THE BARTENDER EFFECT
like citric acid, orange acid, and apple acid, in addition to vinegar, which allows him to get a sour taste in his cocktail, (but from a different source than that of lemon and lime). Giroud, on the other hand, is experimenting with essential oils and has found that both guests and cocktail aficionados are growing fond of this new addition. Facing the rise of trendy drinks, some bars still hold on to their classics. Habre said that they are extremely protective of what are known as the classic cocktails. “Our mixologists try their best to reinvent some and disguise some in a better glass, with a lovely garnish; something that never fails from powerfully bringing them back on the scene.”
Hot spirits
There is a big comeback of sweet and fortified wines, especially high quality vermouth, commented Fidora. “Latin American spirits like Pisco, Mezcal and Pulque are also living a very favorable period. Bitter liqueurs as Aperol, Campari, Suze and Amari in general complete the concoction.” High-quality spirits and ingredients are taking bars by storm. “People may drink less, but they want to drink better,” Fidora said. Some bartenders prefer ‘spicing up’ their mixes. “I like to include in my cocktails, the smoky flavors coming from single malt whiskeys or Mezcal, which gives a nice complexity to the drinks, in addition to wood flavors coming from roots and barks,” Ballout said. However, bitters are not to be forgotten. “Those little bottles with vivid colors and funny aromas contain a whole new experience depending on whether we mix them with a good Old Bourbon or a fancy Handcrafted Mescal,” commented Danza.
Home concoctions
An increasing number of bartenders are adopting special homemade concoctions, to add a somewhat unique and magical potion to their cocktail mix. According to Danza, home concoctions are trendier than ever. “Believe it or not, the feeling that everything has already been invented, has stimulated a whole legion of bartenders that just couldn't put up with that idea. So, these young, and not so young people, force themselves to find new ways to reinvent, or push their boundaries even further; just to satisfy their craving for a new flavor, a new sensation.” Danza explained that "homemade syrups, where honey seems to be a constant, and chili and vanilla seem to be the new Batman & Robin, are nowadays present in every average bar in the world." Jams, or marmalades are also very useful regarding texture, color and aroma. Ballout said he always makes home concoctions because not everything he requires for his mix is available on the market. But according to Habre, home bars tend to be a bit less well-stocked than commercial ones. “However, if you try and stock a few main ingredients you should definitely find that you can make a pretty good selection of good, classic cocktails, and this is the reason why homemade concoctions are getting trendier,” Habre said. According to Fidora, bartenders, their drinks and the ingredients they use are definitely getting more attention than in the past. This is due, both to the fact that people are increasingly interested in knowing more about what they are drinking and it is also linked to social media playing a major role in diffusing information. According to Danza, bartenders are relying on social media networks to advertise themselves, which has developed an audience of cocktail amateurs willing to travel to a city to discover the bars they work at. “Bartenders are a sort of accessible rock stars, with their own stage and a concert going on all night long,” he said. Ballout believes that the fame of the bartender will increase the fame of the cocktail, and vice versa. “If we look at all the famous cocktails and especially the modern classics that have been created recently like the Gin Basil Smash, the Penicillin, the Green Park Martini to name a few, all these cocktails were successful worldwide and became classics recently. The bartenders who created these cocktails were already famous and big names in our industry, which has helped to spread the cocktail worldwide.”