HOUSE
TO N I C Spring Bouquet
Soho House’s Drink Maga zine Issue 9
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Silver Goose , p26 2 HOUSE TONIC
HOUSE TONIC
Editor’s Letter W
elcome to the ninth issue of house Tonic – a magazine for bartenders and people who love bars.
This issue, we’re looking at fortified wines and why we should all be drinking more of them, catching up on our latest inter-house cocktail competition with Woodford and finding out about how to win them from a man who knows – Sam kershaw, currently one of Bacardi’s Three Most Promising Bartenders for 2013. We’ve also got some exclusive punches, just in time for some warmer weather, plus our top bartenders’ favourite obscure tipples and the low-down on 9/10, a new drinks programme for 2013, all about making better drinks. if you'd like to join one of our bar teams around the world, email housetonic@sohohouse.com. Cheers! www.housetonic.com housetonic@sohohouse.com twitter.com/houseTonic Cover: Jamie Bevan
house Tonic covers: Soho houses new York, Toronto, London, Berlin, West hollywood and Miami, Shoreditch house, Cafe Boheme, BkB, The electric house and Diner, high road house, Pizza easts Portobello, kentish Town and Shoreditch, hoxton grill, Little house Mayfair, Dean Street Townhouse, Babington house, Cecconi’s restaurants in La, London and Miami, Chicken Shop and Dirty Burger.
Contents 4 aperitifs Booze News 6 aperitifs Woodford Cocktail Competition 8 at The bar Your Friendly Bartender, Kate Grutman 10 at The bar Spring Punch Recipes 12 at The bar Eight Great Drinks You’ve Never Heard Of 14 at The bar Nine-Out-Of-Ten 16 at The bar New York and Toronto Bar Shows 18 at The bar Grape Expectations
Editor: Rebecca Seal Design and Art Direction: Plus Agency Publisher: Dan Flower Thanks to: Gareth Jones, Caroline Boucher, Phoebe Strawson, Julia Taylor-Brown, Chris Ojeda, Martin Kuczmarski, Dylan Murray, Oli Juste, Tom Kerr, Michael Frohnwieser, Richard Arnold, Damian Samuels, Patrick Mang, Chris Tomsett, David Greig, Shannon Beattie, Ann Tunnerman, Jay Newell, Lilaj Battista, Jacki Spillane, Hayley Rinehart, Sam Kershaw, Dai Williams, Steven Joyce, Edward Wood, Marcin Liwarski, Lucy Lardner, Jolina Hoang, Sarah Simon and Arthur Woodcroft.
24 at The bar How to Win Cocktail Competitions 26 at The bar Grey Goose Bafta Party 28 Digestif Shorts 30 Digestif Rising Stars
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APERITIFS
Aspall Cyder By Nick Antonopoulos
The Noble Experiment Soho House New York bartenders travelled to Bushwick to check out The Noble Experiment and Bridget Firtle’s first foray into the world of distilling with Owney’s Rum (writes Julia Taylor-Brown). Owney’s rum Daiquiris in hand, Bridget regaled us with the story of her move from a career in finance to owning and operating her own distillery. Then we moved into the distilling room, where Bridget explained the various levels of barrel char, the purpose of char and the flavours infused in the alcohol (the higher the char, the more vanilla). She showed us her custom made Kothe equipment and let us taste the bootstrap molasses her rum is distilled from. After the tour was over, we sipped Owney’s Rum while Bridget pointed out the various flavours we should taste based on the processes she explained during our tour. On our way back to the city, in keeping with the theme, we made a quick stop in Williamsburg for some classic rum cocktails at the Hotel Delmano, a little bar off Bedford with a speakeasy vibe.
The 15-strong Soho House team were more than excited to check out this mystical place, Aspall Cyder in Suffolk, that we only knew of by their bottles of cider. We were greeted by the lovely Aspall team at their beautiful family house set in picturesque countryside, covered in snow and surrounded by a frozen moat. Inside we were ushered to a cosy room littered with amazing historical paintings of the family’s heritage, and given a cup of hot mulled cider next to the fire – we need that recipe! After everyone’s feet had been toasted and thawed by the fire we all got geared up to go on the tour of the production line. The dress code was somewhat unexpected: we were given what looked like scientists’ white jackets, a hard hat and some hairnets. They even had hairnets for the lads’ beards (the Italians loved this). Barry, one of the brothers, took us to the very first apple press brought in by his ancestors. It was very interesting to see how the workloads back then were significantly different from today. I’m sure modern-day cider manufacture doesn’t require a horse? In the modern factory there were two huge horizontally mounted drums rotating, being fed tons of apples which were crushed by hydraulic presses. The juice is sent to giant tanks where fermentation can take place. Each tank is named after a deceased member of the family, which adds a sense of pride and respect to this long chain of devout apple lovers. We then saw the bottling line and vinegar factory followed by the long-awaited cider tasting. Back in our favourite room we sat next to the fire to be greeted by the other brother Henry, who was just as excited as we were to try the cider range. We compared a range of products and brands we were familiar with to the Aspall range so we could see the differences certain manufacturing processes make. This made us really appreciate what these guys go through. Next, we sat at an enormous dining room table and enjoyed a delicious three-course meal with an abundance of cider accompanied by the brewers, a real treat. Did I mention the abundance of cider? Thanks Aspall!
Plymouth and Tonic Plymouth Gin, hand-crafted in the original copper-pot stills at England’s oldest working gin distillery, is the only gin to be consistently specified in the Savoy Cocktail Book. Known for its unique blend of botanicals combined with soft Dartmoor water, it goes perfectly with tonic… Playing host to the House Tonic Team, they spilled all on their historic techniques, gave a tutored tasting, and even let us have a go at distilling our own batch.
JJ Goodman London Cocktail Club creator JJ Goodman stopped by Shoreditch House to host a training. Talking about his time behind the bar, cocktail style and the cocktails served at LLC, he inspired us to get creative with our own drinks. His top advice on creating a drink? Always have a story. 4 HOUSE TONIC
NEWS
Sam Kershaw
House Tonic’s Seasonal Cocktail Right now, Soho House’s seasonal Grey Goose Cocktail is a Spring Cobbler, developed by Tom Kerr. It’s delicious and fresh, with light cumin and fruit flavours. You won’t see it on any of the menus, but if you ask a bartender, they’ll rustle one right up.
Huge congratulations to Sam Kershaw for finishing in the top three of the recent Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition. Joining Soho House as Bars Manager of Babington House 11 months ago, Sam has had a huge impact both at Babington and with the House Tonic programme. Sam reached the UK final after a spectacular performance in the South West regional heat and then made the Three Most Promising shortlist. He will spend the next year promoting his cocktail ‘Favourite Frost’ around the globe, with the chance of being named the Ultimate Winner in a year’s time. Read more from Sam about how to win cocktail competitions on page 24.
Latte Art
Spring Cobbler 50ml / 1 ¾ oz Grey Goose vodka 20ml / ¾ oz Mandarin Napoleon 5ml / 1/8 oz manzanilla sherry 10ml / ¼ oz Kümmel (spicy German cumin liqueur) ½ lemon Dash Peychaud’s bitters 5ml / 1/8 oz vanilla syrup
In partnership with LA coffee grinders, LAMILL, the West Hollywood gang have been getting some latte art instruction. Check out this latte bear by Kevin Bonito!
Muddle ½ lemon in a Boston tin then add all ingredients. Add cubed ice and shake. Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.
The Toronto Temperance Society The Soho House Toronto crew made their way over to the Toronto Temperance Society for a Sunday evening filled with rare cocktails, spirits and bartending style with bartender Robin Kaufman and the newest member of his team (from Angel’s Share in New York). Ali, Stephen, Olivia and Allyson sampled a variety of rare spirits and experimented with ingredients like yuzu and sake, not normally found behind our bars. We also learned some of the unusual techniques used by Angel’s Share like the Japanese hard shake. Sidenote: Drinks at the Toronto Temperance Society are made according to a stringent pre-1920s tradition that was nearly lost in North America during the years of prohibition. HOUSE TONIC 5
APERITIFS
Woodford Cocktail Competition Soho House’s Phoebe Strawson talks us through the runners and riders of the inter-house Woodfood cocktail competition. Photographs by Chris Tomsett
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very quarter at Soho House we get together for the House Tonic Cocktail Competition. Starting 18 months ago with Bacardi, we’ve come a long way to get to where we are today, and January saw our best yet. The latest competition was hosted by Woodford Reserve and held in Soho House’s Basement. The task of bartenders (as always) was to create a signature drink, but this time contestants had to work with the theme Great American Cocktails. With so many bartenders keen to enter, regional heats were held in Berlin, Babington, East, West and Central London (judged by House Tonic Ambassadors and trainer Joey Medrington), and by the day of the finals, our finalists were prepped and ready to go. 6 HOUSE TONIC
The culmination of trainings (held by Joey Medrington and American Whisky Ambassador Tom Vernon), regional heats and lots of hard work left us with 13 finalists and 13 fantastic drinks. From classy and elegant to theatrical, the calibre was at its highest yet with each drink holding its own. On the judging panel was Eric Lorincz (The Savoy), Victoria Wright (Bacardi), Tom Vernon and Gareth Jones (Soho House), who had the unenviable (or perhaps very enviable) job of selecting a winner. Once down to our top three, Dave Gerrans and Hideyuki Saito shared first place with identical scores. But there could only be one winner so it went to a tie break and coming out top was Hideyuki Saito from Electric House.
The overall winners were...
Winner Hideyuki Saito, Electric House Crow’s favourite 50ml /2¾ oz Woodford Reserve 25ml / ¾ oz Belhaven black beer 15ml / ½ oz sherry honey 5ml / ¼ oz fresh lemon juice 2 blackberries 3 dashes of chocolate bitters Shake and strain. Garnish with chocolate - flavoured Woodford Reserve flaming mist. Also dark chocolate and homemade sherry bourbon syrup on side. Serve in a small vintage mug.
DRAMBUIE COMPETITION
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“The task of bartenders (as always) was to create a signature drink, but this time contestants had to work with the theme Great American Cocktails”
Second place Dave Gerrans, Babington House
Third place Daniela Pollacci Garbi Hernandez, Electric House
The Son of Many Kentucky Spring 35ml / 1 ¾ oz Woodford Reserve 20ml / ¾ oz lemon 20ml / ¾ oz creme de peche 15ml / ½ oz cider syrup 6 mint leaves Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake and serve up in a chilled coup. Spray with “blue grass” spray, a mixture of 1:1 celery and cucumber juice, with a touch of Fernet Branca. To make the cider syrup, simply add equal parts of caster sugar and rough farmhouse cider together, stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, then add citric acid to the mix, enough to bring back some of the acidity of the cider, two teaspoons per 70cl bottle should do, but it depends on the cider.
60ml / 2 oz Woodford reserve 20ml / ¾ oz Byrrh 5ml / scant ¼ oz maraschino liquer 7ml / ¼ oz lemon juice 15ml / ½ oz grapefruit juice 20ml / ¾ oz lavender syrup
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Shake and strain. Garnish with a lavender sprig, serve in a vintage coupe A special mention also went to Petr Budac (Pizza East Shoreditch); despite being his first competition, he produced one of the best drinks of the night. A huge congratulations to everyone who entered, and to our first winners of 2013.
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A bottle of Woodford Hideyuki Saito Daniela Pollacci Garbi Hernandez
See housetonic.com for a video of the night. HOUSE TONIC 7
AT THE BAR
Your Friendly Bartender Kate Grutman Bars Manager, Soho House West Hollywood. Portrait by Creel Films
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hen I decided to part ways with college and come back home, having been at UC Berkeley for two years, my parents were like, OK, if you’re going to drop out of school and move home you then need to continue your education. So to their horror but no surprise, I enrolled myself in the National Bartending Academy in Korea Town, directly above the Brass Monkey (a hipster karaoke bar). I threw myself into the job and started reading everything I could get my hands on. Since then I’ve worked in some terrific bars around Los Angeles. First, I got a job at a very rugged beer and wine bar, 326, at the Farmers Market, which is an old LA institution. It was as rough-round-the-edges as they come, but I loved it. When I was about 25, I started working at Pizzeria Mozza, while it was opening, and there I got really invested in the wine programme, directed by David Rosoff. I had always been into the creative fields – I went to art school – and then wine found its way into my life, and I fell in love with it. This was the best foundation for moving forward in the spirits industry, especially with regard to learning how to taste and understand spirits at their most basic level. At the time, Soho House’s creative bar director Chris Ojeda worked there too, along with Eric Alperin (from the Doheny and the Varnish), who had come from Milk and Honey in New York. Then Eric and I went to open the Doheny for Cedd Moses and 213 Company. They had wrangled brilliant mixologists to open the joint – which is what everyone was calling them at the time – Marcos Tellos, Eric, and Vincenzo Marianella and run by Aidan Demarest, all of whom were then or have now become groundbreakers in the industry in LA. I was a manager, but I also was involved in the spirits programme, as much as I could be. I learned so much there – from about how to open a place from the ground up, to the social and creative sides of the business, and got an across-the-board education in booze, cocktail history, and the process of concoction. Within a year, we all went off to do own own things and I ended up going to SLS Hotel, part of the Starwood group, and opened the Bazaar for Jose Andreas. Then I got the opportunity to work at the Tar Pit, alongside amazing LA bartenders and under the wing of Chad Solomon. About a year or so later, I opened and managed the bar programme at Sotto, with Julian Cox. I managed that for about a year. It was great because we were a small team – it was very much thelittle-engine-that-could of new bars in LA at the time. Everything was 8 HOUSE TONIC
Italian-centric and very cool. Next, I happened to meet the owner of the famous Formosa Cafe one night, which at the time was kind of an old run-down bar that hadn’t been changed since the 1930s, falling apart at the seams, but somewhere everyone loved to go. I offered to revamp the bar which entailed curating the cocktail menus from the 1930s to the present, including what the stars would drink there, and trained their existing staff, some of whom had been there over 30 years. Chris Ojeda has always been a friend of mine and he’s one of the most stand-up guys in the industry. A few months ago he called me to see if I wanted to come and check out the Soho House West Hollywood space and we talked about managing the bar. I fell in love. It’s been nothing short of wonderful and challenging to work here. There’s so much to learn and everyone has been so welcoming. I’m so grateful to be a part of the family. I think the world of Chris and what he has created here. I am in awe of the groundwork he laid, and the vision he’s so respectfully and proudly maintained. He’s an amazing friend and boss and has the biggest heart. I’ve never worked anywhere like it and I’m so happy to get the chance to work with Shelley Armistead, because what she is is very much a part of what inspires me – the way she works, her vision and aesthetics. And as a woman in this industry she is someone I so admire. She’s smart and interesting and works so hard, which infects everyone and is brilliant. Along with her and Chris Ojeda, I’m lucky to have had some great mentors in my career. One is Chad Solomon, who has been one of my biggest influences. He’s this wisecracking smartass, and a genius bartender who worked at the Pegu Club and Milk and Honey in New York and now has a high-end events company, Cuffs and Buttons. I pick his brain constantly. He always says, “Listen Sister, I don’t want to ever hear you say, ‘I’ve arrived’,” which is so true. It’s easy to get a job in a great place or get recognition and think, “This is it”. But I would watch him continue to study and read and push himself and see that that was the right way. So my advice now is to be humble, work hard on your craft, always try to better yourself and your staff. And don’t take any crap. Want to join one of our bar teams around the world? Email housetonic@sohohouse.com or see www.housetonic.com
FRIENDLY BARTENDER
“I fell in love with Soho House West Hollywood, it’s such a great space, so cool and run very, very well. It’s been nothing short of incredible and overwhelming and exciting to work here” HOUSE TONIC 9
AT THE BAR
Spring Punch Winter is leaving the building and spring is edging its way in. What better way to celebrate than with a delicious spring-time punch? We asked top Soho House bartenders to serve us something special. Illustrations by Lucy Lardner
Myles Donneky, High Road House
Damian Szyjduk, Pizza East Portobello
The Creole Tea Punch Serves 4
Portobello Spring Makes 2 litres of punch, enough for 8 people
The Creole Ti Punch (‘Ti’ pronounced ‘Tea’) is a rustic rum punch very popular in the French-speaking Caribbean Islands. The classic recipe uses rhum agricole, lime juice and sugar (which is sometimes flavoured). My twist on this punch is that it is served in a teapot because of the use of ‘Ti’ in the cocktail’s name. This is a trend that is very popular in the industry at the moment, as bartenders find new and quirky vessels to hold their drinks in...The teapot is a nice vessel for this drink because it takes a rustic rum punch and makes it very civilised.
500ml / 17 oz Bacardi white rum 100ml / 3 ½ oz crème de cassis 500ml / 17 oz prosecco 200ml / 7 oz fresh orange juice 200ml / 7 oz pineapple juice 4 kiwi fruit ½ a fresh pineapple 100ml / 3 ½ lemon juice 100g / 3 ½ oz caster sugar Edible flowers to garnish
240ml / 8 oz Clément V.S.O.P. rhum agricole 120ml / 4 oz freshly squeezed lime juice 40ml / 1 ¼ oz Monin passion fruit syrup 40ml / 1 ¼ oz Velvet Falernum 4 bar spoons caster sugar 8 dashes Creole bitters Mix all ingredients. Present in a teapot, with ice, and serve in teacups with saucers. Garnish with mint and a sugar cube. 10 HOUSE TONIC
Chop the fresh kiwis and pineapple into small cubes and place them in a punch bowl (or large pitcher). Add the Bacardi, crème de cassis and juices and mix it with fruits. Stir all ingredients gently until the sugar is dissolved and leave in the fridge for one hour, covered with cling film. Take out just before serving and add the prosecco. Pour the punch into ice-filled glasses (Collins glasses are perfect). Garnish with seasonal flowers.
Spring Punch
Stephanie Rainbow, Little House Mayfair Little House Tea-time Punch Serves 2-3
David Gerrans, Babington House An Ode to Punch Serves 4 “You may talk of brisk Claret, Sing praises of Sherry, Speak well of old Hock, Mum, Cider and Perry; But you must drink Punch if you mean to be Merry.” I found this 18th century song in David Wondrich’s book ‘Punch’, a good a starting point after being asked to contribute a punch recipe for this issue of House Tonic. I always like to base my concoctions around historical quotes or stories, and I thought this had a nice ring to it. It also lists many different types of booze. I happen to enjoy the odd drink, I also happen to enjoy many different types of booze; to be more precise; claret, sherry, hock (German wine), mum (German strong beer), cider and perry. The only thing missing from this list, then, was a base spirit. As punch was supposedly invented in England, I thought I’d use that quintessentially English tipple, gin – we were massively addicted to it for a while, so why not bring the craze back? Instead of using modern day claret, I chose a dark rosé. The claret or ‘clairet’ that was imported from France during the 12th to 15th century was originally – a now uncommon – dark rosé. As for ‘old Hock’, sweet vermouth is a slightly more palatable replacement. 120ml / 4 oz Bombay dry gin 80ml / 2 ½ oz Martini Rosso 60ml / 2 oz fino sherry 60ml / 2 oz dark rosé wine 60ml / 2 oz cider syrup 40ml / 1 ¼ oz water Nutmeg Lemon and pear slices to garnish Build all ingredients in a bowl over ice, and garnish with lemon and pear slices with a grating of nutmeg sprinkled on top. To make the cider syrup, simply add equal parts of caster sugar and rough farmhouse cider together, stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, then add citric acid to the mix, just enough to bring back some of the acidity of the cider (two teaspoons per 70cl bottle should do, but it depends on the cider). This is the perfect drink to whip out in a thermos on a long brisk spring walk, or to be shared after a tedious day at work. As for the strong German beer in my recipe, it works best as a chaser.
120ml / 4 oz Bombay Sapphire gin 45ml / 4 ½ oz crème de apricot 30ml / 1 oz crème de figgue 75ml / 2 ½ lemon juice 60ml / 2 oz apple and rhubarb puree (made in house) 9-10 dashes Angostura bitters 6 bar spoons superfine sugar 2 star anise Garnish with sliced cucumber and whole star anise Build in tin, quick hard shake with ice to mix and bruise the star anise. Single strain into a large teapot with as large a cut block of ice as will fit in the teapot. Throw 5-6 slices of cucumber and 3 star anise into the teapot for good measure and serve with cups and extra cucumber slices. Best served at high tea or for a garden party, madhatter style.
Adam Baca, Soho House New York Mountain Monk Punch Serves 1 1 oz / 30ml gin infused with Mountain Berry Tea ¾ oz / 25ml sweet vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula ½ oz / 15ml Licor Cuarenta Y Tres (43) ½ oz / 15ml Chartreuse 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters 3 dashes orange bitters Mix all, ice and top with club soda.
Kate Grutman, Soho House West Hollywood Spring Punch Serves 1 ¾ oz / 45ml fresh lime ¾ oz / 45ml simple syrup ¾ oz / 45ml Martini and Rossi Bianco vermouth (infuse with jasmine green tea leaves for 15 mins, then strain) 1 ½ oz / 45ml dry gin Mix and garnish with orchid. HOUSE TONIC 11
AT THE BAR
Eight Great Drinks You’ve Never Heard Of... We asked our top bartenders to tell us about their favourite obscure ingredients.
Ben Fitzgerald, Dean Street Townhouse Jenever
one of my favourite unusual products is Jenever, which as you probably know, is what gin is derived from. it was invented by a Dutch chemist called Sylvius de Bouve. it is rich in flavour with the huge presence of juniper and corn. it’s an acquired taste if you’re a traditional gin lover but if you embrace the harsh and sometimes unrefined beauty of jenever it is very enjoyable. it’s great in a rembrandt cocktail: 40ml / 1 ¼ oz Jenever 15ml / ½ oz Martini Dry 10ml / ¼ oz Drambuie and a dash of orange bitters. Stir and serve in a coupette with a lemon twist to garnish.
Christopher Cooper, Soho House sommelier
Lambrusco di Sorbara ‘Vecchia Modena’ Cleto Chiarli, Emilia Romagna, Italy NV Would you like to join one of Soho House’s bar teams and get to go on great trips? Email housetonic@sohohouse.com or visit www.housetonic.com 12 HOUSE TONIC
Yes it’s a Lambrusco, but not as you or i know it! This sparkling rosé rocks and amazes everyone who tastes it blindly. For those who know Lambrusco it’s almost laughingly tasted out of nostalgia, although people are almost always instantly impressed by this, one of the best and most drinkable frivolous fizzy rosé wines from italy. (available by the glass at Pizza east Shoreditch too…)
EIGHT GREAT DRINKS
Juan Sevilla, Soho House New York Maurin Quina le Puy
There’s a product that caught my attention a couple years ago called Maurin Quina le Puy, which sits in the fortified wine category. It’s made from wild cherries, bitter almonds, quinine and noble wines. You can make a nice variation of a Manhattan with it. I asked Maurice Chavellier III, the man responsible for introducing it to bars on the West Coast, what he thought it mixes well with. He recommends trying it in an Opera cocktail, replacing Dubonnet with Maurin Quina. A bartender named Damion Windsor introduced the cocktail to him. 1 ½ oz / 45ml gin ½ oz / 15ml Maurin Quina ¼ oz / 7.5ml maraschino liqueur 3 dashes orange bitters Stir and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange peel.
Rick Nani, Soho Beach House Miami Galliano Ristretto
Chris Ojeda, Soho House West Hollywood, Creative bar director Falernum
Here is Don the Beachcomber’s recipe for a Mai Tai that has a totally different flavour profile because of the addition of absinthe and falernum – two ingredients you don’t think of when mixing a Mai Tai. Falernum is a classic ingredient used in tiki cocktails which gives flavours of clove, ginger, and lime zest. 1 ½ oz / 45ml dark rum 1 oz / 30ml Jamaican rum such as Smith & Cross ¾ oz / 20ml lime juice 1 oz / 30ml grapefruit juice ¼ oz / 7ml falernum ½ oz / 15ml curacao 2-4 dashes Angostura bitters 1 dash absinthe Whip dry and pour into rocks glass. Top with pebble ice and garnish with large bouquet of mint.
Sam Kershaw, Babington House Malibu Snowflake
If I had to be honest, I’d say that after years under the influence of Craig Harper and being around some Scottish bartenders I have a certain appreciation for Malibu. A great friend of mine got me a bottle of Malibu Snowflake: it has a clear bit on the front with bits of dessicated coconut inside so if you shake it it’s like one of those snow-scene things you had as a kid. It’s not getting opened anytime soon!
We have a Galliano ristretto, espresso flavoured, which makes a great espresso martini with a nice espresso foam on top. Delicious.
Ali Winch, Soho House Toronto Poire William
I love Poire William. It is surprisingly versatile and works great alongside cognac, gin, and in my favourite cocktail, the Boulevardier. It isn’t the easiest to find a good quality Poire William here. I imported ours via producer Maison Edmond Briottet from France. It’s made from William pears from the Rhone Valley, picked at maturity, in late October, and macerated in sugar for about 6 weeks. This is followed by distillation and bottle ageing. It’s powerful and sweet – wonderful neat or over ice, as well. Ours looks great on the shelf, with its golden pear and beautiful glass bottle.
Tom Kerr, Electric House and Diner Belhaven
Belhaven is a Scottish stout which was launched in 2012 so it’s new on the market and is full of flavour, bursting with roast coffee and chocolate notes. Belhaven uses Scottish water and Scottish triple malts. We have replaced Guinness and gone with this new fantastic stout, the staff and members love it and its versatility means it works well in mixed drinks, is great with cocktails and of course by the pint.
HOUSE TONIC 13
AT THE BAR
Nine-out-of-ten Nine-out-of-ten is a new Soho House initiative, born out of a get-together in Chicago early in 2013. The team decided that this year is all about getting better throughout the company, at all levels and in all areas, with each person assigned special areas of responsibility, aiming to get their areas to score 9/10 by 2013 (a perfect 10 is impossible to achieve, so 9 points is the sweet spot). Thomas Lennard has been tasked with working on drinks in general and coffee specifically, collaborating closely with Chris Ojeda in LA and Tom Kerr in London. Here, he explains more about his plans, from draught cocktails to reverse osmosis. Photographs by Dai Williams
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This is an exciting time to be looking at drinks within the company. As far as coffee goes, we already have a great house blend from UK, which we are very happy with. We’re also starting to work with Caravan Coffee, a London-based roaster with a couple of restaurants too, on a filter coffee for the Electric. Coffee is very fast paced now, with lots of little places in London opening up where they do their own roasting. The US is ahead of the UK as far as that kind of coffee goes, and so in the UK we can really learn a lot from what’s happening there. We’re in the process of redesigning the roof of Shoreditch House and have been getting great advice from Chris Ojeda and Caravan on things like reverse osmosis water purification systems,
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which fit under our new coffee machines, and the best machines and grinders to get. What we’ve gone for is really the Bentley of coffee equipment! We want great baristas who will make great coffee, and we’ve realised that having great equipment is one of the best ways to attract gifted baristas. We want two baristas who will have a real presence in the Shoreditch building, and who will help spread our coffee culture. In the end, we want our coffee to be so good that people will take it away with them. Looking at drink more broadly, I’m again working very closely with, and championing the work of, Chris Ojeda and Tom Kerr, who are our cocktail gurus and far more knowl-
edgeable than me, and Christopher Cooper, our brilliant sommelier. We’re going to extend our craft beer range as it’s a huge trend at the moment that people are getting more and more into and Christopher gave us a brilliant presentation on how he’s going to shake up the wine lists. Speed is the thing, but without compromising on quality – our target is to get drinks out in three minutes and on that, we’ve learnt a lot from the new Electric. There, we have a Deli Bar, meaning there is one person just doing dispense, very quickly, and we’ve designed a bar that makes dispensing drinks much more efficient. There will be a Deli Bar on the new rooftop at Shoreditch too – opening in April – as well as a Jug Bar (a lot of our
THOMAS LENNARD
Martin Kuczmarski and Thomas Lennard have a quick tipple
ideas are being tested at Shoreditch House, purely because it’s just been redesigned). This will be poolside, and where guests will be able to get a jug of wine, beer or cocktails, which will help hugely in the summer when it gets incredibly busy. And how do you make jugs of cocktails really fast? We’re actually bringing something over from the US that hardly anyone else does in the UK: cocktails on draught. We’re not going to do it everywhere or even with all of our cocktails, but in a place like a roof bar, its all about consistency and above all speed.
Cheers!
“We want great baristas who will make great coffee, and we’ve realised that having excellent equipment is one of the best ways to attract gifted baristas”
Would you like to join one of Soho House’s bar teams? Email housetonic@sohohouse. com or visit www.housetonic.com HOUSE TONIC 15
AT THE BAR
New York and Toronto Bar Shows
The House Tonic Bar Show held in London late last year was a great success, and so House Tonic has taken the initiative stateside. We report back from the Bar Shows in Toronto and New York. Photographs by Jake Merrill and Christian Carter
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the North American debut of the Soho House Bar Show took place in New York, hosted by our creative bar director Chris Ojeda and House Tonic manager Julia Taylor-Brown, in conjunction with the Bacardi Dream Team: Ben Carlotto, Colin Appiah, Adrian Biggs and Danielle Frank. The whole plan was to give as many people as much access as possible to focused training and hands-on time with the brands we work with most. We were able to Shake our Styles with Ben, learning how to best maximize speed, ice and technique to attain the perfect shake temperature. We learnt all about maturation with Colin. Chris taught us the art of hand-chipping ice and Adrian went in depth into the world of dark spirits. Our Speed Competition winners were Casey Tizeo and
Ezekiel Barrera who both won gift certificates to Cocktail Kingdom. Big ups to them! The Dream Team was reunited shortly after, this time in Toronto, for another day of shaking, stirring, chipping and learning, matching the skills showcased in New York. Our Canadian Speed Competition winners were Allyson Pratt and Thomas Benedicto – congratulations you speed demons! LA and Miami, you’re up next! And a big thank you to bar managers Juan Sevilla and Ali Winch, and head bartender Felix Perez for their help putting this event together. Keep your eyes on www.housetonic.com for dates for the next bars shows in the US and later in the year for the second annual London show.
BAR SHOWS
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Allyson Pratt, Toronto’s speed comp winner Casey Tizeo and Ezekiel Barrera Adrian Biggs teaches about wood maturation Ben, Colin, Chris and Adrian Colin Appiah toasting to Benedictine Spirits to work with Adrian in New York Gin category training in Toronto
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HOUSE TONIC 17
AT THE BAR
01 Valdespino El Cadado Pedro Ximenez Black Sherry
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GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
Grape
Expectations This issue we’re hearing from two of Soho House’s wine experts on different sides of the pond. Christopher Cooper, UK sommelier, is on a mission to get us all drinking more fortified wines, while Jaimee Anderson has recommendations from the new wine list she has devised for Soho House West Hollywood’s guests and the low-down on her new wine-training programme for staff there. Glass photographs by Jamie Bevan
HOUSE TONIC 19
AT THE BAR
02 Christopher Cooper
03 The Douro valley, where port is made
“The basic principle of a fortified wine is to take a white or a red wine, add natural grape alcohol, age the wine for a certain period and bottle with a higher alcohol”
Christopher Cooper: wine + spirit = fortified Sherry and fortified wines have long been the joke of the wine industry and though a ubiquitous part of our menu listings in most restaurants, they kind of get forgotten about as a serious alternative to a glass of wine. For those of us in the wine industry, we love them and give them the respect they deserve, but outside of wine circles people just don’t get it. So have they had their day? Although fortified wine can be such a dreary subject and the process of making them is a bit boring and complicated, the end result is anything but. The basic principle of a fortified wine is to take a white or a red wine, add natural grape alcohol, age the wine for a certain period and bottle with a higher alcohol; though there’s usually all sorts of other steps in between which makes each fortified style completely different. So they’re pretty much all the same and yet all completely different: sherry has a huge spectrum of flavours 20 HOUSE TONIC
from the driest, to the the most treacle-rich dessert-wine styles. Madeira is dry and rich and full flavoured, while Marsala is for much more than just cooking with, as there are some great examples above cooking- grade styles. And port wine? Well, they’re much more exciting now than they ever were, with such diversity in flavours, styles and price ranges. Selling sherry in tapas bars is easy and pushing the port at Christmas-time is classic stuff, but trying to recommend fortified wines at any other time is like climbing Everest. People just don’t get it. The stigma of sherry and the image of fortified wines as a whole are so old-fashioned that they may even be dying out…? Or are they? Could it be that now they’re so un-cool that they’re cool again? I believe so. No longer is Oloroso the sole tipple of choice for Grandma (its not all about Harvey’s Bristol Cream). Hopefully the growing culture of tapas and small plates dining is increasing the awareness of Manzanilla as a great food matching wine. And that Pedro
Ximinez is an amazing dessert wine alternative to go with chocolate, and that a chilled tawny port tastes great on a barmy summer evening...I even think that Marsala is the new port, so go on… try it (next time you’re in Pizza East)! Bartenders and waiters are becoming increasingly knowledgable about these wines and gone are the days of bottles of port sitting on backbars for weeks, months if not years, gathering dust and un-palateable flavours. They’re now considered, exciting and served in cool glasses and at the correct temperature, by knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. Geek is the new chic and for sure sherry and port wines have had that stigma for a long time so don’t be afraid to think outside the white-or-red box, as there’s a whole world of wine out there to be discovered. Put your preconceptions aside and have a taste. You’ll be surprised. Drink Up!
GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
04 Sherry ageing in old wooden barrels in Jerez, Spain
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Fortified Wines Sherry – coming from Jerez in Spain and mostly made from the Palomino grape, these wines can be light, dry, nutty, aged, rich or even dessert-wine like in flavour; so the variety is enormous. Fino – light and crisp (dry) Manzanilla – citrussy and refreshing (dry) Palo Cortado – nutty and refreshing (dry) oloroso – earthy and fruity (dry to medium) amontillado – spicy and rich (dry to medium) Pedro Ximinez – rich and dried fruit (medium to really sweet) Port – generally made from red wine made along the Douro in northern Portugal, port wine has such a variety of styles that
it’s no longer just a digestif or an accompaniment to cheese. ruby – Soft, fruity and very easy-going Tawny – can be 10, 20 or 40 years old; dry, spicy and nutty LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) – more serious and powerful Vintage – the top quality standard with greater intensity and depth Madeira – coming from the island of Madeira off the coast of Portugal, this fortified wine is not just for cakes. rich and refreshing and a great alternative to sherry Marsala – from Sicily, this fortified wine behaves a lot like a tawny port and can be dry, nutty or rich depending on the style
Five steps to great service You know this already i’m sure, but please please please… 1. Sherry should always chilled, in a decent glass and freshly opened 2. Chill your tawny port… it rocks!
3. always date the bottles as you would do with wine 4. They’re not just aperitifs and digestifs…they’re great with food 5. use a Vac-u-Vin pump and stopper to keep the wine fresh for the next day
HOUSE TONIC 21
AT THE BAR
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GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
“The goal behind our new wine list is to have a unique selection of terroir-driven wines that are from all over the world and are also under $100”
Jaimee Anderson: Wine at Soho House West Hollywood First up, a few recommendations for wines to try, should you be in the neighbourhood. The goal behind our new wine list is to have a unique selection of terroir-driven wines that are from all over the world and are also under $100. We still have our reserve list with our expensive wines, but on the back of our main menu, we feature more affordable wines. You’re talking to a Burgundy girl at heart, so I’m starting with our 2007 Aurelien Verdet pinot noir from Le Prieure vineyard in the Hautes-Cotes-de-Nuits appellation. Aurelien Verdet’s father was one of the pioneers of organic viticulture in the early 1970s and Le Prieure vineyard has been certified so since 1971. Minerally driven, delicate and feminine, yet with a concentrated palette, this wine has all the Burgundian nuance and at a great price point. The friendly acidity also provides balance and exceptional versatility for food pairing. This selection is for those who love some funk in their wines. My next recommendation is...wait for it... another pinot noir. Except this one is from the famed Willamette Valley of Oregon and sourced from the sub-region of Eola-Amity Hills. The 2011 Evening Land Vineyards pinot noir is my second selection for our members to try. The fruit is slightly deeper in this pinot, with plush red berry that evolves into black cherry. The tannins are silky, but purposeful with a slightly smoky finish that mir-
rors nuances found in the aromatics. This is for our members who aren’t quite “French” but aren’t quite “California” either. My final recommendation would be our new Rioja. The 2005 Vina Herminia Reserva is the newest tempranillo to grace the Soho House West Hollywood menu. This wine has all the heart and dust of Rioja, with a little more extraction. Some garnacha added to the blend provides roundness and warmth that are preceded by oak nuances of vanilla and spice. This wine is the real deal and it also provides our guests with the opportunity to experience a wine with a little more age on it without bruising any chequebooks. Staff Training I’ve been holding weekly wine trainings for the staff. Each session focuses on a particular region or grape varietal. So for France, I’ve created a Wine 101 pack for the staff, breaking down each appellation in France and listing the grape varietals legally allowed to be produced in that appellation. It was so they could better understand the AOC system and to be able to establish the grape varietal when they saw the appellation, for instance: Vouvray = chenin blanc, Chablis = chardonnay. My goal every week is to apply two concepts to the tasting: 1. Terroir and 2. Old World vs New World. I selected these two themes to revisit during every session because they help remind the staff to pay attention to the different flavours, aromatics, and
textures of the wines they’re tasting. It also allows me to focus on famous soil types, climatic conditions, and nearby waterways that influence the overall style of the wine. The second concept, Old World vs New World, is also meant to bring attention to how wines are labelled and classified. In addition, we’re always touching on wine-making techniques, the use of oak, and how to properly taste and serve wine. Last week we did Bordeaux vs California meritage. While focusing on Bordeaux, I broke down the famous appellations of each bank, the famous chateaux, phyloxxera, and the classification of 1855. We tasted our cabernet-based blend from Margaux and then immediately hopped over to our cabernet from Napa for them to taste. We’ve done chardonnay, where we tasted white Burgundy vs Sonoma. The goal was to showcase the versatility of the chardonnay grape and to rise above the idea that all chardonnays are butterbombs. Prior to that we had a sparkling wine tasting where we illustrated the clear difference between prosecco and a proper Champagne. That training was quite the treat as we got to open up a bottle of Krug from our reserve list to even further establish the complexity of high-end Champagne.
Would you like to get behind one of Soho House’s bars around the world? Email housetonic@sohohouse.com or visit www.housetonic.com HOUSE TONIC 23
AT THE BAR
HOW TO WIN Cocktail Competitions Sam Kershaw from Babington House just made it as one of the ‘Three Most Promising’ in the Bacardi Legacy UK finals this year, and will be spending the next 12 months trying to make his cocktail, Favourite Frost, the overall winner. So who better to fill us all in on how to shine in a cocktail competition?
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hese days cocktail competitions represent an amazing sideline for the professional bartender. We get to be creative with the world’s best brands; to network; to get a national or even international reputation as a fine drinksmith; to make amazing friends and travel to exotic locations at someone else’s considerable expense; to line our shelves at home with free booze; to make our mark on the fine career we have chosen and perhaps the ultimate recognition – to create a cocktail that will exist long after you have called it a day! Nowadays, it’s not just about the drink – finishing atop the podium is a validation of your all-round bartending ability. Before the competition Ask yourself: who is putting on the competition and what are they looking for? What are you looking to achieve from participating? What kind of drink do you think will do well? Who are the judges – know them and research
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them if possible? What style of drink do you think will suit the base spirit best? Stirred, shaken, Sour, aperitif, digestif, Collins etc? Begin with the base spirit and always a minimum of 50ml / 1¾ oz. If not, say why not. Brands want to see volume from cocktails – 50ml = 14 cocktails in a bottle, 25ml = 28 cocktails in a bottle. But if they are proposing to take you away on a fancy trip somewhere then they’ll expect a good slug of their booze in your drink. Besides, boozy drinks ALWAYS taste better, no? Research the brand, and any other brands you are using. Even if points are not available it is good practice to know as much as you can remember on all the liquids you use – it increases your own knowledge and you’ll be able to answer any curveball questions. If you are in a Bacardi comp and use a gin in your drink too, use one from the Bacardi portfolio. It will show knowledge of the range. The same goes for other brands’ portfolios. If using a competitor’s product say why. Regardless of how you feel about the
brand in question from the time you turn up at the venue until the moment you leave, it’s your favourite spirit. Tell the judges about how and why it’s so good. Be genuine. (If you hate it that much, do yourself a favour and don’t compete.) Ensure the base or sponsored spirit sings in your drink. Not using enough or pairing it with unfriendly flavours will not work out. If the drink uses healthy amounts of bitters, Campari or vermouths be careful. Avoid rude or risque names for your drink. The name should tie into or symbolise the style of the drink, as in a Pear Collins: a Collins style drink flavoured with pear for example. Remember during your presentation to drop the drink’s name three times: once is polite, twice is professional, three times is perfect. Save the third for the prestige, when you present the cocktail at the end. Simplicity is often the key. There is logic as to why the best most enduring cocktails are simple: they are easier to replicate and balance. An eight-ingredient drink will be tough to balance. Sticking to four or five ingredients
COCKTAIL COMPETITIONS
Sam’s Winning Drink
Favourite Frost 50ml / 1¾ oz Bacardi Superior 25ml / ¾ oz pineapple-infused kamm & Sons 15ml / ½ oz Martini Bianco 15ml / ½ oz fresh lime 2 Japanese bar spoons caster sugar 2 dashes Bitter Truth grapefruit egg white Pre-shake, shake with ice, fine strain into a dainty coupe. Finish with a grapefruit zest snapped, rimmed and stemmed then discarded.
01 Sam Kershaw, right, with co-finalists Nelson Bernades and Tom Walker
will help you work with the spirit, rather than adding and adding to mask mistakes. if there is a time limit on the delivery of the cocktail, practise your act and time yourself, even video yourself on your phone and play it back. it may seem vain, but you’ll be able to analyse your strengths and weaknesses a whole lot better, cut out unnecessary chat and streamline your performance. ensure that the cocktail is sold to the judges accurately: for instance, if it’s a Manhattan twist then saying it’s a perfect anytime drink is far off the mark. On the Day if possible, take the day off work and definitely don’t get drunk the night before. instead, visualise your cocktail from start to finish. Make a complete list of all the wet and dry goods you’ll need. The night before, assemble them and tick them off. Booze, pour spouts, fruit, knives, chopping boards, tea towels, glasses, napkins or anything that you need, bring with you. getting to the venue expecting to find everything you need is preparing to fail. rocking up late and under-prepared will set you in a spin of panic. remember the best competition bartenders will be relaxed and confident, not running around trying to find a dragonfruit or something. (Don’t drink before you compete!) Set the station up exactly how you’d like it. For example, arrange your cocktail ingredients on one side of the bar, front facing, and then as you use each one place on the opposite side. This way you’ll know exactly
what you’ve used at any given point. Make sure your glass is chilled, in a fridge or with ice, that your garnishes are prepared and that everything you need is within arm’s reach. Pour a glass of water/top up for the judges. Treat the judge or judges as a customer in your bar; the more attentive you are the better they’ll remember you. Look hard at your technique; this is a strong scoring area these days. eliminate spillages and be specific in the way that you add ingredients to the shaker tin or glass. Try to find out about the venue’s ice, that way you can tailor the serve to your own bar’s ice. Does your stirring technique look elegant and purposeful or cackhanded? is your shaking style effective? A Note on Ner ves Cocktail competitions, or any situation where you are presenting in front of people, are pretty nerve-wracking. even the most seasoned competition tenders can still get nervous, spill their lines, get the shakes. embrace it. it happens to us all; make a joke of it – everyone has and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. With everything done beforehand you can concentrate on talking clearly, working the judges and crowd. The calmer and more focused you stay, the easier it will be. it’s very easy to be overcome by nerves and see your carefully worded presentation descend into all-out waffle. ask the judges beforehand to tell you when you have specific amounts of time remaining, and aim to finish with time to spare, say 30 seconds.
The Prestige This is the moment when you present the cocktail to the judges for their first sip. a simple slainte, enjoy, or bottoms up will always establish the point without being too witty or cocky. always thank the judges for their time and ask if they have any questions for you. or judge the judges and sign off accordingly. always clean your cocktail tins and tidy up the station and bar top before you leave. Winners and Losers There is always one definite that will occur in each and every competition you enter. not everyone will win. Sometimes you won’t win. one of the absolute attributes a bartender must possess is that of humility; not winning a competition is the perfect time to demonstrate it. ask other competitors for their feedback on your performance; ask a friend to video it for you and playback later and analyse. ask the judges for their constructive feedback on your performance and cocktail. if you do win, don’t gloat or boast about it; no-one will like you for it. Be genuinely pleased, after all, you’ve just beaten a very experienced field of competition bartenders. grab a beer and chat with your fellow tenders, as this is one of the best opportunities to network in our industry. Would you like to get behind one of Soho House’s bars around the world? Email housetonic@sohohouse.com or visit www.housetonic.com HOUSE TONIC 25
AT THE BAR
grey goose
BaFTa ParTY Grey Goose Vodka and Harvey Weinstein celebrate at Little House
Silver Goose inspired by the movie Silver Linings Playbook a twist on the classic hemingway cocktail, this fresh and aromatic martini combines grey goose L’orange, pink grapefruit, maraschino and spicy pimento bitters 2 parts grey goose L’orange 1 part Maraschino liqueur 2 ½ parts freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice 1 dash Dale Degroff’s Pimento Bitters Combine ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake and double strain into a coupe glass. garnish with pink grapefruit peel.
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hings got seriously starry when harvey Weinstein and Stephen Fry got together just before the BaFTas in London, to celebrate the BaFTa-nominated movie Silver Linings Playbook and raise money for Fry’s charity MinD. Weinstein and Fry played hosts for the night, welcoming Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, both nominated for BaFTas for their performances in the film, which was also nominated for best adapted screenplay. (Jennifer Lawrence had already won the best actress golden globe and a Screen actors guild award for her performance.) guests were served grey goose Le Fizzes and a selection of other cocktails from the grey goose awards Season Collection, all overseen by Joe McCanta, grey goose global ambassador. “it was such a brilliant night,” he says. “i even hopped on the piano and played for a little bit!” (Who knew Joe has a secret history as a jazz pianist?!) Dinner was followed by speeches from Weinstein and Fry, who had just arrived after performing
in Twelfth night at a theatre in the West end. other guests included gemma arterton, Thandie newton, Jack Whitehall, gemma Chan, anya hindmarch, Jeffrey Wright, kelly Brook, zawe ashton, gurinda Chadha, Claudia Winkleman, elisabeth Murdoch with Matthew Freud and holly Valance with nick Candy. along with the cocktails, they also got treated to Little house goodies like quinoa and blood orange salad, hot smoked salmon or the famous mac ‘n’ cheese.
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GREY GOOSE
Grey Goose Le Blanc a fizzy aperitif cocktail with two French classics at its heart: grey goose Vodka and noilly Prat vermouth, rounded off with a touch of aromatic ginger. 2 parts grey goose Vodka 1 part noilly Prat dry vermouth 1 wedge of freshly squeezed lemon juice Splash of ginger ale Build in a wine glass filled with cubed ice.
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Drinks served to guests on arrival Grey Goose’s Le Blanc A corner of Little House
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Harvey Weinstein The Little House crew Joe McCanta from Grey Goose
Would you like to get behind one of Soho House’s bars around the world? Email housetonic@sohohouse.com or visit www.housetonic.com HOUSE TONIC 27
DIGESTIF
02 Oli Juste
“Remember, they are your staff, part of your team and it is your role to manage them. Don’t be surprised if they don’t manage themselves!”
01 Training underway
Oli Juste’s Words of Wisdom Oli is head of learning and development for Soho House. Every issue, he shares a few of his top training and career development tips. This time, the question is for managers: should you treat everyone the way you want to be treated? “Good question, right? We would tend to answer with a big fat YES, and maybe it’s true: being polite, respectful and aware of others’ emotions are very useful human skills that are (or at least should be) taught to you from an early age. They are skills that will allow you to fit in, and be accepted by society (aka your team). But be careful and don’t be fooled, because when it comes to leading and managing your team, you should instead think about treating your staff the way they want to be treated. Why? To simplify, all of us fall under four types of personality. These personality profiles will dictate what motivates you. If you’re
These words of wisdom are taken from some of Oli’s training sessions, available monthly across Soho House. 28 HOUSE TONIC
able to identify what best motivates other people, it is much easier to understand why they behave in a certain way. This will help you discover your best management style and get the best out of your people. Let’s take three imaginary members of your imaginary team: Petra, Callum and Daisy. While Petra might want to have clear guidance before starting a task (such as setting up for a large party) because she wants to make sure her job is done well and professionally, Daisy might rather be left alone to make her own decisions, and set up as she sees fit using her instinct and experience, and therefore get noticed for her ability to do things well. As the guy who always thinks about the team first Callum will probably be the one who would happily cover a last-minute shift. Conversely, Daisy will want to know what’s in it for her before making any decisions. So if you need shift cover, find the Callum in your team, or prepare your speech and make
sure you’re ready to explain to Daisy why she should help you (recognition, future possible promotion, another day off at a later date. It does not have to be cash). Remember, they are your staff, part of your team and it is your role to manage them. Don’t be surprised if they don’t manage themselves! It is your responsibility as a manager, and it should be your aim as their leader to approach them in a way that will make them respect you. They will recognise your efforts to give them tasks that are right for them, or introduce them to projects that are exciting to them. This type of thinking is useful when you create your rota, organise your sections, and with experience, this skill can be used when recruiting, so you’ll have the best team possible. (Now, you’re probably thinking about the fourth profile? Well find out about it and about your own, when you enrol into the Getting On Workshop with me.)
SHORTS
02 Tom Waits
03 Grimes
04 Carla Bruni
The Playlist Every issue, we ask someone in the know about their favourite songs to drink to. Check out James Bowers’ list, from Soho House West Hollywood.
01 James Bowers
LUNCH: Sitting in the sun with a French 75 always is a fantastic idea. If you happen to be listening to The Man Who Lives Forever by Lord Huron at the same time, even better! By the way, don’t worry, I won’t tell your boss you’re drinking on your lunch hour. French 75 ½ oz / 15ml lemon juice ½ oz / 15ml simple syrup 1 oz / 30ml gin Shake, strain into a champagne flute, top with champagne, garnish with a lemon twist. HAPPY HOUR: Work is over, there’s a good energy in the bar, the sun is setting. You have a long night ahead of you so it’s good to take it easy. Something light, and citrus forward like Soho House’s Eastern Standard is a perfect fit. I’d personally like to hear Bad As Me By Tom Waits come on over the room. Eastern Standard 3 slices cucumber muddled 1 oz / 30ml lime juice ¾ oz / 25ml oz simple syrup 2 oz / 60ml vodka 5 pieces mint, clapped Shake and double strain up into a cocktail glass and garnish with a slice of cucumber. DINNER: You’re settling into the night. Now it’s time to get a little darker. Maybe with your intentions but DEFINITELY with your booze. My drink of choice on most occasions would be a rye Old Fashioned. The extra spice of rye whiskey is nicely complemented
by some brown sugar, orange bitters, angostura bitters, and a duo of lemon and orange peels. Overall the very definition of a cocktail and it only gets better as you drink it. Nothing pairs better with my favourite cocktail better than hearing Lazarus Man by the late, great Terry Callier. Who is from my hometown of Chicago. Rye Old Fashioned 1 brown sugar cube Dash Angostura bitters and orange bitters Rye whiskey Muddle the sugar and add rye whisky to an Old Fashioned glass (I’ve been drinking a lot of Bulliet Rye recently). Add ice and stir for a minimum of 50 full rotations. Garnish with lemon and orange zests. LATE NIGHT: No more food, no more quiet conversations about the existence of government conspiracy. It’s all laughing, dancing, perhaps a little romancing. (I didn’t mean for that to rhyme.) You need something that’s portable and nothing in a martini glass, unless you enjoy sticky hands and shirt cuffs. I’d say grab yourself a La Paloma, traditionally made with blanco tequila, lime juice, grapefruit soda, and a salted rim. At Soho West Hollywood we kick it up a notch, using fresh grapefruit juice and charging the cocktail with soda water. Hydrating, fresh, and delicious. My other song choices have been more chilled out, so let’s get going and throw on Oblivion by Grimes. La Paloma ½ oz / 15ml lime juice ½ oz / 15ml simple syrup 1 oz / 30ml grapefruit juice 1½ oz / 45ml blanco tequila Shake and strain into a Collins glass, add ice and charge with soda water. Garnish with a
grapefruit slice, top with a pinch of sea salt. NEXT MORNING: Okay, your stomach’s feeling a little sour, a moderate headache…I mean…OF COURSE! Who told you to drink all those different alcohols in one night?! But look, let’s not point fingers here. You don’t need someone to blame; you need something to get you back to normality. After a few nights of heavy partying in New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, I found The Roosevelt Hotel, and had THE quintessential Ramos Fizz. It was a godsend. Creamy, citrusy and clean flavours. It’s the perfect hangover cocktail. While you’re sipping away, of course you don’t want to hear anything obnoxious. I Love the song Quelqu’ un m’a Dit by Carla Bruni (yes, the former first lady of France) It’s beautiful and euphonic. The perfect, “my head hurts, leave me alone” song. Ramos Fizz 1 egg white 1 ¼ oz / 40 ml lemon juice ¼ oz / 5ml lime juice ½ oz / 15ml simple syrup ½ oz / 15ml cream 1 ¾ oz / 50ml gin 3-4 drops orange flower water Dry shake, then add ice and shake vigorously for several minutes. Pour from a high point into a tall Sours glass. Top with soda water also poured from a high point. Garnish with an orange peel.
Would you like to join one of Soho House’s bar teams, get great training and maybe even the chance to travel? Email housetonic@sohohouse.com or visit www. housetonic.com HOUSE TONIC 29
RISING STARS
Rising Stars Every issue of House Tonic we like to celebrate some of the unsung heroes of the bars. Meet our rising stars!
Moving Bartenders If you’ve got some good bartending service for Soho House under your belt, you could be sent to work at venues and events around the world. House Tonic caught up with two bartenders who have done some serious travelling. Dino Vucetovic, Soho House New York
Carlo Valdiserri Nominated by Francesco Lombardi, Café Boheme Carlo Valdiserri joined Café Boheme a couple of months ago, and since then he has made himself a key element of the bar team: polite, always ready to rock the place, always happy. If you are about to start a war, he is the kind of soldier you want with you! A star overall!
Ivan Di Giovanni Nominated by Ben Fitzgerald, Dean Street Townhouse Ivan Di Giovanni is a bartender who is doing amazing things here at Dean Street. He’s only been with us for two months and has already had two emails written for outstanding service.
Euan Barker Nominated by Sam Kershaw, Babington House Euan Barker has a great attitude and work ethic, all polished off with a great sense of humour and willingness to learn and better himself at every opportunity. Suspect joke telling skills too!
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Juan Martinez, Cecconi’s West Hollywood
Alex Martinez Nominated by Rick Nani, Cecconi’s Miami
I have enjoyed every trip that I have done with the company. I flew out to New York in May for the Frieze Art event and then to Miami for Art Basel. These events make you stronger as a bartender, because you’re working in a tent and it’s a pop-up where there is no running water or dishwashers. This is where you get creative as a person and have to come up with solutions to multiple problems that come up throughout the event. When you get back to your bar, you appreciate the running water and that everything is organised. You come back stronger than ever. Personally I love art, photography, and fashion so the fact that Soho House sends us to different locations for multiple events is fantastic. I’ve moved my way up from being a barista and barback to bartender and four years now I’ve been very happy to be part of this company and watch it expand.
I would like to nominate my Barback Alex Martinez, Alex knows his job and does it at 100% all the time. Alex could work the bar alone and I would not have a worry, he is a huge part of our team.
Would you like to join one of Soho House’s bar teams, get great training and maybe even the chance to travel? Email housetonic@sohohouse.com or visit www. housetonic.com
Noel Salmon Nominated by Kate Grutman, Soho House West Hollywood I would love to nominate Noel Salmon as our Rising Star. He started with us as a barista in 2010 and began bartending by October of that same year. He is a consummate gentleman and is one of the fastest and most elegant bartenders. He has finesse, wit, talent, and the most infectious smile you’ll ever see. He is an absolute gem and a force to be reckoned with “behind the stick” He sets the bar high and performs higher. Noel Salmon rocks our world.
Awesome! That’s the first word that comes to mind for Art Basel in Miami. Awesome time, awesome people, awesome memories! From the warm welcome on the first day and then dinner and drinks at the Beach House the first night, Miami was a blast. Getting to meet up again with the crew from LA and Miami that I met in NYC during last year’s Art Frieze was great and I met a whole lot of new faces too. Being on the beach was just wonderful. Yes, we worked our butts off, but being by the ocean and our awesome crew made it a joyful experience from the first event to the last. I think most of us probably slept only a couple of hours a night, as we took advantage of every minute to be at the beach getting some sun before our shift, or diving in the ocean after a shift. Did I learn a lot? Yes, I learned how to keep on a smile while being slammed by a party of 1200 people attacking an open bar. I learned that you can’t always rely on technology as Micros crashes on you when it’s the busiest. I learned how to set up a pop-up bar to be as efficient as possible. I learned that Soho House staff and management rock! But I knew that last one already. The best was our closing party at the Tent. The House threw the crew a closing-out party with food and drinks and music. What a night. Unfortunately only bits and pieces of the night have been retained in my memory but those bits and pieces are priceless.
want to WORK IN A bar? great
PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMIE BEVAN
With sites in London, Somerset, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and Berlin, plus more on the way around the world, the Soho House Group is always on the lookout for exceptional staff. We offer high quality training, excellent support and you might even get the chance to work in venues overseas. We want to help you develop a great career in drinks.
If you'd like to join one of our bar teams in Europe or the United States then please get in touch: email housetonic@ sohohouse.com, visit www. housetonic.com or call Gareth Jones on +44 (0) 20 7581 2569. We'd love to hear from you! You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.
HOUSE TONIC 31
SPRING COBBLER CREATED BY TOM KERR THIS LONG DRY REFRESHING DRINK WITH NOTES OF SPICE AND FRESH MANDARIN FINISHED WITH FLORAL AROMAS IS AVAILABLE IN EVERY HOUSE BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY – JUST ASK THE BARMAN. PAIRED WITH THE RAW SALAD FROM ELECTRIC HOUSE TO SEE HOW TO MAKE THIS COCKTAIL GO TO WWW.HOUSETONIC.COM
For the facts drinkaware.co.uk ©2013 GREY GOOSE, THE GREY GOOSE BOTTLE DESIGNS AND THE GEESE DEVICES ARE TRADEMARKS AND/OR REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.
Grey Goose Cookhouse and House Tonic Ad.indd 2
01/02/2013 14:20