opinionated alchemist

 I have read an article on punchdrink.com about the Mojito. Apparently a lot of people dislike the mojito. Punch thinks, that it comes from the bartender, which hate work intensive drinks, when the bars are busy. But we have to really ask ourselves: does it make sense? I have always had a very crafty relationship to the bar. I understand and appreciate pubs, dive bars etc. But I like the most just bars, which are taking cocktails serious. In this matter, I do think, that a bar should not have much of a different approach than a fine dining restaurant. Call me pretentious (or opinionated), but I do think, that this is the future of the bar. Point is, that a lot of people like to drink alcohol - but it is not a basic need (the same as "fancy food"). The bar is maybe more destined to be sophisticated as most restaurant styles then. But it seems, that (especially in the US) people like to compromise too quickly on the experience. Not only bartenders, but also operators and even g...

There are great drinks, there are also good drinks and then there are drinks, which are ok - and yes - there are drinks which are pretty awful. I am usually don't care for awful drinks. These are drinks, which have a screwed up concept - which have in the core an unredeemable quality (or better - lack of quality).  Ok drinks - are pretty good to fix. You first of all try to exchange all parts with quality ingredients. A bit more TLC around technique and presentation, and you end up at least with a good drink - maybe it could be even a great drink. Good drinks - are difficult to "improve upon". But often these drinks "on the street" are made with mediocre products, which can be replaced by better products.  The most difficult part is to try to improve a great drink. What can be better than great? Greater? But sometimes you got an epiphany.  The Gin Basil Smash is a pretty awesome cocktail. Jörg Meyer from Le Lion in Hamburg did an incredible job, in creating a mo...

Yes, this is not the first time I post the best mojito. My first article took all details apart and made some suggestions. However now, I really feel, that I am on the right way to the truly best mojito: We can all agree upon, that better quality and better matching ingredients makes a better mojito. The first secret is: I found the perfect Mojito rum. No joke. PERFECT. It is Diplomatico Planas. A Venezuelan rum, which is in the style of Cuban (and Dominican) rums - though better. It is longer aged, has a fuller bodied aroma, without being too dominating or funky (like a Jamaican rum. But the most important part is, that Planas is stronger than its competitors. Healthy 47%. There is no rum, which is coming close to it. Not Bacardi (the replicas are not bad... still no comparison). No Havana Club. The second choice would be a blend from a high-roof rum (white) and a reasonable good light rum (Matusalem Platino), and maybe a small fraction of aged rum. But even this is not close. Second...

A lot of classic craft bars don't have a high power blender (or sometimes, they don't have any blender). And it makes perfectly sense. An electrical blender takes a lot of bar real estate (if it is "silenced" even more). It costs a lot. And if you have got one, people are insisting into frozen drinks all the time. And it is really noisy! But they are also useful. Fresh (but pressed before the shift) juices can be "whipped up" and guests appreciating the "freshness" (small trick out of my toolbox). Or you have got some foams, purees and so on to do - which need to be thoroughly blended. So for years I have been consistently struggling between the justifications for and against a blender - until a friend whined for a Piña Colada at home and I agreed one and used my inversion blender in my kitchen. This has been a Eureka moment - because it has been working really good. Not even longer than a week after, I have been buying an inversion blen...

I am often really annoyed when I see people, making cocktails (blogging about cocktails, etc.). Look, I love cocktail culture - I believe, that it is worth to be preserved. And I believe, that there has to be respect - because otherwise there won’t be anything to be preserved. The Mojito is one drink, which gets molested all the time. And people don’t get it: there are drinks, which were consumed in a civilized environment (bars) - by more or less civilized people (at least they are civilized in the setting). And there are peasant drinks. A peasant drink can be great - I don’t judge, which drink is better - but latter is far more adaptable to changes. Comparing the Mojito versus the Caipirinha is pretty obvious: the Mojito is a bar drink. Very soon after its creation, it has been consumed in Cuba’s most recognized bars - probably by the most famous people at its time. Against that, the Caipirinha has been a drink of farmers and workers in Brazil. The difference is a pretty big...

People who order Martinis which aren’t bone dry probably eat also children. People who order and drink Martinis which aren’t extra dry, probably have no taste buds. People... dammit - just don’t drink your Martini cocktail wet!!! Since a couple of years you hear and read, that XYZ bartender is doing a Martini which has more vermouth in. Sometimes ⅓ vermouth - and now there are even so-named bartenders, which suggest a 50:50 Martini cocktail. Their arguments sound totally reasonable: the cocktail becomes more sessionable (you can drink more than one or two, without ending up in the alley). And the taste (if the drink is made with proper vermouth) improves... All of it though is rubbish! Look - this “goals” make not a lot of sense. making the martini cocktail more sessionable or “tasty” is like: making a LaFerrari hypercar more tame and practical... or making a fighter jet more luxurious... or making a Carolina Reaper easier to eat. If you don’t get the context it might sound...