- technique
Every two years, bartenders worldwide compete in their local Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix competition for a chance to represent their country at the global finals in Cuba. This year’s Swiss finals took place in Bern from March 4th to 6th. A mix of experienced and new competitors Among the 11 finalists, some were seasoned competitors. Nicolas Berger from Little Barrel in Geneva had already participated in the Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix six years ago. He was also one of the finalists at the Diageo World Class Switzerland 2015 (and successfully coached Sophie Larrouture, the winner for Switzerland in
My interest in mixology and bartending started three years ago in Geneva with watching a bartender who had previously worked in Canada. A few months later I had the opportunity to visit his former workplace in Montreal and another bar he’d recommended. I was impressed with what I saw and tasted and started following the Quebec cocktail scene on the Internet. I returned to Montreal last summer, where I visited Le 4e Mur, an amazing speakeasy bar with a superb cocktail menu, and l’Ecole du Bar de Montréal, the bartending school opened by Le 4e Mur’s founders. Again I was
On Friday I participated in The Art of Blending, a 1 hour scotch blending masterclass at Chivas Regal’s pop up bar The Blend at the Truman Brewery in London. After quickly sipping a welcome cocktail at the bar, I followed the rest of the participants in the back room, especially designed for classes and private events. After a quick word about the production process of whisky, we were lead through a short tasting of different types of single malts (Speyside, Highland, Lowlands and Islay) and a grain whisky. It was then time for us to play master blenders and make
L’Ecole du Bar de Montréal (EBM) opened its doors in March 2016. It was founded by the 5 co-owners of the fabulous speakeasy bar Le 4e Mur. “When we decided to open Le 4e Mur, we knew it would be a first step and that we wanted to open a school as well,” Eddy, one of the partners, shared as he gave me a tour of the school in August. Training course for future bartenders The first week of every month, the EBM welcomes a maximum of 15 students for a 5 day long, 8 hours a day, training in
Recipe books, you can find them by the dozen but technique books? They are harder to find, especially on the subject of drinks. According to its backcover, The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler is the first bartending manual covering essential cocktail-making techniques. The book is broken down into twelve chapters, each devoted to a category of base ingredients (including ice) or cocktail making techniques. There is even one about garnishes. Through anecdotes from his long career as a bartender, Morgenthaler gives advices on bar equipment and how best to use them, as well as tricks on how to use every