We knew we were in the right place the moment "house-made dry vermouth" passed his lips, but when it was followed by "and our take on Amer Picon" the deal was clinched. Our kind of bartender.
Daniel Shoemaker is a devotee of fine drink creation and understands the role that the flavor profile of the ingredients of the time play in forming the intended mood of a given cocktail. To achieve - or recreate - that particular effect, he chooses his ingredients with care, making his own as needed. On our visit to his bar in July 2008 we sampled house versions of orgeat, Amer Picon, falernum, dry vermouth, and Kina Lillet, as well as various bitters & tinctures.
A migrant to Portland from San Francisco, he is bringing his devotion to quality ingredients and classic experiences to the Pearl District in the carefully designed bar he founded with Ted Charak in 2007, the Teardrop Cocktail Lounge.
We also had the pleasure of Daniel's company at Tales of the Cocktail shortly after our visit, and, though we missed the thrilling competition, we were unsurprised to hear of his victory in Jeffery Morganthaler's first annual Swag Off, with his drink, the "Seat of the Pants". Video footage may be enjoyed in this episode of the Liquid Muse's Tales of the Cocktail report starting at the 3:44 mark.
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