An all-natural immersive experience

Flashback to our immersive Belvedere Made With Nature Brunch in a Greenhouse at Les Paniers de Sandrine. An exceptional culinary experience, offering an all-natural food and cocktail pairing, highlighting a new approach to gastronomy and mixology. The cocktails have been created by our Symposium team, mixed with fresh, seasonal and local ingredients hand-selected at Les Paniers de Sandrine. All perfectly paired with a 100% plant-based brunch created by Jean-Baptiste Durand, chef at Restaurant Osé.

This extraordinary experience had the objective to immersive participants into an all-natural environment surrounded by Water, Rye and Fire, the three bases of Belvedere Vodka. The setting allowed an immersion into a unique place emphasizing simplicity and authenticity.

The Summer Cocktail Competition

Flashback to our Trop-Eco Challenge for which bartenders had to create a mindful, tropically inspired summer cocktail using a sustainable approach and concept. On July 27^th, 9 local mixologists were competing at The Gudde Weater Terrace under judgment of the global rum expert, David Cordoba (also known as Mr. Daquiri) and Luxembourg’s Food and Lifestyle Magazine KACHEN.

The competition had the aim to put into focus a mindful approach within industry of mixology by challenging bartenders’ creativitiy in creating a tropical cocktail with a sustainable mindset that does not contain citrus fruits. 9 bartenders from local bars where showcasing their talented skills under the judgment the Magazine Kachen and under the rum expert David Cordoba, owner & founder of the Lovers Rum. Everybody had to present their own cocktail creation in 8mins to the jury, ending up in a very close final decision.

Third place was made by Raphael Betti from Paname bar with his “from Tuscany with Love” cocktail, a refreshing creamy and vegan summer drink that enhances sustainability without neglecting taste and looks using the Lovers Rum and Casamigos Mezcal. Second place was made by Leonidas Ntatsopoulos from Kin Khao Kirchberg with his cocktail called “Skoubiliskoubididoo” showcasing Ron Zacapa and tropical flavors in a low waste approach with a sweet & chilli touch. Our Winner of the Trop-Eco Challenge is Florian Pawlik from Um Plateau with his “N’Sanity potion” cocktail, a perfectly balanced summery cocktail respecting a zero waste policy highlight the Lovers Rum with pineapple, coconut and banana flavors.

Big thanks to everybody who participated, to our host the Gudde Wellen, to David Cordoba and to Kachen Magazine!

THE WORLD OF FOOD & COCKTAILS

MARK MORIARTY

When thinking of fine dining and especially Michelin-starred cuisine, most peoples’ idea of a complimentary beverage pairing would immediately be that of Champagne and fine wine.

Not so for Mark Moriarty, the Diageo Head Chef in Residence and Sous Chef at the Two-Michelin-Starred Restaurant, The Greenhouse in Dublin.

The Greenhouse’s dining experience is considered one of the most premium in Ireland – with an average spend of €205 per head.

Like most fine dining establishments, the restaurant relied heavily on a customary wine list as the predominant drinks option for guests. But the demographic for the restaurant has changed over the years with a younger and more adventurous clientele emerging.

THE GREENHOUSE RESTAURANT

This created an opportunity to implement a clear drinks strategy and build an aperitif and digestif moment into the existing service, thus offering a new layer of detail to the Michelin moment.

He regularly works with cocktail and food pairings and saw an opportunity to connect his restaurant’s food with a newly implemented drinks strategy.

The only problem? His restaurant didn’t include a dedicated bar, much less a skilled mixologist.

To tackle this issue he engaged the services of Lauren Mote, Diageo Global Cocktailian, Founder of Bittered Sling Cocktail Bitters and World Class Canada winner.

Using her expert drinks knowledge to analyse the existing drinks options at The Greenhouse and, most importantly, the bar capabilities and skills of the team, she developed serves that fit the restaurant story and menu, and could be executed flawlessly without a dedicated high-level bartender on staff.

LAUREN MOTE

RESULTS

After implementing this new cocktail strategy revenues increase to €3,000 per month, equating to €35,000 per year. The initiative was so successful they were able to employ a full time bartender to further improve the beverage strategy.

 By offering aperitif and digestif option on menus, The Greenhouse encouraged guests to stay for longer periods of time (ordering more in the process).

Beautiful cocktails = shareable serves. Guests are more inclined to share a striking cocktail than a plain glass of wine, increasing mentioned on the all-important social media platforms.

By offering a carefully-curated list of premium cocktails you are giving guests the option of something unusual – beyond the basic wine list!

Also after implementing this cocktail strategy the Greenhouse was also awarded its second Michelin Star. We can’t say that it was purely due to the new cocktails, but…

SYMPOSIUM ENGAGEMENT

Here at Wengler Symposium we believe this is a great initiative and are very happy to work with any outlets who would like to experiment with a cocktail offering. We have our in-house expert mixologist, Richard Gillam, who will work one-on-one with your team to develop a program perfect for your outlet.

Richard has been working with Chef Mark to develop cocktails based on shared flavour selections to compliment a selection of Mark’s dishes as examples of our Cocktail Cuisine initiative.

It is possible for Richard replicate and localise the system The Greenhouse team used for their success for your restaurant but we are also putting further emphasis on another two elements:

SUSTAINABLE AND MINDFUL COCKTAILS

Chefs and Mixologists collaborating to utilise potential waste products from both kitchen and bar into cocktail/food ingredients while maximising seasonal and local produce.

BATCHING AND STREAMLINING SERVICE

Maximising mis-en-plas and preparation to reduce bar and mixologist demands during service for an improved guest experience.

For more information on this initiative please contact your local Wengler agent or email us at cheers@wenglersymposium.lu

WORKSHOP AFTERMOVIE

1. Advice for Competitions

Read the rules!

Know exactly what you can and cannot do for the challenge

Know the judging criteria!

See how you will be scored and target those areas.

Focus!

Decide what the challenge is actually wanting you to accomplish.

Research!

Dig deep into brand knowledge and history to find something you can link to the challenge. This is a brand based competition – you must know the brands to excel and win.

Practice your script and delivery!

Your drink only makes up some of the points in a bartending competition. Practise your story, your presentation skills including talking, answering questions and other distractions.

Prepare!

If possible take everything  you need with you, leave nothing to chance. Scrutinise your script, anticipate questions and incorporate answers into your script

2. Clarified Milk Punch

Create your recipe, include cream in your recipe – about 20% of final volume should be cream.

Mix and store in an inert vessel.

Leave for 24 hours, somewhere cool, while it separates.

Carefully filter through fine filters, ending at coffee paper filters.

Bottle and store chilled.

2. Acids and Sour Elements

1. Experiment with different sour ingredients in your cocktails. Using less citrus such as lemon and limes and making up the difference with vinegars or other sour ingredients can give your cocktails uniqueness and character.

2. Look at the acid components of your other ingredients: grape spirit or juice, use tartaric acid! Apple spirit or juice in    your drink, use malic acid. Strawberries, ascorbic acid.

3. Create your own sour mix – not in the 1980’s, disco drink sense, but in the new ‘blend of acids, juices & vinegar’ way.

Batching cocktails has been around an awfully long time and has recently moved from being a frowned upon, budget, low quality method of service to a professional, curated system, especially popular in our current situation for delivery service and enhancing the dining at home experience.

What is batching & what is barrelling?

To make an easy distinction between the two topics, think of batching as packaging cocktails, from a single serve to thousands, and think of barrelling as a production process, like shaking or stirring, rather than a storage or batching solution.

Batched Cocktails

Here’s a much more in-depth look at the issues surround batched cocktails for delivery by the amazing Tess Posthumous from Dutch Courage cocktail bars in Amsterdam.

Barrels

For more info on our barrels and starting a program, contact r.gillam@wengler.lu

We also have a full range of bar equipment & glassware along with advice and support for your project, professional or personal!

Some points to note… first, think and plan your barrel program before diving in.. Then think about what you want to achieve by barrel aging. Think about bottling and post-aging items before beginning so you’re ready when you barrel-aged product is ready! Then when ready to begin, prepare your barrels correctly to minimise risk of mistakes, spoilage or damage to reduce costs.

Ingredients

Glass Rocks
60ml Casamigos Anejo Tequila
1 Spoon light brown sugar
6 drops Ms. Betters Chocolate Bitters

Method

Add sugar to the glass.
Add the bitters and an ice cube.
Stir for 30 seconds.
Fill the glass with ice and add the Casamigos Anejo Tequila.
Stir for 2 minutes.
Garnish with a large orange zest.

Ingredients

Glass Highball
60ml Don Julio Reposado
40ml fresh grapefruit juice
20ml Ancho Reyes Liqueur
10ml Agave Syrup
50ml Soda

Method

Rim the glass with black salt then fill with ice.
Add all ingredients except the soda to a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake hard.
Strain into the glass.
Top with soda and garnish with the Jalapeño and coriander.