Across the Bar

On this episode of "Across the Bar," we did something a little bit different. We went down to Miami to round up some of the best bartenders in the business and had them show off their skills in a black box challenge. With an ever-changing beverage industry, we wanted to get into the minds of top mixologists to see what trends they’ve been seeing and how they keep up with customer demands.

For this challenge, we were lucky enough to have Byblos host us at their beautiful lounge in Miami’s South Beach. Here, host Paul Barron connects with Steve Minor of MO Bar, Isaac Grillo of Repour Bar, and Eddie Fuentes of Cocktail Cartel Co.

So, what is the black box challenge? Well, we filled up three black boxes with three different sets of mystery ingredients and asked our bartenders to make the tastiest cocktails they could. They did not let us down! Using fruits, pure cane syrups, fresh herbs, and the best spirits, Steve, Isaac and Eddie showed us what the best mixologists do to create the perfect cocktail for their guests.

Nearly five miles south of the Hollywood sign, one can find Birch, a New American restaurant offering culinary-driven cocktails in a rustic setting. The name for this Los Angeles spot serves as a subtle homage to the hometown of its chef/owner, Brendan Collins, who grew up in Nottingham, England, near a copse of birch trees.

Running Birch’s bar program is Gaby Mlynarczyk — the beverage director with over 20 years of experience who also keeps a blog, Loving Cup, to help demystify drink making for the home bartender. In this episode of "Across the Bar," host Paul Barron has a chance to chat and learn from Mlynarczyk, a New Jersey-born and UK-raised fashion-student-accidentally-turned-bartender extraordinaire.

From the cool weather and cultural centers of Toronto to the sunny beaches and saucy swagger of Miami, we traveled to many different cities this year on "Across the Bar," but one thing remained the same: No matter where you go, you can always find a crisp, classic, and creative cocktail to sip on.

Whether they were cocktails that made us pucker up with the refreshing, bitter bite of Aperol and grapefruit, or made us savor the sweet succulence of caramel and berries, there's no doubt that these beverages and bars are the best in the business. But which were the best of the best?

Raise your glasses and say cheers to Foodable's Best Cocktails of 2016!

Check out Across the Bar's #cocktails and #mixologists nominees of the year featuring artisans from Barchef Brimmer & Heeltap, Bar Raval,Liquid Art House, A.kitchen, and Beaker & Gray! Stay tuned to see who wins the coveted No. 1 spot!

In Miami’s already world-renowned, artsy neighborhood of Wynwood, one can find Beaker & Gray, an 110-seat eatery located at the popular avenue of North Miami, which serves thoughtfully crafted cocktails using high-quality spirits.

In this episode of "Across The Bar," host Paul Barron has a chance to chat and learn from the man at the helm, manager Ben Potts, an investment banker turned bartender. After getting tired of his office job where he barely had the chance to interact with people, even going as far as calling it a “miserable lifestyle,” he decided he wanted to live a life more than long hours crunching numbers.

After reconnecting with his childhood friend and now business partner, Executive Chef Brian Nasajon, together they opened and own Beaker & Gray, which soft opened around this time last year before Art Basel 2015 began.

Potts got his start at Purdy Lounge in Miami Beach about eight years ago. Then he spent some time working at Blackbird Ordinary in Brickell (downtown Miami) and The Broken Shaker at Freehand Miami in Miami Beach.

Bar Manager at a.bar, Dan Hamm, landed his first job as a bartender at a craft cocktail bar. He found that bartending was a great mix of his loves: cooking, drinking, and DIY. Behind the bar, he was able to experiment with tastes and flavors while still being able to interact with guests and get immediate feedback on his work.

a.bar is a sleek, contemporary restaurant that lives in the AKA hotel in Rittenhouse Square, right in the heart of Center City. With great views and delicious bites, a.bar has been a great place for Hamm to craft delicious cocktails as part of the Philadelphia bar scene.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” host Paul Barron learns how bartender Dan Hamm creates his award-winning cocktails, a lesson that is put to the test.

The Husk Bar is found downstairs in what used to be the master bedroom of a historic 1800s home in Rutledge Hill. Upstairs you will find the James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Husk Restaurant. The bar has an attached patio, and right outside, you will find an atrium providing something more than just a garden view. In the atrium lives the Husk’s herb garden, where bartender Mike Wolf picks herbs and garnishes at season’s peak, often inspiring new cocktail recipes.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” Paul Barron travels to downtown Nashville to see what they’re stirring up at the Husk Bar.

In New Orleans, there is a concoction that has stood the test of time. It is said to be the first-ever American cocktail — although no one can say for sure where the word “cocktail” derived from with certainty or historical proof, for that matter. It is called the Sazerac.

This drink is actually the official cocktail of the Crescent City since 2008, after the Louisiana House of Representatives made a historic decision in a 62-33 vote to declare the Sazerac Cocktail the New Orleans’ official drink of choice.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” host Paul Barron set out to learn the history about the evolution of ingredients behind this famous drink from some of New Orleans’ best cocktail historians: Elizabeth Pearce, Kevin Richards, and Russ Bergeron. And what better place to go on this historical journey than at the The Sazerac Bar inside The Roosevelt Hotel?

Watch the episode to learn more!

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” Foodable travels to the corner of Canal and Bourbon street to visit French 75. Perhaps one wouldn't expect a 1920s French-themed bar to do so well in modern-day times, but this classic concept is more than just a New Orleans icon. Arnaud's French Bar 75 has been named a James Beard finalist in the "Outstanding Bar Program" category for two years in a row, and head bartender Chris Hannah was even nominated for the 2016 Tales of the Cocktail "Bartender of the Year." 

Cocktail No. 1: French 75

Recipe:

• Courvoisier VS
• Sugar
• Lemon juice
• Moet and Chandon Champagne

Cocktail No. 2: Night Tripper

Recipe:

• Bourbon
• Amaro
• Strega liqueur
• Peychaud’s Bitters
• Orange Peel

Cocktail No. 3: Bastille Cup

Recipe:

• Pineau des Charentes
• Maraschino
• Watermelon water
• Lime 

Watch the full episode now!

Mixology lovers often believe crafting the perfect cocktail is an art, but this Boston concept takes that idea to a whole new level. Liquid Art House is not only an innovative restaurant — it's a fully-functioning art gallery. From the pieces adorning the walls to the furniture, down to the glassware and plates, everything is for sale. 

"We have a curator that comes in and they rotate about every two to three months, so like a typical art gallery would," bartender Matt Noonan explained, the various styles of the art pieces, whether graffiti or classical, almost dynamic as LAH's menu.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” we take a seat with Noonan and get a closer sip behind the brand through three signature drinks.  

Resonating with the restaurant's artistic theme, there is a drink in the lineup called the "Blank Canvas." It always changes, as bartenders put creative cocktail concoctions together and pitch them to customers. When those same drink choices become a popular crowd order, that's when they know they're worthy of adding into LAH's impressive portfolio of beverages. 

Want to learn more about how Liquid Art House brings art to life through their beverage menu? Watch the full episode now.

Bar Raval, a staple in Toronto’s culinary & beverage scene and helmed by acclaimed chef Grant van Gameren with partners Robin Goodfellow and Michael Webster, is heavily influenced by the Spanish resort town San Sebastian.

“To make the best use out of the space, we wanted to pack people in, so it’s standing, which exists in Spain,” said Goodfellow, who is not only a partner but also a bartender at Bar Raval. “We do pinchos all day. It’s a cafe; it’s kind of more of a community center. People come in all the time and the sort of vibe that you get in San Sebastian is exactly what we thought would be good here.”

Bar Raval offers both pinchos, which are Spanish snacks, and tapas, shareable plates.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” host Paul Barron is served three of Bar Raval’s cocktails, all of which are broken down by ingredients and the inspiration behind their creation.

“The idea for a lot of the cocktails I freestyle comes down to a simple ratio: equal parts strong, sweet, sour, herbaceous,” says Jake Valianes, owner and bar manager at Linwood Essentials in Toronto.

In this “Across the Bar” episode, host and Foodable founder Paul Barron imbibes three of Valianes best cocktail creations and gets the background on each.

In Toronto, a dimly lit venue accompanied by candlelight is the home to culinary experiences beyond the imagination. It’s Frankie Solarik’s lab for culinary concoctions known as cocktails, but not of the familiar sort. BarChef, unlike many of the concepts we’ve visited on “Across the Bar” thus far, is not set at a bar, but rather more of a chef’s table. His team is not made up of bartenders, so to speak, but of chefs.

In this episode, Solarik shares with us three uniquely innovative cocktails and the inspiration and preparation behind them.

For a city that is mostly gray, Seattle’s Brimmer & Heeltap packs a punch of vibrancy — from its bright white walls and turquoise cushions to its plate presentations and drink garnishes. The decor reads as an eclectic mix of inspiration, which falls parallel — whether consciously or not — to the aesthetic of Seattle local Jen Doak, who spearheads the B&H ship. According to the restaurant’s website, “[Jen] is an avid menu collector, ordained minister, and a collector of new experiences locally and globally.”

According to Foodable Founder and “Across the Bar” host Paul Barron, Brimmer & Heeltap in Seattle is one of the most unique restaurant spaces we’ve seen. “It’s like a new little world every time you turn a corner,” says Tyler Stamon, the concept’s bar manager and expert mixologist.

Stamon started his career at a downtown Seattle wine bar called Purple Cafe & Wine Bar, and despite getting a business degree, he “caught the bug.”

“Bartending wasn’t what it was 10 years ago as it is today. Now, you tell somebody you’re a bartender and they wanna know your story, and what do you do?, and they’re all excited,” says Stamon. “Where before it was like, ‘What’re you gonna do when you grow up? You can’t be Peter Pan forever.”

“This is so fun. I mean, you’re serving people, you’re providing an experience, and you’re telling a story to people,” he says.

And that’s exactly how Stamon approaches his cocktail creations when putting together a drink menu. “I’m trying to tell a complete story. I don’t want somebody to come in that likes vodka and there’s only vodka drinks on there or only whiskey,” he says.

He also takes into consideration the seasonality and what the kitchen is doing, so the food and drink compliment each other.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” Stamon takes us through the journey of three top cocktails and tells us of how they were inspired and developed.

We’re kicking off Season 4 of “Across the Bar” at Seattle’s Naka Kaiseki. an eatery that highlights Japanese cuisine and handcrafted cocktails that compliment and balance these unique flavors.

We’re joined by Nik Virrey, bartender at Naka, who originally got into the business through coffee.

“Coffee’s my starting point to kind of facilitate me going through college,” says Virrey. “And I’m like an undercover geek, so intensity on a given subject…always sparks my brain.”

As Virrey started observing that bartenders were treating their bottles like he had treated coffee, a connection was made. “Once I kind of peeked into that door, there was no looking back.”

Watch this episode to learn more about Virrey’s creative process and how he brings these three unique cocktails to life.

This season’s “Across the Bar” has been our sexiest season yet. From San Francisco to Boston, this year took us in front of some of the most innovative cocktails, prepared by mastermind mixologists whose unique crafted cocktails dazzled us to the very last sip.

In this compilation video, brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, we invite viewers back into some of the most epic drinking experiences of 2015 — from San Francisco’s Trick Dog, where we drank a bourbon concoction garnished with a complimentary cube of sharp cheddar, to Chicago, where Bar Takito and the Aviary showed us their creative (and scientific) chops. Bar Takito’s Adam Weber explores tea-infused cocktails, and the Aviary’s Micah Melton takes us on a full-sensory journey at the establishment’s cocktail lab.

Watch the full episode to learn more!

Ross Simon realized in Scotland that he preferred booze over books. “I was better at working in a pub than I was at college, and I enjoyed it a lot more,” he says. In the early 2000s, he invested himself to learning and understanding the craft of the cocktail. And just five years later, Simon moved to the United States.

Now the principal barman & proprietor at Bitter & Twisted in Phoenix, Simon continues his story in his cocktails. In this episode of “Across the Bar,” brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, Simon reveals some of the challenges in the bar game, tells us what makes a great bartender, and whips up three creative cocktails — the Lime and the Coconut, the La Chocolat Sazerac, and the LIT Up — for mixology inspiration.

A trained sommelier with former chef aspirations, Micah Olson, co-owner and mixologist at Okra Cookhouse & Cocktails, found the perfect balance in mixology. After taking a free week-long mixology course from a renowned bartender, Olson was blown away at the limitless opportunities for creation behind the bar.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, host Paul Barron visits the Phoenix-based Okra, where Olson whips up three of his favorite creations: Dog Will Hunt, made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Bigalett China China, house-made pecan Falernum, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, and chocolate bitters; Pineapple Propeller, made with Plantation 3 Star Rum, Monkey Shoulder Scotch, Montenegro, Cappelletti, lemon, and pineapple syrup; and New-Orleans-inspired Milk Was a Bad Choice.

Watch the full episode to discover Olson’s insight on the rise of cocktail culture in the South, how cocktail names are created at Okra, how each drink came about, and what trends he is seeing on the bar scene.

Inspired by film noir, Burritt Room + Tavern is a hotel restaurant and bar unlike many others. For starters, it’s got style. A sultry space with a retro feel, Burritt Room is tucked away in San Francisco’s Union Square at the Mystic Hotel. The venue boasts fine-dine-level food, a sexy atmosphere, and a damn good craft cocktail — or 17, if you want to get technical with the menu.

In this episode of “Across the Bar,” brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, mixologist Josh Trabulsi shows us where the magic happens, starring three beautiful cocktail concoctions. Join Host Paul Barron as Trabulsi divulges what provoked him to become a craft bartender, how San Francisco bar culture differs from other markets, and what he looks for in a spirit while creating new drinks.

You wouldn't normally think of a breezy beach in Chicago, but guests will surely let their stress slip away with the coastal-inspired cuisine and seaside-themed cocktails at The Hampton Social. 

In this episode of "Across the Bar," brought to you by the Foodable WebTV Network, we visit Beverage Manager Zak Vossen at this floor-to-ceiling window, open, bright and airy space. With a concept as refreshing as its drinks, you won't want to miss out on this inside scoop.

From the Ford's Gin "Gatsby G&T" to the Peychaud's Bitters "Rosé All Day," sip on these innovative concoctions!