Copyright ©2009 Corey Larocque, Niagara Falls Review

Corey Larocque
Niagara Falls Review
Tuesday, July 28, 2009

“Sex and the City” made the Cosmopolitan a household word. But the vodka, triple-sec and cranberry-juice cocktails shouldn’t be candy-apple red the way Carrie Bradshaw drank them. They should actually be pinkish, like Pepto Bismol, says Nick Nemeth.

“The difference between the two is mind-blowing. The difference is like ‘why have I been drinking this for so long?’” says Nemeth, the bar manager at Johnny Rocco’s restaurant on Lundy’s Lane.

The 21-year-old St. Catharines man was the only Niagara participant at the recent “Tales of the Cocktail” convention in New Orleans in early July. It’s like professional development for 15,000 bartenders from around the world. He calls it “inspiring” to learn what’s going on in cities like New York, London, Amsterdam.

He got so excited, he posted Twitter updates from the convention every 20 minutes.

Now that he’s back, he is convinced Niagara bartenders should elevate their work like the region’s chefs and winemakers have over the past 15 years.

“Unfortunately, in Niagara we trail behind the world in where our cocktails are at and the importance that are placed on cocktails,” he said while mixing up a Margarita to show what it’s like with premium ingredients, fresh juices and a properly salted rim. Powdered mixes or pre-made syrups don’t cut it anymore.

A good bartender takes as much care behind the bar as a good chef does in the kitchen, Nemeth says…

To read the full article, visit: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1674668