opinionated alchemist

 I have had this funny thought trait... BMW had in the last couple of decades quite a lot of “issues” with real automobile fans. First of all they have sported more “fake air intakes” and “fake diffusors” and other normally functional performance design traits - which had literally no use except of let the car look sportier than any other automobile company known for performance cars. Also they have been further in the controversies with fake engine sound.  This is not clearly a bad thing; some people like the sporty design and if you are not a die hard automobile fan, you just enjoy the cars looking more aggressive. However for enthusiasts it was really a red flag. Apparently Bacardi is in a very similar situation.  Let’s face it: the guys at Bacardi know really what they are doing. Nothing is kept to a coincidence... everything is planned excessively (same applies to BMW). But these leaves a lot of enthusiasts cold - they are avoiding Bacardi as much as they can.  ...

 I have been to the UK - just a layover (and family meet up) from Dubai to my new work destination the Cayman Islands. And I had to visit at least one reputable bar in London - Satan’s Whiskers has been the most convenient... You can read sufficiently much online about the bar. It is low brow, versus high quality. But it is especially a bar which proofs, that you don’t need necessarily gimmicks and crazy presentations, to be rated one of the 100 best bars world wide. Could some Directors of F&B and other decision makers take notice? A bar doesn’t need to be a circus. It doesn’t need to serve cocktails, which dominate instagram for the next months. So: we came there and have been guided to a mini table for 2 - but we settled with the “host” on a table for 4 - and agreed, that we would relocate, if it would become busy. The room is unique (taxidermy) without being too creepy. It is actually quite an accomplished balance between authenticity, humor and comfort. Emilio (our “host”)...

  Warning: this is just an early thought process of a technique I like to develop. Obviously you can use it (please at least give me credit) - but this is not yet a proven concept. You have been warned.  I think it was in the “DIAGEO World Class” competition in Dubai several years ago (well - it feels like a life before - it was for sure before the pandemic...). We attendees were warned, that Simon Difford, who ought to be a judge, expects of all participants to double strain their cocktails - and that he would definitely deduct points, if a bartender would not double strain! I find these stance bewildering. Especially of a person who further dilutes cocktails (Simon Difford’s  original recipes often includes water) - which not only never really caught on, but really is a very strange thing. Don’t get me wrong, when I am in a jury and a bartender would do something unusual, I would also raise my eyebrows, unless the bartender is doing it deliberately and is explainin...

 I have just watched how Martini produces their vermouths. It is extremely interesting. I always thought, that the company is using extracts of herbs which they just purchase externally. However I could learn, that they are making their own botanical spirit and adding this to the wine. It is for sure different than vermouth producers which are aging the neutral alcohol (or the wine) with the botanicals - but the method is different - not necessarily worse.  However this video sparked a question to me: what makes a good Martini cocktail.  First thing (sorry Martini & Rossi) - is a good vermouth. While Martini Rosso is not bad at all - and their Riserva Products are even quite good, I wouldn’t really suggest to use the normal Extra Dry. The Ambrato? Maybe - or Noilly Prat. Or Dolin Extra Dry... But here is the thing: how much vermouth are you using? Now we are arguing since decades about the ratio. Bat you know, what we haven’t really put into consideration: the gin!...

So - I have just completed my first test batch of my “New West Africa Gin”.  The botanicals are quite unique - instead of other gins, which are “balanced” or have a rather citrussy and floral note, this is packed with spices...  As I used a ton of botanicals (but did cut of a small amount of heads and a generous amount of tails) the spirit came clear into the my distilling container - however then when I watered it down (to ca. 47% ABV) it just punished me with a solid louche. I researched in the internet, and most website suggested, that you have to cut of more heads and more tails or chill filter it. All of these things will result into a clearer spirit, but also with far less botanicals. I tasted the first 10ml of foreshots, and they were not “funky” at all - very solid - actually very good (despite of a really high alcohol content).  I made a “high essential oil” gin before (basically it was a dating gin - this is a story for another time...) and the gin was also clou...

 So I have read an interview about inclusive employments in hospitality - and this had especially people with disability as topic.  While I 100% support inclusive employment I am also aware of the current status quo in hospitality. Point is, that hospitality jobs are still very tough. Probably tougher than ever. Point is, that the profit motive is as strong as ever - and from my perspective I haven’t worked in any place, where there have been a reasonable cushion of employees (meaning, sufficient employees, so you won’t have an issue when people fall sick or resigning (and you cannot find anyone immediately to replace).  Fact is, that inclusive employment works only, if you have a surplus of man-hours. And yes - it not only would enable being inclusive but also offering better training, happier employees, happier guests (which are served by happier employees) and so on. But as long as the profit margin is the only thing which counts, we are far away of being inclusive and...

Sharing knowledge - that’s why we are here… Have you ever wondered how to make a perfect forest berry soda? How much syrup do you need to add to get the right balance of sweetness and flavor? Well, I have created a handy google-sheets calculation that will show you exactly how to do it. Making soft drinks is all about ratio. You can’t just sweeten them by taste, because it won’t come out right. You need to follow a standard formula that ensures consistency and quality. The general rule is to aim for a 10:1 ratio of water to sugar, which means 10% of the liquid (by weight) should be sugar. However, this can vary depending on the type of flavor you are using. For example, you might want to use less sugar for sweet aromas like berries with vanilla (about 9%), or more sugar for spicy (e.g. ginger!), smoky or bitter aromas. Think of tonic water, which is one of the most sugary drinks out there - we are talking about up to 13% sugar content. But how do you measure the sugar content of your s...

As we have seen several times on this blog, alcohol free spirits are often a hit and miss. While e.g. Darcy O’Neal made a compelling argument, that there are no good alcohol-free gins (because of science!), there are several products I felt are reasonable good.  Having said this, for a long time I have made some house-crafted syrups. The infusions are quite good - and I would love to make them without sugar, however sugar is the best (and most “natural”) preservative - and a lot of products just won’t give you a good result. One of the homemade versions of a liquor was my N/A Campari clone. Honestly, it had a lot of flavor, but was pain to make. There have been so many botanicals your head would spin... Lyre’s came then on the market, and their Italian Spritz is really good. I mean it. And their Amaretti is also as good as alcohol-free beverages become. I don’t think, that anyone can make something better at home. But I always wanted to get the Lyre’s White Cane especially for virg...

Some might know about my specific but deep aversion against egg white cocktails.  Maybe it originates to the fact that I am (apparently) a super taster (nothing to be proud of- it is not a superpower... you are just a super taster or you are not).  But when somebody serves me a cocktail made with egg whites, I can drink it in minute 1 - latest after minute 3 - it is literally disgusting for me: think about wet dog, molded carpet, or someone who didn’t dried properly his laundry - and everything together. Long story short: I cannot drink it anymore.  Now there has been some replacements: I came across aquafaba years ago - I guess I was one of the first bar-people who discovered it for cocktails (it has been already an established thing for vegans). Very soon I discovered that the advice to use the aquafaba in chickpea cans are a dead end. Sure- if. you are using “canned lemon juice” and/or sweet-sour mix, you might find it also ok. But for a high quality bar - drinks taste...

First of all I read several articles about Drink Masters. And I have been baffled - would my colleagues be so much worse than chefs or other people in the business? To spoil it here and now: absolutely not. Sure, there is some serious egocentrism going on- but this is TV after all. Usually the same applies for chefs. It seems though, that the same stereotype is still persisting - which doesn’t happen in other areas of the culinary arts (or any other industry): making mixed drinks cannot be serious - and you cannot be a professional in this craft. I absolutely don’t agree. And while I have been consistently cringing for one or the other decision or quote, I have been equally surprised and (I cannot “say” this loud) even impressed and inspired by some presentations or turns some bartender took. Obviously the show never went too deep. And let’s face it: the selection of spirits seem to be sponsored (the premise that the “bar has everything” was just not true - movie magic - and a lot of r...

So - if you haven’t already heard it - there are two big news, when it comes to “alcohol in Dubai”: Liquor licenses are now for free for residents - and they are pretty easy to obtain (just an Emirates ID - and that’s it).  The Dubai government have removed “their” 30% “consumer” alcohol tax. What does this mean for your “hospitality professional” who is dealing with alcohol? I came across two “schools of thoughts”: Slashing down the alcohol prices about 20’ish percent (there is also the municipality fees and service charge which is applied to the “landing price” of the alcohol - which has to be considered. Hence the “win goes totally towards the venue guest, who pays less for their “experience”.  Keeping the prices at the same level (or just incrementally reducing and adjusting them), which would lead to far better profitability. And yes - even though it sounds quite “unfair” from the customer perspective; but both thoughts have their advantage. The first ...

If we are watching Master Chef, we expect, that everything they do is technically correct - and well researched. I still struggle with Chefs, doing cocktails (and people who believe, that chefs are able to do this well). The bar is like pastry - part of culinary arts, but indeed very different. If you are not specialized, you will fail. And no - for me will not be “a little bit of fun” - at all! So let’s look at it point by point: First of all using fresh pineapple is great ! However the puree is far too thick and makes the Piña Colada to a smoothie. And the additional fibers (while probably healthier) will make the drink to a full meal! It would be better to juice it - or to puree it and then strain it. Second: really? Masterchefs don’t know how to use a blender? If you anyway add rum and coconut - why waiting - it would be so much easier. Third: the rum. It is Master Chef - they could really used something more sophisticated than Bacardi Carta Blanca! And what is about measuring??? T...

It seems that the titles of my posts become more and more elaborate. But you have got to understand the background: I have posted a post - and a video, where I made ginger ale. I have to say, this ginger ale rocks - I still stand to my recipe. However there is a point, that we believe that in the past, everything was produced more “rustic” and more “naturally” - and I also assumed it.  Apparently the opposite is fact. Especially when it comes to sodas - the “ soda jerks ” in the 19th century and the early 20th century were mainly pharmacists, who didn’t used natural ingredients, but rather used chemistry, part was still big companies are using for their highly processed soda syrups - partly which is no more allowed, because it was either way dangerous and poisonous, highly addictive or both (the conspiracy that Coca Cola contained cocaine is not totally wrong). My friend Darcy O’Neil who thankfully isn’t only a good bartender, but also a soda historian and chemical research analyst...

When I got my chamber vacuum sealer, I was surprised, that it is not as straight forward as the household "sucking" vacuum sealers.   I know, that a lot of home-cocktail enthusiasts really don't have access to this technology - however a lot of bartenders read my blog, which work in professional environments - and most hotels (and a lot of restaurants and bars with kitchen) just have chamber vacuum sealers. Hence this blog post is dedicated to those.  I cannot give perfect instructions - because a lot of chamber vacuum sealers are a bit different - and also any different product you like to vacuum seal is different. But understanding the settings, will help you to come to a far better result! Functional principle This information is pretty available in the internet - but I repeat it to be a slight more complete guide. A suction vacuum sealer is sucking out the air from the bar. Obviously this has the disadvantage that liquids are also sucked out. Depending on your vacuum...

  The good news:  Alcohol-free spirits have arrived. The bad news: The average quality is still very questionable - and supply is not yet globally consistent. Living in the Middle-East since 2005 made me pretty resourceful. It is not that alcohol is banned in the UAE - but it is limited. That means, you might not get your Ancho Reyes - or other stuff.  Things became much better - until the pandemic stroke. It isn't as bad as 2005 - but it is also not great with the alcohol supply here. As distillate connoisseur this might be an issue. Except that you could do an  ∞- whisky or (at least in a bar) could experiment with finished whiskies (have done all of it), you have got to keep your eyes open, when there are a bit more interesting spirits coming ashore for a rather short time (e.g. special imports etc.).  But for cocktails - you could do a lot. I would even say, that the limitations I have been exposed to  made  me a far  better bar...

 I have just watched "How to Drink" - the rum episode. What though came to my mind is: we are learning and categorizing wrong.  The problem is, that we are looking at the greatest common denominator. But this might confuse us or is even misleading us. For example rum: yes - mostly it is taught, that rum is made of sugar cane or  a sugar cane product. But really - most rums are made from molasses. The few exceptions are Rhum Agricole (which you could argue is a category itself and not passé a rum) and few brands which are made from sugar cane juice. Please note, that cachaça is not  considered a rum! The "Brazilian rum" moniker doesn't come from the Brazilians (because there are real  rums made in Brazil), but from the 20th century US bureaucracy, which needed to categorize cachaça and "didn't wanted" to give it its own category. The rums (except of rhum agricole) are made from countries which are not typically producing rum and don't have speci...

 Ok - just a quick post here. I tried Budweiser Zero. No - lets rephrase it: I drank it, because I got it as sample, but didn't expected anything. However: it is actually pretty okay. And here is the kicker: I never liked Budweiser - and really reject to drink it - but Budweiser Zero taste to me far better than its alcoholic siblings. Look - I don't want to lie- it is not a craft beer (nor an alcohol-free craft'y beer). But compared to the normal Budweiser, I didn't tasted any off-flavors. It is a very light beer, which taste like it. And to be honest, I even could not make out, that it was alcohol free. There are many alcohol free beers, which might taste better - bigger aromas and flavors - more bitterness and so on. But you mostly directly detect, that it is alcohol-free - you just taste it. But Budweiser Zero? It is tough to tell - it could be very much a light and low alcoholic beer... So... would I drink buy it for myself? Absolutely. I would probably put it into ...

Do you have also the feeling that last year passed light-speedy fast?  And to be honest,  there hasn't been a lot of room for trends to stick - except everything related to the pandemic (we are talking about take away, in different iterations, ghost kitchens and so on). I try not to go too much in this trends and stay with true beverage related trends (products and all) - if you are interested, let me know, if you like to see another article about trends, which are more venue related... So which trends can we predict for 2022? Alcohol-free spirits This is a big one. It seems to really penetrate the market. Even here in Dubai - even the major supermarkets start to carry those spirits. I do think though, that there is definitely a lot of area of improvement. Some products are good (e.g. gin) - some are simply not enjoyable (until now I could only try one "0º Whisky which was simply disgusting! Alcohol-free spirits are changing totally the paradigm for alcohol-free cocktails....

In the last year, there has been some change in my life. This isn't so unique - as the pandemic has been challenging for most of us. While the bar was closed and I have been on unpaid leave, I left "my" hotel and joined an independent restaurant (new opening) as GM.  Unfortunately this didn't worked out very well. Hence after half a year I left (close to be totally burnt out) and rejoined my "old hotel" - now not anymore as Bar Operations Manager, but as Beverage Manager. Besides of "hanging out" in the evening behind Noir (again - now even with more emphasis) - my duties are also updating the beverage lists of the other restaurants. The cocktail discussed is for the Levantine restaurant. Now the Levant is the area on and around Lebanon. This area is rich of culinary culture and traditions - but not so much of alcoholic drinks (and yes - Lebanon is a great wine producing country - and they also create arrack... and: especially Beirut is known for t...

  It is the season. There are more events (yeah - events with people, pandemic is kinda mitigated - yay…), hot drinks are requested. Before especially in events I have used “coffee urns” which kept warm with gel-stoves. It works quite well, they don’t need a lot of space, they are also keeping things warm. But: you cannot really control the heat (its real fire).  And beverages which are thicker (e.g. hot chocolate) start to burn. Also: if you are holding alcohol drinks warm, it will evaporate and overheat. What is the solution: Using a water-bath. A bain-marie is not exactly something new - only that the kitchen appliances usually take more “real-estate”, and the manual ones are not made for beverages (not deep enough - they are made only to hold food warm), and the electric ones are not only big - but they are also very expensive. Enter Sous Vide, or better said an immersion circulator. If you are only heating a couple of bottles of a beverage, a wine bucket is alread...