The lab in the bar: Between curiosity and efficiency
Intricate techniques have become somewhat of a common sight in a bar’s creative arsenal. For experimentation and the unusual, they have great value. Damien Guichard on the balance between modernity and traditions.
In the last 10 years equipment such as centrifuges, rotary evaporators, vacuum chambers have invaded kitchen shelves amongst the sticky dusty lemon presses and dehydrators. Like most things it started as a curiosity and a way to open new creative paths, it does seem as though the laboratory bar is somewhat of a movement which is here to stay.
From creativity to durability
Creatively speaking, little can hold a candle to the whacky extractions allowed by the use of a rotovap: from herbs to monster munch, to oyster shells - yes these have been done. But while those might seem like eccentricities, the use of devices that could be considered as novel has become more economical. One of the advantages of clarification or distillation is stabilisation - and who says stabilisation, also says shelf-life. Because creativity being essential for the development of our industry, it also has a cost: countless hours spent experimenting, prepping - the last thing you would want is for your ingredient to go bad and start fermenting in a forgotten drawer - the dreaded “psshh” meaning your hard work can take a last dip into the sink.
Now this is all wonderful, but those devices should not be taken for granted: they cost a hefty sum and even though the quality of the result is second to none, it is hard to justify the purchase of laboratory equipment to an independent bar owner.
Best Practice: The Velvet in Berlin
The Velvet Bar in Berlin, Neukölln is a bar that knows how to strike the balance between modernism and traditions: the old carboys and dried herbs overlook the prep room side by side with the ever imposing centrifuge, themormix, rotovap or even ultrasonic bath. Herbs are diligently processed and extracted in a way that makes it possible to harvest them at their prime seasonal best and still use them later in the year, when the smell of coal and the grey clouds have replaced the short summer days: it’s also that, the magic of distillation.
Below you will find the Prinzessinnengarten Gimlet boasting a collection of 13 herbs harvested in the heart of Neukölln and distilled simultaneously to release its fragrance in the form of a perfectly clear extract.
Prinzessinnengarten Gimlet
Aquavit - Prinzessinnengarten Herbs Distillate - Lime Cordial - White Rum - Sake - Kirschwasser
© Benj Hanke
Prinzessinnengarten Gimlet
