“What is new is what does not exist” – POV by Constanca Cordeiro

The cocktail industry often confuses novelty for originality. So many things are constantly changing, techniques, trends and more. We consume references constantly in multiple forms, and because of that, many things that appear “new” are reinterpretations of the same ideas, aesthetics, and systems. Repetition often disguises itself as innovation. Personally, what is truly new is not a new garnish, technique, or visual trend. What is new is something that creates a possibility that did not exist before. Something that cannot be traced back to a single reference point or category. Newness, in that sense, is not style, it is an unknown structure. It is the emergence of a different way of constructing flavour, experience, or even thought.

When I stepped back from the pace and expectations of the industry, it was because I could no longer find meaning in repetition disguised as progress. That pause came from burnout, but it also brought a kind of clarity that I couldn’t access while constantly producing. I realised I was not interested in refining what already existed, or making small improvements within systems that felt complete in their logic. I wanted to discover a new way to approach flavour fully.

That shift changed how I think about creation entirely. Instead of starting from references or categories, I became interested in what happens before definition, before a drink is recognised as a style, a technique, or even a coherent idea. I wanted to work from a place where those labels don’t yet exist, where the structure itself is in construction. For me, creating something new begins exactly there. It is not knowing where you are going that allows you to create something truly new. That is what I am interested in now, not invention as a show.

- Constanca Cordeiro

Creative Director and Founder of Toca da Parosa Bar in Portugal