Cocktail connoisseurs cook in a glass

Excitingly aromatic, exclusively exotic: for all friends of the professional mix-drink is the 13. May a festive day: the world cocktail day – world cocktail day. To celebrate the mixed drink with fruit, fruit juice, syrup and alcohol (or even without), the two 29-year-old bartenders christoph koll and sven goller from bamberg give an insight into their craft.

If someone comes to your bar and orders a vodka redbull…

Sven: … Then we say that unfortunately we did not drink energy drinks.

Why not?

Chris: a really good drink offers enjoyment through taste – and that comes from high-quality ingredients.

What can I order in the bar to not embarrass myself?

Chris: with us nobody embarrasses himself! It’s like eating: you just have to dare to try something out. We are happy to help. We bartenders are, so to speak, the hosts. We make people feel comfortable. Atmosphare, drinks, service – everything has to fit together. Sven: exactly. We ask what someone likes and what they don’t like. Then we already come to his or her taste.

I for example like caipirinha. Now shake your head?

Sven: no, not at all! Caipirinha is actually a totally decent drink – if you use good rum: brazilian cachaca, which tastes like women rum. In addition, fresh limes, good sugar cane syrup instead of brown sugar, which does not dissolve and break the teeth, and lots of ice cream. Chris: it’s like mojito. It’s actually a mega drink, but unfortunately it’s often served very badly. It’s a pity, because basically it’s very simple, like many other drinks with few components.

What can you do wrong with supposedly simple drinks??

Sven: as soon as you start to save on ingredients, the result will be bad. Let’s take the famous tequila sunrise. That can be mixed plorre. Or you take good tequila made from 100 percent agave, freshly squeezed orange juice and – instead of grenadine – a homemade pomegranate syrup. Then it is a pleasure. Chris: … But you can’t buy it for 4,50 euro.

Quality has its price. Are the french aware of this?

Chris: there has been a lot of change in the last few years. In the bamberg bar scene, for example, the quality has risen more and more and the guests honor that. Sven: for example, you won’t find any bought syrup at our club. We make everything ourselves, from freshly squeezed lemon juice to berry syrup. Chris: you can get pretty creative in the bar. For example, we put herbs and berries into a spirit – infusion is what it’s called – and let it sit for a while. An enzymatic reaction takes place and with it a flavor exchange and the spirit has a different aroma at the end.

Your "main courses are cocktail and longdrink. What is the difference?

Chris: a long drink usually consists of two ingredients: spirits and filler. Gin and tonic water become gin tonic. Then there are highballs. In principle, these are long drinks with more ingredients, such as a tom collins made from gin, lemon, sugar and soda. Unlike long drinks and highballs, where only the glass is filled up, cocktails are "built, stirred or shaken.

Is it just a show that many bartenders put so much emphasis on demonstrative shaking? – put?

Chris: no, that has a system. Drinks with ingredients that are less easy to homogenize – syrup, juice, eggplant, herbs – are generally shaken. The main difference between shaking and stirring is that watering and cooling are higher in shaking. Sven: by the way, a good bartender will never bang the shaker against the edge of the table to open it. Sven: and he will not use condom ice cubes.

What are condom ice cubes?

Sven: the one with a rough hole. They break quickly and water down the drink too fast. Good bartenders use double-frosted ice, which cools the drink but does not water it down over the honeycomb.

What do you say in style when you toast each other with a good cocktail??

Chris: that is up to everyone. Personally, I think I say "cheers" the most. There are of course regional differences. And if it’s too "knock off the slice" tastes the best, that’s just right for the person.

Are there cocktail trends?

Chris: gin variants. Sven: in general, cocktails are in demand that are in line with the zeitgeist of "healthy living" contain little or no sugar and little or no alcohol.

Who would you like to mix a creation for??

Sven: for ryan reynolds. He’s a great actor and has set up a fund for bartenders in the USA to help them survive due to the loss of income from corona.

Is something like this also necessary in france?

Sven: i am afraid that many companies in the gastronomic scene – which is the second largest employer in bamberg – will have to close down. Chris: tourists and locals will stay away for a while even after the bans are relaxed. Besides, most people have less money…

What do you wish for concretely?

Chris: that the city accommodates us with enlarged ceilings to be able to host, with distance, a reasonable number of guests. And, of course: drink more good liquor!

About him: christoph koll: born in bayreuth, he was more of a cocktail-goer than a university-goer when he finished his studies (communication, german and english studies) and became bar manager at the "schluckspecht". Together with his colleague sven goller, he founded the cocktail institute founded, which offers tastings and cocktail courses.

Sven goller: to study for a doctorate in political science at university or to work as a bartender? The native of bad staffelstein decided for the latter. 2017 was the "black sheep-co-operator national "world class bartender of the year.