ABOUT TAYLOR
A Passionate, Experienced,
& Recognized Bartender
Inspired by new techniques and fresh ingredients, I strive to add an innovative and unique touch to every single drink I prepare. My name is Taylor Arnold, I'm a bartender that has been featured in Eat This, Not That! twice, created a cocktail for Splash Premium Cocktail Mixers, featured in Mashed, and was a semi-finalist in the Whiskies of the World cocktail creation competition.
I began my bartending journey in Utah at an Outback Steakhouse and then moved to New York City where I discovered the art of mixology. I learned about the dedication to craft cocktails that highlights flavour, balance, and presentation. I've never looked back, I was hooked. My commitment to perfection and creativity drives me on a journey of continual education and a yearning to push the boundaries of mixology.
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I created Don't Forget The Garnish in the spring of 2020 as a project to keep my bartending skills alive during the lockdown and to keep my roommates happy. But since then, it's grown into a community for all who are just as obsessed with craft cocktails as I am. Now we offer online courses, private bartending, and corporate events.
I show all my original recipes here and just want to share the love for cocktails that I have. If even just one person learns a new skill and gets excited by their creations at home - I'm happy! It's been a project of pure love and passion.
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-Taylor Arnold, creator
About Don't Forget The Garnish
FRESH INGREDIENTS, NO MIXES, & OBSESSION
My favorite bars are those with a ridiculous dedication to the craft. Where other bartenders look at them oddly and say, "that can't possible make a difference." These bars will spend hours deciding between two different liquor choices. Asking which subtlety in flavors best contributes and mixes with the other ingredients? I live for this level of nerding. I'll go through six renditions of a cocktail before I land on a recipe. This is what Don't Forget The Garnish is all about. Nerding out on cocktails. It's all about an obsession for the art. And we truly view it as an art.
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If there is any step along the way that we can make it fresh. We will. Instead of using a flavoured liquor. We infuse it ourselves. Instead of using mixes, we make them ourselves. You will never see one of our recipes ask for "Sweet & Sour mix." Instead of buying syrups, we make them (all of them). And we always use fresh fruit juices. Always. Making all the ingredients or waiting a week for a liquor to infuse is all part of the fun. It connects us more to the process of the cocktail and allows for complete customization and tweaking of recipes. We seek quality. Nothing less will do. Not for the obsessed.
It's an art, and we treat it as such. In art, it's ok to fail, to try something new and not have it work. Here, we just have fun with the process and laugh off the failures. Because for us, it's about the enjoyment of the process. Laughing, creating, and learning. Where everyone can nerd out, drink what they want without judgement, and just enjoy the experience.
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Don't Forget The Garnish means that we are detailed during every cocktail-making-step. Never substituting or cutting corners. Quality is what we seek. Down to the very last step - the garnish. Understanding that a garnish can greatly affect the taste, smell, and presentation of the cocktail. All of which are important elements in the construction of a cocktail. Sometimes we don't use a garnish, but it's a choice. If the cocktail doesn't need it or it would be unbalanced with it - we don't use one. By omitting it, we are still, not forgetting the garnish.
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So please, look around, have fun, learn something new, and steal all our recipes from our cool speakeasy-style site. Modify them, change them, and experiment on your own to discover ratio's that reflect your personal taste. There are no rules here and everyone is welcome. All that matters is that you enjoy the process and want to learn a new appreciation of quality craft cocktails.
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Cheers friends.