it is just grapejuice

Bar Notes 1/28/08

1. It’s busy! Our wine special has been keeping us full (especially on weekends) so don’t get caught unprepared.  

1. There has been some recent tension and frustration during apres-ski. I know sometimes it feels like the bar is an island and we feel like we don’t have the support we need. Please understand that the management staff has a lot to do between 2:30 and 5:30 and most of it requires them to be in the office or somewhere besides on the floor. They are always happy to help us out if we need it so please don’t hesitate to ask someone to find a manager for you if you need one. Try to remember that we’re all doing a job and no one wants us to succeed more than our FOH management staff. 

1. Invoices are very important to the restaurant and they must be put in the proper place. Please give them to a Director. Do not put them in the bar drawer, in your pocket, or anywhere else they might be misplaced. If we dont’ have an invoice, our purveyors don’t get paid and then we won’t get deliveries.

1. Orders need to be put away as soon as possible (before the shift if possible). There can never be boxes on the floor near the wine room or in the back near the bar line. Also, the loading dock needs to be organized and all orders put away ASAP. NEVER use a CO2 canister as a prop for the door to the cooler. All canisters are potentially dangerous (even empty ones) if they fall over and they should always be chained up to prevent any accidents.

1. We’ve got Southern Comfort back in house. Whoopee! There are a few guests who’ve requested it, so be sure you know we’ve got it.

1. Bar Notes need to be read and signed every week. If your name is not on the bar notes, I will think you haven’t read them and you will anger me. Do not anger your BAR GOD!

1. The tip jar is for tips only. Please don’t put churchkeys, and other miscellaneous debris in the tip jar. It looks cluttered and dirty from the guests point of view. The only item that is acceptable is a few extra pens. Also, try to keep the tip jars orderly and organized. Change out bills as you go so that you’re not asking for $100 in ones when you’ve got $100 in ones in your tip jar. Save yourself and the management staff the time.

1. It’s imperative that we’re clear at the end of every shift who gets what % of tips, especially at apres when there are two or three of us working. Please mark it clearly on your check out slip and verbally explain it to the Director who is doing your checkout. It’s also important to check The Book to make sure you’re getting paid for the shifts you’ve worked.  
2. Because of the new tip out policies, it’s more important than ever to be part of the FOH team. If you’re not busy behind the bar, make yourself available to the waitstaff. Help open wine, run food, take orders, etc. We want to pull our own weight as a lead cut of the tip pool.

1. The new bar notebook is here, but it’s not being used very often. It only takes a couple of minutes to write down a few notes for the next bartender on duty. Communication is one of the most important parts of a successful bar staff.

Bar Knowledge: Southern Comfort or “Cuffs and Buttons”

Southern Comfort is a fruit, spice, and whiskey flavored liqueur produced since 1874. It is made from a blend of whiskey, orange, vanilla, sugar, apricot and cinnamon flavors. The Brown-Forman Corporation owns the Southern Comfort brand.

Some people refer to Southern Comfort as a whiskey, and even more people think of it as a whiskey-based liqueur, but according to sources at Brown-Forman, the company that owns the product, it’s a “fruit, spice and whiskey flavored liqueur” with a neutral base. In my research, I found that there are differing opinions on the actual ingredients in SoCo, but the rumor is that the recipe has changed recently and that for many years after the Brown-Forman company bought the brand they used neutral grain spirits, but that they recently changed the recipe back to a version that more closely resembles the original and that it does indeed contain about 20% whiskey (probably Early Times or Old Forester since these are also owned by Brown-Forman). 

I’m not sure exactly how you get something to be “whiskey-flavored”, but it may have something to do with the vanilla, orange and cinnnamon flavors since these are often associated with whiskey.

Southern Comfort was first produced by Irish bartender Martin Wilkes Heron (b. 1850 – c. 1920), the son of a boat-builder. His original name for the product was “Cuffs and Buttons” and was popular in the music scene of New Orleans. He plied his trade at McCauley’s Tavern in New Orleans, but later moved to Memphis and then on to St Louis where he patented and produced his concoction.

According to spirits historian Chris Morris, Heron would begin with the best bourbon he could find and would add: “An inch of vanilla bean, about a quarter of a lemon, half of a cinnamon stick, four cloves, a few cherries, a clam and an orange bit or two. He would let this soak for days. And right when he was ready to finish he would add a sweetener, he liked to use honey.” It also seems that the best whiskey he could find was often not very good and quite variable, and thus the impetus to infuse the whiskey with other flavors in order to acheive a more quaffable and less variable product.

No wonder people (including myself) refer to SoCo as a whiskey-based liqueur; the original recipe was whiskey-based! According the the SoCo website there are still only 10 people who know the recipe and they aren’t saying whether or not there is actually any whiskey in it. So, judge for yourself.

Heron’s original slogans, which were printed on the bottle, read “None Genuine But Mine” and “Two per customer. No Gentleman would ask for more.” Southern Comfort won the gold medal at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. 

  This week we tried to find the best pair for the famous flagship  (L) veal scaloppini. A dish that seems to be able to span a variety of contenders came to a collective “hmmm….” We started with a Spatlese Riesling from the Mosel which was well made, full of impressions and a solid example for it’s class but seemed better as a palate cleanser afterwards than a dream match that some of us suspected it would be. The Mortet Bourgogne blanc came next and suprisingly seemed to drag the flavors down with it’s complex minerality not jibing with the elements of the dish and not sympathetic with the veal itself. These two misfires were something of a shock. With lemon beurre blanc, lemon zest, creamed spinach, butter goldened twice baked potatoes these wines seem a natural on paper, a gimme, but markedly less stunning when put to the test. Lastly was the Van Duzer Homestead block pinot noir which came off as somewhat oxidized to begin with and did not offer anything more positive to end the experiment. We did blind taste these wines beforehand in order to exercise our deductive method and practise proper evaluation which really engages the senses, intellect and memory in a fun way and something that may remain a constant in our Thursday endeavors. In conclusion, perhaps a new world example of chardonnay would find a better match with some oak and richer fruit… perhaps a good off dry pinot gris from Alsace or pinot blanc. The spatlese was just a little too sweet, just off enough not to make harmony. This is why we labor so tirelessly and put our theories to the test… so that we can truly offer sound and tried pairing advice without spouting off textbook and knee jerk responses and make an honest living gourmandizing. For those who may have missed out for the ski day,  remember our new club motto: wines before lines!

checking brix on clone 7 from McGinley Vineyard.  

This week we focus on loftier spirits, cognac in particular. I suppose most of you don’t have the benefit of the aristocracy and thus haven’t sipped the finest spirits in the land. Let me enlighten you. You may never get to taste Louis XIII, so let me describe it in a way that makes you feel as if you’ve just sipped from the cup of Remy Martin himself (or Tupak or Jay-Z or any of the other hip hop artists that constantly mention their ability to afford it) Josh reminds you to Please enjoy these bar notes responsibly. 

Bar Notes 1/21/08

1. Though we’ve slowed down, it will only be temporary. Over the next few weeks we will ramp up again. The Honda Session is here the weekend before Presidents so be ready!  

1. The new transfer system has been working very well. Let’s be sure to keep our part of the bargain by always leaving a printed guest check in front of the guest. 

1. The bar table numbers have been good lately. Let’s keep it up, it’s a simple and efficient system.

1. Orders need to be put away as soon as possible (before the shift if possible). There can never be boxes on the floor near the wine room or in the back near the bar line. Also, the loading dock needs to be organized and all orders put away ASAP. NEVER use a CO2 canister as a prop for the door to the cooler. All canisters are potentially dangerous (even empty ones) if they fall over and they should always be chained up to prevent any accidents.

1. Our service priorities behind the bar are 1) Guests at the bar 2) Service well 3) Guests at bar tables. If things are getting very busy, the easiest way to get caught up is to ask for help with the bar tables. If the service well is backed up the restaurant will suffer so don’t forget that this is a key link to our success as a restaurant.

1. Cocktail sales have been better lately, thanks in part to the host staff who’ve been dropping menus at the table with the wine list. Let’s try to create a little buzz about the cocktails with daily information about the drinks and also with contests. (ie offering a signature drink as a shift drink to anyone who sells the most specialty cocktails).

1. Great job getting the bar back to a clean work area! Let’s stay focused on cleanliness and organization. One thing I’ve noticed that’s been getting missed lately is labels on containers in the cooler. Every container should be labeled and dated, no exceptions.

1. There are new check out slips for the bar. At the bottom of the slip is a tip % line where we can indicate what the tip split is between the apres bartenders. Be sure to write each persons name on the slip and what percentage each person is getting. Follow up on each shift by checking the Book in the back office to make sure you’re getting the money from each shift you’ve worked. 
2. Because of the new tip out policies, it’s more important than ever to be part of the FOH team. If you’re not busy behind the bar, make yourself available to the waitstaff. Help open wine, run food, take orders, etc. We want to pull our own weight as a lead cut of the tip pool.

1. The new bar notebook is here. Please use it to communicate with your fellow bar staff. If you notice anything that needs to be ordered or prep that needs to be done the next day, write it in the book and leave it out where the AM bartender will see it. We should be using it daily as a tool to improve ourselves.

Bar Knowledge: Cognac and Louis XIII

All cognacs are brandies, but not all brandies are cognac. This one sentence is a good way to remember the distinction of cognac. Like champagne is to sparkling wine so is cognac to brandy. Here is a breakdown of the rules for cognac production:

1. It must be produced within the delimited region, from wine using certain grape varieties (typically Ugni blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard) 
2. It must be obtained through double distillation, in typical copper Charentais stills; 
3. It must be aged in French oak barrels, which give it part of its color and part of its taste.

Cognac is the preeminent and highest grade of brandy and Louis XIII is one of the most well known and well respected of all cognacs. Some of us were lucky enough to be present for the Remy Martin tasting recently when we tasted Louis XIII. Even if you’re not a cognac fan, you cannot deny that Louis is certainly one of the most intense and flavorful of all spirits. Is it worth $65 an ounce? For many people, the answer is yes.

LOUIS XIII 

The cognac is manufactured using grapes from the Grande Champagne of Cognac. It is blended from eaux de vie, some more than a century in age, then it is aged in “tiercons,” barrels that are several hundred years old, in its own cellar.

Louis XIII is composed of more than 1,200 of the finest eaux-de-vie aged a minimum 55 years (usually 65-100+) in very old Limousin oak barrels, presented in exclusively hand made Baccarat crystal decanter, and individually numbered and owner registered.

Despite all the hype around Louis XIII and cognac in general, it’s beginnings are quite humble. 17^th century Dutch merchant ships began exporting barrels of distilled wine from the cognac region because the smaller cargo volume made it easier and less expensive to transport than wine. They began selling the brandy to a thirsty Dutch population who would typically add water to the brandy to ‘reconstitute’ the wine from which it was distilled. Of course, anyone who’s tasted cognac knows that adding water does not make brandy into wine, but anyway the Dutch enjoyed this drink which they called brandywine. They also realized that the brandy benefitted from long aging in oak barrels and could be enjoyed without the addition of water.

Enterprising merchants realized the potential of this new spirit and thus was born congac.

WSJ.com - The Wine Antisnob*

   Just in case you missed out or weren’t taking notes, itisjustgrapejuice.com is here to recount and revisit the wines we shared and keep them from merging into the oblivion of countless other forgotten strong beverages  in which you have doubtlessly overindulged this week.

 Chanson Vire Clesse 2004 : Down in the south of Burgundy, in the Maconnais lies this dual village AOC. This glass was particularly  lean, soily and limestoney. Transparent and interesting as we spoke of France and Burgundy outside the box of a Parker score or “good or bad” but try and get closer to the real identity of a grape, where it is from, who made it and the unique vintage which all combined to bring it forward and make it distinctly individual. No irrigating allowed as in much of the world of vines but strict obeyance of the vigneron to comply with what is given. This is what fascinates the lover of french wines and puzzles seekers of exuberant plushier styles from the New World. Chanson, recently bought by Bollinger is one of Burgundy’s oldest houses going back to 1750. Another interesting note on Burgundy and it’s wild acclaim is that going back to medieval times, it was highly sought after and as it is among the very few winemaking areas not near or on a waterway, this made transport very difficult and expensive centuries ago which shows that this was a highly prized wine even then.

Idea(L) pairing: dayboat scallops,  cod

Josmeyer Riesling 2004, Alsace ‘Le Dragon’

 Alsace. Hard to overstate the importance and flexibility of these wines. Mainly white (pinot gris, muscat, pinot blanc, gewurtz and the noble riesling) with some small amounts of pinot noir for local consumption, this is one of my go-to regions for nearly any feast or occasion. Having flipped from French to German territory numerous times there are strong elements of both cultures, but is still chiefly unique. Alsace leads France in organic and biodynamic production and Josmeyer is a great example of these practices. This had all the dimensions of a quality riesling… bright  lemony fruit, steely length, minerality, petrol and zesty acidity which makes Riesling one of the truly great wines of the world and Alsace perhaps one of the most sublime regions for it. Nestled at the foothills of the Vosges mountains, it lies in a protected pocket (rain shadow) where it is often unaffected by the harsh conditions often inflicted upon nearby Champagne and Burgundy. Also, with a complex variety of soil types, Alsace makes not only steady and dependable wines, but diverse examples vintage after vintage.

Idea(L) pairing: Veal Scaloppini, Pork Chop, Pork Belly.

Shout out to our traveling “question of the day” writer…she is in Burgundy on a 5 day march through some of the regions most exciting producers. 

Kevin,,

  Saffron Potato Chips                        

“Popcorn Sweetbreads”sage oil  and mustard soy glaze 

Kumamoto Oysterblood orange-guava air

1996 Henriot ‘Millesime’ Brut  

Tartar of Bigeye Tuna & Hamachiasian pear, yuzu sauce

2004 Domaine Zind Humbrecht ‘Clos Häuserer’ Riesling

 Atlantic Cod Clam Chowder

2004 Dennis Mortet Bourgogne Blanc 

Seared Foie Grasapple 3 ways, pistachios

2004 Deltetto ‘Bric du Liun’ Arneis

 Bantum Ovo Raviolocaviar sauce

2005 Konsgaard  Chardonnay 

Heritage Farms Pork Bellyhorseradish purée, chinese black beans

2006 P2 ‘Brousseau Vineyard’ 

Colorado Rack of Lambgoat cheese gnocchi, artichokes, smoked piquillo pepper jus

2004 Spring Valley Vineyard ‘Frederick’ 

Taleggio Beggars Purseplum fig preserves

 Tempura Applemoscato sorbet and caramel sabayon

2005 G.D. Vajra Moscato d’Asti

Schokinag Mousse