Whether it’s a glass of wine under the neon lights of the Oriental Metropolis in the 1920s and 1930s, or a drink in various nightclubs today, cocktails, as a classic drink with both taste and mood, are always blended. , The dreamy luster in the wine glass is so reverie…
On a hot summer night, it’s best to have an iced cocktail in an open-air bar. The world of cocktails is very subtle. Different wines and drinks are matched to transform into wonderful colors, bringing us infinite surprises for vision and taste buds. Cocktails suitable for summer must be “exquisite and intelligent”, both high-value appearance and cool taste are essential.
Anyone who likes cocktails must be full of romanticism in their bones. There is a group of people who are artists in the wine world and magicians in life. Once the spicy alcohol in their hands is blended, it will turn into a warm and moist wine. For a bar with cultural heritage, the bartender must be an indispensable “soul figure”. There is a saying, “If you want to see a city clearly, be sure to arrive at night.” The bartender is the group of people who use their hands to make the night intoxicated. In the eyes of laymen, the bartender industry is a bit mysterious. They are like magicians who can make a dazzling array of wines dazzling and delicious in their hands. However, behind this is the unspeakable hard work and hardships, and only then can I practice the “supernatural power” of Jiufei.
You have a story, I have wine. Let us follow the bartender Chris into the world of summer cocktails.
I met Chris at two o’clock in the afternoon on a summer day. The meeting place was in the 3&Co. Speakeasy bar on the 2nd floor of Three on the Bund. This is where Chris works every day. It’s hard to find a first-time drinker, because its location is too secret, like a hideaway in the city. This is Speakeasy (hidden bar), which treats every drink as an adventure. Pushing the door and entering, there is a cave in the square inch of the space, and a dazzling array of bartending utensils and glass wine glasses come into view unsuspectingly. On one side of the space is the working domain of the bartender-the bar counter, and on the other side is the private corner of the guests tasting and chatting.
At two o’clock, although the bar is not yet open, the bartenders are already busy with various tedious and detailed preparations, freshly squeezed lemon juice, chiseled ice cubes and whiskey pucks, preparing spices and fruits… everything is ready, just wait five The door opens at half past o’clock.
Bartender Chris
In many cases, the love of one thing, a good teacher or a good friend will also have a subtle influence on oneself. Nine years ago, Chris entered the bartending field. After working as a bartender at the Garden Hotel for a year, he went to a Michelin restaurant in Shanghai, where he met his master, Guglielmo Miriello, a famous Italian bartender, and started advanced blending. The road to wine learning. In addition to some common bartending skills and professional knowledge, Guglielmo Miriello has also taught him many superb bartending skills from abroad. Chris has benefited a lot from this, and his bartending skills have also made a qualitative leap.
“This profession is not as glamorous as outsiders think,” Chris told us. Too many people have a deep misunderstanding about the profession of “bartender”. “Perhaps you may look like bartenders are very cool, but they are all empowered by their solid professional skills. An excellent bartender not only needs to have professional bartending skills, but also consider including Physical strength, memory, social skills, communication management skills and other skills, remember the names and recipes of various cocktails, and practice shake (shaking in a shaker) and stir (stir) skills day after day.” Of course. The ability to innovate is also very important. On a solid basis, we must also pay attention to the combination of taste and the balance of sweetness and sourness. In Chris’s opinion, bartending has nothing to do with talent, but rather depends on attitude and understanding. The importance and irreplaceability of bartenders are not only reflected in their bartending skills, but also in their personal charm, communication and service with guests. They need to face the guests directly, adapt to changes, understand the tastes of the guests, and make the most suitable glass of wine for him or her. “When a guest says’thank you’ to you, or is willing to take care of your wine again, then You are a successful bartender.”
The bartender is actually like an artist, constantly making creations, taste, color, etc., depending on how you show them. In addition to professional knowledge and skills, it is also very important, that is, how to sell this “artwork” of oneself, and only when the customer pays the bill is considered a success.
In the inherent memory of many people, the popularity of some traditional cocktails is mostly due to a certain period of history, a certain star or a hot event. For example, Margarita, Mexico. Behind this cocktail is a sad love story about a girl named “Margarita”. And nowadays, the popular Mojito (Mojito) is the author Hemingway’s favorite, and its fresh taste is full of strong literary atmosphere. So we asked jokingly: “Do the cocktails you design also have a lot of moving stories?” Chris chuckled out: “Actually not, all cocktails have stories. These love stories or meanings are given to them by people. However, there is really a “hidden wine list” customized by the guests!”
This so-called “hidden wine list”, as the name suggests, is a cocktail that does not appear on the wine list. “For example, a glass of wine specially made for a certain guest”, Chris explained: “I met a guest named’David’. Every time I came, I wanted to drink gin soaked in a special way. Gin& Tonic, and then I named this wine’David Gin& Tonic’. This is part of the hidden wine list, a cocktail named after a certain guest.”
The most popular tropical fruit cocktail
Over the years, the era of cocktails has been constantly changing. In the past, people liked classic cocktails, such as Old Fashion, Negroni, Manhattan, etc., but now, with the younger crowd of cocktail lovers, some floral and fruity cocktails have become popular, so in this summer, Chris serves us The five recommended and specially-tuned cocktails are addictive, and the whole heart instantly flies to the California beach where the coconut shadow is swaying.
Five Summer Cocktails
- Tokyo Sour Japanese Whiskey-Passion Fruit, Lemon, Sugar, Red Wine
This one is modified from the traditional cocktail New York Sour. New York Sour is made by adding lime juice, yellow lemon juice and passion fruit with American bourbon whiskey, and then bleaching a layer of red wine on it. We use Japan. Whiskey is used instead of Bourbon whiskey. The red wine is soaked with a little spice to improve these two elements. It has a sweet and sour fruit taste. The alcohol content is medium, and there is no particularly strong sense of alcohol. It is suitable for both men and women. The layering of this cocktail is particularly strong. If you don’t move the cup to taste, the taste of each of the first three sips will change.
- Calamansi Gin Ricky-Gin, Green Orange, Soda Water
Summer is the most suitable cocktail with refreshing taste. This cocktail seems simple but powerful. It may be more appropriate to describe this glass of wine as “Less is More”. The bubbles of soda water continue to rise from the bottom of the cup, completely releasing the aroma of the gin, accompanied by the full-bodied fragrance of small citrus, so that you can put it in the infinity pool at the first sip, fresh and natural, and hide the hidden in the body. Summer tiredness pulled away instantly.
- Rosemary Gimlet-gin, rosemary, lime, syrup
This cocktail chooses the soaking technique, soaking rosemary in the gin. It seems that the preparation process is not complicated, but it is a test of the bartender’s control of the balance of sour and sweet taste. Rosemary is considered to be the more difficult of spices. One kind of control, if you put too much, it will be bitter, but if you put it too little, the fragrance will be insufficient. Therefore, the time and amount of soaking are strictly controlled. The taste is moderately sweet and sour, and has the herbal taste of rosemary. This taste is the first choice in summer.
- Black Manhattan-Bourbon Whiskey, Avana Liqueur, Chocolate Bitters
Traditional Black Manhattan would use red Vermouth to mix the wine, but I broke the traditional method and chose Italian Amaro wine instead, and produced a black cocktail with high sugar content. Its taste is heavier and more restrained than the classic Manhattan, and the tip of the tongue has a touch of sweetness that makes the mood happy.
5.Blossom-gin, rose syrup, lemon, tita lychee liqueur, honey, egg white
Using gin as the base wine, adding rose syrup, then dripping with fresh lime juice, egg white and honey. Such a floral cocktail is especially suitable for girls. Scattered fragments of roses were sprinkled on the foam from the egg whites. At the moment of entrance, the mouth was surrounded by layers of fragrant floral fragrance, full of happiness, like the taste of love.
Bantendrink 