Posted By Robert G. Rogers on Aug 31, 2016

By  Robert G. Rogers

Neil Engelbrecht poses on the customer side of the workspace over which he presides at Pinnacle Peak Country Club.

Its chief concocter, Pinnacle Peak Country Club Bar Manager Neil Engelbrecht, explains the magic of the drink.

“It’s all about the invisible, but unmistakable whiff of outdoor smoke that stays as long as drink is in the glass.”

“The secret,” Neil starts to say, but then, and with a mischievous grin, stops mid-sentence: “It’s fine Scotch whiskey.”

Scotch whiskey?

“Yup,” Neil confirms, “but not just any Scotch whiskey.”

“Mind you,” he emphasizes, “this is not a Manhattan made with Scotch. It’s not a Rob Roy.”

He continues: “I start by grabbing an inverted, stemmed Martini glass from the freezer, fill it with ice, and let it stand while I ready the rest of the drink’s ingredients.”

“Once the glass is chilled, I pour in a quarter ounce of Laphroaig, a single malt whiskey distinguished by its smoky flavor. I gently swirl it to coat the inside of the glass, and then empty it into a rocks glass for later use. In a shaker cup I add ice, Maker’s Mark 46 – a straight-from-the-barrel whiskey with an oak flavor – Carpano Antica sweet vermouth, and a dash of Angostura bitters. I shake the canister and then strain its contents into the center of the glass to push the Laphroaig up the edge of the glass. And then I garnish the drink with a couple Luxardo cherries, which provide just the right balance.”

Firefighter Manhattan, a Neil Engelbrecht specialty.

Whether served at the bar or to a dining table, the drink penetrates the air with its smoky distinctiveness.

“I didn’t invent the drink,” Neil stresses, “but I do think I’ve improved upon it.” Those of his customers who regularly order the concoction say he’s perfected it.

The seriousness with which Neil applies his mixology – and wine sommelier – experience and expertise is belied by his ever-effervescent mood and engaging character. That he’s a likable chap is evidenced by the standing-room-only crowd that routinely convenes at his workspace at the bewitching 5 o’clock hour each day and lingers into the night.

That workspace is a sunken deck behind a 27-foot-long bar with a dozen seats. Through a massive 10-foot by 20-foot bay window, it overlooks the club’s lush green parkland-style golf course. “At cocktail time,” Neil says, “the sunset looks like a classic floor-to-ceiling Arizona landscape painting. Only it’s the real thing. You can’t buy a view like the one we have here.”

In summer months when the sun is bright at the cocktail hour Neil lowers two outside blinds that provide a polarizing effect and mute the glare. “The view is still great. What’s more, dim lighting always heightens conviviality of imbibers at this time of day.” Neil winks, “It’s a trick of the trade.”

While Neil is neither a jokester nor trickster behind the bar, he is famous for the ease with which he conversationally mingles with his patrons. Ask anyone along the rail and you’ll learn he’s reason enough to sit or stand at the bar. And that’s because of the lively repartee in which he engages and in which he coaxes his clientele to engage with one another.

Neil, who seldom is at a loss to recall a customer or their favorite drink, knows how to get through to patrons who enjoy congenial chit chat. He does so with solo cocktail enjoyers, couples, groups, or the entire bar.

And how does Neil come by his Dale Carnegie-like affinity for other people?

In addition to being a proud student of mixology, he is a recognized, polished, and award-winning public speaker. He is certifiably masterful at handling himself on his feet.

That stems, in part, from his years of award-winning experiences as a participant in the activities of the International Toastmasters organization. Actually, he grew up as a bit of a ham. As a tot he routinely entertained his parents’ party guests with impersonations of famous comedians.
So, Neil is a tactician with cocktails as well as with entertaining the troops.

He hails from West Bend and is a proud Badger fan, having graduated from the University of Wisconsin.
Neil has been at Pinnacle Peak Country Club for 14 years and says he particularly enjoys being where he is because of the long tenure of his colleagues in the club’s food and beverage operations, as well as because of the established and loyal membership. “We’re like family,” says Neil, “and it’s a joy for all of us to be here and interact with one another as we do.”

If you’re not up for a Firefighter Manhattan, insist on one of Neil’s Molly Nightcap after-dinner drinks. It’s something many consider to be his signature offering. But that’s another story, another recipe for another day.