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Last week kicked off Winter Music Conference 2010 in Miami, FL, and we were there to experience every minute of the music-filled action! With our Belvedere Music Lounge at the W Hotel in South Beach, guests were entertained by such amazing performers and Belve cocktails!

I love all things homemade. Homemade jam, homemade bunting for a summer barbeque, and even my dubious attempt at homemade perfume! So nothing warms my heart more than the steady rise of homemade items making appearances behind most of the best bars in town. It’s not a new trend—a do-it-yourself attitude led to the creation of many spirits. Find out how to make your own homemade liqueur.

Look up the history of this iconic drink and you'll find varying accounts of how the Bloody Mary became an American classic. Louis Perrin first served tomato juice as a beverage around 1917 when he purportedly ran out of orange juice and needed a quick substitute. But it’s widely agreed that the forerunner of the Bloody Mary was first created in the late 1920s by the Parisian bartender Fernand Petiot. Find out more about this drink’s fascinating history.

Every bartender I know has a ritual. Usually it takes the form of a shot (Fernet-Branca, Green Chartreuse, Grand Marnier), but I’ve always favored the long drink. After all the prep is done and the bar is set up, I fix myself a proper Bloody Mary. Check out my recipe for the perfect shift starter.  I started with the standard: vodka, tomato juice, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and a dash of Tabasco. Since then, it’s morphed into a whole different beast.

Like most bartenders, I love bitters! Why? Simple: they add another dimension to the drink, quite literally. Think back to the basic biology lesson on taste, which states that there are four taste receptors on the tongue: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. So when we use bitters we are involving more of the tongue’s taste receptors in the imbibing experience. Learn how to help your customers acquire this special taste.