If anyone is familiar with liquid sensual pleasures, it is Maren Meyer. The bartender has been filling the glasses for her guests since the early 1990s. A conversation about current drinking culture and the revival of an old love: sherry.
Ms Meyer, which drinks will end up in the glass this summer?
In any case, we are in the “little alcohol” range. It started the year before last, last year. We’re talking about spirits like vermouth, port wine and sherry. They are then mixed with tonic, for example, or as a spritz with Prosecco. But completely non-alcoholic drinks are also trendy.
Non-alcoholic spirits alternatives are actually on the upswing…
… they’ve really sprung up in recent years. First they jumped into the gin sector, producing non-alcoholic alternatives in this area. In the meantime, there are also many variants for spirits such as rum, whiskey or bitters, with which you can also create really nice drinks.
The first sober bars already exist. Are zero alcohol bars the future?
Normal bars are indispensable. And alcohol is also indispensable. But the division will grow. And I think that the bars have to rethink in this direction and also become more creative in order to be able to make appropriate offers to the guests. The demand is very, very high. I can see that in myself too. I have to drive often, but I don’t feel like just drinking the classic spritzer or water, I would like to have a different taste. The alcohol-free alternatives offer that.
You mentioned vermouth, port and sherry as popular spirits at the moment. Is the gin hype over?
no Gin is a staple in bars. A few years ago it was said that gin was a fad. Although new gins appeared on the market every week, many assumed that they would disappear just as quickly. Of course there was natural selection. But the variety has remained and new gins are constantly being added. The classic gin and tonic is still popular. I also saw that yesterday with my colleagues. A few had cocktails in the evening but mostly gin and tonic.
Say. if you are completely honest, what drinks do you no longer want to mix?
I work in an absolute service industry. The guest is the king. As a service provider, I can’t choose what the guest has to drink. And if he orders 30 piña coladas and 50 caipis from me, then I’m very happy to make them. My aim is to make the guest happy. That’s how I see my role as a hostess, that’s hospitality for me.
There are also bartenders who do not get certain drinks into their glasses, for example those that are not in line with current fashion.
I’m not like that. Recently I had a great mint liqueur in my warehouse, so I had the idea of making a Grashopper again. A drink that makes you think: Oh God, who wants to drink something like that anymore? At a catering I simply brought it onto the trapeze. It was the most popular drink that night. Nobody had that on their screen anymore. The Grashopper is a very smooth after-dinner drink. It consists of mint liqueur, creme de cacao and cream and tastes a bit like After Eight.
The Grashopper has really gone out of style. Which drinks are currently getting less attention than they deserve?
For example, we can look back to the time of Prohibition, to the very alcohol-heavy drinks like Manhattan or Martini cocktails. Many do not dare to try these drinks because they think the alcohol content is too much for them. That’s what happened to a friend of mine too. She wasn’t a fan of Negroni at all. A few years ago I gave her a bar cart with all the equipment needed for Negroni. She’s now the world’s best Negroni maker and actually doesn’t drink any other drink anymore. You can also learn how to drink pure. When I give tastings, for example with gin, the gin is first tasted pure. This is difficult for many at first, but then they are surprised: Oh man, is this how gin tastes without tonic?
Then say something. Have we forgotten how the base tastes through mixed culture – i.e. gin, vodka, rum?
I do not believe that. Many bars are already doing this very well, offering tasting slides. There are, for example, four different types of whisky, each of which is briefly told and explained in which order and for what reason it should be drunk. Precisely this advice, the introduction to drinks, that is part of the bartender’s job.
Have our tastes changed during the pandemic?
Quality awareness has changed significantly and is more pronounced. Be it in the wine sector or with spirits. You could clearly see that in the sales figures there. And during my tastings, I also notice that the customers are very interested in good spirits and in further training.
What was the last drink discovery you made?
I rediscovered the product sherry. An exciting, diverse spirit that goes well with food. Whether you eat cheese, olives or ham. And sherry is a low-volume, relaxed spirit that can be enjoyed almost any time of the day.
Tell me, has Corona increased our thirst?
You don’t see that in the bars. I just sat down with the members of the bartenders’ union and discussed exactly this. There is a lot to do on the weekends. but some colleagues still really struggle during the week. In addition, many online tastings and training courses were offered, especially during the lockdowns, in which customers learned what equipment they needed at home and how to mix drinks. I think that’s how people realized that they can do it quite well themselves. In addition, many bars still offer bottled drinks and a delivery service. So you don’t need to go outside anymore.
Offers like bottled drinks were a way for bars to make any money at all during the lockdowns. In hindsight, did the bars score themselves an own goal?
I don’t think it was an own goal. In the situation, that was a tool to survive. It was a way to reach the guests and generate money so that the bar would still exist after the lockdown.
Finally, tell us the perfect summer drink?
Can I say quite unequivocally: Sherry. But you shouldn’t think it’s a fino or an oloroso, so it’s not a completely dry story. No, it’s a cream sherry with a very dry tonic and a grapefruit zest for the slight bitter note. For me, this is the perfect summer drink that combines all the components from dry to sweet and bitter.