From Behind the Bar with Jason Friedman of The Blind Pig
Jason Friedman making a cocktail
Jason Friedman is the Bar Manager at The Blind Pig in Yorba Linda, California, a pre-prohibition era inspired craft cocktail bar and restaurant that uses fresh, uncommon ingredients and modern techniques. With a passion for high-quality ingredients and a dedication to providing unique culinary experiences, Friedman has been a driving force behind the bar program’s success. He has worked in various restaurants around Orange County since 2015 and currently collaborates with the restaurant's chefs to better incorporate a wide variety of ingredients including different kinds of vinegars for shrubs used in draft cocktails. Read more about Friedman's use of vinegar, and an herbal shrub in particular.
How would you describe your bar?
Our bar is a classically-influenced cocktail focused program. We take inspiration from modern techniques to implement unusual flavors into familiar and approachable formats.
What drink have you added to the menu?
We change our cocktail menu up a couple of times a year to reflect a seasonal sensibility. One of our most well received of our drinks is the Fantasy Island, which is a light and bittersweet refreshment.
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Ingredients:
0.50 oz House Bourbon
0.50 oz House Rye
0.50 oz Aperol
0.25 oz Amaro Nonino
0.25 oz simple syrup
0.50 oz lemon juice
2.50 oz pale ale
Instructions:
Pour the beer into a 12 oz glass. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a shaker and top with a small handful of crushed ice. Shake vigorously and pour on top of beer. Top with more crushed ice and a lemon wedge. Enjoy cold!
How do you stay up to date with current drink trends?
I do my best to stay informed, and the internet has been a big help in that. Having a 2 1/2 year old daughter doesn’t leave a lot of time to explore the local scene to keep up on what everyone is doing. Luckily, my team is proactive in finding inspiration and is always bringing local techniques back to the bar.
Which non-alcoholic spirits or mixers have impressed you?
Hoplark sparkling waters
As far as non alcoholic spirits or mixers, we rely heavily on Hoplark’s Hop Water for our Passion Fruit Shandy. With spirits, we tend to stick more traditional, so we mostly employ different verjus and aperitif style syrups.
What are the keys to keeping your team of bartenders motivated and engaged?
I’m lucky enough to work with a team of motivated bartenders that really take pride in their craft, and are committed to taking care of our guests. I put a lot of attention into setting up consistent systems and making sure that our standards are adhered to, which then allows our team to focus their energy on what they’re good at.
What’s the key to making balanced zero proof drinks?
As a growing category in the craft cocktail space, we’re always exploring the best way to provide our guests with non alcoholic options that are on the same level as our alcoholic options. We focus on finding alternatives to citrus, and paving different avenues to create depth and flavor that a more traditional cocktail build would provide.
Who’s your favorite bartender or mentor and why?
I’ve been lucky to learn from some of the best bartenders who helped grow Orange County’s craft cocktail scene. I will always be indebted to Jason Schiffer, who taught me that it was possible to foster an environment where learning and exploring new flavors are balanced within a structured program. Ryan Autry was the Blind Pig bar manager before me, and he set up an infectious passion for craft cocktails and an uplifting guest experience. I’ll always be inspired by the countless other talented professionals in our community who are constantly innovating.
What cocktail or spirits book have you read recently?
Good Drinks
In the *spirit* of a burgeoning non alcoholic scene, I’ve been inspired most lately by mocktails books. There’s a book called Good Drinks that has been inspiring in a more avant-garde sense. And a new bible of the non alcoholic style is Zero put out by the Aviary.
Any techniques that you’ve been experimenting with?
My new favorite passion is experimenting with still infusion. It’s been tricky to work with, but the result has been so integral to helping streamline our prep. It creates a practically shelf stable product with a unique profile that we can create in a large format to help free us up time and focus on more involved fresh preparations.
What jigger do you use and why?
Piña jigger
After more experimentation than I care to admit, we have settled on a Piña Jigger. They are light and balanced in the hand, and have the ever important ¼ oz measurement built in. For anything smaller than that we use long handled measuring spoons, which have proven more consistent than the more traditional bar spoon measurement.
What advice would you have for your younger self or a bartender starting out today?
My advice would be to be patient and humble. There is a lot of knowledge out there and the best way to absorb it is to be open to communication and guidance. The other piece of advice I wish I had known is to treat every interaction like a job interview. Orange County, especially, is a small scene, and you never know who you’re going to run into later down the line who could be in a position to help you. But, at the end of the day, make sure to never take it too seriously. It’s still a bar! It should be fun!