What getting entertaining Take on the morning news. Can you make that happen? Yes, actually, yeah. The Armstrong and Getty Show. Morning 6 to 10 on a M 7 90 k. ABC. Salud Cheers and a toast to you, Chef. Jamie Gwen in your radio. The Modern mixologist is back, so grab a glass. Because we're sipping and savoring, we know and love Tony Abou Ghannam, of course, as the widely regarded pioneer in the bar world, the author of the Modern mixologist and Vodka distilled both award winning books and a partner in the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Gastro pub, hot spot libertine Social and Highlands in Detroit. You've seen him win three Iron Chef Competition's on the Food network, and he's taking us on a cocktail journey again. Today we're kicking off 2021 in style, arming you with a wealth of knowledge when it comes to spirits and catching up with Tony Abou Ghannam because he's pouring Having new year to you, my friend and so glad to have you back, Jamie. Happy New year and always a pleasure to be back in your show. Thank you. Thank you. OK, under the serve the current circumstances I should say, as they Continue, Tony because we talked at the beginning of the pandemic. You know, when we were seriously pouring on Gui still our talk to us about how the mixology world has changed the the home mixologist has really come to the forefront. No, absolutely, Jamie I'm reminded of When I was a little kid on I would go toe my cousin Helen's house up on the lake, and she owned the breath so far. She had this beautiful Barker. And whenever her girlfriends would come up to play bridge, it wasn't which, like a glass of white wine or a light beer was. Can I make you an old fashion or a Tom Collins? She would have the proper glassware and the tools and the spirits and Garnishes and everything to create his One amazing cocktails to share with her friends. I love that, really. It's so elegant, refined, and it just You know it elevates the experience now. Jamie, I know you love a black good glass of wine. I do. I love him A cold, I P A. But there's So much more when you're able to craft a great mojito or a fresh margarita for your friends know it's true. No, I agree with you and and even if you're Mastering the technique of your favorite cocktail because you have more time on your hands right? Or you're crafting a signature house cocktail. Whatever it is, I think those that love and appreciate spirits have taken to their home bar or set up a bar or Gathered the best and the right tools and I think we have made for more impressive mixology at home, and I think there's something to be said for it like you talked about the elegance of it. But also the beauty of savoring it. Right. Maybe we've had a little more time to really dig deeper into the cocktail of choice. You name it. What has been your Most sipped cocktail over the pandemic, Tony Well, um just back up and kind of reinforce what you said. As you know, I have designed on market outside of Professional bar tool. Yes, I have them all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, but we have seen such an increase in demand and sails on our bar tools online. During this pandemic, so I guess Somewhat silver lining. For our company, but course it It's uh you know what you were saying is kind of a theme. I mean, if I'm gonna make myself one drink, and especially if I'm going to share it virtually with you, it's got to be in a groaning I would knew you were going to say that and wait ever since years back. You taught us to make the perfect Negroni. You would be so proud to know that that has been the one cocktail at home. When I have had time when Jagger is down to sleep at night if I really wanted t O indulge, right if I wanted t give myself a little self care. I made a Negroni. I still do. And I honored you and I have to tell you, it was it is it? Wasit still continues to be so satisfying, Damien and like I said When you elevate that experience, I mean, sure, you congrats, old jam Jar throat. Fill it up with that. I say your ice maker makes in the freezer. That's all white and cloudy before the booze van, a slice of orange or whatever you might have laying around. And it's fine. But if you have a crystal mixing beaker and a long handed twist of bar, spoon and onboard strainer and all of the crucial moments in a beautiful crystal fashion glass, and you're able to Make some beautiful two by two crystal clear ice cubes in your troupe Cube, Ice cube maker. It's just again. It just bumps up that experience finally peel off swat but warranted expel those oils and perhaps Ratification. Oh, completely completely and and something to really appreciate Like I feel like it's slowed me down a little bit. I was able to really Enjoy it, and we all need those few minutes a day or however many you can catch for sure. By the way, my ice cubes are rounds fears, not cubes, hoping, hoping that's okay. Let's transition from a Negroni at home. To what I think another theme of the pandemic in the cocktail word world. Rather if I've followed you properly is from the From the mastery of a cocktail to the convenience. How has ready to drink? That's the tag for cocktails that are already in a can write or pre prepared. How has that changed the bar scene in your opinion? What we were doing battle cocktails at Liberty Social four years ago where we would Matched them. Bottle them, sell them with the glass with garnish in ice on the side, and it was It really sped up a busy bar. It insured consistency, and it was fun. It was, you know, kind of a fun experience to bring to the table and the guest kind of gets involved and Eyes. Interactive way should have been selling those than Jamie. We should have been ahead of this. Sure, but nobody saw this coming, but no it really you know it is Taking on a world of its own. I think it may be the fastest growing spirit category or drink secretary shirt. Okay, tell us what is on the horizon. I heard from a friend that you have Ah, global spirits competition in the works, and that was very exciting to me. So please do tell Yes. Thank you for asking the tag Global spirits competition. It will be held in man and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas the last weekend of October. How fine it Aziz. You know, I said as head judge at the San Francisco World Spirits competition for the past 11 years, 19 years overall as a judge there and love it well, you know, great experience fantastic competition, but I always wanted to expand it beyond just a bunch of us judging the spirits and try to bring in the end views or the consumer Toe also share in that experience. You were bringing judges from four continents. Had some of the best palates in the world to judge this competition. But they're also be hosted educational track where you can fit and learn from some of these experts in our fields could be spirited. Dinner's gonna be a big welcome reception. And that's the end is our pink tie gala, which will be on Saturday evening to celebrate and raise funds for my charity, Helen David Relief Fund. Yes. Oh, how fabulous! I can't wait to be there. So with with the vaccine, you have my support. No doubt before I let you go give us your best Few tips on how to host a virtual cocktail party, please, Because we're not there yet. Where were you know, venturing out, But there are wonderful ways too. Continue celebrations to connect with family and friends virtually. And why not with a new, extraordinary housemaid cocktail? Absolutely. There's a couple of ways to approach that and We've been doing a lot of these virtual cocktail parties and what we do is we put together a kid and they were making the cronies, for instance, and that it would contain the mixing beaker Spoon on Hawthorne, a couple of fashion glasses. An orange and maybe even the spirits you can send. I mean, you have to be careful where you send those, but a lot of times we sent everything but the spirit. No. Everyone would get a package. And then we would pick a date where we would all sign into his zoom party. And I'd place um, Frank Sinatra makes him you ordered. And you just bring everyone in as close to being together. Yeah, it's so much fun. Yes, and you can create it at home, especially when we have your best tools. I'm sending everyone to the modern mixologist dot com. The modern mixologists dot com you confined Tony's cocktail escapades, his bar tools, his Best tips.