KEEP THE CHANGE - HOW TO EARN MORE TIPS

In such a cosmopolitan city as London, with inhabitants from around the globe, the protocol on tipping is very blurred as tipping is not a universally accepted act. So if you are working in the service industry and you are relying on tips to make ends meet, here are a couple of pearls of wisdom for you to increase your chance of receiving a tip and help you earn bigger tips in the future.

A tip or a gratuity is a small amount of money given voluntarily to servers as appreciation for good service. You may leave a very small amount of money, or no tip at all as a sign that the service was substandard.

The word “tip” is thought to have originated in the 17th century and was believed to be used as a verb to “hand over” or “to give”. This theory aligns with many stories from Feudal times where lords would “tip” or throw gold coins to peasants, to ensure their own safe passage.

The main reason for tipping is more down to guilt than to gratitude. Often we will tip someone as we don’t want to offend someone or act out of protocol. We also have the belief that if we don’t tip, the server may remember us for our next visit to that bar or restaurant.

Although good service will invariably earn more tips than poor service, excellent service does not necessarily result in that much more of a tip. Researchers have found that excellent service only results in a marginally higher tip than normal, however the following specific actions end in much greater tips.

Touching - Waiters experienced a tip increase from 11.8 percent to 14.8 percent of the check total when they briefly touched the shoulder of the customer. Both men and women left higher tips when touched, and although younger customers increased their tip amount more, all ages increased the tip by some amount


Squatting - Two studies showed that waiters who squatted next to the table when taking orders and talking with customers increased their tips from 14.9 percent of the bill to 17.5 percent of the bill in one study, and from 12 percent to 15 percent in another study. Apparently, the eye contact and closer interaction creates a more intimate connection and makes us want to give the server more money


Giving sweets - A study that involved giving customers mints or sweets with their bill showed an increase in tip percentage from 15.1 percent to 17.8 percent. Another study in which servers gave each customer two sweets with the bill increased the tip from 19 percent to 21.6 percent of the bill. Still another study showed that the way the server gave the customer the sweets had the largest impact on the increase of the tip: This study had the server initially give each member of the customer's party one mint or sweet and then "spontaneously" offer a second one. This method increased the tip to 23 percent of the bill.


Being helpful - A study of hotel bellhops revealed that just taking a few extra minutes explaining to guests how to operate the television and thermostat, opening the drapes for guests, and offering to fill the ice bucket increased tips from $2.40 to $4.77

Introduction – In another study, servers who introduced themselves by name at the beginning of the dining experience, went on to earn a tip of 23% of the bill as opposed to servers who did not introduce themselves by name, who only earned an average tip of 15%.

Plastic - Research has shown that tips are significantly higher when the customer pays with their credit card as opposed to paying with cash.

The bill – Servers who took longer to bring a customer their bill, once requested, ended up with smaller tips on average. Servers who wrote thank you, or a small message on the bill, received slightly larger tips on average.

While the above will all help servers receive greater gratuities, there is no substitute for friendly, efficient service. You may increase your tips by a small percentage due to the actions above, but you will need to earn the tip in the first place with decent service.
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For more information, check out: Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell .

MARGARITA

The Margarita has suffered in modern times. In an effort to make it hip, quick, trendy, and cheap it has been bastardized far worse than any cocktail before it. Whether it is the use of inferior (or just plain wrong) ingredients, or commercially made mixes, the common Margarita these days tastes more like a Limeade with a splash of orange juice than it does the delectable cocktail that once was.

A true Margarita is made from three ingredients. Tequila, Cointreau (a Triple Sec), and fresh squeezed Lime Juice. Just looking at the ingredients it clearly falls into the same category of cocktail as the Sidecar, Whiskey Sour, Aviation, and Cosmopolitan. These cocktails are knows as "Sours", and consist of a Spirit, Cordial and a Juice.

Like any cocktail, the true art comes in arriving at the proper ratio of the ingredients in order to present a balance of the flavours being used. And like most cocktail recipes, the more recipe books you look in, the more confused you will get as to the proper way to make a Margarita. While many recipe books will indicate that "equal parts" of three ingredients should be used, to me this does not result in a well-balanced drink. What I’ve discovered through many long nights of experimentation, is that the best ratio for Margarita is 3:2:1. Three parts Tequila, 2 parts Cointreau, and 1 part fresh squeezed lime juice.

As in all cocktails, I always recommend the use of quality ingredients. For the Tequila I recommend a decent quality silver (or blanco) tequila. This unaged Tequila will have a crisp and lively flavour that works well in mixed drinks. Any Tequila with "gold" in its name simply means it has been artificially flavoured and colour to make it look and taste like an aged (or Anejo) tequila. My choice for Triple Sec is always Cointreau or Grand Marnier, and the juice should always be fresh squeezed.

Histories Shadow
Nobody truly knows when or by whom, the first Margarita was made. There are many stories, many of them quite convincing, but no one story has been able to stand out as depicting the true origin of this classic drink.

Here are a few stories that claim to recount how this drink was first created:

• 
  In the early 1930’s, it was created at the Caliente Race Track in Tijuana.


• 
  In 1936, Danny Negrete invented this drink for his girlfriend, Margarita, while working at the Garci Crespo Hotel.


• 
  In 1938 or 1939, Carlos Hererra invented this drink for Marjorie King, who apparently couldn’t drink any hard liquor except Tequila without getting sick (Some stories will call him "Danny Hererra", apparently confusing him with Danny Negrete).



• 
  On the 4th of July, 1942, a customer asked Francisco "Pancho" Morales for a "Magnolia", but he couldn’t remember exactly how to make it, so he made something up, and he named it the "Daisy" instead (which in Mexican is Margarita).


• 
  Sometime in the 1940’s, Enrique Bastante Gutierez created this drink for Rita Hayward, whose real name was Margarita.


• 
  In 1948 Margaret Sames created this drink for a party she was holding in Acapulco.


• 
  In 1948 it was created in Galveston, Texas by Santo Cruz. Who mixed it up for singer Peggy Lee.


• 
  In the early 1950’s it was created at the "Tail o’ the Cock" restaurant in Los Angeles in order to find a way to introduce Jose Cuervo tequila into the market.

… and there are of course countless others as well.

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MAI TAI

Just as we never say no to watching The African Queen, we never turn down a Mai Tai. While we can count the number of times we’ve made this drink at home on to fingers, we can hardly recount the times this potent concoction has gotten the best of us while we were out on the town.
We’d entertain more prejudices about the Mai Tai if only we hadn’t had such fun drinking it. The irresistible irreverence of this drink always takes us from the doldrums to the tropics, and we salute Victor Bergeron, known to the world as Trader Vic, for creating this drink before he’d even visited the tropics.

By most accounts, Vic whipped up the first Mai Tai in 1944 at his Hinky Dink’s restaurant in Emeryville, just over the bridge from San Francisco. Trader Vic himself tried to set the record straight for doubters in his bartender’s guide of 1947:"There has been a lot of conversation over the beginning of the Mai Tai… I originated the Mai Tai. Many others have claimed credit… The drink was never introduced by me into Tahiti except informally through our good friends, Eastham and Carrie Guild… Anybody who says I didn’t create this drink is a dirty stinker." Trader Vic goes on to write that his two friends who had been visiting Tahiti requested something special from the bar, so he grabbed the Jamaican rum, a lime,, curacao, Orgeat and rock candy syrup, and concocted the Mai Tai prototype.

Just as Trader Vic tempered Polynesian cuisine to the tastes of North Americans, we’ve taken the liberty of altering his drink recipe slightly. In a shaker, we combine 2 ounce dark Jamaican rum – either Appleton or Myers - ½ ounce curacao, ¾ ounce fresh lime juice, and a splash of Orgeat, followed by another splash of either simple syrup or grenadine, depending on the colour we’re after. When strained and served in a tall, frosted glass filled with shaved ice, this drink, this drink always brings warm tropical thoughts to mind, even when we’re in the midst of a blizzard. Some bartenders say that using a fine orange liqueur in a Mai Tai is a little like slathering Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup on a crepe. To us, that view is only a telltale sign that the mixer is using some modern-day recipe with far too many ingredients. The Mai Tai, after all, is nothing more than a dressed-up Daiquiri. Fortunately, nearly all recipes for the Mai Tai are sweet enough that if a bartender screws up, we’re unlikely to notice. By second or third round, the bartender may even have us shouting Tahitian phrases such as "Mai Tai – Roa Ae!" – which means "Out of this world – the best!" – just as Carrie Guild did years ago.

THE COSMOPOLITAN

Only a few years back, this drink was called the "Stealth Martini", first by Barnaby Conrad III, the author of The Martini , and then by its imbibers. Whether the name came about because of the Cosmo’s covert kick or because of its tendency to be ordered by those unimpressed with the classic Martini is of little consequence now. We’re just glad the cocktail crowd hasn’t deemed it passé.

Some bartenders snub the Cosmopolitan, comparing it to those drinks on the short list of classic cocktails. We admit it lacks complexity, but few can deny this drink's popularity and reliability, especially in establishments with slipshod mixers. In fact, whenever we’re unsure of a bar’s integrity, we start the evening with a request for the Cosmopolitan, a descendant of the Cold War’s Cape Codder and the respectable sibling of the Kamikaze shooter. Made with 2 ounces of Vodka, 1 ounce Cointreau, ½ ounce lime juice and 1 splash cranberry juice, the only way a mixer can foil this is to substitute Rose’s lime juice for fresh fruit.

No one seems to have bothered recording who mixed the first Cosmo, though many drink historians and bartenders agree that the gay community in Provincetown, Massachusetts, should be credited with the accomplishment. Occasionally, the name Cheryl Cook will surface, but it leads only to San Francisco, never to an actual person. Many bartenders – including John Caine, owner of San Francisco’s Café Mars and undisputed West Coast champion of this drink – partly credit the Cosmopolitan with the resurgence of the cocktail during the ‘70s, when fern bars, with their overly sweet, so called "girl-drinks", nearly destroyed the respectability of the bar.

The popularity of the Cosmopolitan traveled from New England to New York and then across he country. Imbibers like MacGyver drink it, and Hunter S. Thompson – the self-proclaimed "mad doctor of gonzo journalism" – managed to get it cited in an affidavit used in The People of the State of Colorado v. Hunter Stockton Thompson. Whenever we’re desperate for a cocktail at some endearing dive bar or you're after a reliable drink to console a friend in need, we're thankfull of the Cosmo.

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COCKTAILS AND DREAMS

I remember my first cocktail experience quite clearly, although the exact ingredients of the drink are a blur. I’m quite certain it was a blend of Scotch, Baileys, Gin and Port, with lemonade added to give it length. The drink was created by a curious "bartender", aged 14, who was left alone with the freshly discovered keys to the drinks cabinet. Needless to say the drink was horrific and left me scarred for years, however my cocktail thirst wasn’t quenched and to this day I am still fiercely curious about the subject of creating drinks and cocktails.

When looking through cocktail books, I am always intrigued about the origins of the cocktails included. Quite often the information given doesn’t exceed the ingredients, measurements and method of the cocktail and I suppose cocktails can often be a hard origin to track down, unless they are named after the person or establishment that actually invented them.

The earliest known written reference to the term "cocktail" as a spirits based drink, blended with other spirits or additives, goes back to an early American magazine called "The Balance", published in May 1806.

"Cocktail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters - it is vulgarly called bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion"

But what about the term "cocktail" itself?

The exact origin of the term cocktail is still a mystery, with several colourful stories from around the globe laying claim to the name. I have included some of my favourite stories below, however I doubt that we will ever find out the exact story of how the name came about. As with most quests for knowledge, the journey overshadows the destination and to me, the romance of the cocktail seems to be better preserved by the idea that any one of these tales could indeed be the origin.

Betsy Flanagan
What appears to be a very popular story, has to do with a innkeeper named Betsy Flanagan. Her husband was killed in the revolution, and she herself was considered to be one of the heroes of the revolution. In 1779 she opened an inn near Yorktown, which was frequented by American and French soldiers.

Nearby to the inn was an Englishman who raised chickens. Probably due to the current political climate, Betsy was none too fond of this neighbour, and she loved to promise her American and French patrons that one day she would serve them a meal of roast chicken. To which her guests would often mock her, claiming that this was all bravado and that she would never carry through with it.

On an evening that saw an unusual number of officers gathering at her inn, Betsy invited them into the living room, where they were served a grand meal of chicken, freshly "acquired" from the English neighbour. When the meal was over, Betsy moved her guests to the bar, where she proudly served up rounds of "Bracer" (which was a popular drink recipe at the inn). Betsy had decorated each drink with a tail-feather from the recently consumed chickens. To this, the officers gave three cheers to celebrate the defeat of this one particular Englishman. "Let's have some more cocktail" one officer proclaimed. To which a French officer added "Vive le cocktail!", and the drinking continued long into the night.

Tapping The Cocks Tail
As another story has it, the term came into use at a bar in an American harbour; the owner had a large ceramic container in the form of a rooster (cock). Every evening, the leftovers from drinks served were poured into this cock. Less economically fortunate guests could for a cheap price get a drink from this cock, served from a tap at the tail. From this came the term cocktail. It was said, that the quality was especially high the day after English sailors had been visiting, as there was a good mixture of rum, gin and brandy in the cocktail.

Cock Fighting
An evocative origin of the word "cocktail" comes from the term "cock-ale", a heady mixture of spirits fed to fighting cocks in the 18th century to inflame them. The punters and cockerel owners would undoubtedly have drunk the same mixture.

Frenchmen know how to drink
Another possible origin is from the French word Coquetel - being a mixed drink from Bordeaux served to French Officers during the American Revolution serving in what is now southern U.S.A.

Medicinal Purposes
Another version gives the invention to the medical profession. A New York newspaper unearthed the following explanation "from ancient print". The old doctors had a habit of treating certain diseases of the throat with a pleasant liquid applied to the tip of a feather from a cock's tail. In time this liquid came to be used as a gargle, the name of 'cocktail' still being used to describe it. In the course of further evolution, the gargle became a mixture of bitters, vermouth, and other such liquids, and finally developed into the beverage we now hold so highly.

When in Rome
One of the oldest versions I've come across has it that a doctor by name Claudius in ancient Rome mixed a drink consisting of wine and lemon juice and dried herbs. This drink he called "cockwine". Emperor [Lucius Ælius Aurelius, emperor 180-192] considered this drink to be an exquisite aperitif, and he had reputation of being and expert on the area.

Mighty Fine Lemonade
A "cock" in 19th century America was a tap; the last, muddy dregs of the tap were its "tail." Colonel Carter, of Culpeper Court House, Virginia, was served such a drink at his local tavern, and seeing it as an insult dashed it upon the floor and exclaimed, "Hereafter I will drink cocktails of my own brewing." His concoction, a mix of gin, lemon peel, bitters and sugar, was the great-granddaddy of the modern cocktail.

What was that recipe again?
Another version is that it is derived from cock-ale, a drink popular in England in the 17th and 18th centuries. To a cask of new ale was added a sack containing an old rooster, mashed to a pulp, raisins, mace, and cloves, and the mixture was allowed to infuse for a week or so.

A Bobbed Tail

A "cocktailed horse" is one whose tail has been bobbed, giving it a jaunty and flamboyant look. It seems reasonable that the "cocktail" took its name from the drink's alcoholic wallop, sufficient to "cock the tail" (or "knock the socks off") of an unwary patron.

The Kings Daughter
In the beginning of the 1800's, there was apparently a lot of fighting between the southern states, and a young king Axolot VIII of Mexico. Fortunately, as in most wars, peace eventually prevails. At the peace ceremonies, a drink was served to seal the reconciliation. It was brought forth in a magnificent emerald-ornamented gold cup. It was brought forth by a pretty young woman, who apparently also concocted the drink.

As the young woman was approaching the King and the General she suddenly realized that with only one cup, she would have to serve one of them before the other, and thus somebody would end up getting embarrassed. She quickly saw what she had to do, and nodding to each of the dignitaries, she promptly brought the goblet to her lips and drained the cup dry. "Who was that woman" asked the General. "My daughter, Coctel" replied the king. The general then stood, and bowing to the king, pronounced: "Coctel shall be famous in my country and all over the world; her name shall never be forgotten.

MOTHER'S RUIN

Like most spirits, Gin started out as a medicine - it was thought it could be a cure for gout and indigestion. Due to its affordability, Gin became increasingly popular with the poor and was sold by everyone from grocers to barbers. In London alone, there were more than 7,000 'dram shops', and 10 million gallons of gin were being distilled annually in the capital.


Gin rendered men impotent, and women sterile, and was a major reason why the birth rate in London at this time was exceeded by the death rate.


The government of the day became alarmed when it was found that the average Londoner drank 14 gallons of spirit each year. As usual, the government wanted their piece of the action and decided that the tax must be raised on gin. This had a negative effect as most of the reputable sellers went of business and were replaced by 'bootleggers' who sold their wares under such fancy names as Cuckold's Comfort, Ladies Delight and Knock Me Down. Overnight, gin sales went underground! Dealers, pushers and runners sold their illegal 'hooch' in what became a Black Market.



Much of the gin was drunk by women, consequently the children were neglected, daughters were sold into prostitution, and wet nurses gave gin to babies to quieten them. This worked provided they were given a large enough dose! Gin was the opium of the people, it led them to the debtors' prison or the gallows, ruined them, drove them to madness, suicide and death, but it kept them warm in winter, and allayed the terrible hunger pangs of the poorest.


In 1736 a Gin Act was passed which forbade anyone to sell 'Distilled spirituous liquor' without first taking out a licence costing £50. In the seven years following 1736, only three £50 licences were taken out, yet the gallons of gin kept coming. On the last night, as the last gallons of gin were sold off cheaply by the retailers who could not afford the duty, more gin was drunk than ever before or since. The authorities believed there would be trouble the following day but nothing happened as the mob lay insensible in the streets, too drunk to know or care.



Gin is another extremely simple drink. It is a grain spirit produced from rye, barley and sometimes corn. English style Gins are produced through successive distillation until all the higher alcohols are driven off. After distillation and some dilution, aromatization occurs through macerating dry herbs and botanicals through the alcohol or by running the spirit through them. The finished product is then bottled for immediate consumption. Gin has a reputation for being a depressant which is in fact a myth. In the 17th century it was made with the ingredients of beer and consumed in the same quantities. A British naval officer, Admiral Gimlet, first mixed it with lemon to make sure officers would keep up their vitamin C! Thus the Gimlet cocktail was born.


There are two types of Gin; London Dry and Plymouth Gin (the respective gins do not have to be made in these two cities). London Dry Gin is extremely perfumed with a number of exotic botanicals and varies substantially in quality.


Bombay Sapphire (40%) It is again distilled to 96% abv and then diluted with 10 different botanicals. Unlike other Gins that place the botanicals in the spirit prior to distillation, Bombay Sapphire uses a Carthead still. The Carthead still (has four stills) allows the spirit to vaporise before coming into contact with the botanicals. The spirit is mixed with pure water from Scottish springs and then heated to 82 degrees C (the boiling point of alcohol) which turns the alcohol to vapour without vaporising the water. The botanicals are sourced from all over the world from Mexico to Italy to India. Bombay Sapphire is a brand that carries the classic hallmarks of quality and heritage yet oozes contemporary style.


Tanqueray (40%) is also on the back bar and is a good up selling spirit from Bombay Sapphire. Although Tanqueray is distilled the same amount of times as Bombay, and it uses less than half the amount of botanicals as Bombay, Tanqueray discards 90% of its sourced botanicals. It only uses the best 10% of its botanicals to provide one of the best and purest premium gins on the market.


Tanqueray No. Ten (47.3%) Tanqueray has a new member to this international gin brand. Called Tanqueray No. 10, the small batch distillation product is crafted with hand-picked whole fruit botanicals and is distilled four times.


Hendricks (40%) is said to have more of a backbone than other gins but is definitely not for everyone. It has a number of the traditional botanicals used in its production, including coriander and citrus peel, but also has rose petals and cucumber which give it a very distinct flavour. This flavour is complimented with a wheel of cucumber as a garnish.


South Gin (40.2%) is part of the 42 Below group and is another product of New Zealand. It uses botanicals from Spain, Morocco and New Zealand. The most unusual of these are Kawakawa leaves and Manuka berries.

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THE BLOODY MARY

What better way to numb your hangover, than to retox with a liquid pain reliever. Many a Sunday morning has been spent catching up on the week's news via the Sunday papers whilst indulging in a Bloody Mary or two.

The Bloody Mary as we know it now, actually began life as The Red Snapper, and was originally made with gin and not Vodka. This drink was first made (or so the story goes…) by Pete Petiot, at Harry’s New York bar in Paris. According to one story, this developed from a blend that was first know in the 1920’s as "the Bucket of Blood".

On moving to the King Cole bar at the St Regis Hotel In New York, the Red Snapper was launched again as a hangover cure, where it was almost certainly made with gin. Since then, this drink has become a staple for Sunday drinkers everywhere, and almost everyone has their own idea of how the perfect Bloody Mary should be made.

The great thing about this drink is there are so many variation of it; from the classic version presented here, to its alcohol free version the Virgin Mary, to the Bloody Caesar (made with clamato juice) or the Bloody Maria (with Tequila) or for the brave the Bullshot.

The other good thing, as a bartender, is that you can always try your own variations, like a Thai Mary using green Tabasco and coriander, or the Bartender’s Breakfast which blends all the ingredients with a few baby tomatoes thrown in.

The best way to make this drink so to build it in the glass and stir, If you shake the tomato juice it will lose colour and taste thin. It’s always a good idea to check just how spicy the customer likes their drink. Their taste buds may not be as robust as yours!

In a Collins glass, mix three drops of Tabasco (heavy on the Tabasco is a rookie maneuver to be avoided), the juice of half a lemon, seven dashes of Worcestershire sauce, a couple of shakes of fresh ground pepper, a dash of celery salt, 50mls of Vodka and topped up with tomato juice. Stir vigorously with a bar spoon.

For a sweeter Bloody Mary, add a few more shakes of Worcestershire sauce. Remember, this drink is like a good stew: mix it in the morning and enjoy it throughout the day. It will only get better.

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