News | What are the trendy drinks in bars
Bartenders are (or were, since baristas have been vying for the throne) the cool kids of gastronomy. Once we began to know the chefs by name and follow their careers, the bartenders appeared in their model looks, and the spotlight shifted from the kitchen to the bar. There, regardless of their gender, exuding style and cool, they are the undisputed protagonists of a catwalk where tattoos, perfectly trimmed beards, shirts and other fetishes abound. In the absence of a formal bartending career, their educational background depends on the bartender's curiosity, dedication, and eagerness to learn. And it is usually at BAC Inspira, the most important congress in the beverage industry, where they come to discover what is happening worldwide, learn about new trends and absorb new knowledge that will contribute not only to their education but also to the formation of consumers who are increasingly attentive and concerned about what they drink.
Meeting. On September 10 and 11, industry professionals will meet to chat, put topics on the agenda, share experiences and investigate new, old and some forgotten products.
Sheathed in an impeccable English-style suit, Seba García, from Presidente Bar, together with Peruvian bartender Aaron Díaz, from Carnaval, will speak about the benefits of chartreuse. “This French herbal liqueur comes from a recipe created by monks under a very secret process. I am a big fan of these liqueurs, very herbaceous and with a lot of history, and I don't know if there is a resurgence, but we are giving them the respect they deserve and that we didn't give them before," explains García.
Although we are still a long way from Japan, for example, where they work with a very high level of thoroughness and refinement, Argentina is on its way, slowly but surely, in the attempt to design its own cocktail bar, based on local products such as native herbs and fruits, or Nationally produced drinks such as vermouth, of which excellent versions have been launched, such as La Fuerza, Lunfa or Pichincha, whose managers will also be present at BAC.
For Sebastián Maggi, Brand Ambassador of Diageo, it is essential "to know the product to know everything it can give, in that sense these talks and workshops are not only inspiring, but also very useful," he says. This is in relation to a trend that is being seen a lot and is borrowed from gastronomy: you choose a product and exalt it, take it to the maximum, highlight its attributes and seek its best expression, a bartender should be able to do that”. And this is in relation to another worldwide trend, which registers a clear consumer preference towards classic drinks: few ingredients that coexist in perfect harmony. Drinks such as whiskey and rum are also gaining fans of all ages. For some time now, several companies have added labels of these noble drinks to their local portfolios. “The rum-based cocktail bar is seeking to reinvent itself through the search for its origins - explains Martín Bruno, Brand Ambassador of Pernod Ricard in Argentina -. Almost forgotten recipes for very old punches or drinks like the Canchánchara are appearing again on the menus of some of the most important bars. The Rum Fashioned, today is already a common cocktail, the resurgence of the Classic Daiquiri (nothing to do with the blender and artificial pulps), is also very current. And not to mention the Mojito, which is still one of the best-selling cocktails in any bar."
Chosen. If creating a classic requires a combination of elements, excellence and a touch of luck, bringing a bar to that category is even more complex. Why are places like Gran Bar Danzón, 878 or Doppelgänger undisputed classics? “I don't know what the formula is, each place has its style, there is its own language, but each bartender who has passed through our bar was able to develop, it is also essential to update, work hard and sustain it with quality. We were always a bit of a zoo with a mixture that worked, that's good”, says Luis Morandi, owner of Gran Bar Danzón and BASA, who will give a talk with Julián Díaz and Guillermo Blumenkamp. And if we talk about classics, let's not forget the coffee shops, a stronghold of Buenos Aires by definition where, paradoxically, they sold a coffee with a controversial flavor. That has changed a lot in the last 4 or 5 years with the appearance of the first specialty coffee shops, today the consumer who used to mask coffee with sugar and milk has learned to drink better and if there is something we know for sure, it is that of the good, it does not come back. “Within a year, cocktails with coffee will be installed in the bars, today it is beginning to be seen, it is new. In October of last year the London Cocktail Week was held, and 4 of the 16 drinks that were presented had coffee among its ingredients”, explains Martín Olivera, adviser to Tía María.
The cocktail bar is also no stranger to other trends that have health as one of their axes, which is why more and more drinks with low alcohol content and low calories are being consumed. Along these lines, Inés de los Santos recently launched Isla, a ready-to-drink beverage, in two updated versions of 100% Argentine classics: clericó and sangría. “It was an idea that came naturally, I have been making them for many years at events, at fairs, in bar menus and they always gave me good results, people like it, there is variety, there is a lot of fruit. It's not very alcoholic and it's fresh”, says the bartender who will be at the BAC with another of her great passions: weed. But as has already been seen, there are tastes for everyone and where some seek lighter drinks, others choose the opposite.
Robin Coupar, Brand Ambassador of Wild Turkey, celebrates the good moment that bourbon is experiencing and attributes it to the fact that the youngest are incorporating it through cocktails, “they also like the romanticism that surrounds the history of whiskey. And the networks were essential to viralize this trend. Bartenders who live thousands of miles away, are connected, send photos, recipes, and all that happens there on Instagram, for example. It's like the perfect storm. The consumption of whiskey among women also grew, as well as the inclusion of women in the industry, there are more and more master blenders”, he describes. And although it is true that the bartenders have appeared in the bars with force, they are still a clear minority. The same happens with sustainability, another great issue that crosses gastronomy and is going strong. Through cocktails we end up talking about other topics and therefore, the discourse is enriched, let's continue making inspiration a trend and we will contribute together to create a better world.
by Silvina Reusman