“Where it gets tricky (and the really fun part) is how to recreate these with the impression of a natural fermentation process. For example, mead can take up to 3 months to turn around into a drinkable product.”
Explainer
“I don’t care about awards, who the chef is or how fancy the fit-out looks. The first thing I look for is ‘do they do what they say on the tin’?”
A protein shaker from Coles may do the trick but to make you look as good as you want your cocktail to taste, then a set of Toby Tins are the minimum.
“And while it may seem passé to serve tequila with lime and salt, that is actually how it is served in many Mexican cantinas so who am I to argue with that?”
What often is overlooked is the fresh fruit bonanza going into dehydrators, bleeding them of their enchanting flavours to then be placed on top of a drink, as it tends to look ‘on-trend’.
“Whether it be using boiling water to kill an ice well (aka frozen water) or discarding the flesh of an orange just to give an Old Fashioned a beautiful zest, we could all do better.”
Right now, the Australian hospitality industry is suffering from a huge staff shortage, but times of crisis are also times of great opportunity. If there is a place or a business you’ve always wanted to work in, chances are this is the right time to knock on that door and offer your services.
‘What’s not romantic is waiting twenty minutes for a drink while the bartender has to fumble around for six different bottles. My goal is to get drinks into people’s hands as quickly as possible without sacrificing any quality, which is a win win for everyone.’
‘Irish whiskey has always been big on cask finishes of the sherry variety but now there is even more options including but not limited Rum casks, Sauternes, Tokaji, Bordeaux wine casks, I even found one aged in seaweed charred casks!’
“There are now over 170 craft gin distilleries in Australia alone, and upwards of 65 in New Zealand. Most of these distillers are making more than one gin, so it doesn’t take long to calculate that the possibilities are endless.” – Charles Casben
Not since Duncan MacGillivray’s Two Dogs – possibly worlds first alco-pop – has any liquid made such inroads into the global market as seltzer has. Towards the end of 2020 the liquid made up almost $4.5b of the global market with both brands, consumers and bartenders taking notice.
“When you push, recommend and sell classic cocktails the best outcome you can hope for, from a customer experience perspective, is that you meet their expectations. Meeting expectations however doesn’t give you five star reviews, loads of tips, or not even necessarily return business.”