29. September 2011 16:00
Media Partner of Bar Convent Berlin 2011: Adam Elmegirab
Adam Elmegirab is a cocktail and spirits enthusiast from Scotland. As more and more English-speaking visitors attend Bar Convent Berlin the show started inviting native speaking media in 2010. This year the bar trade show will be covered by Scottish bartender and blogger Adam Elmegirab.
Adam, you live in Aberdeen, Scotland. Please tell us about the bar scene there.
Aberdeen’s come a long way since I started bartending in 2001 and we’ve a now got a great mix of independently-owned cocktail bars which I believe are key to a vibrant scene as they can really connect with the local consumer. I’ve been lucky to work with a few of these bars, such as Mim, Orchid and Dusk, and the fact they’re still going strong is testament to the work that’s been done here by bar-owner and bartender alike. When I started consulting and training in 2006 I did it with the sole intention of putting Aberdeen on the map and I think I’ve done that, even in a small way, though my work’s nowhere near finished...
You are the brain behind Dr. Adam Elmegirab‘s Bitters. How did it happen, that you started producing cocktail bitters?
Go fix yourself a Martinez (with Boker’s of course) then have a read of this which tells the whole story.
Do you remember your first drink with bitters?
This is easy, in Scotland there’s a very popular drink called a Long Vodka; vodka, lime cordial, lemonade and Angostura Bitters. There’s a ritual behind this drink, add a few dashes of bitters to a highball glass with a few ice cubes, roll the glass to coat the inside then discard the ice and shake off excess bitters. To finish fill with ice and build vodka, lime and lemonade.
When I first started going out to bars at 15-16 (yes I know I was underage but we’ve all done it) we used to drink many of these. My first experience with bitters, I guess you could say it had a lasting influence...
Would you please introduce to our readers your cocktail-bitter qualities?
Boker’s are very much the father of my portfolio with their historical relevance, aromatic, subtly spiced, with the flavour profile leaning heavily towards cardamom. Perfect for classics such as the Martinez, Manhattan, Crusta and Japanese Cocktail. Any spirit with hints of vanilla will get on well with Boker’s.
Dandelion & Burdock is the fun uncle of the family, earthy, anise spice, liquorice, honey and muscavado all vying for attention. There’s no bitters like these on the market, great dashed into a G&T, a Martini or in a Sazerac.
Limited Edition Spanish Bitters are the beautiful daughter, chamomile and violet notes with citrus, berries, citrus and pomegranate. A perfect match for tequila, gin and whisky. Try in a Tequila & Tonic or in a Whiskey Sour.
Aphrodite Bitters give a nod to the original medicinal use of bitters, in this case as Aphrodisiacs. With that in mind I’ve compounded a host of ingredients such as dark chocolate, Valrhona cocoa nibs, ginger, red chilli, Arabica coffee, allspice... The depth of flavour in these is incredible, chocolate and coffee dominate as you’d expect but the supporting flavours shine through as well, cinnamon, vanilla, oak-spice, toasted hazlenut, rum & raisin and a soft kick of chilli. Absolutely sensational in a Harvard (cognac, vermouth, bitters) or in a rum & ginger beer.
Do you already have other bitters in planning?
I’m constantly working on new products, not just bitters. Very very small-batch Falernum is something I hope to have available soon however the most exciting thing I’m working on at the minute (this is an exclusive) is a Peach Bitters which are being reformulated based on unopened sample bottles from the early 1900s. There are Peach Bitters on the market but none truly represent what a vintage bottling tasted like so I hope to bring them back. Watch this space...
You're an active blogger and social media user. What's your opinion about the role of the Internet and especially of social media platforms for the bar and spirits industry?
I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface as there really is no limit to the use of social media in the hospitality industry. Undoubtedly sharing information is the main benefit but making connections with consumers, bartenders, bars and brands is the real high-point. For fledgling brands like mine that don’t have the marketing budgets of larger companies it gives me an unlimited audience. The birth of my bitters portfolio directly relates to social media and I think people really appreciate that they can communicate directly with the person behind the brand, whether that’s on Facebook, Twitter, on my blog or by contacting me directly. I actively encourage contact as the people that matter in all that we do are the end consumer.
In a few weeks you will attend Bar Convent Berlin to write about the show. Are you looking forward to something special?
I can’t wait to get back to Germany having spent two great weeks there last year at BCB ‘10 and in Hamburg with the guys from Cocktail Service for Repeal Day. There’s so much going on this year I’m looking forward to but over and above all that I’m looking forward to catching up with old friends and also making new friends. I think it was Simon Difford who first compared BCB to being down your local pub with friends and he couldn’t be more right.
What is your current favorite drink and your favorite spirit?
I’m asked this all the time and it’s such a hard question to answer as it’s very much a mood thing for me. If I was pushed then right now a particular drink that stands out is one of my own, The Merchant Quarter, which calls for equal parts English Harbour 5yo, Redemption Rye, Martini Rosso and finished with a few dashes of Aphrodite Bitters and Jade Nouvelle-Orleans Absinthe. Stirred with ice, served in a vintage cocktail glass and finished with a cocktail cherry. I’ll make one for you in Berlin in the next few days...
More information on Adam Elmegirab: bokersbitters.co.uk
