We absolutely love this insightful read from Daniel Staub titled “Mixing Cosmopolitans”, portraying 21 of his favorite bartenders from around the globe. Daniel goes into a lot of detail with each of the featured personalities, and it is really great to see some of the ways in which these high-profile professionals go about discovering new flavors and inspiration for their cocktails. We will not give too much away, but here are some of our favorite excerpts from a few bartenders Daniel was able to interview. He was even able to get each of the 21 featured bartenders to share their signature cocktails with him, and now you.
Ivy is inspired by food. Particularly by pastry menus and pastry chefs. In her opinion, these chefs master the only other culinary profession that really has to balance sweet, sour, and savory like mixologists do.
Rogerio Igarashi Vaz of Bar Trench, Tokyo
Despite Japan’s renowned bartending culture, Rogerio feels that bartenders are ready for more, but the guests are not.
Margot Lecarpentier of Combat, Paris
Margot’s favorite drink is a Cobbler. She loves wine and sherry and tends to drink a lot of straight liquor, so when she orders a cocktail, it should be refreshing and simple.
Benjamin Cavagna of 1930 Speakeasy, Milan
1930 is a secret salon where guests can relax and escape the stress of daily life in Milan.
Luke Whearty in Operation Dagger, Singapore (Has moved to Byrdi in Melbourne since the publishing of the book)
Luke doesn’t know the name of his favorite bar, but it is a place in “Old San Juan,” Puerto Rico. It’s a tiny shop front that only sells blended Piña Coladas in plastic cups. Who knows the name?