Skip to main content

The Bar Mystery Box



Are you a like to learn?
I am actually a big learner. Even though my knowledge about beverages and bars and everything, which has remotely anything to do with it surpasses quite anybody except of google, wikipedia or wolframalpha, I still find myself researching daily something new.

Rest assured, that there is not so much which can surprise me with a big chunk of steaming new information, I also like to spread my search farer from my original turf. And often I can find new ideas and inspiration in a completely unrelated subject area.

One big inspirational pond are the video of TED. One big step in my professional emancipation [of common perceptions] was the video of Malcolm Gladwell, who made clear, that customers don't necessary know, what they want (...).

Today I found another one. It is by the famous movie director, writer and producer J.J. Abrams.
And it is about mystery.

One might ask, what it does have to do with "the" bar?!
Well - if it comes to bars, people are affected by the magical craft of cocktail making. 
Even pubs, which are on the greasier side, do have something mysterious about them. Then there are the dozens of spirits, which are usually used very seldom, but also adds mystery.

Unfortunately modern "designer bars" kind of destroying this mystery most of the time, and replacing the magic with... well design. And this is exactly, why often these bars are surprisingly unsuccessful.

Even today, people like to fathom mystique. Maybe this demand is even more subconscious than a clear decision. But the impact is real. This is the reason, why whisky or tequila bars are so successful - even today, these spirits spark the imagination of consumers and the wide variety is not easily conceivable.



Off course, there are several factors, which can damage the magic in the bar:
  • bright light
  • cold light
  • direct light
  • puristic design
  • cold colours [of interior]
  • unsuitable / loud music
  • large empty spaces
  • unsuitable cocktails
  • large brands
  • TV sets [even more if showing sports / MTV]
  • uniform furniture
  • any type of stone interior [marble floors, granite countertops etc]
  • stainless steel
  • cold/fresh smells [citrus, dettol, pine etc]
And these are the things, which will definitely help to promote some magic:
  • Use of brass & copper
  • warm light
  • natural lighting [gas, fire places, candles]
  • indirect light
  • wood
  • suitable music, like jazz
  • room dividers and space "break ups"
  • "magical" beverages: craft beverages, whisk(e)y, tequila, mezcal, rum, gin
  • authentic and suitable mixed drinks
  • individual furniture
  • "age'able" furniture
  • carpet or wood dampened flooring
  • warm smells [cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa, wood etc].



What is bar magic for you - and how do you think, to revive or retain this mystery in our bars?




Labels:
Location: Dubai - United Arab Emirates

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to use citric acid - and why you might not want to use it anyway!

To be honest, I shied away of this topic, because I think, people can misinterpret this - big time. I don't want to be part of the problem - I want to be part of the solution!  But when Chris, over at A Bar Above  discussed this subject- I literally could not resist to join into "the discussion". Here is the video: I - however take a bit slower approach than Chris. What is citric acid? Chemical Compound Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the formula C6H8O7. It is a natural preservative/conservative and is also used to add an acidic or sour taste to foods and drinks. Wikipedia Formula: C6H8O7 Molar Mass: 192.124 g/mol Melting Point: 153C Density: 1.66 g/cm3 Boiling point: 175C Soluble in: Water Why is it controversial? In my "mixology world" it is controversial, as citric acid is the stuff, which makes the nightmarish sour mix [ preferably in powder form ] sour. Yeah - citric acid is the main ingredient in one of the most ...
5 comments
Read more

Agar-Agar Clarification

Not often, I am posting here things, which are clearly not my ideas... However Dave Arnold is clearly a mad scientist [no, he really is!] - and he posted amazing stuff on his website www.cookingissues.com - no - don't click now - just follow the link later. One of the most impressive posts about mixology, besides of demystifying the mechanics of shaking, were clarification techniques. Look, after him, you could use a centrifuge [which would set you back a couple thousand bucks] and a chemical compound, which solidifies sediments. I am not a fan of that. Then there is gelatine clarification; this works quite well [I tried it several times my self] - you gelatinize a liquid [with little gelatine only], freeze it, thaw it [in the fridge] over a colander and a muslin cloth. Thats it. Unfortunately this has several problems: Gelatine is made out of animal bones - hence it is neither vegetarian nor vegan, which you won't usually expect of a beverage. You have to freez...
5 comments
Read more

King Robert II Vodka

Who would knew, that I am reviewing a budget vodka here - on the opinionatedalchemist.com. But this isn't a normal review. I skip the marketing perception and use this product to cut directly to the case: Vodka is a "rather" neutral, colorless, "rather" flavorless and odorless distilled beverage from any agricultural source - and depending on the country, it has a minimum of 37.5% and 40% abv. As I said time and time again before: at times it is absolutely nonsense to talk about premium and luxury, when the original product doesn't really "hold this promise". Luxury water can have luxurious marketing, luxurious packaging, can be even rare and slightly more expensive "to produce". However really it is just water. Maybe it has some nuances to normal water - however those nuances (in a blind-test) are pretty small. Vodka is extremely similar - and the chain of evidence (despite a lot of people trying to proof otherwise) makes it re...
2 comments
Read more