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Obviously, this is not the time to ask, "So what exactly is in that pink drink anyway?" But if you must, the Mayflower Hotel's longtime, beloved bartender Sambonn Lek (everyone calls him Sam) has put together a free booklet of his most popular drink recipes just for the asking. The 36-page booklet is called "Serve It Again, Sam!" and is available at the historic downtown hotel's Town and Country Lounge. Otherwise, at most bars these days, from the timeless Mayflower, to neighborhood hangouts like Mister Day's on 19th Street NW, to high-profile restaurants like Georgia Brown's, just say the M-word. Most bartenders are hearing it hundreds of times a night. Martinis, even when they bear little resemblance to the classic cocktail except for the distinctive glass, are enjoying a rebirth in popularity in guises James Bond would have a hard time recognizing. Chocolate martinis? Strawberry martinis? Martinis garnished with a baby squid? All true, all being tried, according to veteran mix-masters. In fact, old-fashioned cocktails in general are enjoying a comeback. This is a good time to taste such classics as a Manhattan, a Sidecar, Cape Cod or Cosmopolitan. "People are switching around, trying new things," notes Ray Foley, the publisher of Bartender magazine in Liberty Corner, N.J. What they're not doing, contends bartender Tom Vetter of D.C.'s Daily Grill, is as much heavy drinking, at least not at the bars. Vetter has been a bartender in Washington for nearly 30 years and says educational campaigns, liability concerns "and the fear that a cop will be watching" have combined to make people much more aware of the risks of drunkenness. Keeping this advice in mind, here are some tips, advice and anecdotes – straight up – from some classic, and classy, bartenders:
NAME: Sambonn Lek NICKNAME: Sam (in Cambodia, his homeland, it's Bonn) PLACE: Town and Country Lounge, Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave. NW HISTORY: Been at the Mayflower for 22 years SHIFT: Monday-Friday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m. "I never wanted to work days. Too quiet. Too boring." FAVORITE DRINK: "The Sam I Am, which I invented in 1994. I use Absolut Citron, a touch of Amaretto and cranberry juice. People who like a Cape Cod [vodka and cranberry juice] like the Sam I Am for a change. Word must be spreading because the bartender at Sam & Harry's has gotten some requests for it." For sheer drama, however, customers ask for Sam's Smoked Martini. "Do not try this at home," he cautions. He makes a gin martini, then lights a piece of lemon peel. When the flame goes out, he drops the scorched peel into the martini, giving it a smoky flavor. SPECIAL TOUCH: Most nights, he does magic tricks with $20 bills. "People love it. They ask me to come to their table and show them my tricks. I also use it to help amuse people who have had a bad day. I can see them relax and cheer up when they watch me." He also reads fortunes. FREE TIP: "The secret to a good bartender is a sense of humor, a warm smile and a calming presence." Besides, he adds, everything looks a little better after one of his martinis. His other secret: Presentation, presentation, presentation. For the perfect martini, chill a martini glass and a small snifter. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and pour in the vodka (or gin) and "a drip" of vermouth. Swirl the shaker in your hand seven times. Pour the mixture into the chilled snifter. Put the garnish (lemon peel, onion, olive, whatever) in the chilled martini glass. Fill the glass halfway with the mixture from the snifter. Enjoy.
NAME: Tom Vetter NICKNAME: Toughy (he earned it in high school on Long Island for defending his short, smart aleck best friend, Eddie) PLACE: Daily Grill, 1200 18th St. NW HISTORY: Been a bartender for 28 years, much of it on the night shift. Most recently at Capitol City Brewing Co. (for five years), before being lured away to Daily Grill in March SHIFT: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., "just like a real job." FAVORITE DRINK: "I make the best straight-up Manhattan in the world." His secret: Use (Canadian whiskey), extra bitters and serve it very, very cold in a bird bath (bartender-speak for a big martini glass). "My wife doesn't let me drink them too often because I like them too much." FREE TIP: "Anyone can tell a joke. A good bartender gives good service, keeps the bar clean and puts a lot of money in the register for the owner. Women, dining alone, like to come to my bar to eat lunch because they know I'm nice. And it's not intimidating. When they come in, they don't see men three-deep drinking and cursing and scratching."
NAME: Dennis Carolan NICKNAME: "The Energizer" because he's constantly moving PLACE: Georgia Brown's, 950 15th St. NW SHIFT: Tuesday-Saturday, 4 p.m. to closing HISTORY: Been a bartender off and on for more than 25 years, interrupted by a stint working on Capitol Hill. Went back to bartending nights so he could be with his kids during the day. FAVORITE DRINK: Seasonal beers from local microbreweries, including Snow Goose by Wild Goose brewery in Cambridge, Md., and Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ale by Old Dominion Brewing in Ashburn, Va. FREE TIP: Timing is everything in making cocktails. "The best drinks are served ice cold," he says. For martinis, the top-selling drink at the bar especially on packed Thursday and Friday nights, he shakes the vodka and ice for each drink "long enough to chill it thoroughly, but not so long that the ice melts and the drink gets diluted." Also popular at Georgia Brown's: Cosmopolitans (a martini with a splash of cranberry juice – "a beautiful drink, among our top five sellers"), single-batch bourbons ("really big now") and single-malt Scotches. For an after-dinner drink, he recommends the White Chocolate Martini, a sweet house special that layers vodka with light and dark creme de cacao.
NAME: Tim McMillan NICKNAME: Bob. "Actually, it's an alias. On Friday night, when it's like an onslaught at the bar, I get sick of hearing 'Hey, Tim' 16,000 times a night. So I asked them to call me Bob and now it's a running joke." PLACE: Clyde's Tysons Corner, 8232 Leesburg Pike in Vienna HISTORY: About eight years as bartender, all at the huge 80-seat, four-bartender Clyde's bar in Tyson's Corner SHIFT: Tuesday-Friday, 5:30 p.m.-2 a.m. FAVORITE DRINK: The Tim Special. "It's a combination of two beers. I take either Foggy Bottom Ale or Pete's Winter Brew and add a little Dominion Black and Tan. It makes a drink as smooth as a baby's bottom." SPECIAL TOUCH: He used to do stand-up comedy, so he knows lots of jokes and he regularly challenges customers to come up with a joke he doesn't know. "You know how some people can remember names? Well, I'm that way with jokes. There's rarely one I haven't heard. The customers have fun trying to stump me." FREE TIP: Martinis may be getting a lot of press, but he says they still only account for about 5 percent of the bar's sales. "We sell the most Dewar's (Scotch) of any place in Virginia." Also, vodka and juice drinks – the Sea Breeze, Bay Breeze, Cape Cod – sell extremely well. Among the new flavored-vodka drinks, he says the so-called Espresso Martini is popular. It's espresso-flavored vodka with creme de cacao and three espresso beans. "Very smooth."
NAME: Tommy Hanavan NICKNAME: What do you think "Tommy" is? PLACE: Professional Bartending School, Arlington, Va. HISTORY: Was a bartender for 15 years; hired four years ago to manage this 30-year-old school that trains many local bartenders. FAVORITE DRINK: Sidecar. "It's an old American drink from the '30s or '40s. It has a wonderful presentation, very elegant, plus it's delicious." His secret: Use a well-chilled martini glass with a sugared rim. Use only good-quality Cognac, Cointreau (do not substitute Triple Sec) and sour mix and garnish with an orange slice and a cherry. FREE TIP: Martinis have become so popular that the school now has an entire class devoted to them, but all the old-fashioned cocktails are regaining popularity. He tells his students that any knucklehead can mix a drink. The art of tending bar is the art of making money by making people happy. "If people like you, they will give you money. Simple as that." (By the way, a new bartender-school graduate can expect to make $75 to $125 a night in wages and tips. Eventually, the very best can make $70,000 and up, but that group is pretty small, he says.)
NAME: Charles David Walsh NICKNAME: C.D. PLACE: Mike's 10th Street Grill, 518 10th St. NW SHIFT: Every day, for as many hours as it takes HISTORY: Been a bartender for 25 years, as well as a bar owner. Now a co-owner, with two other veteran bartenders, of the newly opened Mike's, which is why he's there every day doing everything FAVORITE DRINK: "I'm not a big drinker. When you're around it all the time, it's not as glamorous. Occasionally I'll have a vodka and grapefruit juice." FREE TIP: "To me, the drink isn't as important as the presentation. I'm really picky about that. The glassware has to be correct. For people serving drinks at home, don't put that Seagrams 7 on the rocks in the glass you use for tap water. Use a short glass with a stem. It will taste better."
NAME: Carol Shivenercq NICKNAME: "None. Just Carol" PLACE: Mister Day's, 1111 19th St. NW SHIFT: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. HISTORY: Fifteen years at Mister Day's, more than 20 years as a bartender. "I was one of the first women bartenders in the city. A friend and I answered an ad that said 'good-looking women wanted as bartenders.' I told her I couldn't believe we were doing this, but we did." CAROL'S COMMANDMENTS: 1) We don't do colored martinis. 2) If you're going to order a drink with a horrible, vulgar name you should at least be able to tell the bartender what's in it. 3) Good ice and lots of it is the secret to the best drinks. 4) The best way to make a martini is to pour a tiny bit of vermouth over ice, then immediately pour out the vermouth. Now add the vodka. Whatever vermouth is left clinging to the ice is all that anyone really wants in their martini. 5) Some people like their bartenders to be nice, some like them to be surly. I can do both. FREE TIP: "I talk to my customers like I would talk to a friend, and many of them are like my best friends. That's what makes a good bar and a good bartender."
NAME: Ray Foley NICKNAME: Hymie Lipschitz. "I am not making this up. A bunch of guys came into the bar I was working at once and asked my name. When I told them, one guy said he'd never remember a name like Ray Foley, how about Hymie Lipschitz? And it stuck. It's a good Irish name, don't you think?" PLACE: Bartender magazine, Liberty Corner, N.J., where he's the publisher. He's also the author of "Bartending for Dummies" (IDG Books, $14.99). SHIFT: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., same as some bartenders HISTORY: Worked for 17 years as a bartender in New Jersey and if that isn't time served, we don't know what is LEAST FAVORITE DRINK TREND: Weird garnishes. "There's this guy in Ohio who's putting baby squid in his martinis. I think they have too much time on their hands out there in Ohio." SECOND LEAST FAVORITE DRINK TREND: "All these frou-frou martinis. Chocolate martinis, there's even a Mistletoe Martini with currant-flavored vodka and Chambord. This is not the real martini of the past." UPCOMING DRINK TREND: He predicts fruit smoothies made with alcohol – "like those California drinks, but with a kick." Also, he sees cordials and single-malt bourbons making a comeback. "And Irish whiskey, but obviously I'm prejudiced," he adds. FREE TIP: "Flavored vodkas and flavored gins are really big these days. Stoli just came out with six new flavors. Six! Vanilla, coffee, raspberry, cinnamon, peach and strawberry. It's amazing." He thinks cocktails have seen a resurgence because 1) "people are starting to get bored with wine" and 2) "people are switching around a lot today. They like to try new things. They're not just a Scotch drinker or a bourbon drinker, like in the past."
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