This was oddly the hardest one yet. Check out these links and tell me where to go next, are there any weird chain places I'm not even thinking about? Get the bottles I use in my bar here! Drink.curiada.com Twitch: bit.ly/2VsOi3d H2D2: bit.ly/YTH2D2 twitter: bit.ly/H2DTwit instagram: bit.ly/H2dIG Blog: bit.ly/H2DBlog Patreon: bit.ly/H2DPatreon Gear: amzn.to/2LeQCbW
One chili's waiter to another: "Man they're really puttin away the drinks at table 12" "I know they're fiends." "No, like that lady literally has a purse full of margarita filled thermos's."
As a former Chili's bartender they put sweet and sour mix in each drink. Definitely why the simple fixed the third tropical sunrise attempt. Also it's called a Presidente Margarita because it used to be made with Presidente Brandy. I actually didn't know they changed it to E&J until I watched this. Has no relation to an El Presidente, but I get the confusion.
Interesting, I didn't know these changes were Chili's wide, as locally the state Liquor Monopoly (UT, whom I work for) stopped carrying Presidente Brandy a couple years ago, and I figured it was a local change due to the lack of easily available spirits.
When I was going to Culinary School, the CEO of Chili's came to visit my hospitality class to discuss stuff about how Chili's became so successful. I told him a little thing my mom and I say about Chili's in that "It's a restaurant you go to when you don't know where you wanna go." Because Chili's has such different foods for different tastes, the whole family could eat; since my dad is a famously picky eater, he could eat something there and I could eat something adventurous. The dude *LOVED* it and gave me HUGE praise for the idea.
not including Greg's twitch streams i think this series is the most we get to see casual Greg and it's positively fantastic, I also feel like this series could go on for eternity and that's fine by me
I was worried this was going to be just hyperbolic dunking on chain restaurants' drinks like another channel I stopped watching because of that behavior. This was actually really good and enjoyable, explaining what was happening and why; not insulting just to insult but actually thoughtful commentary. I love this.
Just noticed I had responses: while I won't say who it was I will say no it wasn't binging with babish. I'm not going to dunk on somebody's channel on someone else's, just seems like poor form. It's an opinion I made watching it, and I'm sure many others disagree with me... I like to let people form their own opinions...
Hey former chilis bartender here, the tropical sunrise had a sweet and sour mix with the pineapple juice so that’s why it was super sweet. And I LOATHE everything about the jackberry margarita. It’s roses blackberry syrup you’re tasting. Hated making them, hated drinking them, hated anyone who drank them.
"Niles, kindly pass me another of these." "I don't think so. The last time we did this, you attempted to recite Purgatorio in the original Italian to Mrs. Entwhistle's cat."
@@ltchugacast131 oh man that's a great idea! We sometimes put them in shakes and you could always add alcohol to that but an infusion would also be really 🤔🤔 interesting
One of my favorite things is when Greg goes off on a tangent about where he thinks the drink would be enjoyed. It brings so much character to the drink, and to be able to visualize an atmosphere where the drink would be enjoyed is so great. I'm sure he's just vocalizing his thoughts and personality, but it shows why he's so damn good at what he does.
To me it sounds like at the Chili test kitchen they made it with more fresh fruits approved the specs, but then when it reaches down the to unit ether the logistic guys change it to very cheap prefab fruit flavors, or maybe the franchise owners opp for the cheaper prefab. Which it sounds about right if in your area the variations is so vast.
@@monkeyman123321 to be fair I think I was the first to ever order it at our chili's (I live in a really conservative mormon area of Utah). That plus one of the staff came out and asked me "what is this?"🤣
This whole episode reminds me of that time I went to a pretty low-tier mexican chain restaurant and I was suprised that they had some decent straight mezcal on the drinks menu. As expected I probably was the first person they'd had order the thing cause both the waiter and the person tending the bar were utterly confused that I'd order that and didn't even know where the bottle was... They had to get a stepladder to fetch the bottle from the very top-back shelf of the bar and after what I observed to be some vigorous fretting the waiter came up and they'd decided to serve it on crushed ice with a lime wedge lol I mean mind you this is the kind of restaurant whose most ordered drink is a pitcher of blue sangria.
hey only 15 comments so if you're reading this (and I guess there's a fair chance you are?) thanks for what you do, it got me into making cocktails and mixology in general. keep up the great work.
This got me into making cocktails although it has really just cemented my dislike of actual alcohol in both taste and effect. The syrup making is fun as fuck though! Also using a shaker to make ice coffees is the best!
I love it when Greg doesn't nail the drink on the first try, shows hes a mere mortal like the rest of us PLUS we get to watch his brain work as he tries to solve the problem. Really good stuff! oh and I loved the bright green with strong red hard line at the bottom, looked so weird but in a good way.
Greg, I'm so glad you get that "ash tray" smell after the first sip, because I get that with a LOT of drinks. It keeps tricking me into thinking my neighbors are smoking outside my bedroom window again. I'm glad that phenomenon is not just me.
I get it from anything that includes dry vermouth. I’m one of those people that thinks cilantro tastes soapy so I always thought it was that same pallet gene that allows you to smell cyanide related compounds.
Certain cheap tequilas tend to give me ashtray or black pepper notes on the nose if not both when used in a mix. The same isn’t true when I’m doing well shots of them though I’ve never understood why
Funny story about chilli’s: one day when I was in 7-8th grade old I was out of school one day (sick or half day I can’t remember) and my mom took me out to lunch. I asked to go to chilli’s and she said “ I have a better idea” and she took me to Hooters. I had so a great time and ended up falling backwards out of a high top chair I was giggling so hard due to the fact that I never had so many pretty ladies talking to me at once. The entire restaurant went silent and someone yelled “man down, man down “, I got up still giggling and my mom was like “he’s fine “. I still love Hooter’s till this day and have never been to a chilli’s
Took my sister to Chili's for her 21st, and I ordered an Old Fashioned. They couldn't make it because they (either that location or Chili's in general) doesn't carry bitters... I was *very* concerned...
It could have been that the De Kyuper Melon Schnapps is much more melon-y then Midori, which gives that quenchness you were talking about that melon and cucumber has
The tropical sunrise was what got my mom into liquor drinks. She was previously a (gags) a Smirnoff ice lady before. She has a much more refined palette these days. It was the bridge she needed.
Can I mention how much I love that you show your process? Like a lot of chefs share recipes and ideas after weeks of development and refinement which is fair to get the best out there, but you dive into how you balance and what you look for in each attempt, it shows some of the work that chefs and bartenders do behind the scenes.
As a European my only knowledge of Chili's is from the Office and now from Greg. In my understanding anything goes in Chili's, it sounds like the Wild West of fast foods.
Regarding the 1st drink, I think the issue is the midori. It was an issue in the midori margarita from the customer is wrong episode, and the various iterations you had to go through for this one seems to reinforce that that ingredient isn't fantastic with tequila.
To add to this, I think the issue is likely name brand Midori since they reformulated it. I feel like these chain drinks are probably meant to use the old super sweet formula like you get in off-brand melon liqueurs like Melone or the DeKuyper Melon Schnapps.
The issue you were having with the pineapple juice for the Tropical Sunrise is most likely from not having shaken the pineapple juice enough before using. The juice you poured looked thin, as if it had separated, which would give it a weaker flavor
The recent chain drink episodes have been fantastic! I'm totally going to try the last one since blackberries, I'll even buy the Jack Daniels. Why not try P.F. Changs next?
I doubt any of us expect you to juice a pineapple every time you need it lol. These videos always make me wanna start a home bar… and make me regret drinking Walmart margarita while watching 💀
Just made Gregs El Presidente using reposado tequila, PX Sherry, and Grand Mariner (didn’t have the Citronage). My god, it was amazing. Best dessert drink I’ve had in a while. Thanks, Greg!!
made one tonight with close-ish substitutions (cointreau, cheap medium-dry sherry, reposado tequila). it was very, very good. "cigar cocktail" is a perfect description.
Greg, have you ever heard of Amarula? I think it is a South African cream liqueur. Anyway, my aunt gave me a bottle, and while it is tasty neat, I have no idea what to use it in for a cocktail
As a South African I can confirm that is what it is. I've never tried using it in cocktails but it is really good in some milk, so maybe go for milkshake or dessert type drinks. it would probably also be good with a salted caramel kind of flavor.
A couple cocktails I know of for it--well, one's a shooter apparently called the Springbokkie ("Lil' Antelope"), half peppermint liqueur and half Amarula layered in a shot glass (other recipes are calling for changing the ratio to more peppermint but that's too Listerine-y for me...); the other's name I don't know but: milk steamed with dried orange peel, dark chocolate melted into it, mix in Amarula and grated nutmeg for absolutely insane hot chocolate. I can't find the exact recipe anywhere online but I feel like boozy hot chocolate is an instinctual sort of drink; just take out the orange peel when the milk's infused and follow your heart on the rest of it. It's also good in coffee (hot or cold) and could probably be used anywhere a cream liqueur is good.
Look at doing a milky espresso martini, or as I’ve been calling them, a latte martini! 3 espresso 2 mr black 1 amarula 1/2 frangellico You can use it most places where you would use baileys and it will shift away from chocolate / whisky and more towards light cream / meringue You can also try replacing Kahlua with it!
Looking at the colors of the drink of Attempt #1, my brain was like, "It doesn't look like a tropical sunrise, but it give it a tropical feel..." 🤔 It's only when you started to stir it is when it hit me: "It looks like a palm tree!"🤗
as a dutch person, i was pleasantly surprised with your pronuciation of de kuyper! I would also love to see you try some japanese whiskies. Recently bought a bottle and I think the flavor profile is unlike that of a scotch, bourbon, or Irish whiskey, since it is not as sweet and smokey compared to them, has almost a white wine/sake finish. cheers!
This video makes me wonder; can we get a video of you making drinks based of flavor profiles? So sweet, sour, spicy, ect. I think it could be a fun series and help guide people to new drinks that fit their pallet
A Tropical Sunrise is supposed to be layered initially. You put the grenadine, then the pineapple, then a mix of the tequila (actually its supposed to be rum) and midori on top. Then the customer stirs
My sleep deprived brain totally bypasses the Chili's logo and just thought you were making a few drinks that incorporated different types of chili peppers 🤦🏻♂️ Color me confused then it dawned on me lol
Former Chili’s bartender here. The drinks have gotten a little more “cheap” over the last decade, but it’s still a great place to get n interesting mixed drink, and a great margarita. The powdered sour mix is incredible!
Funny enough I went to a chili's at fort hood and ordered a long Island on occasion. I never had one before so i didnt know what they were supposed to taste like. I did know it involves a variety of booze and cola. One time I saw how they were being made. It was literally a smirnoff ice with Cola in it. Never ordered a cocktail there again.
I wonder if the difficulty in matching the sunrise was that you drank theirs with the grenadine mixed in but yours was layered and didn’t contribute its sugar to the overall drink. Great stuff!
I’ve been waiting for this one since this series started. I used to bartend at Chili’s! It’s called El Presidente because that’s the type of brandy that used to be in it (don’t think you can get it in the states anymore). Also glad to see you liked the Sunrise; it was the most popular while I worked there.
Greg a video on the history of Appalachia moonshine maybe? Maybe try making some cocktails with it? I live in the south and I still buy moonshine from a guy that makes it in his backyard. The best store bought stuff is sugarland shine though
That Jack Berry Margarita actually sounds like a drink I could enjoy. Blackberries are my favorite type of berry and I like the taste of cough medicine like regular NyQuil or traditional codine syrup.
There is sweet and sour in the Tropical Sunrise. I bartended at Chili's for 10 years, and left about 6 months ago due to the company going to shit. Spec on the Trop Sun is 1 1/4 ounce Hornitos Reposado, 3/4 ounce melon liqueur, 3/4 ounce pineapple juice, and I want to say 2 ounces sweet and sour, shaken, strained over ice, and then the grenadine sinks to the bottom. The presidente margarita used to be called such because it used el presidente Brandy. They switched to E&J due to distribution problems, and I think they just made E&J spec due to cost efficiency. It was better with the Presidente Brandy, and the name made more sense. Spec if I recall correctly was 1 1/4 ounces Sauza Conmemorativo, 1/2 ounce presidente brandy (or E&J since about 2019), 1/2 ounce Patron Citronge, and 2 1/2 ounces of sweet and sour. However, that margarita is batch prepped now, so it's made in a 5 gallon batch and thrown into a keg and poured from a tap, which throws it off a bit. It's a garbage concept that is supposed to cut down on overpouring and keep consistency of the drink from location to location. However, if the keg isn't shaken regularly (they recommend every 2 hours) the ingredients kinda separate and you get a sludgy, thick mess towards the end of the batch. This is a company that doesn't trust their bartenders to have the competence to make a good drink, and my manager would keep the bottles for this recipe locked in the liquor cage to ensure the batch was being used instead of the drinks being hand made. The Jackberry margarita is garbage. Bad ideas make bad drinks. This one was introduced around 2018 or 2019, and I have no idea why it stayed on menus. I think it was 3/4 ounce Jack, 3/4 ounce Sauza Blue (not 100% sure if that's the right brand, but it was a silver tequila), 1/2 ounce patron citronge, and 1 1/2 ounces fresh sour, which is a different sweet and sour than the other drinks, made with lemon juice, lime juice, agave nectar and water. Once again, bad drink. Thanks for making this one. Chili's used to be great. Like I said, I bartended there for 10 years and worked for the company for 12. The last couple years I worked there, I felt like they were trying to simplify everything, pre-batching several drinks just so they could throw anybody behind the bar to make drinks, focusing on volume and value rather than quality. I was offended by all of that and fought back for a long time, refusing to use batches and trying to take pride in my craft. I finally gave in after I realized it was a battle I wasn't going to win. I was embarrassed to work behind that bar after that point, and after they implemented ipads for all servers, mandatory food runners on every shift who got about 20% of my tips regardless of if they did anything or even showed up, and an obsession with driving to go sales to the point where we couldn't open dine in service in a lot of cases because our kitchen couldn't handle it on top of all the door dash orders coming through, I realized it was time to leave. Went right next door to a well known Steakhouse, and all my old regulars that I still see often from Chili's tell me they don't even try to go there anymore because they either can't get sat, the quality is garbage, or the little staff they can hold on to doesn't know/care what they are doing. I could go on and on with the issues I have with Brinker Intl, but I'll leave it at that.
I bartend at a Chili’s and I’m not gonna lie, Jackberry is ass. But they made that tropical sunrise completely wrong, looks completely different at our bar and there’s no orange at all. Love the video though!
@Anthony Peters official training modules with the drink recipe specify garnish with lime. Im currently a bartender in the Dallas area where Brinker is based out of. I know resturaunts across the country use different recipes or food so perhaps that extended to some drinks? Im not sure.
Was SO excited for the Jack Berry, it's genuinely the only reason I go to Chili's anymore, had fingers crossed it would be present when I clicked on the video
Doles sells their pineapple juice in smaller, 8-ounce cans. I get those so I don't need to find a use for a quart of pineapple juice before it goes off. Also, pineapple juice will turn black.
I think it’s not pineapple juice itself that turns black, it's the metal can oxidising due to the acidic juice. (I hope I used the right words in English lmao) My mom always taught me to put pineapple slices in a different bowl in the fridge if you didn’t finish them at once, or they'll start tasting metallic.
Dog, I quit drinking because I was killing myself and being abusive to others. However, I enjoy living a bit vicariously through you and these videos are very entertaining. I wish you the best.
I might have challenge for you Greg. First off, love your show mainly for the drink recipes I can snag from you and try at home. So here's the challenge, try and make good cocktails with sake.
As a beginner bartender I love your content! Your explanations are so similar to how I process so it's lovely to see someone else so similar ☺️ You're filling my mind with constant inspo so much so that I've had 3 cocktails approved for our new menu at our top bar in my region x
It's such a weird reaction to have to a drink but man if I was going to spring for a fancy wedding I would absolutely put that last drink on my custom cocktail menu. Sounds like all of my favorite things and exactly the right vibes for a rustic but fancy party
Would love to see you try some drinks from Cinemark theaters! Their Tito’s Tea is horrendous so that alone I wanna see if you could make a great version of, and I hear wonderful things about the Callsign Blue, but have yet to try it myself
Can Greg please release a bar book with all of these recipes? These are good. I’ve made so many of them and I can’t wait to do these, particularly the tequila el presidente (one of my favorite rum drinks)
Greg pulling out a pretty good pronunciation of "DeKuyper" hit me like a truck. Rarely on the internet do I encounter people who come close to pronouncing dutch words correctly, let alone old-timey names! Kudos to you! (Also, great episode as always, obviously)
The Sunrise is one of my go-to's at Chilis. It is very drinkable. It isn't an interesting drink, or a good drink, it is a fruity drink that can be easily sucked down. The other is the Presidente, which is a decent margarita. Better than I would expect from a chain.
Gotta say, I’m loving this series! Seems like a great exercise in trying to refine your palette since you’re trying to pick apart the drink without really knowing what’s in them.
When he was trying to open the third bottle and just stared at his hands all I could think was the Rockbiter from Neverending Story. "They look like such big...strong hands." ^w^
Anyone else know what Greg was thinking at 16:35 before he even reached for the bitters? That face was so telling 🤣😂. Keep it up love the content, this series is great too but, when you get back to mystery bars by Meridith I'd love to see you tackle Creme de Cassis.
Tequila Presidente(I think) 1 oz tequila (used a reposado, said it could have been bolder, even a mezcal) 2 oz sweet sherry. 2 dashes angostura bitters 1 oz citrorange jimanez
THANK YOU GREGORY I’ve been watching your show for years and this is my favorite episode so far the presidente margarita is the true one love of the universe and what got me into mixology
This was oddly the hardest one yet. Check out these links and tell me where to go next, are there any weird chain places I'm not even thinking about?
Get the bottles I use in my bar here! Drink.curiada.com
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I think circling back to TGIF would be cool.
Greg I love "learning" from you but good lord you beasted that poor little first glass
Awesome vid, loved your reaction to the second drink! Have you done much with creme de cassis?
Idk if you have these around you, but Margarita King
Really, looking at chain restaurants, do we think they can actually make a good drink?
The slow devolution of sober Greg into tipsy Greg is truly a thing to behold.
Agreed
Love this man’s descent into madness.
You can tell this probably isn't the first episode Greg's filmed that day.
Every single time
20:57 *_*ding*_*
One chili's waiter to another: "Man they're really puttin away the drinks at table 12"
"I know they're fiends."
"No, like that lady literally has a purse full of margarita filled thermos's."
As a former Chili's bartender they put sweet and sour mix in each drink. Definitely why the simple fixed the third tropical sunrise attempt. Also it's called a Presidente Margarita because it used to be made with Presidente Brandy. I actually didn't know they changed it to E&J until I watched this. Has no relation to an El Presidente, but I get the confusion.
Oh wow! Yeah that makes sense
I always loved the brandy addition. Haven’t had it in a decade but we have the recipe
I was just about to say… E&J in a Presidente? When did that happen?
Disclosure- haven’t been to Chilis in a couple of decades.
Dude! Finally a decent idea
Interesting, I didn't know these changes were Chili's wide, as locally the state Liquor Monopoly (UT, whom I work for) stopped carrying Presidente Brandy a couple years ago, and I figured it was a local change due to the lack of easily available spirits.
Chili's: *has an actually decent (or passable) cocktail*
Greg: "Impressive, you made me use 10% of my power."
"The Quenchiest"
Greg, your editor deserves a raise. She has good taste in cartoons.
They did a cactus juice drink based on that episode.
@@Metrion77 Didn't know that. If ya don't mind me asking, what's the name of the episode?
@@josephschultz3301 Avatar the Last Airbender Cactus Juice | How to Drink
@@Metrion77 Many thanks, yo!
last i heard he's his own editor, unless that changed
Meredith having a microphone was such a good decision and I love all that she adds to the show!
I've been wondering why I liked the newer episodes more. Good call
Agree, she’s hilarious
She's definitely an addition that is appreciated.
Yes - I want her thought on the notes too! Excellent Sir absolutely excellent
she sounds like Kim Wexler from better call saul
Just woke up to find a thumbnail of Greg dead on the floor. We really have been stuck on the “Greg Torture Arc” for far too long
When I was going to Culinary School, the CEO of Chili's came to visit my hospitality class to discuss stuff about how Chili's became so successful. I told him a little thing my mom and I say about Chili's in that "It's a restaurant you go to when you don't know where you wanna go." Because Chili's has such different foods for different tastes, the whole family could eat; since my dad is a famously picky eater, he could eat something there and I could eat something adventurous. The dude *LOVED* it and gave me HUGE praise for the idea.
I say that chili's is ALWAYS a great option.... When you have no other options. Lol
not including Greg's twitch streams i think this series is the most we get to see casual Greg and it's positively fantastic, I also feel like this series could go on for eternity and that's fine by me
I fully agree. This is also definitely my favorite one of this series
@@Morganasansgender t bone txffffccffxffxxfxfftzttdt🤔😍🎄🎄🎄😍😍😜😜😍😍😘😘😘😘😜😘😘😘😘😘😍😘😘😍😘😍😘😍😘😘😘😘😍😘😘😍😜😍😍😘😍💯💯😍😍😍💯👏🏻😩😭😜😭😭😩
Don't watch his tiktoks. The latest few are very disappointing 😞
Do a "fixing the bad drinks from Outback" next! Their new smoked cinnamon pecan old fashioned is by far the worst drink I've ever ordered out anywhere
that sounds like a total mouthful. what did it taste like?
@@LexusLFA554 They pump so much smoke directly ontop of it that it tastes like sucking the liquid out of a wet, burnt fireplace log
@@CallieCore Mmmh, sounds great /S
Last time I ate at outback they brought out our drinks with several fingerprints on the glasses, in mayonnaise.
@@blackflare Looks like your customer service there isn't the greatest. I can't tell though cause I don't even live on the right continent to judge :)
I was worried this was going to be just hyperbolic dunking on chain restaurants' drinks like another channel I stopped watching because of that behavior. This was actually really good and enjoyable, explaining what was happening and why; not insulting just to insult but actually thoughtful commentary. I love this.
What channel was that?
Was it Badging With Bimbish?
Just noticed I had responses: while I won't say who it was I will say no it wasn't binging with babish. I'm not going to dunk on somebody's channel on someone else's, just seems like poor form. It's an opinion I made watching it, and I'm sure many others disagree with me... I like to let people form their own opinions...
@@mutchney yeah I had to stop watching his channel as well
Hey former chilis bartender here, the tropical sunrise had a sweet and sour mix with the pineapple juice so that’s why it was super sweet. And I LOATHE everything about the jackberry margarita. It’s roses blackberry syrup you’re tasting. Hated making them, hated drinking them, hated anyone who drank them.
I love that these episodes aren’t (always) “Greg made a drink and it’s perfect” and we actually get to watch the tasting and creative process.
Greg's take on the el presidente margarita straight up turned him into Dr. Frasier Crane
"Niles, kindly pass me another of these."
"I don't think so. The last time we did this, you attempted to recite Purgatorio in the original Italian to Mrs. Entwhistle's cat."
as a cheesecake bartender, im excited for the cheesecake factory episode.
Wait do you mean that you put cheesecake in alcohol at Cheesecake Factory? Because I’m not sure if I want to think that sounds awesome or disgusting
@@ltchugacast131 oh man that's a great idea! We sometimes put them in shakes and you could always add alcohol to that but an infusion would also be really 🤔🤔 interesting
I tried the Mai Tai from Cheesecake Factory and it was sooo good!
@@johnathancamargo3384 it's the passion fruit puree, lime juice, and just the right amount of orgeat.
@@AoGuang I asked for a vodka thing and I got a shake.
I'd kill for a book with all the mixes and remixes you've done, with a compilation of your comparisons and thoughts on different brands.
This needs to happen.
I would buy it last week. And now. A very interesting bartending book indeed.
I would definitely help crowd fund this!
That's an absolutely lovely idea, I can envision it right away! It'd make a lovely addition to anyone's bar honestly.
I was literally just about to comment this. I want my “how to drink” cocktail book!
I'd buy that
Title: I tried desperately to fix the bad drinks from chili's
First drink: it's not bad. Its really hitting the spot right now
One of my favorite things is when Greg goes off on a tangent about where he thinks the drink would be enjoyed. It brings so much character to the drink, and to be able to visualize an atmosphere where the drink would be enjoyed is so great. I'm sure he's just vocalizing his thoughts and personality, but it shows why he's so damn good at what he does.
And he does funny voices.
I've had the Jackberry at my local Chili's and loved it. I later ordered it a county over, and it was a horrible medicine nightmare.
To me it sounds like at the Chili test kitchen they made it with more fresh fruits approved the specs, but then when it reaches down the to unit ether the logistic guys change it to very cheap prefab fruit flavors, or maybe the franchise owners opp for the cheaper prefab. Which it sounds about right if in your area the variations is so vast.
@@monkeyman123321 to be fair I think I was the first to ever order it at our chili's (I live in a really conservative mormon area of Utah). That plus one of the staff came out and asked me "what is this?"🤣
For the jackberry they just use a cheap blackberry syrup, not a liqueur, used to bartend there
“Sometimes there’s no substitution for iteration” - that’s a life lesson.
“ a breeze passing through honeysuckle “
my new personality for the summer
thank you greg
i will always strive to be this poetic
No "HI WELCOME TO CHILI'S" cold open? Come on Greg
Disappointing
Lmao let it go. I've been in my local Chili's a couple of times in the past four years and have never been greeted like that. Times change.
This whole episode reminds me of that time I went to a pretty low-tier mexican chain restaurant and I was suprised that they had some decent straight mezcal on the drinks menu. As expected I probably was the first person they'd had order the thing cause both the waiter and the person tending the bar were utterly confused that I'd order that and didn't even know where the bottle was... They had to get a stepladder to fetch the bottle from the very top-back shelf of the bar and after what I observed to be some vigorous fretting the waiter came up and they'd decided to serve it on crushed ice with a lime wedge lol
I mean mind you this is the kind of restaurant whose most ordered drink is a pitcher of blue sangria.
hey only 15 comments so if you're reading this (and I guess there's a fair chance you are?) thanks for what you do, it got me into making cocktails and mixology in general. keep up the great work.
I hope he sees this
He's the reason I spent like 2k USD on liquor this year.....
Keep this comment on the top lol
This got me into making cocktails although it has really just cemented my dislike of actual alcohol in both taste and effect. The syrup making is fun as fuck though! Also using a shaker to make ice coffees is the best!
Heh, me too.
That was back when he made actual cocktails though and not just random challenges and weird shit from TV series...
I love it when Greg doesn't nail the drink on the first try, shows hes a mere mortal like the rest of us PLUS we get to watch his brain work as he tries to solve the problem.
Really good stuff!
oh and I loved the bright green with strong red hard line at the bottom, looked so weird but in a good way.
Also really liked that strong line! Fun and funky look
Greg, I'm so glad you get that "ash tray" smell after the first sip, because I get that with a LOT of drinks. It keeps tricking me into thinking my neighbors are smoking outside my bedroom window again. I'm glad that phenomenon is not just me.
I get it from anything that includes dry vermouth. I’m one of those people that thinks cilantro tastes soapy so I always thought it was that same pallet gene that allows you to smell cyanide related compounds.
Certain cheap tequilas tend to give me ashtray or black pepper notes on the nose if not both when used in a mix. The same isn’t true when I’m doing well shots of them though I’ve never understood why
first one reminds me of cactus juice from AtLA "its quenchy, it'll quench ya, its the quenchiest!" lol
Funny story about chilli’s: one day when I was in 7-8th grade old I was out of school one day (sick or half day I can’t remember) and my mom took me out to lunch. I asked to go to chilli’s and she said “ I have a better idea” and she took me to Hooters. I had so a great time and ended up falling backwards out of a high top chair I was giggling so hard due to the fact that I never had so many pretty ladies talking to me at once. The entire restaurant went silent and someone yelled “man down, man down “, I got up still giggling and my mom was like “he’s fine “. I still love Hooter’s till this day and have never been to a chilli’s
Took my sister to Chili's for her 21st, and I ordered an Old Fashioned. They couldn't make it because they (either that location or Chili's in general) doesn't carry bitters... I was *very* concerned...
as a bartender at chilis.. we dont carry bitters and we aren't a full bar :/ it sucks.
It could have been that the De Kyuper Melon Schnapps is much more melon-y then Midori, which gives that quenchness you were talking about that melon and cucumber has
also midori isn't watermelon, it uses a couple different japanese melons which aren't comparable.
@@Ghorda9 is DeKuyper Melon supposed to be watermelon?
@@JasminMiettunen i don't know, but the image on the logo is a rock melon.
The tropical sunrise was what got my mom into liquor drinks. She was previously a (gags) a Smirnoff ice lady before. She has a much more refined palette these days. It was the bridge she needed.
Are you sure?
Can't believe you still aren't calling this show the chains that bind us
Finish the episodes playing Chains of Love
Can I mention how much I love that you show your process? Like a lot of chefs share recipes and ideas after weeks of development and refinement which is fair to get the best out there, but you dive into how you balance and what you look for in each attempt, it shows some of the work that chefs and bartenders do behind the scenes.
As a European my only knowledge of Chili's is from the Office and now from Greg. In my understanding anything goes in Chili's, it sounds like the Wild West of fast foods.
Regarding the 1st drink, I think the issue is the midori. It was an issue in the midori margarita from the customer is wrong episode, and the various iterations you had to go through for this one seems to reinforce that that ingredient isn't fantastic with tequila.
To add to this, I think the issue is likely name brand Midori since they reformulated it. I feel like these chain drinks are probably meant to use the old super sweet formula like you get in off-brand melon liqueurs like Melone or the DeKuyper Melon Schnapps.
I've tried using a cheaper melon liquor but midori still beats them all on taste
The issue you were having with the pineapple juice for the Tropical Sunrise is most likely from not having shaken the pineapple juice enough before using. The juice you poured looked thin, as if it had separated, which would give it a weaker flavor
The recent chain drink episodes have been fantastic! I'm totally going to try the last one since blackberries, I'll even buy the Jack Daniels. Why not try P.F. Changs next?
I doubt any of us expect you to juice a pineapple every time you need it lol. These videos always make me wanna start a home bar… and make me regret drinking Walmart margarita while watching 💀
Just made Gregs El Presidente using reposado tequila, PX Sherry, and Grand Mariner (didn’t have the Citronage). My god, it was amazing. Best dessert drink I’ve had in a while. Thanks, Greg!!
Having just made that improved Tequilla El Presidente, you nailed it Greg. This is an exceptional drink. Thank you.
made one tonight with close-ish substitutions (cointreau, cheap medium-dry sherry, reposado tequila). it was very, very good. "cigar cocktail" is a perfect description.
Yes! I took his suggestion to use Mezcal and its superb. I'm really growing in my appreciation of Mezcal and its place in my cabinet.
That was the most chaotic intro I've seen in a while... Wow
How do you guys actually get three thermoses out of a chili's? Does Greg smuggle it out in his bag of holding?
Purses
Me: “oh nice, another HTD video, can’t wait to see wha”-*HIWELCOMETOCHILIES*
*throws phone across lawn*
Greg, have you ever heard of Amarula? I think it is a South African cream liqueur. Anyway, my aunt gave me a bottle, and while it is tasty neat, I have no idea what to use it in for a cocktail
As a South African I can confirm that is what it is. I've never tried using it in cocktails but it is really good in some milk, so maybe go for milkshake or dessert type drinks. it would probably also be good with a salted caramel kind of flavor.
A couple cocktails I know of for it--well, one's a shooter apparently called the Springbokkie ("Lil' Antelope"), half peppermint liqueur and half Amarula layered in a shot glass (other recipes are calling for changing the ratio to more peppermint but that's too Listerine-y for me...); the other's name I don't know but: milk steamed with dried orange peel, dark chocolate melted into it, mix in Amarula and grated nutmeg for absolutely insane hot chocolate. I can't find the exact recipe anywhere online but I feel like boozy hot chocolate is an instinctual sort of drink; just take out the orange peel when the milk's infused and follow your heart on the rest of it. It's also good in coffee (hot or cold) and could probably be used anywhere a cream liqueur is good.
Look at doing a milky espresso martini, or as I’ve been calling them, a latte martini!
3 espresso
2 mr black
1 amarula
1/2 frangellico
You can use it most places where you would use baileys and it will shift away from chocolate / whisky and more towards light cream / meringue
You can also try replacing Kahlua with it!
We like to pour amarula over vanilla ice cream like it's caramel sauce
Looking at the colors of the drink of Attempt #1, my brain was like, "It doesn't look like a tropical sunrise, but it give it a tropical feel..." 🤔
It's only when you started to stir it is when it hit me: "It looks like a palm tree!"🤗
as a dutch person, i was pleasantly surprised with your pronuciation of de kuyper! I would also love to see you try some japanese whiskies. Recently bought a bottle and I think the flavor profile is unlike that of a scotch, bourbon, or Irish whiskey, since it is not as sweet and smokey compared to them, has almost a white wine/sake finish. cheers!
This video makes me wonder; can we get a video of you making drinks based of flavor profiles? So sweet, sour, spicy, ect. I think it could be a fun series and help guide people to new drinks that fit their pallet
A Tropical Sunrise is supposed to be layered initially. You put the grenadine, then the pineapple, then a mix of the tequila (actually its supposed to be rum) and midori on top. Then the customer stirs
My sleep deprived brain totally bypasses the Chili's logo and just thought you were making a few drinks that incorporated different types of chili peppers 🤦🏻♂️
Color me confused then it dawned on me lol
Former Chili’s bartender here. The drinks have gotten a little more “cheap” over the last decade, but it’s still a great place to get n interesting mixed drink, and a great margarita. The powdered sour mix is incredible!
Fun thing, you can ask them to add that blackberry syrup into other drinks. Very nice in soda and tea.
Being a fan of Chili's tropical sunrise, I really enjoyed this episode hahaha
"Glass of Hatred," a new favorite Tasting Note.🤣🤣
Greg, it's chilis, the first iteration should always have too much simple syrup and probably some sour mix
Make the drinks John McGuirk did for his bartending class in Home Movies. Such examples include "Yeast Infection" and the notorious "Dirty Frenchman".
Funny enough I went to a chili's at fort hood and ordered a long Island on occasion. I never had one before so i didnt know what they were supposed to taste like. I did know it involves a variety of booze and cola. One time I saw how they were being made. It was literally a smirnoff ice with Cola in it. Never ordered a cocktail there again.
I wonder if the difficulty in matching the sunrise was that you drank theirs with the grenadine mixed in but yours was layered and didn’t contribute its sugar to the overall drink.
Great stuff!
I’ve been waiting for this one since this series started. I used to bartend at Chili’s! It’s called El Presidente because that’s the type of brandy that used to be in it (don’t think you can get it in the states anymore). Also glad to see you liked the Sunrise; it was the most popular while I worked there.
Greg a video on the history of Appalachia moonshine maybe? Maybe try making some cocktails with it? I live in the south and I still buy moonshine from a guy that makes it in his backyard. The best store bought stuff is sugarland shine though
That Jack Berry Margarita actually sounds like a drink I could enjoy. Blackberries are my favorite type of berry and I like the taste of cough medicine like regular NyQuil or traditional codine syrup.
That with wild turkey instead of Jack, a repasado tequila, and the fresh stuff he used sounds like an amazing summer drink
There is sweet and sour in the Tropical Sunrise. I bartended at Chili's for 10 years, and left about 6 months ago due to the company going to shit. Spec on the Trop Sun is 1 1/4 ounce Hornitos Reposado, 3/4 ounce melon liqueur, 3/4 ounce pineapple juice, and I want to say 2 ounces sweet and sour, shaken, strained over ice, and then the grenadine sinks to the bottom.
The presidente margarita used to be called such because it used el presidente Brandy. They switched to E&J due to distribution problems, and I think they just made E&J spec due to cost efficiency. It was better with the Presidente Brandy, and the name made more sense. Spec if I recall correctly was 1 1/4 ounces Sauza Conmemorativo, 1/2 ounce presidente brandy (or E&J since about 2019), 1/2 ounce Patron Citronge, and 2 1/2 ounces of sweet and sour. However, that margarita is batch prepped now, so it's made in a 5 gallon batch and thrown into a keg and poured from a tap, which throws it off a bit. It's a garbage concept that is supposed to cut down on overpouring and keep consistency of the drink from location to location. However, if the keg isn't shaken regularly (they recommend every 2 hours) the ingredients kinda separate and you get a sludgy, thick mess towards the end of the batch. This is a company that doesn't trust their bartenders to have the competence to make a good drink, and my manager would keep the bottles for this recipe locked in the liquor cage to ensure the batch was being used instead of the drinks being hand made.
The Jackberry margarita is garbage. Bad ideas make bad drinks. This one was introduced around 2018 or 2019, and I have no idea why it stayed on menus. I think it was 3/4 ounce Jack, 3/4 ounce Sauza Blue (not 100% sure if that's the right brand, but it was a silver tequila), 1/2 ounce patron citronge, and 1 1/2 ounces fresh sour, which is a different sweet and sour than the other drinks, made with lemon juice, lime juice, agave nectar and water. Once again, bad drink.
Thanks for making this one. Chili's used to be great. Like I said, I bartended there for 10 years and worked for the company for 12. The last couple years I worked there, I felt like they were trying to simplify everything, pre-batching several drinks just so they could throw anybody behind the bar to make drinks, focusing on volume and value rather than quality. I was offended by all of that and fought back for a long time, refusing to use batches and trying to take pride in my craft. I finally gave in after I realized it was a battle I wasn't going to win. I was embarrassed to work behind that bar after that point, and after they implemented ipads for all servers, mandatory food runners on every shift who got about 20% of my tips regardless of if they did anything or even showed up, and an obsession with driving to go sales to the point where we couldn't open dine in service in a lot of cases because our kitchen couldn't handle it on top of all the door dash orders coming through, I realized it was time to leave. Went right next door to a well known Steakhouse, and all my old regulars that I still see often from Chili's tell me they don't even try to go there anymore because they either can't get sat, the quality is garbage, or the little staff they can hold on to doesn't know/care what they are doing. I could go on and on with the issues I have with Brinker Intl, but I'll leave it at that.
love seeing multiple attempts to really get one drink right, I like seeing some of the stratagies/ideas used to get it closer and closer to goal
Bruh as an ex Chili’s bartender, I feel this
I bartend at a Chili’s and I’m not gonna lie, Jackberry is ass. But they made that tropical sunrise completely wrong, looks completely different at our bar and there’s no orange at all. Love the video though!
What if you guys have been making it wrong the whole time?!?
Literally cackling! Said this to myself just seconds ago!
@Anthony Peters official training modules with the drink recipe specify garnish with lime. Im currently a bartender in the Dallas area where Brinker is based out of. I know resturaunts across the country use different recipes or food so perhaps that extended to some drinks? Im not sure.
Interesting, what’s your places recipe?
@@xXReVeXx1 oh, what’s the “official” recipe?
I love that you just took down that one whole drink. "I don't think I can make this better" haha
Was SO excited for the Jack Berry, it's genuinely the only reason I go to Chili's anymore, had fingers crossed it would be present when I clicked on the video
Doles sells their pineapple juice in smaller, 8-ounce cans. I get those so I don't need to find a use for a quart of pineapple juice before it goes off.
Also, pineapple juice will turn black.
I think it’s not pineapple juice itself that turns black, it's the metal can oxidising due to the acidic juice. (I hope I used the right words in English lmao) My mom always taught me to put pineapple slices in a different bowl in the fridge if you didn’t finish them at once, or they'll start tasting metallic.
Greg's H2D episodes are "the quenchiest" for my youtube thirst.
Dog, I quit drinking because I was killing myself and being abusive to others. However, I enjoy living a bit vicariously through you and these videos are very entertaining. I wish you the best.
I might have challenge for you Greg. First off, love your show mainly for the drink recipes I can snag from you and try at home. So here's the challenge, try and make good cocktails with sake.
The best thumbnail on the channel yet, lookin good Greg!!
I'm thinking of making the topical sunrise for Holloween. The red (blood) and green (ghouls, zombies, etc.) color pallet just screams Holloween to me.
I’d love to see you do Texas Roadhouse cocktails. The hurricane margarita is one that would be fun to see you make better!
Greg, making an episode: : "I wonder how many different ways I can pronounce the word Orange today..."
Aaaaaaaaaahrange!
Greg coming into the studio: sober, let's get work done.
Greg after shooting: REACTIONARY LEFTIST TIKTOKS.
I love it.
The transcription of Ahranj will always make me chuckle.
That missing flavor is the melted chilly's ice😂
As a beginner bartender I love your content! Your explanations are so similar to how I process so it's lovely to see someone else so similar ☺️
You're filling my mind with constant inspo so much so that I've had 3 cocktails approved for our new menu at our top bar in my region x
don'tcha just love it when you're binging how to drink's vids and a new one pops up?!
👍
It's such a weird reaction to have to a drink but man if I was going to spring for a fancy wedding I would absolutely put that last drink on my custom cocktail menu. Sounds like all of my favorite things and exactly the right vibes for a rustic but fancy party
Would love to see you try some drinks from Cinemark theaters! Their Tito’s Tea is horrendous so that alone I wanna see if you could make a great version of, and I hear wonderful things about the Callsign Blue, but have yet to try it myself
i love the kind of drinks that turn Greg into different person, it's so fun
Can Greg please release a bar book with all of these recipes? These are good. I’ve made so many of them and I can’t wait to do these, particularly the tequila el presidente (one of my favorite rum drinks)
Greg pulling out a pretty good pronunciation of "DeKuyper" hit me like a truck. Rarely on the internet do I encounter people who come close to pronouncing dutch words correctly, let alone old-timey names! Kudos to you! (Also, great episode as always, obviously)
Love this series! Can we get a video recreating drinks from Margarittaville next?
I don't drink and I don't want to or even have friends that to my knowledge do but you've become a comfort person to watch thank you
I’ve been waiting for this moment since the series began, and I have not been disappointed. This was fantastic. Thank You, Greg. :)
The Sunrise is one of my go-to's at Chilis. It is very drinkable. It isn't an interesting drink, or a good drink, it is a fruity drink that can be easily sucked down. The other is the Presidente, which is a decent margarita. Better than I would expect from a chain.
Gotta say, I’m loving this series!
Seems like a great exercise in trying to refine your palette since you’re trying to pick apart the drink without really knowing what’s in them.
When he was trying to open the third bottle and just stared at his hands all I could think was the Rockbiter from Neverending Story. "They look like such big...strong hands." ^w^
I love the captain's castaway there. Just sweet and fruity
This might have been the best episode of this series. Fun stuff.
Anyone else know what Greg was thinking at 16:35 before he even reached for the bitters? That face was so telling 🤣😂. Keep it up love the content, this series is great too but, when you get back to mystery bars by Meridith I'd love to see you tackle Creme de Cassis.
I think Greg turned into Wilford Warfstache for a second there lmao
Would it be possible to include the recipes for these?
Well, for the “Tequila Presidente,” in particular…
Tequila Presidente(I think)
1 oz tequila (used a reposado, said it could have been bolder, even a mezcal)
2 oz sweet sherry.
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 oz citrorange jimanez
It's in the description
@@Terratops474 the Ximenez is the sherry and the Citronge is Patron
@@nebulonicc thanks! It wasn’t at the time of the comment, so I guess my comment was seen!
I love whenever he does videos where he makes a lot of drinks because you can gradually see the alcohol affecting him and its kinda funny
Can you come up with sailor moon themed drinks please. I enjoy your videos
Do I need to wear a costume?
@@howtodrink absolutely
@@howtodrink yes
@@howtodrink I never knew I needed this.
@@howtodrink if you want to but don’t feel like you have to
THANK YOU GREGORY I’ve been watching your show for years and this is my favorite episode so far the presidente margarita is the true one love of the universe and what got me into mixology