opinionated alchemist

One of the big question on the stoney way of mastering your trade [I have learned to call it shokunin - which is all about craftsmanship and artisan - but in fact much more]: Can there be any perfection? I am inclined to say: No.  But there were few occasions in my working life, when I felt a convergence to perfection. You can call it "in the zone". Things worked out in perfect balance; my mind just commanded the matter, which followed. It was like being one with the strings of the universe - this moments where usually very short - seconds, sometimes few minutes - yet, they were so memorable and are actually the reason, for the motivation of doing my job - yes and my confidence, that I am doing a good job. But there is more, which can be in proximity to perfection - yes I dare to say they are perfect: Fresh ripe wood strawberries, for example, harvested on their peak of ripeness, while they are comically small, they are able to fill up a room with their ...

Folks, there are more drinks to come than those of the previous posts: Rush Drinks I Rush Drinks II Rush Drinks III So here we are: Greyhound Highball This is another highball [I definitely have to write a post about promoting highballs] - instead of grapefruit juice of an ordinary greyhound, we will use our house made grapefruit soda. And we will rim the drink with a little cinnamon sea salt - of course it will be based on gin [what a question...]. Popcorn Sour This will be a drink, which is rather more complex and ambitious. It is actually a whiskey [speak bourbon] sour; the whiskey is infused popcorn and vanilla and finally fat washed with butter. As a craft sour, it also utilizes fresh lemon, rich syrup and glair [yeah - this is how we call egg white]. The bourbon [I plan to use Elijah Craig, which is in my eyes one of the greatest classic bourbons and definitely the best value straight whiskey on the market] becomes super smooth, due to the infusion - but the...

You surely have read my blog post, how to prepare mint  [otherwise you should do]. This was only one example, how to treat an ingredient beforehand, to ensure, to get really the best quality. Fresh and impeccable ingredients are definitely one of the key components of craft bartending - and yet there is a lack of knowledge, which prevents us to excel - and compromise quality and consistency. Fresh produce is one thing - and most bartender understand, if the ingredient is fresh, ripe and alright, and if not. But what is about fruit liqueurs? I am talking about liqueurs based on macerated fruit. Liqueurs like Peter Heering cherry liqueur, Chambord raspberry liqueur, the fruit crèmes [crème de cassis, framboise, mûre, fraises des bois, and so on]. I am not a big fan of having too many liqueurs [or syrups] in the bar; but a good crème de cassis or crème de mûre is definitely necessary. Now until they are opened, a liqueur is quite shelf stable. It...

This post is crucial: bartender are hurt regularly. In a busy operation, front of house with loads of distractions, with sharp objects and breakables it is not a job, in which you risk your life regularly, but definitely you carry home small to medium blemishes from time to time. I am not a doctor or a nurse [well my mother was...] - however during my time in "combat" in diverse bar environments, I have learned, how to doctoring myself most efficiently. And this I would like to share with you today. But it is not only the accidents but also indispositions, which prevent you to do your work. Check out the most common problems and my advise to you: Cuts: Cuts are the most common injury behind the bar. Sharp knives [blunt knives are even worse], broken glassware, sharp blades of blenders, even the plastic caps and seals of liquor bottles - virtually everything is waiting for your blood. Over the years I've got more carefully, so it doesn't really happen eve...

Four more drinks, which I like to introduce to Rush: Bellini Sgroppino This drink is a fusion between a classic Bellini and a quite contemporary Sgroppino, which is a sparkling wine drink, featuring lemon sorbet. Here we substitute the lemon sorbet, with white peach sorbet, to create the bridge between sgroppino and bellini. Basil Smash There are only few drinks, which we keep as they are - the Basil Smash is one of them. Already recognised as modern classic- it was the brain child of Joerg Meyer, the owner of the fantastic bar Le Lion in Hamburg / Germany. It revives [as well as violates] the archaic category smashes with the changes of adding citrus juice and substitute mint with fresh basis. Not yet sure, if we will use Asian fragrant basil or the classic Italian rather sweet variety... Ultimate  Mojito Now this drink was tricky. I wanted to depart the usual path, to vary the classic Mojito with any muddled fruit, fruit puree, syrup or liqueur. And I also wanted to...

Continuing the series with the new concepted drinks and cocktails for Rush bar - here are the next contender: Lemon Thyme Mule Basically a Moscow Mule with lemon thyme infused vodka; no big surprises here - it features here just a bit more flavour and complexity than the original with neutral vodka. Roselle Paloma One of my all time favourite drinks is the Paloma - basically tequila with grapefruit soda. Here we are using dried hibiscus husks, to flavour the tequila [and it will have a beautiful ruby hue as well]. The grapefruit soda is house made and is only made with grapefruit zest [no juice], sugar and citric acid. Why citric acid?  Well, read my post about sodas ! And off course we will also add a bit fresh lime. Simple, delicious and complex! Rush Spritz The Spritz al Bitter [or often just shortly called spritz] is an aperitif, which became more and more popular among "hipsters". No surprise, that in the UAE it was largely unrecognised! We want to change thi...

This might be one of my most straight forward posts, I have ever written. I was just annoyed, that everyone was [and still is] so fascinated about vodka - a spirit, which is just popular due to the immense marketing budgets, the spirit companies are investing. If you think about it, it is really bad - they could the money otherwise and more responsible - vodka is the spirit, which only worsen alcoholism and the other negative effects of alcohol - yes it is undistinction-able, which makes it so dangerous [and popular under teenager and heavy drinkers]. Anyway - enjoy the post of the past: The definition of vodka is taking out of the dictionary - it is not even correct... I really do not want to get disliked... or lets say, it is not my main aim. But this topic lays close to my heart. Long time I’ve struggled with vodka - especially its popularity! Now, I don’t mean that we should erase vodka from the surface of the world! It is not a claim like stop polluting the env...