Editorial Welcome to Edition 1!
The task of gathering information, maintaining a network and public site and creating a magazine has been monumental! All of us at Barchaeology have a new appreciation for how much work goes into something like this and the best part is that we wouldn’t change a thing! Edition 1 of the Barchaeology Magazine is our first publication bringing you items from the industry which will hopefully act as some form of assistance to bar managers, bartenders and the home enthusiast. We have done our best to bring you items which we as members of the industry find interesting but also answer some of the questions we are faced with on the bar. Given the time of the year, numerous guests have asked me what they should make for family and friends as a Christmas Drink. I think we’ve provided the perfect answer to that... There is light reading for someone looking to pass the time, informative reading for the home connoisseur or indeed the bartender and more detailed information for someone looking to further themselves in the industry. An article I had great pleasure "researching" and writing is the one you’ll find on pairing snail eggs (escargot caviar) with a vodka based drink. A fun challenge with great results.
Andrew Nicholls/ Editor
Misja Vorstermans is fortunate enough to have traveled the world working on the world’s Super-Yachts and he gives us an insight into what the life of an on-board bartender to the super rich and famous entails. Fede Cuco from Argentina is the bartender we chose to interview for this edition and there’s a part of his story I think every bartender can relate to and every guest has, at some stage, "been there".... There’s plenty more to read through and as always, we would appreciate your constructive feedback, however brutal or positive. This marks what we hope is the beginning of a long future for the Barchaeology Magazine and we hope you’ll be with us for the duration of the ride. Merry Christmas!•
Publisher & Editor Andrew Nicholls Art Direction Federico Fusco. Contributing Writers Federico Fusco, Misja Vorstermans, Fjalar Goud. Photography Andrew Nicholls Special Thanks to Remco Babay for helping us on the first stage of The Barchaeology Network and Fede Cuco for his support from the other side of the pond. Advertising & Editorial Inquiries Misja Vorstermans Cel Phone: +31 (0)6 3440 4344 Mail: m.vorstermans@barchaeology.com ŠBarchaeology Magazine Amsterdam, The Netherlands Keizersgracht 125-127 2011 All Rigths Reserved.
BARCHAELOGY MAGAZINE EDITION 1 - DECEMBER 15TH, 2011
Content 01. Industry Anecdotes: Cocktails on Board: Misja Vorstermans is fortunate enough to have traveled the world working on the world’s Super-yachts and he gives us an insight into what the life of an on-board bartender to the super rich and famous entails. (Page 6)
02. Events: Whisky Live The Hague: The Hague in The Netherlands is known globally as the home of the ICC (International Crimes Court), but we’ve decided to spill the beans on another of its attractions. Get your tasting caps on and join us for a trip to Whisky Live. (Page 8)
03. Product Review Vodka, Caviar and Escargot (Snail) Caviar: Vodka has long been known as the perfect accompaniment to caviar. We take a closer look at the pairing and get the chance to play with escargot caviar. (Page 10)
04. Have you met...? Federico Cuco: Fede Cuco is a bartender from Argentina who has made a name for himself within his own country and internationally. We interviewed him to find out what makes him tick. (Page 12)
05. Progressive Thinking Menu engineering - understanding your menu: Menu engineering seems to be a weak point for many bar managers. This article explains why it’s necessary and more importantly, provides a step by step methodology for doing it yourself in your own bar. (Page 14)
06. Seasonal Cheer Christmas Cheer with Tom & Jerry: Tis the season to be jolly!We take a look at the Tom and Jerry and explain why this is quite possibly the perfect warm beverage for the festive season. (Page 20)
07. Make your own... Vanilla Syrup: The Hague in The Netherlands is known globally as the home of the ICC (International Crimes Court), but we’ve decided to spill the beans on another of its attractions. Get your tasting caps on and join us for a trip to Whisky Live. (Page 22)
08. Tasting Notes Read through a small selection of some of the tasting notes which have appeared on the network in the last two months. (Page 24)
09. Network Bevies A small selection of some of the drinks posted on the Barchaeology Network by its members. Certainly worth a try... (Page 27)
Industry Anecdotes
Cocktails on board: Bartending on the world’s Biggest Superyachts.
Alfa Nero’s bar ready to go.
Through my company Global Bartending I train a lot of the crew that work on worlds biggest private superyachts. When they need help with events they often fly the Global Bartending team in . Glamorous yes! Easy no? It is not all gold that shines. Every time I tell people that I need to go to some sunny place to train the crew (mostly female) of a beautiful superyacht or to help out with one of the onboard parties I get the same reply over and over again is "Do you need help?". Although it’s a really good job it’s actually hard work.
painting behind you (Yes that did happen) or break one of the 150 euro glasses The biggest issue on most yachts is space, the really big superyachts do have enough space but every yacht under 60 m has space issues, Because the owner want as much space for his own and guestcabins there’s almost no storage. So a large collection of spirits and wines is most of the time not an option. The guests are international, high maintance and travel the world. So they do know their drinks. You cannot make anything less than perfect on a multi million dollar yacht.
There are many challenges. First of all, everything is expensive do don’t even think of spilling a strawberry drink on to the carpet or the 1 million dollar 6 Barchaeology magazine
The interior of a yacht is all about design, that means that if there is a bar most of the time it looks magnificent but practical it’s not. No sinks, no speedrails no icechests etc etc. So
A view of the 88 meter Super-Yacht Alfa Nero.
your setup is always a challenge especially for parties.
you have to go up and down many many stairs.
The build-up is always and issue, most of the superyachts are to big to come into the harbour so they stay outside and everything needs to be pendel donboard. So that normally takes forever. And because of the onboard guests you cannot build your bar a day earlier. So on the day you do the build up, the prep, the party and the cleanning/breakdown. 20 hours nonstop work is no exception
So is it all bad? No, not at all, it’s the best job in the world. You work with topnotch brands, beautifull glassware. The guests are dressed up beautiful, most of them are very intresting to talk to. Recently I did a party with 40 guests and as one of the surpises they had Lenny Kravitz and his full band doing a 1 hour gig. And yes, being a true rockstar, Lenny drinks Jack.
Then you have the issue of dealing with celebreties. Every year we are asked to help out with the Cannes film festival. We come up with a special menu that ties intio the theme of the party. Some people get nervous if Brad Pitt or Paris Hilton is ordering a drink. As a bartender you can have a less formal role than most of the service staff. Guest actually like when you have a conversation with them. Just don’t be starstruck. The other big challenge is confidentionality. You cannot talk about the guests, or the owners. So all these great stories cannot be shared, no pictures nothing.
After the party we were brought home by speedboat, how cool is that? Misja Vorstermans
You want to know more about training onboard yachts? Check out: - www.tripleSconsultancy.com - www.globalbartending.nl
On some of the smaller yachts seasickness can be an issue especially if the swell picks up. . Stairs, stairs and more stairs. Allthough most yachts have elevators these are used by the guests sof o setting up the bar Barchaeology magazine 7
Events
Whisky Live The Hague
The Hague is recognized around the world as the home of the International War Crimes Tribunal, home of the Escher Museum and home of the Dutch Parliament. What many do not know is that The Hague is also home to it’s own little Whisky Festival. Over the course of three days (18, 19, 20 November 2011), avid whisky drinkers from all over The Netherlands and further afield made their annual pilgrimage to the Grote Kerk (Big Church) in the center of the city. There was everything you would expect from a Whisky festival with men in kilts, shiny sporrans, short bread, traditionally piped in haggis and even a lady filling the acoustical room with dulcet sounds of the harp. Above the melodic reverberation of the harp and the occasional soul stirring burst of the pipes is the sound of laughter. The air is thick with the smell of dram. This is a happy place... Pews are filled not with worshipers in prayer, but men and women holding up tasting glasses to light filtering in from stained glass windows high above them and low hanging dimly lit lamps. Moving around the room it was quickly apparent some of the 8 Barchaeology Magazine
visitors are here simply for a drink and hey, who can blame them? The remaining visitors were divided into those making their first acquaintance with the magical liquid, the novice drinker and of course, those who really do know their chill filtered from their non-chill filtered. The larger brands you would expect to see at any Whisky festival were all present, some with a new or hard to come by bottling, such as the Johnnie Walker Double Black. A very interesting blend, using the same whiskies present in the Black Label, but placing more emphasis on peaty notes. Whats interesting with the Double Black is that the slightly more pronounced peaty notes seem to have the effect of bringing the fruity notes of the whisky to prominence. The result is a lovely balance of fruit, peat and spice. See our tasting note for a full description. The Balvennie had a few highlights in the form of their 17 year old Peated Cask, the Double Port Wood bottling and a very special 30 year old. There were also smaller brand worth noting like Sheep Dip with notes of heather, toasted cashew nuts and digestive biscuits. Pig’s Nose was another of the smaller brands with autumnal notes balanced by hints of candied
orange peel and sweet malt. As you can imagine, there were plenty more worth mentioning and you’ll see many popping up on the Barchaeology network from time to time. Although festivals such as this are a great way to introduce the public to whiskies from around the world, I missed the element of drinking education. In other words, not simply telling people about the cask used in the aging process, but literally how to drink it. I was amused by the number of people who saw me writing tasting notes and would come over for a chat, wondering if I was an "official taster". I told them I am a bartender and 90% of the time, they would start to ask questions of how to drink the whisky rocking around in their tasting glass. It’s no secret that in recent years the whisky industry has made steps to distance itself from it’s snobby image of yonder years and embrace a future of being a drink for all walks of life, enjoyed as and when you please. For many of the visitors, hearing it’s okay to drink whisky as they like it was somewhat of a revelation. Some even started to make their own suggestions as to what might work with their choice of dram. The point I’m trying to make is that there is an interest from the
public to learn about mixed drinks with whisky, it’s nobody has told them it’s okay to do so. Naive societal pressure dictates that mixing whisky with anything other than a drop of water is sacrilege. Respected member of the industry such as Dave Broom have gone to great effort to change this perception and quite rightly too! I believe Ian Burrell’s UK Rum Festival is a shining example to festivals of all spirit categories. Visitors have the opportunity to sample the category, but at the same time, are educated as to how to drink and enjoy the category. You leave the UK Rum Festival having tried many rums, but most importantly, someone will have pointed you in the direction of how you might enjoy it best. Barriers are broken the imagination is granted permission to run wild. Whisky is a phenomenal category of spirit. Perhaps festivals such as the one in The Hague could show people just how phenomenal it is by abandoning its past shackles and scattering it’s modern bounty over a 21st century audience. Lets see more mixed drinks please...•
Barchaeology Magazine 9
Product Review
Vodka, Caviar and Escargot (Snail) Caviar. The phone rang and the request from the other side was different to say the least. "We would like to pair vodka drinks with caviar and escargot caviar".
The drink recipe I put together is as follows:
"Escargot caviar?" I replied.
Glass:
"Yes....snail eggs."
Garnish: Strip of Lemon Zest
Hearing I could now choose snail eggs as a posh snack was quite exciting in a way. Growing up in South Africa, I remember running outside after a hot summer’s day downpour with the sole intention of catching a African flying ant (they’re pretty huge compared the flying ants here in Europe) simply because I had heard they taste like peanut butter. They do...kind of.
Ingredients: 60 ml Vodka 15 ml DOM Benédictine 10 ml Saffron Gin 2.5 ml Absinthe
Name: Spanish Roe Coup
Method: What the hell would snail eggs taste like? I guess I’m one of those people who like to explore "weird stuff" and try to live by the "I’ll try anything once" stance. Besides, if I didn’t like it, at least I would have organic sturgeon caviar in the same tasting to compensate. The brand of vodka who had approached me for the tasting/ food pairing is Bishkek. If your geography is good, you’ll know that Bishkek is the name of Kyrgyzstan’s capital city and you should therefore be able to guess where it is produced. The brand of caviar used is called Polka and as already mentioned, is divided into a more traditional sturgeon caviar and a somewhat "new to most people" style of escargot caviar. The sturgeon caviar is organically produced in Spain from 16 year old sturgeon fish, whose eggs are surgically removed, salted and packaged without any preservatives. Even Gordon Ramsey has jumped on a bandwagon of this stuff by paying a visit to the farm in Spain. We all know vodka to be a classic caviar accompaniment, but the issue I’ve always had with it is alcohol percentage. The reason wine and beer works so well with food is due to the lower alcohol percentage. A high percentage tends to overwhelm the palate and although chilled vodka is great for cutting through the creamy texture of the caviar, it tends to kill the flavor somewhat, especially when using a caviar which has no preservatives mixed in with it. 10 Barchaeology Magazine
Place all ingredients in a stirring glass and fill the glass with solid cubes of ice. Stir the drink for at least one minute until properly chilled and thoroughly diluted. Strain into a chilled glass and spray the oils from the zest over the surface of the drink. Place the zest, yellow side up into the drink. You might think that a minute of stirring is excessive, but I tasted the drink with the caviar at various intervals through its preparation and as I said earlier, a good amount of dilution is crucial to balance here. Remember, the point of this is not to make a cocktail, but a cocktail which works best with caviar. Straight vodka or the strength you would normally serve a drink like this simply has too high an alcohol percentage to form that perfect marriage. The next challenge was the much anticipated Escargot Caviar. This may sound obvious, but when a lifted the tin to my nose, I was met by a wave of what I can only describe as the aroma of wild lettuce. Perhaps it was the pearly, pale color of the eggs which tricked my mind into expecting a somewhat different smell. Had they been green, I’m sure I would have taken one look and muttered "I bet they smell like lettuce..." Anyway, the escargot caviar has a rich, thick, creamy texture, reminiscent of fois gras with those same notes of wild lettuce as presented in the aroma, but slipping in somewhere behind the note of wild lettuce was a beautiful autumnal note which
Escargot Caviar
reminded me of delicate chanterelle mushrooms. It was interesting to say the least. The drink I created to pair with this growing delicacy is as follows: Name: Madame de Pompadour Glass:
Coup
Garnish: Strip of Cucumber skin. Ingredients: 75 ml Vodka (Bishkek in this case) 15 ml Lillet Blanc 5 ml Chartreuse V.E.P 5 ml Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo) 5 ml Sugar Syrup (2:1) 1 dash Celery Bitters (The Bitter Truth)
ment the caviar as much as one with a higher level of dilution. The botanical notes in the drink work beautifully with the wild lettuce notes of the escargot caviar. When you taste the drink on it’s own, you’ll think it’s a touch too sweet. Again, remember this is not meant to be drunk on it’s own, but together with the escargot caviar. The subtle sweetness of the drink compliments the rich texture of the escargot caviar the same way sauterne wine and fois gras compliment each other. Creating drinks for both types of caviar was not only a great deal of fun but very interesting to test for myself just how wrong so many bartenders seem to go with dilution in drinks intended for food. Sometimes extra dilution is needed and this is especially true when dealing with delicate and very expensive foods such as these two “dollops” of delicious eggs.•
Method: Place all ingredients in a stirring glass and fill the glass with solid cubes of ice. Stir the drink for at least one minute until properly chilled and thoroughly diluted. Strain into a chilled glass and using a potato peeler, slice a piece of cucumber skin, twist it and place in the glass. Again, dilution is key here and a strong drink will not compliBarchaeology Magazine 11
Have you met...?
Federico Cuco
Fede Cuco (Left) with his young "Padawan" Bruno Eschiavino at Unik Bar in Buenos Aires.
Name: Federico Cuco City/Country: Buenos Aires, Argentina Age: 41 Favorite Drink: Cynar Julep Favorite Spirit: Dry Gin Favorite Bar: Doppelänger in BA and Boadas in Barcelona
2) What you like best and what do you like least about your job?
1) Where did you start your career and who taught you to make drinks?
The worst part is working with colleagues who are not a bit humble or with bosses who believe that bartending is a second degree type of job, which is done by people who were not able to do something different. People who cannot understand that I do this because is what I love.
I started at the age of 14, picking up dirty glasses in a disco. Not a long time after that I started shacking gin & tonics and making coffee in a golf club. My bar manager "PIPO" taught me the first steps on classic cocktails, which definitely had nothing to do with what i use to do at the disco. Hidden between the Scotch bottles, Pipo had a small statue called the 3 wise monkeys and he used to tell me that the statue was there to remind him about the right attitude of a good Barman. He paid massive attention to details and in particular, those related to presentation; a perfect hair cut, perfect shave and shiny shoes were a must. "Before learning how to be a Barman, you have to be a Gentleman" he answered when I asked why I needed shiny shoes behind a bar where nobody could see them! 12 Barchaeology magazine
The best part of the job is the contact with guests and tasting food and drinks which I would have never tried if it wasn’t for my profession. Also I really enjoy working with young and passionate people who are eager to learn.
3) What would your advice be to beginner bartenders? Look and learn from your colleagues. Listen, smile and remember your guest names and give the same importance to everything, from the smallest detail to the biggest of things. 4) Best gig in your career? My best gig was a evening in an exclusive party in "La Fontana" in Punta del Este, Uruguay. There were over 5 thousand people, drinking Champagne Cocktails and Martinis until sunrise. My best job was with Unik bar in Palermo, Buenos Aires,
where I had total creativity freedom to engineer their menu as an architectural plan. 5) The drink you hate most? There is no drink in particular which I hate...sometimes it happens that you "dislike" the people who order certain drinks in particular, but it is part of my job to be patient. 6) What’s the most memorable thing that happened on the job? A regular guest arrived at my bar totally destroyed; he just got divorced and on top of that he was fired from his job. I took my mixing glass and I prepared him his favorite drink but in a special way. It was a HUGE rum and coke with lemon wedges. The special addition was that instead of using a rum in particular I poured just a little bit of every rum I found at the bar. I baptized the drink "Caribe Libre". I poured myself a gin & tonic and cheered with him for better times to come. After this all his friends arrived at the bar to show their condolences and it didn’t take long before everybody left, leaving our hurt guest lying lonely on a couch (even more destroyed than before). I poured him a warm coffee, I smiled and after that I took him to his house. I left his house whistling feeling like a real hero, a real barman. 7) Have you had any famous people you had at your bar and if so, what did they order? I had lots of famous Argentinean actors and celebrities, specially at the polo events and Champagne was their choice. On the international scene I served Joaquin Sabina at the VIP bar of a club in Buenos Aires. For some reason his choice didn’t surprised me at all; whiskey and coke. 8) Favorite Speed-rail: (Rum/vodka/gin/tequila/etc.) My standard speedrail: Fernet Branca, Ron, Vodka, Gin, Gancia Vermouth, Campari, Orange juice, Lemon juice and Grenadine. 9) Name one of your own creations you are proud of and tell us why you are proud.
queur made from rum, sugar, herbal tea and water. This cane liquor that was born as a tribute to the greatest jockey Iremeo Leguizamo. This one was a quick creation which became really popular among my guests and colleagues. The second drink, "No llores carajo" or "Damn! don’t cry!" which is a long drink with grappa, grapefruit juice & Cynar. "No llores carajo" was my first creation with my favorite beverage, Cynar and it was featured in many menus all around Buenos Aires such as the popular 878 bar. 10) Any heroes in the profession or somebody you look up to? Im loyal to the book "decalogo del barman" written by Santiago Policastro "Pichin", the "Gallant Bartender" who was the most famous barman in Argentinian history... so famous that this coming January there will be a Bar opening in London in his honor; "Galante Bar". Im a big fun of all the old school latin barmen from which all my professors learned from. I also admire Javier de las Muelas (from Dry Martini) and Diego Cabrera (From Le Cabrera) both based in Spain. From the english world: Jeffrey Morgenthaler & Mattew Bax. 11) What product should get more attention? Cynar is a great easy to combine aperitif. Something between a vermouth and a fernet branca, which are the ingredients I use the most in my cocktails. I have Italian roots (My second name is Atilio...sexy eh?) so I was basically born with a glass of vermouth and soda in my hands. 12) What do you think of the Barcheaology website? I honestly think that Barchaeology is a great initiative, specially the Members Network which I’m proud to be a member. I believe is not only a great learning and social resource for Bartenders just getting started but also for any Professional Bartender who want to know more and improve himself. What I really like and appreciate about Barchaeology is the possibility that it gives me the chance to connect and learn from bartenders from all around the world.•
I have two worth mentioning. First the "Carlos Pellegrini" which is a Caipirinha made with caña Legui instead of cachaca. Carlos Pellegrini is the biggest turf award in south america and caña Legui is a sweet burnt cane liBarchaeology magazine 13
Progressive Thinking
Menu engineering: understanding your menu. A menu is more than a list of drinks prepared by passionate bartenders. It documents pieces of history, it educates, entices and if done well, steers our inquisitive minds on a fascinating journey of discovery. What many bar managers seem to forget is that a menu is also the guest’s manual to the business they manage. Many bars around the world simply don’t seem to grasp the importance of getting this little bit right and when making a menu, simply sit down and ponder what they think guests might want to drink. Their choices are slapped down on paper, the menu is printed and thats that. Perhaps bartenders should take a closer look at the restaurant industry and take a page from their book. When changing a menu, a good head chef will never just throw ideas down on paper and send it to print hoping guests will like it. A restaurant menu involves a marketing orientated approach of evaluating current and future pricing, design and content. Items are classified according to selling price and sales mix and it is based on information such as this that a head chef will formulate his or her decisions. Yes passion plays a role too, but a chef understands that it is the business which allows him or her to express that passion and creativity and not the other way round. Without money sliding across the bar, you will have no canvas on which to paint your masterpiece. The initial set-up for a sound menu engineering system can be time consuming and somewhat tiresome, but once in place, it will actually make decision making easier, save you time and eliminate much of the guessing game many bars seem to play. In order to properly engineer your menu, you will need to focus on three critical elements:
on your menu. For example: •
Manhattan
•
Classic Martini
•
Dark & Stormy
2- Record the numbers of each item sold:
MENU ITEM
# SOLD
Manhattan
600
Classic Martini
250
Dark & Stormy
150
Total # of drinks sold:
1000
3- Calculate the Menu Mix Percentage (MM%):
MENU ITEM
# SOLD
MM%
Manhattan
600
600/1000 = 60%
Classic Martini
250
250/1000 = 25%
Dark & Stormy
150
150/1000 = 15%
Total
1000
100%
1- Customer Demand: The overall number of drinks served 2- Menu Mix (MM): Choices made by guests (How many times different drinks are ordered) 3- Contribution Margin: How much each drink contributes to gross profit Here’s how you go about understanding your menu: 1- Identify your menu items. In other words, list all the items 14 Barchaeology magazine
4- Record the cost of each item sold on the menu: The total cost of each drink is the sum of the cost of the recipe (ingredients of the drink), the garnish and supplemental costs (costs such as the napkin used to serve the drink on, a straw and the bowl of nuts you might serve on the side). For example:
MENU ITEM
RECIPE COST
GARNISH COST
SUPPLEMENTAL COST
ITEM COSTS
Manhattan
€1.75
€0.05
€0.20
€2.00
Classic Martini
€1.80
€0.30
€0.20
€2.30
Dark & Stormy
€1.10
€0.10
€0.20
€1.40
5- List the selling price of each drink on the menu:
MENU ITEM
MENU PRICE
Manhattan
€10.00
Classic Martini
€9.50
Dark & Stormy
€9.50
6- Calculate the Contribution Margin (CM) for each drink: This is done by subtracting the Item Cost from the Menu Price of each
MENU ITEM
MENU PRICE
ITEM COST
ITEM CM
Manhattan
€10.00
€2.00
€8.00
Classic Martini
€9.50
€2.30
€7.20
Dark & Stormy
€9.50
€1.40
€8.10
7- Calculate the total potential cost of a menu by finding the sum of the total cost of each drink: This is achieved by multiplying the # Sold by the Item Cost. For example:
MENU ITEM
# SOLD
ITEM COST
MENU COST
Manhattan
600
€2.00
€1,200.00
Classic Martini
250
€2.30
€575.00
Dark & Stormy
100
€1.40
€210.00
-
-
€1,985.00
Total
Progressive Thinking 8- Calculate the total revenue your menu has sold: this is done by multiplying the total number of each drink sold by the menu price. For example:
MENU ITEM
# SOLD
MENU PRICE
REVENUES
Manhattan
600
€10.00
€6,000.00
Classic Martini
250
€9.50
€2,375.00
Dark & Stormy
100
€9.50
€1,425.00
-
-
€9,800.00
Total
9- Establish the total potential food cost for the menu by dividing the total menu cost by the total menu revenues: This will give you the total percentage of costs for the revenues generated. For example: - (MENU COST / MENU REVENUES) X 100 = XX% - (€1,985.00 / €9,800.00) X 100 = 20.3% 10- Calculate the total Contribution Margin (CM) by multiplying the # Sold by each Item CM and then adding up the total Menu CM’s. For example:
MENU ITEM
# SOLD
ITEM CM
MENU CM
Manhattan
600
€8.00
€4,800.00
Classic Martini
250
€8.20
€1,800.00
Dark & Stormy
100
€8.10
€1,215.00
-
-
€7,815.00
Total
11- Calculate the average contribution margin by dividing the Menu Cm by the Total Number of Drinks Sold. For example: Average CM = Menu CM / Number Sold Average CM = € 7,815.00 / 1000 = € 7.81 12- Categorize Menu Item Contribution Margins: If a drink’s CM is is equal to or greater than the Average CM, categorize it as
MENU ITEM
CM COMPARISON
CM CATEGORY
Manhattan
€8.00 > €7.81
HIGH
Classic Martini
€7.20 < €7.81
LOW
Dark & Stormy
€8.10 > €7.81
HIGH
16 Barchaeology Magazine
13- Categorize Menu Mix Percentages: To calculate this, we must first calculate the Menu Mix Popularity Rate and this calls for something known as the 70% formula. The 70% formula is calculated as follows: The menu mix dictates that any drink making up 30% or more of the total Menu Mix is considered HIGH. This is pretty unrealistic when you think of the total number of drinks on the average menu. So, to adjust this to a more realistic figure for your specific menu, you subtract the 30% from the 100%, which equals 70%. The formula for calculating the benchmark Menu Mix Percentage for your menu would then look like this: MM% Popularity Rate = (100% / Number of items on the Menu) (70%) In this case, the formula would look as follows: MM% Popularity Rate = (100% / 3) X (70%) MM% Popularity Rate = (0.33) X (70%) = 23.3% This means that any drink on the menu with a Menu Mix Percentage equal to or greater than 23.3% will be considered HIGH and anything less than 23.3% will considered LOW. For example:
MENU ITEM
MM% COMPARISON
MM% CATEGORY
Manhattan
60% > 23.3%
HIGH
Classic Martini
25% > 23.3%
HIGH
Dark & Stormy
15% < 23.3%
LOW
With your Contribution Margin and Menu Mix Categories established, you can now place them in whats known as the Menu Engineering Matrix:
Barchaeology Magazine 17
Progressive Thinking In our case, the following stands true: Manhattan
(HIGH MM%, HIGH CM)
=
STAR
Classic Martini
(HIGH MM%, LOW CM)
=
PLOW HORSE
Dark & Stormy
(LOW MM%, HIGH CM)
=
PUZZLE
As you can see, there is also a category called DOG, which refers to a LOW MM% and a LOW CM. Great, but what do the terms Plow Horse, Star, Dog and Puzzle mean for the management of your bar? STARS are the most profitable and the most popular items on a menu and will very often be a bar’s signature drink(s). These are the items which contribute most to covering costs so make sure they are located in highly visible parts of the menu. Maintain strict specifications for consistency and quality and you could test price elasticity. PLOW HORSES are popular with guests (MM%) but do not have as high a CM as STARS. These are drinks which will keep selling and are positive to have on the menu. If would like to drive some of you PLOW HORSES into the STAR category, you can try raising the price of the drink slightly or perhaps look at driving some of the costs down. Driving costs down can be tricky as it would possibly involve using different ingredients which could then change the guests perception of the drink and therefore lowering it’s MM%. Again, you can also try changing their position on the menu to a more prominent one which would drive up it’s MM% and therefore move it into the STAR category. PUZZLES are not popular, but when sold do provide a high contribution margin. It’s now up to you to asses why the drink is not popular. Perhaps a name change might help, try repositioning it on the menu, which such a high contribution margin it is possible guests find the drink overpriced and therefore do not order it as often, you can create desire by limiting the total number of this drink served per night or, simply remove it from the menu. You do not want too many PUZZLES on a menu as they can cause inventory headaches and as we’ve seen, are not popular with your guests. DOGS are the Gadaffi’s of your menu. People don’t like them and they don’t benefit you by being there, so to cut a long story short, get rid of them... To summarize:
CLASSIFICATION
STAR PLOW HORSE PUZZLE DOG
ACTION TAKEN
Retain / Test Elasticity Reprice or Reposition Adjust Price or Reposition Replace or Reprice
Remember when adding new drinks to a menu, always think if they’ll increase Demand and Contribution Margin. One way of increasing demand is maintaining a good quantity of drinks that you and your staff have developed. If your drinks are only available at your bar, you automatically have the edge on demand. You also need to keep in mind how your drinks will benefit your Menu Mix. After some time of proper menu engineering, you will start to notice patterns in the styles of drinks your guests do and do not like. Use this to your advantage. Menu engineering is more than simply deciding what should stay or go from you menu. It’s a way of listening to what your guests are tell you indirectly. Their ordering and spending habits reflect the truth about what they think of your drinks and to ignore this is simple ignorance. Setting a working system up will take time and cause frustrations, but having it will open your eyes to some of the problems you might be experiencing and will give you the opportunity to take a step closer to providing your guests with the experience they stepped out of their houses to find.• 18 Barchaeology Magazine
Seasonal Cheer
Christmas Cheer with Tom & Jerry Jerry Thomas while he worked the stick at the Planter’s House Hotel in St Louis sometime in 1847. Jerry Thomas became so synonymous with the drink that patrons around the USA would sometimes order it by his name. He told reporters of how he had named the drink after two white mice he had as a kid called Tom and Jerry. The problem with with Mr Thomas’s story is that it doesn’t seem to be true... In his Book Imbibe, David Wondrich makes mention of a passage published on 20 March 1827 which describes a boy who had reportedly been given Tom and Jerry to drink and Jarred Brown and Anistatia Miller, in their book Spiritous Journey, A History of Drink (book two) found reference to a document by a British Physician (dated 1833) claiming that "Tom and Jerry had been drunk in very large quantities." Thomas was born in 1830...
Christmas means different things to different groups of people, but one thing in common is we all seem to agree its a time for family and friends to come together and do their best to engage in some sort of sharing and caring. Everything seems to be communal. A large turkey (or other form of protein) is placed in the center of a table, carved for all to see and it’s from that turkey that everyone is fed. Dishes of roast potatoes and vegetables are passed from one person to another and smothered in gravy which once again is passed from one person to another and poured from a single gravy pot. It seems fitting then that the beverages we enjoy should carry a communal theme too. In the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas is a cold time of year. Not only are we likely to desire a warm drink, but we fancy spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Darker spirits such as brandy are traditionally consumed. In British culture, traditional Christmas snacks include brandied apricots and prunes and warm brandy is poured over christmas pudding before being lit and delivered to the table creating a mesmerizing blue flame and always results in a few animated gasps. What we need then is a drink which encapsulates all this. A drink which will give family and friends that sense of community by dipping their spoon into that communal pot, one which carries forward the tradition of darker spirits and allows your palate to run rampant with the taste of festive spices embedded in a liquid rich and warm. Is it possible that the perfect Christmas drink is a Tom and Jerry? The Tom and Jerry is said to be the creation of none other than 20 Barchaeology magazine
The recipe Jerry Thomas mentions for this festive delight in his 1862 publication is perhaps a little rough round the edges and a touch sweet for the modern palate, so the following is proposed instead: To make Batter: 1 kg sugar 12 eggs 30 ml/1 oz Jamaican Rum 1.5 teaspoonful of ground cinnamon 0.5 teaspoonful of ground cloves 0.5 teaspoonful of ground allspice (a couple tablespoons of vanilla extract can be added) Beat the whites of the eggs with sugar into a stiff froth and separately the yolks until they are thin and pale, then fold together and add the spice and rum. To serve: Place 30 ml of Brandy (maybe a nice Cognac) and 30 ml of Dark Rum in a toddy glass with 60 ml of batter. Fill the glass with hot milk and stir. Garnish with grated nutmeg Sit back and watch those you love fill their cups with Christmas delight and then listen as the room fills with laughter and Christmas cheer...Merry Christmas!•
Make your own...
Vanilla Syrup Vanilla syrup is simply a standard sugar syrup flavored with vanilla. Making it yourself is very easy and tastes significantly better than any of the commercial syrups I’ve tasted. There are a few different methods of making it, but this is the method I’ve found yields the best results. To start, you’ll need to pick your vanilla, which really is a matter of personal taste. I like Madagascan and Tahitian vanilla, but countries like Mexico produce great vanilla as well. When you choose your vanilla, make sure it is not dry. Many supermarkets seem to get away with selling somewhat dry vanilla which will not yield the same amount of flavor as a soft, seemingly damp pod. The outside of the pod should almost have a subtle stickiness to it and should be very pungent. Simply split the vanilla pod, lengthways down the middle, exposing a mass of 22 Barchaeology Magazine
small round beans, which you will then scrape out by running the blade of your knife down the pod, resulting in a clump of beans on the blade of the knife. Place these beans and the remaining pod in a pot. Choosing your sugar to water ratio for the base sugar syrup is once again a matter of preference, with the most common ratios being 1:1 and 2:1. I prefer 2:1 (two parts sugar to one part water) as this has a higher concentration of sugar and thats what I’m looking for in a syrup. I use syrup to sweeten drinks and add texture in some cases. If I need more water in a drink I can add it through correct use of ice. Many bartenders prefer 1:1 sugar syrup and if thats what works best for you, keep using it.
I like to use one vanilla pod per 500 ml of water so if I were making a vanilla syrup based on a liter of water, I would then require two kilograms of plain white sugar and two vanilla pods prepared as mentioned above. Once the vanilla beans and scraped pods are in the pot, add the water, cover the pot and bring to the boil. The addition of heat releases more of the vanilla flavor. Once the vanilla water has reached the boil, turn the heat off and add the sugar. Stir the sugar until it is completely dissolved. You’ll notice the syrup will have a slight golden hue to it, which is completely normal and is a sign you’re onto something good!
beans from the rest of the syrup, bottle it and label it. I have found that boiling the water and vanilla together before dissolving the sugar into the finished syrup yields a greater intensity in flavor and by straining the pods and beans from the finished syrup, you end up with a product which remains consistent throughout it’s use. In my experience, vanilla syrup which is stored with a vanilla pod in the bottle intensifies over the course of a few days and the drinks you make today will be different to the drinks you made a few days ago. It might be a pain but consistency has it’s place...•
Once cooled, strain the syrup through cheese cloth or good quality filter paper, which will separate the spent pods and Barchaeology Magazine 23
Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes Four Roses Single Barrel Category: Bourbon Whiskey Origin: USA Appearance: Light Mahogany Nose: dried apricots, dried figs, touch of nail polish, pineapple and mint. Palate: Med/full intensity. Spicy pepper notes on entry with fairly intense fruity notes of apricots, moving into honey, dry grass, dried pineapple and oak. Spicy character runs through the finish with more dried grass, dried figs and dried apricots.•
Johnnie Walker Double Black Category: Whiskey Origin: Scotland Appearance: Light Mahogany Nose: Fresh apple, toffee, soft peat, clove, leather and black tea. Palate: Medium intensity, medium sweetness. Notes of Dates, assam tea, dried figs, peat, soft vanilla, plumbs. Finish is medium length with further notes of tea, plumbs and peat.•
Brugal Añejo Category: Rum Origin: Dominican Republic Appearance: Amber Nose: Toasted coconut, creme brule, orange zest Palate: Semi sweet, oily, light/medium intensity. Toffee, dried cane, subtle cinnamon and dried figs. Finish is medium length with marshmallow and soft notes of oak.•
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Brugal Blanco Category: Rum Origin: Dominican Republic Appearance: Clear Nose: Woody, coconut hint of citrus and vanilla. Palate: Smooth, light intensity, mouth coating. Soft vanilla, coconut, sweet cane juice and a hint of lemon zest. Finish is medium length with vanilla and fresh cane juice.•
Zeeuwier Category: Genever Origin: Holland Appearance: Clear with hits of straw yellow. Nose: Medium open. Hints of bacon fat, lemon zest, dried fruits. Palate: Light intensity oily, salty, silty umami like. Notes of candied fruit angelica root, yellow rosehip. Finish is medium/short length.•
Paradyswyn Category: Genever Origin: Holland Appearance: Light/medium gold. Nose: Open, spicy, caraway, cassia bark, dried fruits, orange zest, apricot. Palate: Medium intensity, medium sweetness, smooth. Notes of apricot dried orange and grapefruit, malty, oaky with hints of liquorish, juniper and sandalwood. Finish is medium length with subtle honey notes.•
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Tasting Notes & Network Bevies
Tasting Notes Excellia Reposado Category: Tequila Origin: Mexico Appearance: Clear, pale yellow Nose: Honey, vanilla, oak, sandalwood. Palate: Medium sweet on entry. spicy. Medium intensity. Notes of vanilla, floral jasmine, earthy agave notes, hint of rose. finish is medium length, with white jasmine tea, sandalwood, tannin and vanilla.•
Excellia Blanco Category: Tequila Origin: Mexico Appearance: Clear, light straw yellow/gold. Nose: Agave, subtle white peach, cotton candy, touch of black tea and vanilla Palate: smooth, med. bodied, med intensity. Vanilla, darjeeling tea, subtle fruity notes of fresh peach, moves back to vanilla and earthy agave notes. Finish is medium length with complex notes of vanilla, agave and a touch of violet and leather.•
Excellia Añejo Category: Tequila Origin: Mexico Appearance: Clear, light gold Nose: Roasted agave, vanilla, honey, sandalwood, tobacco, cognac and a slight hint of cacao. Palate: Sweet on entry, spicy, medium/full intensity. Pepper, honey, oak tannin, hints of dark chocolate, damp autumn leaves. Finishes with notes of honey, hints of vanilla, tea, dry orange zest and leather.•
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Network Bevies Don Draper Glass: Old-fashioned glass Garnish: Orange zest Method: Shake all ingredients with ice and strain in a ice filled glass.
Ingredients: 50ml Rye 20ml Ruby port 10ml Mozart Dark 25ml Lemon Juice 10ml Simple Syrup Raw Organic Sugar
Note: Created by Fjalar Goud in Vesper, Amsterdam in 2010.•
Equinox Glass: Cocktail glass Garnish: None Method: Shake and fine strain
Ingredients: 50 Mililiters - Tanqueray 30 Mililiters - Chambord 15 Mililiters - Tabu Classic Strong Absinth
Note: Created by Andrew Nicholls while working at Herrie Bar in Amsterdam.•
Hot Frenchman’s Punch Glass: Coffee mug Garnish: cinnamon stick Method: Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass or teapot and allow to steep for approx. 3 minutes. Pour out through a tea-strainer into a heat-tempered handled mug or teacup. Note: Cocktail uploaded to the Barchaeology Network by Audrey Fort.•
Ingredients: 30ml G’vine 50ml Madeira (sweet, red) 60ml hot water 10ml lime juice 1 bsp honey 1 bsp Brown sugar 1 Cinnamon stick 1 sprig of coriander 1 slice of fresh ginger Grated nutmeg
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