I have just returned from Mexico as a guest of Tequila Fortelaza. It was an amazing trip. I had such a great time but also learned so much about Tequila.

Coincidentally, less than a week before the trip, I took a 6 Hour Tequila certification course sponsored by Hiatus Tequila and presented by the Tequila Regulatory Council or CRT. 

For more pictures and a text version of the information from this podcast, see the Tequila Deep Dive Blog Post.

Bartender Journey Number 290.
We speak with Owner Stewart King and General Manager Jack Keane of Circle Hospitality Group in Cincinnati.

There is a hole in the Bartending community – Gary 'gaz' Regan passed away on November 15, 2019.  He was an inspiration and mentor to a huge portion of the bartender community.  His book The Joy of Mixology in 2003 was groundbreaking..  In that book he encouraged Bartenders to measure, to consider the glasswear carefully, to chill the glasswear, when to shake and when to stir.  These things weren’t talked about much back then, but help lay the groundwork for where we are now.  Then more important lessons about BEING a bartender.

 He updated The Joy Of Mixology in 2018.

This past Friday, November 15h we debuted our first post for "Friends and Family"  , our new weekly blog post ocused on highlighting achivevement of those in the bar industry. 

This weekend, we received the sad news of Gaz's passing. Our condolences to his wife Amy. 
​

There have been many things written about Gaz during his lifetime and accolades. However, we feel that it best that you hear it from Gaz, himself.
Here is the link to his Letter to Young Bartenders.

Welcome to our first weekly blog post series, Friends and Family, focused on highlighting friends of the Podcast and celebrating their achievements.   

 
First up is fellow team member and co-author of Cocktails Made Simple, Amin Benny. Founder/President of the Orange County USBG Chapter, Benny recently became a Brand Steward for WhistlePig Whiskey. Last week, he hosted a book signing event at LA's Pacific Food and Beverage Musuem and launched his own podcast, Fat, Drunk N Happy with co-hosts Cody Storts and Dave Mau!​ 
Follow Benny on Instagram: @thebarhost

​A Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker,, Blaine knows all things bubbly and is the founder of CitySip, New York Champagne Week and Lokē Rosé.
This year she debuted both, The FIZZ is Female dedicated to celebrating women in the sparkling wine biz and her first ever champagne label collaboration, Champagne Bulle de Rêve ("dream Bubbles").

Follow Blaine on Instagram: @champagneblaine

When he's not "Whiskey-Taining", Cigar Parking or regaling us with life stories, Robin can be found helping brands tell their stories or imparting valuable whiskey knowledge.
His book, The Complete Whiskey Course: A Comprehensive Tasting School in Ten Classes is a must have and he's one of the "World's Finest Spirits Writers" featured at this year's Bookstock in Louisville, Kentucky.
Follow Robin on Instagram: @robinrobinson

Hendrick's wants to send you Across Alaska!
More than just a cocktail submission, Bartenders must let their imagination soar to create a re-iamgined classic or an original story along with your cocktail recipe. Written word (500 words max), video, voice recorder, drawing, Morse Codes, smoke signals, whistled language, or all of the above are encourages. 

Entries must be submitted by Thursday, November 30. For more details and to enter click here!

Episode No. 287

On a road trip to Nashville, TN this summer, Bartender Journey Podcast Team Member , Hazel Alvarado, took a quick detour to Lynchburg, TN to reconnect with Assistant Master Distiller Chris Fletcher of Jack Daniel's and enjoy their Distillery Tour.
Chris was born and raised in Lynchburg, TN with a background in chemistry and we interviewed him in his office, which was also his Granddad's office. 
Is Jack Daniel's a bourbon? What is the charcoal mellowing (Lincoln County) process for Jack Daniel's?
Did you know they have their own volunteer Fire Brigade? Or that it is the second smallest county in the state?
Get the answers to these questions and more in this week's Episode!

TOUR PHOTOS

Visit our Facebook page this weekend to see our post of all the pics from Jack Daniel's!

Fun Facts about Jack Daniel's (not included in the interview)

• Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey was the preferred whiskey brand among Americans in 2019, capturing over 13% of the US Market (Source: Statista.com)
• Over a quarter million people per year make the pilgrimage to the Jack Daniel’s distillery. (Source: Vinepair.com)
• On October 1, Jack Daniel's launched "Tennessee Apple' a blend of JD with apple liqueur made from green apples at 70 proof
• Jack worked on a farm owned by Reverend Call and it is here that he learned how to make whiskey under the guidance of Nathan "Nearest" Green, an African-American slave on the Call Farm. In 1865, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery and a year later, Jack Daniel opened his distillery and Nearest, as a free man, chose to work for him as his distiller. When ownership transferred to Jack Daniel and Nearest became a free man after, (Sources: jackdaniels.com, unclenearest.com, , cbsnews.com ) Fawn Weaver, CEO and Co-Founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey opened her distilery this past September and we hope to be able to take another roadtrip to visit them!
• For the first time, the Jack Daniel's Holiday Calendar is being released outside of the UK in the United States, Australia, Poland, Czech Republic and France
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​We are very excited to announce the release of Cocktails Made Simple: Easy & Delicious Recipes for the Home Bartender by Brian Weber and Amin Benny. 

​This collaborative project was borne out of our passions for both craft cocktails and sharing knowledge with people who are either aspiring Bartenders or Cocktail Enthusiasts.

We wrote it to be easy to follow for anyone with clear and concise instructions in a useful fashion..

We hope youpick up a copy today from Amazon!

Below is a sample page featuring the Old Fashioned recipe. Create any of the cocktails from the book and use hashtag #cocktailsmadesimplebook and we may feature your drink on our official Instagram account!

Watch video below of Brian demonstrating the best way to cut fruit garnishes,

The Depart the Summer event was held at Roof  at the Park South Hotel in Manhattan (You should visit if you ever get a chance!)
Bar Methods was going on while we were there, and I got a chance to say hello to friend Chris Bidmead, co-founder of this great eductional event that is held annually. 
Brian: I personally did it about 3 years ago, and I encourage you to look into that for next year - it's an amazing educational opportunity.

Anthony gave a great demonstration about how to take great photos, and then we paired up into teams of two (I paired with Hazel) and we had a photo and video competition.  There were lots of props and drinks. We had to submit one photo and one slo mo video. In the end my photo won the contest! (Picture at right). It was a photo of a Tequila Avión Negroni. 

​For my notes from Anthony's Seminar, click here to send us an email with "Share the Knowledge" in the Subject Line and we'll email you a document summary.

We'd love to see what you learned from this episode so please feel free to use the tips to take photos, post on Instagram and tag us @bartenderjourney !​

WE WROTE A BOOK! - COCKTAILS MADE SIMPLE BY BRIAN WEBER AND AMIN BENNY

The book is available NOW for pre-order on Amazon.  To keep informed about the book.  please follow Bartender Journey on

• Facebook - @BartenderJourney

• Instagram - @BartenderJourney
• Twitter - @BarKeepTips.

MORE KNOWLEDGE!
​I wanted to share one more thing with you - I just read an outstanding article on bourbonr.com.  Its called “What’s Malt, and Why is it Needed”.  It’s a really worth a read.  It not only does a great job of explaining the process of producing alcohol , but also some of the differences between scotch and bourbon and also the definition of a Single Malt.  I’ll have that link on bartenderjourney.net. We’ll have to try get the author of that article Mr. Henrik Brandt on the show sometime.

Joe McCanta, Grey Goose global ambassador joins us on the show.  This interview was recorded at Tales of the Cocktail 2019 -- we get a great understanding of Vodka.

Bartender Journey has a very special project in the works!  Do you want to be the first to know about it? Sign up here -   Yes, I'd like to be in the loop.