Page 60 - #51 English

Café Hopping
Story and Photos by Michael Yung

Bartenders and Baristas

I’m a cocktail aficionado. I enjoy balanced, flavorful cock- Over the last few weeks, I have been fortunate enough
tails. But even more than drinking cocktails, I can completely to visit a few fantastic bars around Asia - in Shanghai, Taipei,
immerse myself on a barstool in front of a skilled bartender, and Tokyo. My normal routine when visiting a bar is to sit at the
watching every measured movement and soaking up the full counter (as close to the bartender as possible), and order my
experience. I’ve never tended bar myself, but I think I have the first drink from the menu. The menus provided are usually split
same enthusiasm for it that home baristas do when they visit a between signature cocktails and classics, or twist on classics.
well-known café or see a barista champion work their craft.
The decision for starting off with a menu item for me
I didn’t always love cocktails. In fact, the cocktail world can stems from a few different reasons. First is from a perspective of
be quite daunting for those who don’t have a good understanding professional courtesy and curiosity. By walking into a new bar, I
of what to order or what to expect. Most people order with little should first open myself to the experience that the owner or lead
knowledge of what is in their drink, and when it arrives, it may be bartender has designed for their guests, before requesting off-
too sweet, or strong, or weak, or strange for them, and that poor menu service. I know first - hand how complex, time - consuming,
experience leaves the guest with the idea that either the bar, or and challenging it is to create a list of signature beverages that
bartender, isn’t up to quality. will sell, so as a customer I should value and appreciate the effort
When I started working in the coffee industry around that went into the design of the cocktail lineup, and consider their
2006 in Vancouver, I made a very good friend in Drew Johnson, vision and approach to cocktails.
who was working parttime at Elysian Coffee during the day while
tending bar at a small restaurant at night. It was during one of Ordering the first drink from the menu also gives a good
our coffee road trips to Seattle where he introduced the craft of barometer on the bartender’s ability. You’re not asking him or
cocktail making to me, in an incredibly impressive way. her to make you something obscure or difficult - you’ve ordered
something that every bartender in the bar should know how to
Drew took me to Zig Zag Café, down by the Pike Place make expertly, quickly, and with confidence. Also, it allows you
Market in Seattle’s historic waterfront. He mentioned a few times to build up a conversation with the bartender using a similar
that we’d have to arrive early, before they opened at 5.00 pm, reference point on what you do or don’t like, which is important to
in order to get seats at the small bar. When we arrived there get to the next step - ordering off the menu for the second drink…
were already a couple people milling about the entranceway at
4:30. When the doors finally opened we snagged two seats at the Shanghai, China
centre of the bar and met our bartender: Murray Stenson. At the
time, I just saw a 55 year old guy, but had no idea how much of Shanghai has so many options available for beautiful
an industry icon he was. drinking spots, but one of my favourites is Speak Low, which is
Murray epitomized customer service. He got to know hidden inside a fantastic little shop called Ocho Bar Tools that
you, talked effortlessly about whatever interested you, and had sells premium bartending supplies. There are a few floors to the
an encyclopedic knowledge about spirits and cocktails. He would building, and the experience gets more personalized as you make
be able to hold a full conversation while working so quickly and your way up. Which is not to say that the main bar experience is
precisely with an extreme attention to detail. I cannot adequately not good - it is very, very good.
explain just how much Murray impacted me through his ability The signature cocktail list is both playful and imaginative,
to translate his technical skill and wide - ranging expertise of using some Chinese flavours to add some inspiration to tried and
spirits and cocktails into a customized experience for each guest true combinations. The “Margarita” (tequila, cilantro, Szechuan
depending on their preferences and predilections. peppercorn, lime, agave nectar, spiced salt rim) is an inspired take
This formed the base of what my own philosophy on on the margarita while balancing spicy, sweet, sour, and salt all at
customer service should be: product and technique made relevant once. From their classic list, I’m partial to the Corps Reviver #2
and accessible for customers in a personalized, comfortable, and (Gordon’s, Cointreau, Cocci Americano, lemon, absinthe) which
unpretentious way. Murray has a tremendous skill for creating is everything that I like in a cocktail: herbaceous, citrus, bright
variations on classic cocktails. More often than not, his explana- and floral.
tion for what he was serving on the bar would begin with, “Well, When I tell this to our bartender, Janson, he then makes
here, this one’s a riff off of an old classic called…” to be catered to me my third drink - a variation on the Bee’s Knees (gin, honey
the preferences of the individual drinker. syrup, lemon). I’m also a fan of Old Fashioned - style drinks,
From a professional perspective, I see a lot of similarities especially to end the night. Switching to whisky-based cocktails,
between the role of a barista and the role of a bartender. We know Janson prepares a very classic Vieux Carré (rye, Cognac, sweet
that barista comes from the Italian word for barman. While both vermouth, Bénédictine, Peychaud’s and Angostura bitters), and
baristas and bartenders man a bar to serve up delicious drinks for then we finish up the night with Geiko - his own off - menu

paying customers, I feel that the focus and delivery is not always creation, using Japanese plum wine and Yamazaki 12 - year single
as well aligned as it could be between our two industries. malt whisky.
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