As one of my brother's closest friends in high school, it was Shane Hobart's part-time job to serve as a member of the crew that delighted in annoying me, the younger sister. Luckily, we've both come a long way since those days, and I now find Shane not just tolerable, but in fact really awesome.
In addition to being a stand-up human being, Shane is a professional bartender, so I figured I'd tap into his smarts and share them with you here. I happened to notice a photo he posted to Facebook featuring a jar of homemade shrubs he was making, so I roped him into giving me the lowdown. We also chatted about how he got into bartending in the first place, the home bar tool he can't live without, and what he'd serve for a boozy Thanksgiving.
Emily: So, Shane. You served in the Marines, you worked in restaurants...how did you make your way to bartending?
Shane: Good question! It certainly wasn't by design, although it almost makes sense if I look back from where I find myself currently. I did in fact start my adult life with a five-year enlistment in the Marine Corps, which is a story that definitely requires a Manhattan, but it provided what I've come to understand is an invaluable foundation for just about any subsequent path in life.
Along the way, I have also tried to balance my desires for a relatively simple life, an alternative to the traditional "rat race," a love of free time, a desire to pursue some academic goals, and the practical fact that I have been in and out of restaurants since I was 13.
So if I look back with some creativity, I can roughly detect one of many conceivable paths to bartending! Join the military, start a family, read Walden, go to school for teaching, work your way up the restaurant food chain (pun not intended, but why not!), and you might just find yourself in my shoes. I guess it's just one possible outcome of following your heart in life while simultaneously staying true to a plan of not having a plan.
Emily: I love it! So, how does your approach differ when you're bartending at work vs. making drinks for yourself and Tashique {Shane's wife} at home? Do you tend to play things a bit safer at the restaurant and then do your experimentation and off-roading at home? Or do you hew to a few classics at home and keep the experimental stuff at work?
Shane: That's one of the best things about bartending as opposed to serving: the creative outlet! It can be intimidating and you have to have a thick skin sometimes, especially when a customer doesn't like a drink you put a lot of thought and effort into. Although I tend to stick to twists on classics and focus on the most seasonal ingredients, I always wish that I had more time and product for experimentation.
As far as at home, I have a limited inventory right now: a bottle of gin, a rye, a vermouth, Campari, some orange bitters, and a mango vodka for Tashique. I have tried drinks out at home in the past, but it's much easier to make a fully stocked bar your laboratory if at all possible. It's also true that after making drinks all night, many bartenders are perfectly happy to sit down and enjoy a whiskey neat!
It's also essential to taste everything that might make sense conceptually, our sound cool in theory. So many things sound good on paper but fail horribly in reality. I like to start with a single ingredient that I want to work with, and go from there. Then I'll often consult my favorite bar book that's not a bar book, The Flavor Bible, and see what other ingredients pair well with it. From there I use my knowledge of classic drinks and some proven standard proportions (as explained well in Gary Regan's Joy of Mixology) and start testing.
Emily: Very cool. I always love being able to sit at a bar, tell the bartender what spirits and flavors I like, and then leave myself in his or her hands and see what drink I wind up with. I did that recently at an awesome bar in LA and ended up getting one of the best cocktails I've had in a long time.
So, even though you report keeping things pretty simple at home, I know you're doing at least some off-roading, as I saw the photo of pear shrub in the making you posted recently. Give me the lowdown: what's up with shrubs? What are they, and how do you use them?
Ready, set...shrub
Shane: Shrubs are something I have been late to the game discovering, but that in many respects fit right into my drink philosophy. They date back to ancient times, as a means of preserving fruit and also making water safe to drink. They are simply a combination of fruit, sugar, and vinegar. They're efficient, as they offer a purpose for less-than-ideal fruit, and they have a relatively long shelf life, making them ideal for the transition into winter.
I'm still experimenting with what works best, but the recipe I like {see below} calls for chopping the fruit of your choice, mixing it with sugar for 24 hours, then adding vinegar and mixing for another 24 hours. Even if the shrub is a bit edgy, use in a cocktail offers ample freedom to balance it out.
Emily: I've also heard that shrubs are full of beneficial bacteria, thanks to the vinegar, so that's yet another reason to love them. And it sounds like you can basically use whatever fruit you have available, yes? (Though maybe not citrus fruits, as citrus + vinegar could potentially hurt.) A cranberry shrub would be awesome as the base of a Thanksgiving cocktail, for example.
Shane: Yes, you can use any fruit. Some fruits, like the pears I did, don't yield as much liquid as others. Herbs and other spices can be added, too, though I prefer to simply use the fruit and then add other flavors later in cocktail form.
Shrub recipes and procedures vary somewhat. I would say that with juicy fruits or berries, equal parts fruit, sugar, and the vinegar of your choice should be fine.
Just add vinegar
Emily: OK, two last questions for you. First, what's the one tool or supply you think every home bartender should have? And second, what will you be sipping on Thanksgiving this year—before, during, and after the meal?
Shane: I think every home bartender should invest in a good, functional jigger. Consistency is so important. How can you work on a drink if you don't know exactly what's in it? I've worked with bartenders who think measuring is only for amateurs, and it's always funny to me when their drinks get sent back. Sure, master bartenders can pour an exact half ounce every time, but I still believe that measuring is part of professionalism. I think most people are comforted seeing bartenders measure, just as they are comforted seeing their server write down their order. But for home, it's a must. I use a double-sided, Japanese style jigger by Cocktail Kingdom.
As for my Thanksgiving plans, Tashique and I usually go to her Mom's house. It is a Jamaican household and they are not big drinkers overall. I usually volunteer to bring wine, and bring sweeter and fruitier wines for them and some drier ones for the Mrs and me. I enjoy bringing something slightly off the beaten path yet still approachable, like a nice gewürztraminer and a fun new world jammy red blend. But if I were planning a more boozy affair, I love starting with a bubbly concoction (maybe using your cranberry shrub idea), maybe a nice cru Beaujolais with dinner, and a nice port or cognac for dessert!
Giant thanks to Shane for sharing his insights and his smarts. If you find yourself in Madison, Connecticut, go pay Shane a visit at Bar Bouchée, where he'll mix you up something delightful.
Ready to get on the shrub train? Here's Shane's recipe for pear shrub, along with a delicious cocktail to use it in.
Shane's Pear Shrub
Shake, wait, repeat.
Core and chop your pears of choice. Add them to a clean, sealable glass container, such as the mason jar in the photos here. Add about 1/2 cup sugar for every 2 cups of chopped pears. Give the mixture a shake when you first add the sugar, and then again every few hours.
After 24 hours, add about 1/2 cup vinegar for every 2 cups of pears you used. (I used apple cider for this one, thinking the apple and pear combo made sense, but champagne vinegar should work fine, too.) Follow the same shake-every-few-hours procedure you did with the sugar. After another 24 hours, strain out the fruit and transfer the shrub to a clean, sealable glass container. The shrub will be fine for several weeks in the fridge. Use it in cocktails or with sparkling water to make a shrub soda, a fun non-alcoholic option!
Pear Shrub Martini
2 ounces Maker's Mark bourbon
1 ounce pear shrub
1/2 ounce Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and serve—with a slice of pear to garnish, if you're so inclined.