addition of Limoncello and pomegranate juice delivers a new depth of fruitiness to an already light and refreshing beer.

Ingredients / Method
1.00oz Limoncello
0.50oz Pomegranate Juice
Juice of ½ Lemon
Build ingredients in large pilsner glass, fill with Alexander Keith’s Premium White.

Innis & Gunn Original – The Innis & Gunn Hibiscus Manhattan

One properly made Manhattan is a cocktail I can sip on all night long, and when I tasted Innis & Gunn for the first time, I was instantly reminded of my favourite drink. Blending the two, with their smooth, oaky, and vanilla flavours was a no brainer, and finishing it with my “shock and awe” garnish, a candied hibiscus flower makes one pretty great cocktail.

Ingredients / Method
1.00oz Bourbon, preferably Makers Mark (I use a vanilla-infused bottle at home)
1.00oz Sweet Vermouth
0.50oz Hibiscus Syrup, substitute cherry juice if not available.
Build ingredients over ice in a large mixing glass. Fill with beer, and stir until mixed thoroughly.

Black Oak Nut Brown Ale – The Double Black

Kahlua is a liqueur that confuses many people, because most aren’t able to see past the overwhelming coffee flavour. Search a little deeper, and you’ll discover a deep chocolate, and vanilla flavour which pairs incredibly with fruit, such as the black currant found in Cassis. Follow that with a smooth, malty beer like Black Oak Nut Brown Ale, and you have a beer cocktail you can sip on all day.

Ingredients / Method
0.75oz Kahlua
0.25oz Cassis
Juice of 1 full lime
Build ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker, shake hard and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with Black Oak Nut Brown Ale.

View photos of all these cocktails, and more at the Cocktails and Cordials Flickr photostream

To find a copy of Taps Magazine near you, click here (Canada Only).

Popularity: 42% [?]