7. October 2011 16:00

The man behind Bar Poland at BCB 2011: Radek Wieczorek

Radek Wieczorek is a Bartender from Poland and since five years owner of a little event-company. In a litte interview he told us more about the Poland Bar at the Bar Convent Berlin 2011, his love to ice, the tiki culture and his favourites. 

Radek, at this year’s Bar Convent Berlin you will be in charge for something special: Bar Poland. Please introduce yourself and your work to our readers?

Hi everyone! My name is Radek Wieczorek and I am a 35 years old bartender with over 12 years experience behind the bar. I started my bartending romance in 1999 in London working for Kosmopol, Made in Brasil, Cafe Med Bar, Medicine Bar and in Spain working for Base bar, Hotel Es Vive, Blue Marlin in Ibiza, Shoko in  Barcelona. For 5 years now I have been living in Poland running my little event company Mixology, shaking, stirring and blending cocktails on my portable bars all around Poland and rest of the world. Last yearI also had an opportunity to work during the Football World Cup in Cape Town south Africa.

You are a big fan of tiki culture. What does excite you about it?

I have spent few years working at beach bars of Ibiza, Formentera and Barcelona. A lot of  my guests who came to such a summerdestination were seeking tropical flavours and rum based cocktails. So ultimately I found myself surrounded by rum lovers and shared this passion till now. I just love combination of fresh fruit and good rums. I love history of rising this culture in USA and spreading it worldwide. Also I love to go to work wearing flip flops always in a summer holiday mood.

So your favourite drink must be a tiki drink.

Dark & Stormy is my lemonade but I do love to drink lots of different staff than tiki like juleps, old fashioned and martinis. I also have a lot of love for tequila! My choice depends on my mood or type of celebration I am having.

In addition, you have a certain fondness for ice. How did this happen?

3 years ago I opened with two partners in Wrocław Poland Ice manufacture called  Cool Ice. Since then we have been delivering ice cubes to bars and clubs around my city and producing 150 kg ice blocks. At the beginning we used them to build ice bars and shape sculptures for our customers. Then I realiz, ed that this special crystal clear ice is much better for my cocktails than normal ice cubes. So I started to get more into techniques of different ice blocks usage and it took me all the way to Japan where under the wings of ice master Mr. Hidetsugu Ueno I had a chance to explore the subject. Now these days I can’t imagine my cocktails without my crystal chunks, spheres and all my lovely ice tools.

Do you think that things will change much in terms of ice behind the bars in
the world?

I see more and more bartenders and our  guessts start to realise that ice is soule of cocktails.Bad quality ice can damage even best made cocktails based on highest quality ingredients.Even simple things to serve like whisky on the rocks give as opotunity to amazed our guests.Ice is so much fun!

You‘ve also seen a lot of bars around the world. Which drinking gems and cocktails did impress you most?

My favourite bars are Employees Only in NY, Dry Martini in Barcelona and High Five in Tokyo. If it comes to drinks my favourite cocktails in those bars were a Billionaire Cocktail, Dry Martini and a White Lady.

Many visitors will go to Bar Poland at Bar Convent Berlin. This bar is definitely a highlight of this year's barshow. Can you tell us anything about the concept of the bar?

We polish area wódka nation. Come and try best polish liquid hospitality neat, shaken or stirred. Na Zdrowie!

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