Oaxacan Old Fashioned - A Modern Classic - The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess 

+Duff The Psych We use a boom mic as well and mix the sound together. We will keep working to make it better!

+Small Screen Drinks Actually, that might be what's causing the audio to sound out of phase, which is the technical term for what the OP was observing. I'm watching some videos at work (I'm a professional audio engineer in a broadcast television facility), and as soon as this one came on, I could tell something was wrong with the audio. I brought it up on a phase scope, and you have a significant degree of out of phase audio (left channel and right channel waveforms being inversions of each other). I was just about to comment on it, but this comment probably explains it. Having multiple mics on the same thing mixed together will often cause phase cancellations. You might want to consider only using one mic or the other. Or if you really want to use both, try inverting the phase on the lav and see if that improves the sound.

+Alex Staherski Thanks for the insight! Truly appreciated!

I wish they were still working to make it better

+Joshua Kleiner chocolate bitters is bartender's ketchup dude. works in basically anything. awesome stuff

+Alonso Castro This is Robert's bar in his home. Crazy!

@@SmallScreenNetwork I miss Robert and these videos :(

doctorx0079 you tell me doc

Apparently nothing

Aurimas Svidinskas it's an old fashion tho

+Dominik MJ (opinionated alchemist) Definitely agree that the Brandy/Cognac thing was a little weak, especially since Tequila and Mezcal can come from many different states of Mexico, some being the same. However, with blending distinct spirits couldn't you then rule that out for the uses of multiple rums in a drink? Blends like this are the heart and soul of a lot of famous and perfect rum cocktails...why stop it at rum? There are very distinct rum styles and blending them allows you to create what you want and that is probably what Phil Ward was going for when creating this drink (though he used San Luis del Rio). What if there isn't a perfect "less smokey" Mezcal that achieved the flavor he wanted and got from a blend? Dashes and drops can be equally inaccurate as there is many different types and sizes of dashes and droppers. I seem to always feel like i generally know what they are talking about when they say dash and I apply that when using the tons of variations of bitters tops out there. The burnt oil definitely provides a different flavor (which can be good when used appropriately like it is here with a smokey drink), which is the point. It just happens to provide a show at the same time. It think this is all getting just a littttttttle too picky about a craft that really should be based on hospitality and fun.

eliott montero. Hm... I also include rum in my view. I know, that a lot of people are mixing different rum styles, but at the end, it doesn't necessary make a better cocktail. But it takes the whole point, to use a premium spirit, because it doesn't shine through. In rum you could use a little bit molasses, if you would like to have the spicy sweetness of a dark rum, yet the aged quality of an aged rum (base would be aged rum). I know, this perspective is not necessary the most popular one, but it is just my opinion. For Mezcal, it can be tricky, because it is not yet that available everywhere - I do agree. But still, mixing Tequila with Mezcal takes the character of both. Drops are not inaccurate. Take "reused" medicine droppers, and they are really very exact. I bought some droppers in a lab supply, and one drop is pretty much the same as what you have in any dropper. Dashes are far more inaccurate. Obviously you have a point, if you are talking about different bitters, which will have a different concentration of flavour. Yet - most of time we are talking about Angostura - and the different "dashes" dependent if the bottle is full, or almost empty, and how you "dash" make a difference of minimum 30% - probably more... And I also stay with the burnt orange oils. Yes - I agree, that it has a different aromatic. But it is nothing about "caramelising" and more about burning. And it brings undesired aromas... it is all about smoke and mirrors. Is it too picky to discuss about these things? I don't think so! I see that there is room for different bars... like there are a lot of different restaurants. A fine dining restaurant is cooking their meat to the fraction of a degree exact. But a casual restaurant doesn't. Are fine dining chefs obsessive? Yes! Is it a bad thing? Absolutely not! If you don't develop and don't research, you cannot make the product better - and this improvements "trickle down". Further "having fun" with alcohol, is also a very dangerous perspective - just saying...

+Dominik MJ (opinionated alchemist) dude, learn the difference between necessarily and necessary . also, mixing spirits isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, if it's done right the complexities of both shine through amazingly. The flavours, in fact, compliment each other, instead of dampening. As Hess pointed out, a good barman develops an eye for dashes, and can see if they need to do more than usual if it's coming out slowly. Oh and there's no benefit to building a cocktail as opposed to mixing it in a mixing glass and pouring it over new ice. In fact, the second method just gives you more control over the dilution.

Rupert Griffin No.1 - you are right. I did a grammar mistake - my bad. Congratulations! No.2 - it is quite a trend to mix different spirits - but IMHO it doesn't make it better. In fact, not everything is about complexity. Think culinary: if you have a great wagyu steak, you don't need a lot to modify and change its flavours - it only would get "too muddled". For cocktails I tend to think a very similar way - better and few (but better selected) ingredients make just more sense and are more "future-sustainable". But yeah - this is a very controversial point - and I understand, if some people don't agree on it. No.3 - Yes, barmen get a feeling for quantities... but bars are also busy places with loads of distractions. I am doing bar since about 20 years, and can't always trust my judgement. And why giving it a chance, if there would be another system, which is far more fool proof? Drops are used in measuring medication. Hence this should be good enough for us. No.4 To say, that dilution is more controllable by stirring a drink is delusional and absolutely not based on scientific facts. Dilution and chilling goes hand in hand. The temperature drop of mixing isn't a result of the temperature difference of ice to liquid (well this is a fraction), but by the energy transfer, which is needed "to melt the ice". Off course, is shaken, you would have broken down ice, which eventually would melt sooner. However when stirred, you won't have this. The ice cubes will be slightly smaller - but there isn't a big difference. You might end up with a drink, which is a fraction of a degree colder, if you would take new ice (but only directly out of the freezer without surface water) - and it might sustain slightly longer *also only with freezer ice)... but it is negligible - and you want to have the dilution in an Old Fashioned. Except of course, you do have really crap ice...

+Dominik MJ (opinionated alchemist) in regards to building a cocktail, you end up with smaller ice cubes that melt quicker. simple as that.

+Leonar12345 I feel like Mezcal is everywhere in SoCal. Then again I really only go to places that would probably have it anyway. I feel like Vida (while it is good) gained popularity because it's the cheapest of the bunch and bars really just started wanting to use Mezcal in cocktails and could now afford it. Definitely not preferred neat because it is soooo distinctly smokey.

eliott montero. yeah it's at a lot of places but if you go to the good places. It really needs to be EVERYWHERE

Oof

I realized after I posted this that the video was about old fashions and not the Manhattan.

If you can't appreciate the finer points on what he's teaching, stick to slinging Long Islands.

Well, a Long Island might make his droning monotone and the poor video/audio quality easier to take. But tighter editing, brighter, more conversational delivery and upgraded quality would bring more likes.

Seriously, what are you talking about? Robert is an excellent speaker.... Don't watch him if you don't like him. Thanks.

+Nathan Strange Correction; He's a knowledgeable speaker. And you're not doing him any favors, telling people to stop watching him. Success on You Tube is measured in views and likes.

+Theresa Novak ... If this isn't your kind of thing, hey, fine, but where is the video and audio low quality? This is better quality than you usually see on TV. I have no clue what you are talking about.