Your Attention Please!

Some bloggers link to every other related blog in the known universe. I'm a bit different in that I only link to blogs that I actually read. Its upset a few people when they have asked me to add a link to their blog and I've tried politely to say no. Today, I've added two new blogs, both under the bartender heading (even if Emma Davis is technically not a bartender), both of which I think are must reads.

First up, ”The Cocktail Guru” Jonathan Pogash is a friend of mine and brilliant mixologist. I was lucky enough to share a ride from Denver to Vail last year on the way to the Grand Marnier/Navan Mixology Summit. Jonathan is a real gentleman and one of the nicest people in the business. If you like cocktails, you simply must read Jonathan's blog.

Second, Emma Davis, one of my favorite people, has just started a cocktails, travel and Bikram yoga blog. I met Emma when she was associated with ”Martin Millers Gin”. Apparently she moved on to bigger and better things, but her blog is definitely worth a read.

I hope you enjoy them both. Have a great weekend!

So I'm not much of a photographer

I don't have a great camera. Our house camera at Casa De Mayhew is a Sony Cybershot thats about 2 years old. While I love the compact size of that camera, its really more of a snapshot camera rather than something to take serious pictures with. And recently, I decided to experiment with taking all pics on this blog with my iPhone, a decision I'm starting to regret. You see, my iPhone spends the better part of the day in my front pocket, where it picks up lint and dust, and, forgetful me, I always forget to clean the lens before I take a shot. Plus, it is a camera phone and it just lacks the features necessary to get good clean shots with it. So its back to the Sony Cybershot for now. I'll be back behind the bar soon, so maybe acquiring a decent digital SLR will become more of a priority for me. I'll never be as good a photographer as Boudreau, Morgenthaler or Ludwig, but at least I can commit to making my pics on here as clear as possible. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.

MySpeedRail.com

So www.MySpeedRail.com has just launched its beta as of yesterday. This is the site I've been talking about, and, full disclosure, I am a paid content provider for the website. I'm very excited about this project though, as it is a website for bartenders and by bartenders. One of my frustrations with some other sites is the profusion of cocktail enthusiasts watering down discussions of actual bar techniques with commentary about how they may do something at home. I'm not trying to upset any enthusiasts here, I think they play a very valuable role in the cocktail world and as a general rule, I really enjoy their feedback and insight. That said, at least for me, having a website open only to the pros, those of us who have had that ridiculous order for 20 cosmos on a friday night when we're 10 deep at the bar and had to make a huge batch with an empty olive jar, or who understand intuitively what to look for to evaluate a good bartender (another post for another time, but I've noticed the pros evaluate very different things than enthusiasts), thats what makes this valuable. Its a gift from the good people at Angostura and its completely ours. No branding, no popup adds, just bartenders sharing techniques, recipes, successes and frustrations with their own kind. A place where it is safe to not know all the answers, and a site that, to be honest, is going to take active participation from the bartenders who are members to make it work.
I still have invites available for the beta. Email me at lancejmayhew AT oregonbarguild DOT org for an invite. If I don't know you, please send me more than just "Hey, I'd like an invite". Tell me where you work, even better, I'd love to hear what you hope to get out of this website. And if you aren't behind the bar, sorry, but this one is ours. Bartenders only.
Even more exciting than just the site itself are some of the people helping me support the launch. I had assumed that this would be an American only website, which would have been cool, but a little limited. Instead, www.MySpeedRail.com is getting contributions from people like Myles Cunliff in the UK, Hayden "Woody" Wood in Australia and Shaun Soole in beautiful Victoria, BC, Canada. This is a first, a chance to create an international community of bartenders to foster the resurrection of our craft and share tips and recipes from around the world.
If you can't tell, I'm very excited to be a part of this launch and I'd love to share this opportunity with my fellow bartenders.
I'll be blogging both here on my personal blog, and also on www.MySpeedRail.com. I'm planning more cocktail recipes for the website and I'll probably focus more on some of my more experimental techniques here at this blog.
I hope to see most of you over there soon.

Hey, where'd I go?

If you don't see as many posts from me over the next few months, I apologize. I have signed a contract to be a content provider for a new, bartenders only website that is launching next week. One of the requirements of the contract is that I provide 3 original posts a week on the site. Nothing terribly difficult about that, but it will probably have some degree of impact on what I am able to post over here.
I have no intention of abandoning or ignoring my blog, but I do have a lot on my plate, with this website launch and the opening of Beaker and Flask on the horizon. Its looking to be a very very busy summer for me.
As for this website, I'll provide more details as I am allowed. I will say that I am very excited to be a part of this launch, and I'm hopeful that this website will be a valuable tool for the best bartenders in the country.
Please bear with me. The first few weeks may be the hardest. Also, if you are a pro (unfortunately, this website is not open to cocktail enthusiasts, its restricted to professionals only) and you'd like to get an invite to the beta launch (did I mention that this website is invite only?), please send me a message and I'll be happy to pass it along to the right people.

Blogging Tales of the Cocktail

Yep, I'm a guest blogger for the upcoming Tales of the Cocktail event. My post should be up soon. Make sure you don't miss the cocktail event of the year. www.talesofthecocktail.com.