THE POETRY OF BARTENDING

Slow days

2011-10-20T10:42:00.001-07:00

Equipment

2011-09-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Over the last 5yrs I have been buying to my wife's dismay, an array of lovely bartending equipment. For a along time all I did was collect it like a magpie hoarding it in my "special" bartending box. Now that I am doing some work for Martin Millers I get to use it on special occasions. Here are just a few pictures of what I have been collecting over the years. Here is a collection of my bar spoons.

And here are some of my jiggers

Well that's most of my stuff....

That's not a knife its a spoon!

2011-09-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Since starting at the Merchant, ice and it's use has played a huge part of my working bartending life. We started humbly. We fumbled our way through making, storing, using and cutting it. It was a total nightmare and extremely time consuming. In Belfast we don't have the luxury of ordering in pre made blocks of ice. So every single piece of ice has been made by us for us...
We haven't changed our methods that much in five years. We freeze tap water, yes pure tap water in large plastic containers and place them into chest freezers. Its takes two to three days for the water to freeze into a solid block. We then remove the frozen block and let it defrost awhile. Once the ice block has defrosted a little we removed it from its plastic container. We set to work with an ice pick, we collect all the clear ice discarding the ice that is cloudy(mineral and dust sediment). It's that easy folks, really it is that simple. Here is me with a chinese meat cleaver cutting ice in the wonderful merchant hotel.

Manhattan

2011-09-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

I visited Manhattan once, it was just after 911. You could cut the tension with a knife, the streets were dead, like a vacuum cleaner had just sucked the life out of the city.I want to go back because I never had a Manhattan in Manhattan.

Manhattan, Manhattan
Soft, silky, smooth
luxurious like satin

An elegant combination
that lingers on your lips
It numbs the tongue

The rye bites at your gums
The gentle sting of pleasure
It's a great Manhattan's measure

A volatile mixture of
Rye, bitters and vermouth
Bound together by tradition

Manhattan, Manhattan
Soft, silky, smooth
luxurious like satin

Drunk in a sensual
And pleasurable fashion

Manhattan, Manhattan
Soft, silky, smooth
luxurious like satin

Training

2011-08-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

OK wow, I haven't updated this blog in over a year :(... Well I have but pulled the pin on the updates. I'm super excited to announce that I will be doing some Ad-hock work for my favourite gin company Martin Millers. I will be supporting the brand in a training capacity across Ireland. So for those of you who live and work in Belfast and Dublin see you soon :). I have also been working on training guide for the Merchant Hotel. Here is a sneak preview of what I have been doing. If you like it please feel free to drop an email.

Enjoy any comments or recommendations appreciated. Hayds

42Below Cocktail World Cup 2010

2010-04-09T02:07:00.000-07:00

Hay gang, well its been ages and ages and I have been meaning to update my site but life takes over. Anyways since my last post I have had the pleasure of meeting a huge amount of fantastic people, Julio Bermejo, Tomas Estes, Jim Meehan and loads of great bartenders from all over the world.

I also had the greatest pleasure of representing the UK in the 42Below cocktail world cup. For those of you who don't know about the 42Below world cup and you are a serious bartender, this is an amazing competition. It tests every part of your imagination and you have fun doing it,check it out at www.42below.com. Jacob Briars is a great host and he is the man when it comes to organising everything and I mean everything. Oh did I mention that 42Below is the most awarded vodka in the world!
Every day was just filled with excitement and I would like to extended a HUGE thank you to all the guys and girls at 42Below for making it just a super special week!!!

Thanks
Hayds

The waiting game

2009-10-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone sorry I have been really busy of late. With the birth of my baby looming I haven't felt that creative. I'm really stuck on a Manhattan poem and it's driving me mad! I have been debating the taste of Bacardi Carta Blanca from the 1920's, check out the war of words and feel free to have your say!

I had the pleasure of meeting Wayne Curtis and his wife they are just great people. If you haven't read his book : "And a bottle of rum, a history of the new world in ten cocktails" shame on you.

Anyways, I will be up and running shortly with some more poems please check it out and comment on the comments section. I had some nice criticism from a reader and will be looking into some poetry classes to improve my work!

Hayds

Harmless

2009-09-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ok I took "Oh snap" down due to a good friends concern, "Thankyou for being a friend". This was a poem we as barkeepers/bartenders, customers and humans can relate to. Everyone at one time or another walks into to a bar alone and in need of interaction. My job as a bartender is to look after those needs. Everyone has this customer in there bar from time to time, I know they are a pain in the arse but aren't we all.

He is harmless
He sits at the bar
Questioning at first
What’s this, what’s that?

Learning but never
Really understanding

He is harmless,
He’s killing time
It’s another lonely day

I offer him my smile
My company for awhile

He's harmless
Just lost in his drink
Confused and befuddled

I listen and talk
Second guessing his needs

He's harmless
I try to push his pessimism aside,
Replacing it with a laugh and a smile

I won’t be able to find the right
Prescription to lessen his burden
This time

He's harmless
I say my goodbyes and I know it won't
Be long, till he is back…

Breaking point

2009-09-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, well I have just finished another Saturday night and wow I’m feeling those aches and pains!Every single joint hurts and I have some kind of inflammation on my fingers which is itchy as all hell...
My motivation for this poem is pretty straight forward, I’m sure there are a lot of bartenders out there who could have been something else. Me I would have ended up as a builder like my father and when I go back to NZ, I do trade my shakers in for a nail gun and hammer... Oh and a cool apron with nails and stuff. I mean there are plenty of jobs out there that don't require skill, determination, intellect, patience, understanding and of course making a great cocktail. So here is my poem to all the girls and guys who have a passion for bartending. We all know how it feels to put our bodies on the line night after night! Please feel free to comment on what you might have been! I know Dave Wonderich would have made a great rock star and Robert Hess wants to be a bartender (Microsoft must pay badly)

My hands creek as they shake back and forth
My back is bent as I lean forward to pour
My fingers ache, freezing and frostbitten

I’m not an Antarctic explorer, I’m not a mountain climber
I’m a bartender, entertainer and drink maker

My body is weary, tired of fast movements
My head is heavy from too many conversations
My legs feel like they are cast in lead

I’m not a rocket scientist or a microsoft engineer
I’m your local bartender, listener and drink maker

My toes are cramped in shiny black shoes
My shoulders are locked from one too many hard shakes
My eyes are strained, make that double strained

I’m not a lawyer, school teacher or a doctor
I am the law, the teacher and I am the drink maker

This is a Hayden Scott Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission

Catch 42

2009-09-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

So recently I entered myself into the Belfast heat of the 42Below Vodka world cup. I didn't expect to win although I thought alot of cash would help! I was sitting there in anticipation third was called out, then 2nd and then finally Ben Carlotto said "The winner is the big guy in the corner". Well for the people who don't know me im not very tall, my bum nearly touches the ground and I am heavy-set. I wish he had of just called out my name, anyways I digress this poem is about my winning drink the Catch 42. I was playing on the dilema set in the book Catch 22 written by Joseph Heller. It is a dilema that I face alot!

42Below you make me blue, Aotearoa im lost without you
Each passing day makes me sad, life with you wasn't all that bad
Minutes and days pass, colliding and crashing into months and years
I fear that, I can never return as me, they want that person I'll never ever be

It's all the things I want, yet none of the things I need,
It's a no win situation,a catch 22,
42Below you make me feel blue,
The longing for a home,a place to rest my weary head.
To feel my feet on Plimmerton beach,
To teach my children how to surf,
To run wild and free and play amongst the trees

No more two up, two down,cramped living spaces aren't for me,
No more noisy neighbours, gangs of bhoys standing,
menacing on street corners
No more craic, burnt out cars and joyriders

42Below you make me feel blue,
You have made me look deep into a place
I put out of reach, my home, my house, my beach my needs,
That burning flame that was almost dead has
Rekindled itself inside my head,
Here I come, a kiwi bhoy bound for home!

Catch 42;
Shake over ice: 50mls 42Below Vodka
                        50mls Homemade Tomato puree
                        25mls Passion fruit puree
                        15mls Fresh lemon juice
                        10mls Sugar syrup
Double strain into a cocktail glass with a salt rim. Garnish with a lemon twist and a spiked tomato
(To make homeade tomato puree, take five or six plum tomato's. Grate with a fine grater, then strain through a fine mesh strainer)

A bumper of good liquor

2009-09-03T15:22:00.000-07:00

I have a small amount of old cocktail books which I skim through on a regular basis. In the books there is a trend to put quotes and small poems which in some way relate to drink. So on this post Im going to cover just a few of them. Ok so ages back I posted these to my facebook group. I thought it might be interesting as I know all you cocktail geeks out there would have come across a few of them from time to time! Most of the poems are selected at random from books by Ted Sauciers "Bottoms Up", Charles H Barker Jr "The Gentlemans Companion",Stanley Crisby Arthur "New Orleans Drinks And How To Mix Them", Anton Massel and Hugh Barty-King "Rum, Yesterday and Today",
I have some new ones which I have added from a new batch of cocktail books I bought from Greg at Cocktail Kingdom

A bumper of good liquor
Will end a contest quicker

Then justice, judge or vicar.
Richard Brainsley Sheridan

Ah, brief is Life,
Love's short and sweet way,
With dreaming rife,
And then -Good day!

And Life is vain
Hopes vauge delight,
Griefs transient pain,
And then- Good night
Louise Chandler Moulton

Shake or stir it, long or short
With sugar,lemon, spice
Toddy, grog or planters punch
With bitters, juice and ice

Mix it hot or mix it cold,
And shake till kingdom come,
What makes the mix distinctive
Is being made with rum!
               Unkown

"From fam'd Barbadoes on the western Main
Fetch sugar, ounces four-fetch Sack from Spain,
A pint,-and from the Eastern Indian Coast
Nutmeg, the glory of our notheren Toast:
O'er flaming Coals let them tougher the heat
Till the all-conquering Sack dissolves the sweet;
O'er such another Fire put Eggs, just ten,
New-Born from tread of Cock and Rump of hen:
Stir them with a steady hand and conscience Pricking
To see the untimely end of ten fine Chicken;
From shining shelf take down the brazen skillet,-
A quart of milk from a gentle cow will fill it.
When boiled and cold, put milk and Sack to Egg;
Unite them firmly like the Triple league,
And on the fire let them together dwell
Till Miss sing twice-'You must not kiss and tell,-'
Each Lad and Lass take up a silver spoon,
And fall on fiercely like a starved Dragoon."
                                             Kitchiner

I found some great poems and they grace the pages of "The worlds drinks and how to mix them" Bill Boothby 1908. They apear under the chapter "Witty, wise and otherwise"

The profession of mixolgy
is and art that's being lost
That's why this treatise is published,
Quite regardless of the cost.
Regardless, too, of other things,
For facts one cannot smother;
But what is the gospel truth to one
Seems hot air to another.
There'll rise occasions every day
When it'll be up to you
To persue the pages of this work
And find things that you should do

IF YOUR CHRISTIAN NAME IS COHEN.

If you don't drink or care to smoke,
Or eat free lunch and pickles;
And some old friend is treating you,
Why! Just take a glass of nickles.
                             James Montgomery Flagg
I'm not sure if this is two separate poems, this is how it reads in Cocktail Bill's book

The man who drinks whisky and water,
Althought he drinks early and late,
Will live to drink whisky longer
Than he who drinks whisky straight.
                          Unknown

Friend of my soul, this goblet sip,
'Twill chase a pensive tear,
'Tis not as sweet as women's lip
But oh! 'tis more sincere;
Like her, elusive dream,
'Twill steal away the mind,
But unlike affection's dream
It leaves no sting behind.
                       Unknown

There is something about a Martini,
A tingle remarkably pleasant;
A yellow, a mellow Martini;
I wish that I had one at present.
There is something about a Martini,
Ere the dining and dancing begin,
And to tell you the truth,
It is not the vermouth--
I think that perhaps it's the gin.
                      Ogden Nash

Pomp and Glory

2009-08-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Pomp
1. Dignified or magnificent display; splendor: the solemn pomp of a military funeral.
2. Vain or ostentatious display. See Synonyms at display
AND

Glory
1. Great honour, praise, or distinction accorded by common consent; renown.
2. Something conferring honour or renown.
3. A highly praiseworthy asset: Your wit is your crowning glory.
4. Adoration, praise, and thanksgiving offered in worship.
5. Majestic beauty and splendor; resplendence: The sun set in a blaze of glory.
6. The splendor and bliss of heaven; perfect happiness.
7. A height of achievement, enjoyment, or prosperity: ancient Rome in its greatest glory.

So recently as I took a small trip to Hamburg to unwind and work! Well I didn't work really hard. I washed a few dishes and helped out where I could. The fact of the matter is they really didn't need a Kiwi helping out. So I enjoyed the atomosphere and met some of the locals. Cool cool people, I just enjoyed the company... At my session in Bon Lion, Marcel did most of my selling and he liked my drink the P & G( Pomp and Glory) so here is a small poem about the P & G

Its's a simple drink with an elegant twist
It's unique, dignified and praiseworthy

A blend of lemon juice and fino sherry
It's the angostura and elderflower that makes it merry

It is worshiped by too few, and not known by many
It's a simple drink with an elegant twist

With just a hint of orange to bind it together
Stirred in a traditional and time honoured way

It's an ostentatious display of Pomp and Glory

P & G
Stir over ice
30mls Romate fino sherry
20mls St Germain
7mls Fresh Lemon juice
2 dashes of orange bitters
1 drop of angostura bitters
strain into a small cocktail glass about 3oz garnish with a lemon twist

Where the Le Lion feeds

2009-08-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

OK dudes, I'm getting really sporadic at posting... Yip you guessed it LAZY and preoccupied! Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Le Lion in Hamburg. What a great place to hang out I was treated so well by everyone and was made to feel at home and at ease. I did a small session in Bon Le Lion a quaint and private bar deep in the heart of Cafe Paris. I selected a small sampling of Merchant Drinks and added a few of my own humble creations check out menu and the advertising its great .I haven't had any negative feedback so I'm happy that all was enjoyed! It was daunting at first as it isn't my bar but after about ten minutes, I mastered the bars personality and whipped it into submission. I would like to thank Heir Meyer, Mario, Torben and Marcel for all there help and there fantastic hospitality. I would also like to thank all the customers that came to hang out with a kiwi who lives in Belfast cheers und Danke!

Bon Lion

Its sits waiting
Jaws firm and tight

It's gaze deep and soulful
Paws sharp and dangerous

It roars, loud and proud
A call that is deep and deafening

It's pride returns
It sighs, relaxed

Calmed by familiar faces, smells
A flurry of activity

It remembers the sounds
Of ice on tin, liquor on glass

The pride at play
Late into the the warm night

Still he sits, tall, unmovable
A force to be reckoned with

An unforgettable image
An unforgettable time

He watches, a protector
A custodian a secret keeper

http://www.lelion.net/
As a rule the lion is heard roaring at night--"midnight listens to the lion's roar," (Byron;)

Saturday nights

2009-03-31T03:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been away from writing for the few months Feb,March and April just seemed to fly by. We had Jeff and Annene over, I just love them. If you haven't read any of their books you should they contain great original tiki recipes!

I thought I would step away from my usual poetry and try something a little different. I'm not going to write about a drink this month as I have been for the last few posts. I have been addicted to my xbox which really kills my creativity. But it is a great way to let of steam! Oh and I have been a little preoccupied with the news that I'm going to be a dad!

Warfare,
I prepare myself, deep breaths that calm
I tell myself that "I am battle hardened
a veteran of countless victories"

Deep in a trench I stand ready
The constant tick of the docket machine
Makes me keenly aware of the impending doom

My body is shaking in anticipation
My stomach unsettled
The onslaught begins

My movements are mechanical
My answers preplanned
There is no time to think

The moment arrives, overwhelmed
and outnumbered
We do our best to keep the pressure on
As we duck an weave

My arms tired and sore,my face red
My composure is slipping
My hands wet and fumbling

We dig in deep to finish this night
Our spent shells strewn around us
Innocent victims of this battle

We make one last push, to hold our ground
No retreat, the end is in sight
Our opponents are on there last legs

We emerge, wary and shaken
But visibly unbroken
There is a subtle silence that creeps over us

We clean down, we sit and laugh
But in my dreams I hear the dreaded
Tick of the docket machine

"This is a Hayden Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission"

Where is he now?

2009-02-20T03:14:00.000-08:00

OK as some of you might know I work at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We have a Connoisseur's Club every few months and this March we are graced with the presence of Jeff Berry! Jeff is a walking encyclopedia of Tiki knowledge, so here is a small poem about Tiki. It wont be the first or the last poem about Tiki. It is just a small acknowledgement to 'Don the Beach' and Trader Vic, the two guys that changed cocktail drinking for ever and brought the South Pacific to the world!

Trader Vic where did you go?
To an island paradise
Where we can't follow,
High above the green pacific seas

Away from the lick of salt,
Away from the soft sea air
Do you and Don the Beach
Hang out there

Your love for Tiki
Transports us to a place
With gentle white sand below our feet,
Where sea and palm tree meet

We dream of luaus and hula girls
It conjure images of swaying hips,
Hollowed out coconuts
That cover their bits ...

We drink to appease the ancient
Ritualistic gods with strong brews
Rum Punch, Mai Tai’s
And Zombies too

Trader Vic where did you go?
To an island paradise
Where one day we will follow,
High above deep blue pacific seas

"This is a Hayden Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission"

check out my good friend Jeffs website http://www.beachbumberry.com/

The Connaught

2009-02-11T05:17:00.000-08:00

A month or two ago, I was treated to a couple of great nights at "The Connaught". It was a great experience and I really can't repay the hospitalty that I received! So I thought I would just write a short rhyming poem. It has been hard work and I have lots of failled attempts, so I'm hopeful that this one works out ok.

It’s just a place
Deep in the bowels of Mayfair
You’ll meet Erik and Ago there

One is short, one is tall,
Ago, where English
And the Tricolore meet

Erik is just a tiny bit shy,
There is a quiet confidence
That twinkles in his eye

They will mix and muddle
Cocktails old and new,
They make it feel special
Like it’s a performance just for you

You sip and you savour
Some interesting flavours
Raise your glass because
The Connaught is class

Deep in the heart of Mayfair
Ago and Erik tend bar there!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dinah/3180314139/in/photostream/

Martini "Unadulterated"

2009-02-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been thinking about Martini's. It has been driving me crazy, I am not a huge fan but I must admit there is something so intoxicating about them.

Unadulterated
She slips from her wary dress

Elegant and free spirited
Hiding her nakedness

Her modesty is crystal clear
Her fullness and shapely curves

Incite passion
Her fragrant perfume lingers

As you breathe her in deep
The faint scent of lemon
Sharp and acidic

Her virtue
Is dispatched greedily

Your pulse races
You indulge

In her exuberance
She is cold and stinging

"This is a Hayden Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission"

Mint Juleps

2009-01-29T19:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight I watched a few Juleps being made and I thought to myself. Wow what a fantastic drink. Soft and sweet, there is something so alluring about a mint julep. Maybe it is the green mint that draws in the eye. Or the shiny julep cup, I know one thing for certain more people should be drinking well made Mint Juleps!

Shiny, silver cup
I'm drawn to your glow

He works it deep, pressing and shaping
Never tearing or discarding
The evergreen mint

Bourbon flows ,Golden and honeyed
And sweet on the nose
Hints of vanilla, charred oak too

Shiny, silver cup
I'm drawn to your glow

The ice melts in protest, trickling and cold
Working its magic, frosting as it goes
Helping to provoke a taste that is pure

Shiny, silver cup
I'm drawn to your glow

A bouquet of mint sprigs
Tender and young, leave a pleasing aroma
On the nose, enhancing the taste
On the tongue

It's not the derby, it's just and ordinary night
But it is a humbling sight, to watch a ritual
Tried and true, to pass it from me too you

Shiny, silver cup
I'm drawn to your glow

"This is a Hayden Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission"

Cheers laco for the photo, check out the link below making a mint julep! Yip me making a julep. The camera work is poor due to my stupidty and people claim that I have far too much mint in it! You decide enjoy.
Me making a julep

Erins Delight

2009-01-28T04:39:00.000-08:00

One of the first cocktail comps I entered, was Martin Millers gin comp. I was shaking and I was so nervous that I completely screwed the whole thing up! My cocktail was named "Erin's Delight" a combination of gin and creme De cacao. It was based loosely on the "Pegu Club"cocktail. I named it after my lovely wife who loves gin but I know she love's me more!

Erin, Erin you burn so bright, you light my way
Day and night, I bask in your warmth and your
flowing dark hair.

Knowing the feeling you will always be there
To share in my good, my bad, my happy and sad
To lift my spirits when I'm down trodden and blue
I could love no one else but you

Erin, Erin you burn so bright,you are my one
And only constant delight

To recreate “Erin's Delight” take one hot and fiery Northern Irish lass
marry her in a blasé of fire and brimstone add a little chocolate and a dash of lime.

“Not all wild things need to be tamed”

Erins Delight#1
Into a boston add:
40mls Martin Millers Westbourne Strenght
10mls Creme de cacao white
25mls fresh lime juice
15mls Homemade corriander syrup
1-dash peychaud bitters
Shake over ice and strain into a 5oz classic cocktail glass, garnish with a lime wedge

Since creating Erins Delight I have tweaked it a fraction

Erins Delight#2(Served at Bon Lion)
Into a boston add:
40mls Martin Millers Westbourne Strenght
10mls Creme de cacao white
30mls Fresh lime juice
5mls sugar syrup
1 dash of recreated Bokers bitters http://www.evo-lution.org/
1 pinch of fresh corriander
Shake over ice and strain into a 5oz classic cocktail glass, garnish with a lime wedge

The Unadulterated Daquirí

2009-01-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Guys as most of you know I have created a group on facebook called "The poetry of bartending", to coincide with my blog. I received a msg from Heather about a poem she wrote about a Daiquiri and not a "Bar school" Daiquiri, nope no boogers here! I thought I would share the poem and if any of you would like to see your poems up here just let me know.
PS Thanks for all your support
Hayds

The Unadulterated Daquirí

Cold, clean and pure
Provocatively demure
Tall, tan and shameless
Yet not nearly so famous

Sweet, strong and true
Evocative cane-sugar voodoo
Soured, citrused and shaken,
Yet delicately undertaken

The elixir of life, A drink to good health
Staving off scurvy, for endurance and strength
The choice of presidents, pirates and poets
Why anyone adds strawberries
I'll never know it.

Well I published this post and I thought I might as well add my two cents

I squeeze the lime until the last drop is spent
The acid that burns my tender fingers
Serves as friendly reminder

My eyes transfixed on the bottle
White rum, Bacardi will have to do
A long pour, as I set the liquid free

A heaped teaspoon of superfine sugar
Keep the sourness at bay, chunks of ice
One, two, three

Hands cupped around the shaker
Firm and steady, the coldness bites
Nipping my skin, sticking, ice cold

I tremble in anticipation and excitement
The drink that flows forth, opaque
Cold ice white

The crystals that float gently on the surface
Their voyage almost complete, the unexpected
Crunch, the Antarctic bitterness, cooling and refreshing

The sting gives way to a pleasing warmth
A glow, the feeling flows from my head
To my toes, it shows on my face
Pleased

"This is a Hayden Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission"

The Maidens Prayer

2009-01-26T05:46:00.000-08:00

There is not much I can say about this drink or the poem. It is an interesting drink that please's so many people. I make my Maidens with equal parts Gin, Cointreau, lemon juice,orange juice, a hint of sugar and egg-white. The egg-white is optional but adds that extra depth and texture.

Just a quick thanks to Laco for the pic, cheers mate!

She is soft and subtle
Quiet and reserved
Gentle

Her name is
Uttered in reverence
Whispered, held in awe

Delicate and slightly pale
Golden and angelic
Fully formed a maiden true

Forgotten in a dark times
Of crude names
And rudimentary understanding

She sits longing for that
Touch, soft lips
That cold embrace

She dances across
The tongues of many
Joyful, demure

Playful, a combination
Of innocence
Longing, trapped in a lingering dance

Hopeful knowing
That her prayers
Will be answered by me

Night after night
I set her playful
Nature free

Maidens Prayer
Into a boston add:
25mls Gin (Beefeater)
25mls Cointreau
25mls Fresh lemon juice
25mls Orange juice
5mls Sugar syrup
1 egg white
Shake with force and determination, strain into a 7oz cocktail glass and garnish with a small lemon twist. Serve to a maiden

"This is a Hayden Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission"

Clover leaf

2009-01-26T03:49:00.000-08:00

This little poem is about one of my most favourite drinks the Clover Leaf. It is an amazing combination of raspberries and gin. It is some what controversial! Some recipes call for grenadine and the addition of vermouth. My take is Gin,lemon juice, raspberry cordial and egg white, with the addition of a little extra sugar.

It is my belief

That the Clover leaf is a gentle
And sound creature

It's ever changing
From bar to bar, book to book
It's a can of worms, questioned at every turn
The more you read the more you learn

I understand this delicate
And complex creature
With it's pink and white grace
Mint leaf in place

I mix it with gin, old or new

Give me juniper,
Millers, Beefeater, Tanqueray
All of them will do

A lemon firmly squeezed and spent
Raspberries, into a cordial they go
Sugar for my sweet and an egg white
To tightly bind this beautiful brew

I shake it hard, with force
My face, grimaced and tight
I pour it, and gently it flows

With it's frothy nature
It slips like silk from my hand
Into the waiting breast shaped glass
It settles, gently forming

I smack a tiny green leaf

In a tender and playful manner

The aroma released is sweet

I place it with great care

Dead centre and neat

I present to you my Clover Leaf!

Clover Leaf #1

Into a boston add:

50mls Gin (Beefeater)

25mls fresh lemon juice

20mls homemade raspberry cordial

10mls sugar syrup

1 egg white

shake over ice with force and determination

strain into a 7oz cocktail glass and garnish with a small and very green mint leaf.

Clover club is served without the mint leaf.

Clover leaf#2

Into a boston add:

30mls Gin (beefeater)

30mls Nolly Pratt rouge

20mls Fresh lemon juice

15mls Homemade raspberry cordial

2 fresh raspberries

1 egg white

shake over ice with force and determination

strain into a 7oz cocktail glass and garnish with a small and very green mint leaf.

"This is a Hayden Lambert original poem and cannot be reproduced without his permission"

Books

2009-01-22T05:28:00.000-08:00

I know we all love to collect books. I have mine hidden away! I take them out just to enjoy the recipes. So here is a small poem about my books.

The rustle of pages worn, torn and bruised

Forgotten in time, read and discarded
Yellowed, frayed and ripped

Its crooked spine bent yet not broken
Pages freed and returned to their rightful place

Coffee stained and thread bare

Unlikely authors and scribes Thomas, Johnson and Craddock
Recipes,methods, tweaked and twisted

re-packaged as their own

They are a testament to our heritage
The recipes they hide within
Some great, some good, some bad

and some plain wrong!

The words contained within a journey

A sacred adventure into mixology

They read like ancient texts, words written in code

Muddle,shake or stir,strain and garnish
Known to many, understood by few

I hold them dear as they are packed tightly
Confined to the smallest space
They wait in anticipation

For my gentle caress,
The tickling and folding of their pages
Love,attention and inspiration

"It is not Twain, Elliot or Shakespeare

But I'm sure they would have enjoyed

A bittered sling or two."

http://www.cocktailkingdom.com/

Old Fashioned

2009-01-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, another post wow. I don't have to many! Ok so Im somtimes an Old Fashioned guy, in an extremely modern world. I just love old fashioneds so here is just a few short lines. I hope you enjoy!!!

You can sip it nice and slow
Take your time, make it's acquaintance
“Good things come to those who wait”

It's like all good things, it mellows
With age, its tired name called
Far to often in days gone by.

Its a restless spirit, passed down
Through ages, handed from men to men
A right of passage for some
For others just a recipe

Timeless, appealing...shy
Seasoned and matured

By many names it has been called
By friends and foes
The survivor of a bygone era
Of candles and horse drawn wagons
Gentlemen and Ladies, Tom and Jerrie's

Constant,hardened well versed
Solid and strong
Antiquated

And yet I here its name often called
By them. The faithful,
Its cantankerous keepers, often by themselves
but never alone

Clink, clink of the ice
As they finish the last drop.
Pushing the cherry to the side
The lingering memories of the
Old and the fashioned...

“This is an original poem by Hayden Lambert andcannot be reprinted without his permission.”

Bar equipment

2008-12-31T01:53:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, lately there has been a lot people searching for old and new bar equipment. From hand juicers to julep strainers. As bartenders I think we are always searching for that new bit of shiny kit so here's my take on it.

We collect ornaments
And forgotten mementos
Like magpies and crow's
Searching, hunting, tracking

They line my bar, some up some down
For quick and speedy use
A bitter bottle made of glass with a silver top
One dash and a splash
Modifying a drink

A spoon for stirring
Measuring and pleasuring
The eyes and a flick of the wrist
I stir, always circular
Always smooth

A jigger for the control of moving liquid
Fluid and streaming
Different shapes different sizes
More precise than my eyes

A juicer for squeezing
Fresh fruit, lemons and limes
A constant rhythm
Press and discard
The spent empty shell

A muddler for pounding
And crushing soft summer fruits
Sugar too

A shaker for that dance I do
One, two, one, two hard and fast
Mixing ingredients that don't always get along
It can be heard over the gentle
Buzz of customers conversations
The center piece of my bartenders show

A strainer, julep or hawthorne
For holding back the unwanted and unneeded
Letting the concoction that I have mixed
Flow freely and neatly into the open mouth of the glass

A glass, a vessel
The voyage of me too you
Clean and always cold
A canvas on which I paint
My love my joy
I hope it conveys the little things
that I appreciate

“This is an original poem by Hayden Lambert and cannot be reproduced without his permission”

2008-12-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

Recently I was in contact with Mr S. Berg who makes and sells a delightful range of bitters. I bought a couple of bottles and they were fantastic! So many thanks to all the revitalist bitters makers for your weird and wonderful creations.

The great composers Angostura, Peychaud,
Fee, Abbots and Bokers!

The conductors of flavours and subtle intricacies
Some here some gone.
Reminiscent of the golden era

A dash here a drop there,
A splash, a touch, a smidgen

Gin, whiskey, rum, brandy
Old Fashioned, Pink gin and Manhattan
Too name but a few.
Magical elixirs, made for the humble man.

A dash here a drop there,
A splash, a touch, a smidgen.

Recipes lost to fashion and changing time's
The delight of silent symphonies.
Rediscovered and recreated by dreamers,
Scholars and oddball enthusiasts

A dash here a drop there,
A splash, a touch, a smidgen.

The buying of bottles and jars
The sourcing of the weird and wonderful
From the far corners of the globe
Eye of newt, ball of bat, gentian and coriander too.

The home herbalist,measuring and weighing
Crushing, bruising, soaking and agitating
Boiling, filtering and sharing the very essence
Of their understanding

A dash here a drop there,
A splash, a touch, a smidgen

The new composers Mr Berg, Mr Regan
and Mr Glasser.
Conducting the direction of this
New bittered sweet revolution.
Bottling for us their sacred concoctions

A dash here a drop there,
A splash, a touch, a smidgen

“This is an original poem by Hayden Lambert and cannot be reproduced without his permission”

The Bartender

2008-12-29T05:13:00.000-08:00

Another post on the same day "wow" what a first. This poem is just about watching bartenders and their movement. I hope you enjoy
Hayds

The Bartender,
There he stands just still and smooth
Quietly confident. He is the man behind it all.
The artist, the entertainer, storyteller, friend
And confidante, match maker and alchemist.

The ingredients,
He counts as he measure's, carefully preparing
Mixing his potions, fifteens and twenty's
A drop of sweet here, a dash of sour there
The perfect balance.

The shake
Short, sharp, strong, a snap of the wrists
A rhythmic beat, until there is no air in his chest

The sound
The crash of cars the echoing of waves,
The approaching train

The feeling
Joy, excitement, fondness and pride
The rush of blood that pounds his freeze dried fingers
Powdered, white, cold.

The movement
Fast, flowing, quick, rehearsed
Natural and timed to perfection.

Glass to bar, pre-chilled of course!

The pour
Fluid, long, sometimes a stretch
Arms raised high, over-shadowing the bar
Graceful and elegant.
Controlled.

The drink
Timeless, cold, cloudy.
Tall or short, classic or new
Wrong or right?
Settled and ready to be imbibed

The customer
My friend, my acquaintance, my patron
Satisfied, disconcerting, merry........
Back again!

"This is an original poem by Hayden Lambert and cannot be reproduced without his permission!"

The Blue Blazer

2008-12-29T04:52:00.000-08:00

Recently I met with Dave Wondrich and Gary Regan, two great fellows with hearts of gold. OK maybe not hearts of gold, but great guys none the less. Here is a poem I wrote after seeing Dave Wondrich perform his Blue Blazing technique, what a spectacle!

Heat, ignite and pour
The flaming liquid that burns
Blue and bright

Lights the dead of the cool winters night

Streaming back and forward
From finely polished goblets
In a timed and gentle motion

The master behind the bar
Accomplishes it with ease
Caressing and nurturing this fickle flame
Careful not to spill a drop of molten liquid

His customers are his main concern

They gather and crowd
Watch in awe an act that is daring and brave
Not to be performed by the fool hardy

Eyes transfixed on the never ending stream
Of blue blazing booze, the flames lick and spit
Sprinting up and down the fiery Scottish spirit

He smiles as he slowly puts it to rest
The lingering flame that refuse's to die
Smoldering to the very end
Then a puff of smoke

The raging monster has been tamed and calmed
No longer savage, but smooth and elegant
Soft and sweet

Steam rises as the liquid is poured
We raise our glass to your effort and grace
Your commitment, your passion and your
Blue blazing fun!

"This is an original poem by Hayden Lambert and cannot be reproduced without his permission!"

Updated site

2008-12-29T04:44:00.000-08:00

The Urban bartender has had a little overhaul as I was bored with the idea of reproducing and commenting on cocktails. There are loads and loads of blogs that do this extremely well!
Here are my humble poems about different aspects of my bartending life. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed writing about them.