At each event we went back in time and covered a specific part in the history of vermouth; its origin and transformation, from medicinal wine to the beautiful aperitif we know it to be today.
Explainer
Just as we no longer baulk at the idea of using a high-end single malt or artisanal mezcal in a cocktail designed to showcase the unique attributes of that particular bottle, perhaps we should approach sherry cocktails in the same way – allowing them to be the star of the show.
“If you can afford to pay your staff more I believe you have an obligation to do so – especially those who have worked for you a significant amount of time or have gone through the necessary training to become a skilled lynchpin on your team.”
There are also advocates for simply salting your sugar syrup. Geoff Fewell, a long-time bar wizard who is currently working at Golden Age Cinema suggests using 1% salt to sugar, as well as 1% citric acid for citrus drinks to make them pop – your Daiquiri will never be the same again.
Perhaps one of the best examples of this tableside service is the famed Martini Trolley at The Connaught. A white-gloved bartender preparing a Martini to your specs is the level everyone hopes to achieve, the theatre adding to the beverage and the admiring looks from other diners around the room.
“There’s something magical and very cool (or maybe I’m just very simple!) about taking this absolute mess of a liquid and through the clarification/milk-washing process ending up with a silky and plush liquid that can be a finished drink or an ingredient in another drink. It’s also an easy way to wow your guests…” – Darren Leany, Capitano
Fast forward 20 years and when asked what he thought was one of the greatest changes in the New York bar scene he had helped revitalise, cocktail legend Dale DeGroff replied: “the growth of the bar team”.
Learning how to cop criticism is a life lesson we all need if we want to be better, says Naren Young
“When receiving feedback, any feedback, this is how it should transpire (at least, this is how I do it). First of all, say thank you. Nothing is more gracious than showing someone that you’re grateful for their comments, good or bad.”
A perfect example of this is the only spritz I ever physically crave, the Olive Spritz at Gerald’s Bar in Melbourne. Created by Gabriel De Melo Freire, a flavour fanatic, the saltiness of the olive syrup and the dryness of the apera leave you literally salivating.
It is generally accepted that Sour cocktails are essentially individualised versions of the progenitor of cocktails, the Punch, and the Fizz is yet another variation on that spirit/citrus/sweetener template, with the addition of, well, fizz, by way of soda water.
It can be easy to point to the influx of drinkers and bartenders from the States during Prohibition, but cocktails were already part of Cuban culture. The natural bounty of the island lends itself to cocktails – fresh fruits galore and, of course, sugar cane (ergo, rum).
I encourage constant training and revision of whatever the most popular 50-100 cocktails are in your particular city and at all my bars over the years, this has been the very foundation for all other drinks. Without a grounding in the classics, you can’t, or shouldn’t, be attempting avant garde drinks that are poorly executed.