toast of the town
Fairmont Jakarta raises the bar For Jakarta ’s Fine drinking scene with the launch of its bespoke and barel-aged cocktail s at barong bar
Most people understand, to a certain extent, that properly aged spirits are the best ones. This is especially true for when the spirits in question has been aged the traditional way: in oak barrels. After all, it’s the wood that gives the spirit its deep and rich flavor, and, for whiskies, its color. But what if you took these fine spirits, put them back in a barrel and let it mature again? The end product, as you can probably imagine, is a rare drink that tastes unbelievably elegant, refined and clearly unique. A drink that is, quite literally, incomparable.
Well, this is just one of the few concepts that Fairmont Jakarta is bringing to Barong Bar. Commonly known as “barrel aging,” this method is employed by the bar to offer bespoke cocktails that have been conditioned and matured in various types of oak barrels. These barrels, by the by, can be seen carefully tucked behind the bar itself, including 30 5-liter French barrels and 2 American 10-liter barrels.
But what is being offered by Fairmont Jakarta goes even further than just barrel-aged cocktails. As award-winning mixologist Michael Callahan, who acts as the mentor for the entire program, describes it: “We are focusing on the maturation of spirits in cocktails, through the use and integration of wood of very different types.” In essence, Fairmont Jakarta is educating local bartenders on the comprehensive art of barrel integration and how to be a master distiller similar to those working for renowned scotch or cognac houses. Interestingly, this goes beyond what is happening inside the barrel and also covers what a bartender can do to create new and unique flavors.
This is exactly what the new Barong Bar revolves around: Offering clients a touch of bespoke service so that they can enjoy a drink that they never had before. A drink that is customized and beautiful that can only be achieved by “exploring the voice of each barrel,” as Callahan put it.
Besides more traditional offerings like double-barrel cognacs to barrel-aged gin martini, clients can also enjoy cocktails that have been aged inside a barrel. Case in point: The barrelaged Negroni cocktail, where the gin, Campari and vermouth have been allowed to mellow together in a single cask. True connoisseurs, meanwhile, can work together with Fairmont Jakarta by creating custom barrels. They can fill a barrel with a spirit of their choosing and have it stored at Barong Bar for as long as they want.
Also notable is that Barong Bar’s menu, which changes constantly, offers high quality barrel-aged cocktails at a good price. All in all, it is Fairmont’s commitment to bring new dimensions to the way we enjoy cocktails that definitely goes unmissed, by granting the city a world-class bar that Jakarta can be proud of.