O C K T A I L A N D LI V E PI A

Hotel Reisen, what’s that? A run-down, baroque tourist trap, right? Wrong!

If you were born after 1985, chances are that you completely missed a great epoque at Skeppsbron 12 in Gamla Stan. The piano bar at Hotel Reisen, a hotel with roots going back to the 1800s, was the hottest ticket in town in around 2003. But eventually, the 24-hour party people of Stockholm danced off to other places, and the bar was forgotten. Until now.

It has now been rechristened as Bar Brahe. Here, piano and well-crafted cocktails recreate the old atmosphere at Reisen. The completely refurbished building, with its door on Bredgränd is filled with a large bar counter and lots of seated corners. In the middle of the room, we find the centrepiece - a black, gleaming grand piano. The interior is dressed in dark colours and soft wood and the lighting is dim and cosy. “The feeling is the roaring 20s, think the Great Gatsby,” says bar manager Victor Laursen, who has concocted a drinks menu on the same theme.

The concept is based on craft cocktails. The atmosphere and the drinks are meant to transport you to Prohibitionera speakeasys, where drinkers amassed to sip cocktails unlawfully.

What’s the high point at that drinks menu?

”First on the list we have Foreplay with dark rum and smooth apricot foam. It’s a true crowd pleaser,” Victor says.

Who do you picture as the bar’s regulars?

“We want Stockholmers to find their way back to Reisen. The hotel has for the last few years mainly been a spot for older tourist couples. With the new bar we hope to attract a younger, and local, crowd,” says James McKellar, operations manager at Reisen.

“Gamla Stan is perfectly positioned, between Södermalm and Norrmalm, close to people from all parts of town,” says Laursen.

Many remember the times when the lamps swung to the rhythm of the piano. In the hotel’s other bar people often ask about the old piano bar. “We often hear that it was the best place in Stockholm and that all the cool people hung out here. People have been longing for this piano bar,” says Laursen.

It’s not just the piano bar that has gotten a facelift at Hotel Reisen. In 2021, the hotel became part of the Hyatt chain. Thanks to that, all 144 rooms were refurbished. The hotel went from having three stars to five. “The new standard at the hotel attracts a different kind of guest. They expect everything to be of a high standard, and will feel at home in our piano bar,” James says.

Will there be dancing on the tables?

”It will be a lovely happy atmosphere. You will be able to come here after having had dinner elsewhere, as an alternative to going to a night club,” James says.

The plan is for the piano to sing from Wednesdays through Saturdays. The opening times are not set in stone as of yet. And the name Bar Brahe? The explanation becomes obvious if you happen to get hold of a golden ticket, which grants you access to the bar’s ‘hidden’ room. Where you’ll walk straight into the stern of steam ship S/S Per Brahe, built in 1908. That exclusive hideaway will be open whenever the atmosphere allows.

Bar Brahe, Bredgränd. A stone’s throw from the hotel entrance at Skeppsbron 12. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Last autumn, Mallory O’Meara released her book Girly Drinks - A World History of Women and Alcohol. A book chronicling the history of women making, serving and drinking alcohol all over the world. Despite the emphasis, especially now post-Me Too, put on gender equality and getting women into important positions and more lines of business, which the author O’Meara of course is all for, she points out that “it’s so important to me for women to know that they’re not always blazing a trail— they’ve always belonged here. That was the whole idea with Girly Drinks—women’s time in alcohol started 25,000 years ago. I want women to know that while there are barriers to break, they have a history and a legacy here.”

When O’Meara dived headlong into the history of cocktails and spirits, she exclusively found stories by men about men. But even if women pre-exhibition era rarely visited public places that served alcohol, a lot of drinking history was created in kitchens and other places were women played a big part. For many types of alcoholic drinks like beer, wine and sake women had an integral role, at least up until it became commercially viable. So on that theme, we want to highlight one of the women nominated in the Best Bartender category of the Bartenders Choice Awards - one of the bar trade’s most important events each year, stemming from the fact that it’s voted for by the people involved in the drinks and bar business themselves. This time out, women have the majority of nominations, and Hanna Oscarsson is one of them.

How’s bar life since restrictions were lifted?

I think we were all a bit nervous before the onslaught after the proper reopening, but in a thrilling kind of way. It’ll probably persist for a while until we get used to being out late again. We’ll fall back into routine I suppose, but for now it’s still new and exciting.

Has the pandemic been incredibly tough on you as a bartender? And what did you miss the most?

Of course, it was tough. Few would say otherwise. I have missed the social aspect of full bars. The ping-pong between bars and restaurants where we send guests back and forth. A working environment full of people, a pulse and entertainment. At the same time, the pandemic was a learning process for me. I have re-evaluated some things, both privately as well as work-wise.

How important is it to be nominated as one of the best bartenders in the country?

It’s both fun and important. To me it’s a receipt of the fact that I work in the correct way. And to be nominated for the second year running means so much. I put so much time and effort into what I do and I don’t always have the self-confidence to give myself any endorsement.

For the first time ever the Bartender’s Choice Awards have nominated more women than men in the Best Bartender category. Does that still mean a lot in a country like Sweden, probably one of the most gender-equal countries in the world?

Of course it does! It shows that we have some real strong women in this trade, just like we do men.

You have been doing this for quite a while, does it require a certain type of personality to do this? To always want to stay on top of things, always work nights, and to always keep this profession fun and challenging?

I have always had the mindset that I need to continue developing. That as long as it feels challenging and it puts me in situations where I make progress, I can make the best out of my professional role. With that comes a lot of other things too. It makes me inspired, stimulated, it keeps me humble and it in turn makes my profession remain a lot of fun.

What did you serve most of in 2021 and what trend do you see growing this year?

Hand sanitizer! No, cocktails were actually surprisingly popular in general through the pandemic. A trend that is still growing is the focus on sustainability. Local culture and raw produce. Which feels natural and is an area that needs to be given focus and development.

If I walk up to your bar and ask you to give me whatever you like best yourself, what’s the treat?

If we talk classics, I would serve you a Manhattan or a Negroni. But if you came to Röda Huset I need to get you a Kolagräs [cola grass], nominated as the best signature cocktail at BCA, it’s something you just have to try.