Jack J. Schramm

New York

Columnist at VinePair

Featured in: Favicon

vinepair.com Favicon

dailynews.com Favicon

punchdrink.com Favicon

wholefoodmag.com Favicon

plateonline.com

Articles

Fermentation for Flavor and Opulence with Sebastian Tollius of Clemente Bar

Nov 20, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

I’m often asked by folks visiting New York, “What’s the best place to go get a cocktail?” Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here and I’ll need to know more about whether they’re looking for a cool vibe, great service, perfectly executed classics, more modern drinks, or a fantastic spirits list. I always try to tailor the recommendation to a spot that will deliver exactly what they’re looking for.
Hydrosol Martinis and Vacuum Distillation With Miles Macquarrie of Kimball House

Oct 16, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

An infinite amount of work can go into crafting a high-quality cocktail, from the basics of using fresh juice and good ice to the painstaking complexities of things like house-made infusions, clarification, and force carbonation. But, ultimately, only a very small percentage of guests at any given bar will be there primarily to taste that labor of love.
Mastering Garnishes With William Elliot of Maison Premiere and Tigre

Sep 17, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

For the first few years of my career as a bartender, I was vehemently anti-garnish. At Booker and Dax, we were dogmatic in that everything in the glass needed to be there for a reason, and the reason could not be frivolity. It was a decade ago and Dave Arnold’s pioneering techniques hadn’t taken root in the broader bar world yet, so in order to avoid being pigeonholed as a gimmick program, everything had to be austere when it came to the service of the drinks.
Clarification and High-Acid Stirred Drinks With Theo Ouya of Bar Contra

Aug 28, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

It’s impossible to overstate Dave Arnold’s impact on the world of cocktails. The New York-based food scientist, bartender, and technologist pioneered techniques like centrifuge clarification, force carbonation, rapid infusion, liquid nitrogen chilling, and nitro-muddling, just to name a few. His book “Liquid Intelligence” is a James Beard and Spirited Award-winning masterwork that changed the way bartenders around the world make drinks.
Novel Cordials and Mindful Mixology With Kitty Bernardo of NYC’s Paradise Lost

Jul 24, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

Walk through the nondescript door marked only with a creepy green glyph on Second Avenue in New York’s East Village and you’ll encounter the greatest entryway in modern bar history. Immediately, you’re bathed in neon and surrounded by foliage, drawn to the glowing letters “PARADISE LOST” like a thirsty mosquito to a bug zapper.
Building Faster Rounds - and Better Drinks - With Attaboy’s Haley Traub

Jun 26, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

Who needs low-ABV cocktails when you have slow-ass bartenders? This question, shared as a cheeky joke in an Instagram story, became a viral moment for Erick Castro, the legendary bartender behind San Diego’s Raised By Wolves and Gilly’s House of Cocktails, and host of the award-winning Bartender at Large podcast. In a follow-up story, he added: “This is not an isolated problem. … Many bars and restaurants are attempting to do ‘high volume’ without any of the training, systems, infrastructure etc.
A Fresh Take on Fat-Washing With GN Chan of Double Chicken Please

May 15, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

There are a few tried-and-true methodologies from which delicious cocktails are born. There’s the scientific approach, from bars like Shinji’s, that utilizes the latest equipment and technology to painstakingly develop drinks until the delicious result can be replicated with exacting precision.
Building a Purpose-Driven Backbar with Nightmoves’ Orlando Franklin McCray

Apr 17, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

The day I graduated from college I was fortunate enough to already be working my dream job, bartending at New York’s Booker and Dax. We were a tight team, and it was a place I felt completely accepted and at home. Naturally, it was the only choice for a celebratory drink after the ceremony, so once the cap and gown were hung up, I ponied up to the bar. The brilliant Maura McGuigan was general manager at the time.
Creating Culinary Cocktails With Schmuck’s Juliette Larrouy and Moe Aljaff

Mar 20, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

It happens a couple times a week to just about every cocktail bartender. The bar is buzzing, tickets are flowing, and your hands are moving faster than your brain. The drinks are just happening, appearing in front of you as if by magic. Most guests are engrossed in conversation or savoring a first or second round, but a few will stop and just watch.
Transforming Spirits to Liqueurs with Jonathan Adler and Danny Reylock of Shinji’s

Feb 21, 2024 | vinepair.com | Jack J. Schramm

One of the most difficult concepts for new bartenders to grasp is balance. Even if every ingredient in a drink is delicious on its own, when combined in the wrong quantities the finished cocktail can still be undrinkable. The ability to manage the delicate interplay between spirit, sweet, sour, bitter, and dilution separates great bartenders and mixologists from amateurs.