Liquor Trivia - Seagram's V.O.

What does the ribbon on the neck of every bottle of Seagram's V.O. represent?

Erin Edgar
Director- ABC Bartending Schools San Francisco
15694 East 14th Street
San Leandro, CA 94578

The Broufman family chose the racing colors of the Seagram stables to give every bottle of Seagram's V.O. a distinguishing mark. It's thoroughbred stables had run the King's and Queen's plates twenty times. The black and yellow ribbon around the neck and shoulder of a V.O. bottle represents a small piece of the ten thousand miles of ribbon it takes to decorate these bottles each year.

Liquor Trivia - Cutty Sark

How did Cutty Sark get it's name?

Mark Platte
ABC Bartending Schools - Detroit
27615 John R. Road
Madison Heights, MI 48071

On the label of every bottle of Cutty Sark Scotch is a picture of a well-known clipper ship which roamed the sea's in the late 1800's. It was called the 'Cutty Sark'. The clipper ship was in fact named after the witch 'cutty sark' in Robert Burns' poem 'Tom O'Shaunter'. Thus the clipper ship on every bottle of Cutty Sark was named after the witch 'Cutty Sark'.

Tequila Trivia

John Kane
ABC Bartending Schools- Director
Phenix, AZ
5032 South Ash Avenue Tempe, AZ 85282

Where is Tequila made?
Tequila is designated officially as a 'distinctive product of Mexico'. It is a specialized mescal - the first distilled spirit produced on the Norht American continent. Tequila is often confused with pulque and mescal, two alcohols that are in fact related to tequila but are yet quite distinct from it- and each other. All three are produced in Mexico and are derived from some species of the agave plant (it can be produced from 6 or more species of the agave plant). Tequila is mescal with two distinguishing features: It can be made only from one species of agave and in only restricted areas of Mexico. Remember -'ALL Tequila is mescal but not all mescal is Tequila!'

Bacardi Rum Trivia

Kim - Director
ABC Bartending Schools
Los Angeles, California
5036 Katella Avenue Los Alamitos, CA 90720

Did you know that the 'Bacardi Cocktail' can only be made with Bacardi Rum? This cocktail is named after the well known rum which dates back to the early 1860's and is made from sugar kanes. Bacardi had it's day in court to claim the drink in 1936 when the Bacardi Co. succesfully defended their drink to the New York Supreme Court. The Bacardi Co. contended that many bars and restaurants were serving a 'Bacardi' cocktail made with rums other than Bacardi and that the use of any rum other than Bacardi was a misrepresentation of their brand and quality. The court agreed and the Bacardi Cocktail was legally recognized and enforced to be made exclusively with Bacardi rum.

Another interesting piece is why the Bacardi bottle has a bat in their labels. In Puerto Rico, the leading distributor of Bacardi rum, the bat has come to signify 'long life and prosperity' so much so that even in their corporate offices are situated under a large bat-like dome that covers the entire complex.

A Natural High

Anthony J. Sylvester
CEO ABC Bartending Schools
3419 North Dixie Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334

Recently the Sylvester family on a return trip from New York had a 2 hour layover in Orlando, Florida. When Tony Jr. overheard 2 men talking about ABC Bartending Schools. AJ then went to his mother and told her what he had overheard. Karen, Charlee and AJ then approached both men and asked them if they were talking about ABC. As it turns out, one of the men was a student who had just graduated that week from the ABC campus in Orlando. His name was Javier Oramas and he was telling his friend what a great time he had at the school. Karen then introduced herself and explained who she was to which Javier complemented the program and instruction at ABC. Karen then called Tony in Fort Lauderdale and told him of this great experience. Wow, how much better can it get for a father to have his son and family at an airport overhear people singing the praises of his company. It was a 'natural high' as they say when Karen called me from the airport in Orlando and told me the story.

Trivia - History of Galliano liqueur

Tony Sylvester CEO
West Palm Beach Florida
ABC Bartending Schools
3419 North Dixie Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334

Did you know that Galliano was named after an Italian war hero? Major Guiseppe Galliano was a member of the Italian Abyssinian forces in Ethiopia in 1895. He commanded the troops that succesfully defended a small fort in Enda Jesus. Major Galliano had only 2,300 men against a Abyssinian army with over 80,000. Wow! Sounds like the Alamo all over again? Only this time the hero lived and went on to become part of Italian folklore. In 1969 Galliano got a big boost in sales from a top surfer named Harvey who, after loosing a surfing competition, Harvey tossed down a few at the local bar with his favorite drink - a screwdriver with a dash of Galliano! Harvey gave himself a little too much and in leaving the bar, started to bang along from wall to wall and thus the 'Harvey Wallbanger' was born. Being he was a regular at the bar, he was given the nickname 'wallbanger' and his drink became known as the (you guessed it) 'Harvey Wallbanger'.

New Orleans exhibit traces the story of the cocktail

Noel Shaw ABC- Orlando Bartending School Director
653 North Mills Avenue Orlando, FL 32803

Ifyou're a true mixologist you should definitely check out this museum in New Orleans. It is stacked with bar and mixing paraphernalia plus a timeline tracing the American cocktail from the early 19th century to the present. It's a great way to gain the sense of history of the bar business and it's catalysts...the cocktail! Call 516-355-6319 for info and museum hours or check them out online at http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/

Drinks On Demand

Dan Bygden
Director- Tampa ABC Bartending Schools
4601 West Kennedy BLVD Tampa, FL 33609

If you're a boater or just have an eye for the latest in bar mixology, you don't want to pass up this Super Sidebar bevarage system which will certainly make life behind the bar that much easier, if not more convinient! See it at http://www.supersidebar.com/.

Dressing for Success

Brandon D. Sullivan
Placement Director
3419 North Dixie Highway Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334

One of the best way's to get a job is to "look the part to get the part". As a bartender you should always look the part of a bartender when going on job interviews. Always wear your black and whites or your more professional attire...it helps you look the part and that's 50% of the job interview and gets you that much closer to working behind the bar!