Friday June 27, 2008 @ 1800 PST I had the pleasure of stumbling upon a Ustream live cast called Taphandle-tv.  Instantly I was personally greeted by Greg Lordo, call him Lordo.  He was pouring a concoction of rum and fruit juice.  He has a home bar setup in his basement (built by Curt I found out).  The bar is not very big but I must say as an ole bartender and manager he was well stocked.  Here is a picture of Lordo at his bar hard at work.

Later we found that the concoction was actually Passion Fruit Mojito made with

Malibu Passion Fruit Rum
Passion fruit puree
Sour mix
Mint
Limes
Sugar
Club soda

He switched over to the close up cam (ingredients cam (see pic below)) and he added the mint, limes, and sugar in a mixer and muddled  the ingredients together then added ice to top.  Added 1 1/2oz of Malibu Passion Fruit Rum, puree and 1oz sour mix.  Then shake, shake, shake then poured into a Collins glass.  Topped off with club soda.

He went on to taste two beers and gave a rating of them.  One was Mickey’s Big Mouth and the other was Goose Island Summertime IPA. He pointed to the lower left corner of the window and had us vote on the beers.  Yes it was a poll a live interactive poll while the show was going on. 

Every time he would post his website address on the screen he would call a social.  That means bottoms up and have a drink.  If that were not enough every time someone would enter his web address in the chat he would call a social again, cheers. A hand with a beer would extend on screen as though he was personally handing me a beer, thank you Lordo for the many beers last night.  If I were trying to keep up with all the socials I would have been passed out on the floor or praying to the porcelain gods.

He threw up a poll to see what shot of tequila he would be doing.  There was Cabo Wabo, Pepe Lopez or Americana Vodka.  The votes came in as Pepe Lopez so he poured a shot and switched over to the shot cam and here he is getting ready to have one on us.  Bottoms up Lordo and Cheers!

If your wondering what this Ustream TV is let me give you the run down direct from Ustream itself.

Ustream.TV is the live interactive video broadcast platform that enables anyone with a camera and an Internet connection to quickly and easily broadcast to a global audience of unlimited size. In less than two minutes, anyone can become a broadcaster by creating their own channel on Ustream or by broadcasting through their own site, empowering them to engage with their audience and further build their brand. Click here to start a broadcast now or learn more about broadcasting.

Ustream’s one-to-many live interactive video encourages broadcast-to-viewer and viewer-to-viewer interaction, empowering a much more engaging experience for everyone involved.

I have been hooked on Ustream for a few weeks and must say if you have never seen it or heard about it stop by and surf the various channels.  There are some great shows and some not so great shows.

Lordo, D, Bob, and Curt thank you for making me part of the Taphandle-tv bar I feel like Norm of Cheers.  Let me leave you with the live feed of Taphandle-tv on Ustream TV.  There may or may not be video all the time but highly recommend checking out Taphandle-tv.com.  Cheers!

I can not believe I only got a 95%.  Not that I am an alcoholic but was once a bartender and enjoy reading everything related to the bar industry.  Click the picture below to test your booze knowledge.

95%ALCOHOLIC

Here are a few of my must read bar blogs and visited website’s.

CocktailDB - They differ from other cocktail web sites in numerous ways, but mainly, all of the recipes in CocktailDB have been authenticated in print. This cuts out all the sophomoric, never-once-ordered recipes clogging many other drink sites. They already have the largest collection of verified drink recipes on the Internet or in any book, and this collection will continue to grow.

Bartender.com - Bartender magazine online, your number one trade magazine.

Two Drink Minimum; The After 5 Cocktail Blog - At After 5 our motto, “Celebrating the art of celebrating,” is just a politically correct way of saying we really like to party. As such, you’ll find here a rip-roaring collection of drink and cocktail-related wares…

Cabo Wabo Tequila - The Red Rocker himself promotes this tequila.  What does he like to drink?

Red Rocker

1 1/2 oz Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Amaretto
3 oz Cranberry Juice
Splash Lime Juice

Shake in a shaker half-filled with ice.  Strain into a chilled martini glass

Let’s end this with a little Flair Bartending from one of the legends Christian Delpech.

Incase I don’t write to you before New Years Eve.  Have a safe night and remember to buckle up and Designate a Driver.

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I thought I would post 20 must know mixology/bartender terms.

Brandy - by definition is any spirit made from distilled grape wine.   Brandy is made all over the world, the most famous coming from the Cognac Region of France.  Brandies are also made from other fruits such as apples or cherries. 75% of Brandy sold in the US comes from California, while 75% is consumed in Wisconsin.

Build - To pour ingredients directly into the serving glass on top of the previous ingredient. When Building you usually want to add the ingredients in the order they are given in the recipe.

Call Drink - A liquor and mixer, of which the liquor is a defined brand. (ie. Tanqueray and Tonic, Bacardi and Coke)

Chaser - a mild drink, such as beer, taken after a hard liquor

Cocktail - Any of various alcoholic beverages consisting usually of brandy, whiskey, vodka, or gin combined with fruit juices or other liquors and often served chilled.

Collins - A drink akin to a sour which is served in a tall glass with soda water or seltzer water.

Grenadine - a thick, red syrup used in cocktails, traditionally made from pomegranate juice

Gin - A spirit made from grain and flavored with a mixture of botanicals and juniper berries. It is the berries that give gin its distinctive aroma. Although first made in Holland, Gin was popularized by the English.

Highball - Any spirit served with ice and soda water in a medium to tall glass (often a highball glass).

Lowball - A short drink made of spirits served with ice, water or soda in a small glass.

Muddle - To muddle is to combine ingredients, usually in the bottom of a mixing glass, by pressing them with a muddler before adding the majority of the liquid ingredients.

Muddler - Small wooden pestle shaped like a baseball bat. One end is large and rounded and it used to mash the ingredients. While the other end is skinnier and flat and is used to mix ingredients.

Neat - The consumption of a spirit as a straight, unaccompanied shot.

On the Rocks - Serving a drink over ice. Often the term is used when referring to a straight shot of liquor poured in a short glass filled with ice, i.e. “I’ll have a Scotch on the rocks.”

Rum - Once so important that the British Navy gave every sailor a half-pint a day ration, Rum is made of fermented sugar cane or molasses (also from sugar cane).

Shooter - A straight shot of whiskey or other kind of spirit taken neat.

Tequila - made from the fermented juice of the agave plant, is the national drink of Mexico. It is double distilled and then aged in wood casks.  Just like a fine cognac tequila gets better with aging.

Toddy - A sweetened drink of liquor and hot water, often with spices and served in a tall glass.

Vodka - a clear spirit that is generally made from grain, but can be distilled from other starches such as potatoes, corn and beets. Vodkas are commonly flavored with essences of citrus or other fruits, or spices such as pepper.

Whiskey (Whisky) - Made principally in five countries:
Scotland, Ireland, Canada, The USA, and Japan. These varieties can be extremely varied as they are similar.  A Kentucky Bourbon and a Single Malt Scotch are both whiskey, but very, very different.

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