Portland Cocktail Week begins at Wilf’s- one of Portland’s most elegant destinations and iconic jazz clubs. With an atmosphere that conjures mid-century glamour, Wilf’s is the ideal backdrop for our most sophisticated gathering. To enjoy this party, all you’ll need is your most refined attire- we’ll bring the classic cocktails starring Pernod Ricard’s stellar portfolio.
Get your tickets at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2213759414
The INDIE TEQUILA ROADSHOW is coming soon to Portland Cocktail Week and your presence is greatly desired in the room. Thomas Estes of Tequila Ocho, Sophie Decobecq of CALLE 23 and David Suro of Siembra Azul are the collaborating masterminds behind this small brand expo. The event will feature a lively discussion on all things Tequila. A Blanco blind tasting across six brands, a tasting of Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo, and will close with a round table discussion on the state of the Tequila union.
Please RSVP to IndieTequilaRoadshow@Gmail.com
Please RSVP to klaufer@sidneyfrank.com for admittance.
What happens when Portland’s most notable chef, Naomi Pomeroy, teams up with all star bartenders from the United States Bartenders Guild? They craft a dinner that is not to be missed. Pulling inspiration from the remarkable Diageo Single Malt Scotch Collection (including Glenkinchie, Oban, Caol Ila, Talisker, Lagavulin and The Singleton), Pomeroy alongside Dave Shenaut (Kask, Rum Club), Tommy Klus (Kask), Jason Littrell (NYC, Death and Company, JBird) and Hal Wolin (The Cocktail Guru Consulting) will offer a tasting menu complete with cocktail pairings. This dinner is the one and only pairing dinner offered during Portland Cocktail Week and will only offer 20 seats.
When:
Sunday, October 23, 2011 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM (PT)
Where:
Beast
5425 NE 30th Avenue
Portland, OR 97211
(map)
Tickets will sell out soon. Register for this event now!
Are you the best bartender you can be? Find out with Angus Winchester as he debuts his Bartenders Challenge at Portland Cocktail Week. We could tell you all about it, or we can let Angus…
About the Bartenders Challenge, by Angus Winchester
As a serial judge in Bartender Competitions around the world I have always wanted to run the definitive one. At Portland Cocktail Week I aim to do just that. The PDXCW Bartender Challenge will be (in my humble opinion) the first true and objective test of five key skills of the Modern Professional Bartender: Speed, Pouring Accuracy, Memory & Numeracy, Bartending Technique, and Drinks Presentation.
The challenge is open to all bartenders (who register) from all types of bar and will provide a truly objective snapshot of both your own talent and also settle the question of who is the “Best” bartender – not at inventing fancy cocktails or doing witty presentations but at banging out high quality drinks for sale to guests using set in stone recipes.
Each bartender will get their own personalized ‘report card’ showing their strengths and weaknesses for future bragging and professional improvement.
The goal of this challenge, is not necessarily to compete against other bartenders, but rather for the benefit of one’s own skillset. Participants should look at this primarily as a self-evaluation of your skills behind the stick rather than a contest. While you can compare scores with others who choose to make their scores publicly known, you do not have to and can still benefit from learning where your skills could use improvement.
If you do not want to be entered into the ‘Challenge’ but merely want to be Evaluated for personal development then your wishes will be followed and your info will be de-identified.
So how does the Challenge work?
You will simply be asked to make a round of drinks with set recipes and prices (see below). Using a unique software program called PourTrainer by Barmetrix we weigh the bottles beforehand and then afterwards to judge pouring accuracy down to fractions of an ounce. During the making of the drinks I shall scrutinize your technique based on a set of ten generally accepted criteria. At the presentation of the drinks, with price stated, I shall judge the presentation of the drinks. A score of 500 will be then calculated, a report card showing score breakdown will be created and your result will be added to our database. The bartender with the highest overall score wins the Challenge but kudos will be given to the Fastest Bartender too as well as the Most Accurate Bartender.
Email Angus (at) alconomics (dot) com to request a time.
The recipes and prices are as follows:
Tanqueray and Tonic – $7
Preparation: build in cubed ice filled 12oz highball glass, garnish with lime wedge on rim of glass having been rubbed around the rim. No straws
Negroni – $8
Preparation: Build all in cubed ice filled tumbler (leaving 1 finger width ‘neck’ at the top of the glass). Stir briefly and garnish with lemon twist. No straws
Southside – $9
Preparation: muddle mint gently with sugar and lime; add gin and ice and soda and mix gently with barspoon. Garnish with mint sprig and two long straws.
Green Basil Smash – $8
Preparation: add all to ice filled shaker and shake very hard. Fine strain into a (cubed) ice filled tumbler (leaving 1 finger width ‘neck’ at the top of the glass)and garnish with basil sprig and two short straws
Accuracy – 100 points : 5 marks lost for every 1% inaccurate (plus or minus)
Speed – 100 points : X marks lost per 10 seconds over optimum time
Memory/Numeracy – 100 points : 10 marks lost per order repeat and x marks per $ over/under
Technique – 100 points : 10 points off per missed technique
Presentation – 100 points : 10 points off per error
Total out of 500
285/50 speed pourers to be used
Local ice (not Kold draft) to be used
Local glasses to be used ( 12oz highball; 10oz rocks; 6oz cocktail glass)
All fruit and garnishes can and will be prepared beforehand
The bartender’s own shakers and jiggers can be used but standard equipment will be provided
Technique
Presentation
Email Angus (at) alconomics (dot) com to request a time.