Shaken, not stirred! If James Bond were to order his vodka martini today, there's a good chance he'd be served his cocktail pre-batched from the freezer. "À la minute" or "prebatched" is one of the big philosophical questions in today's bar scene.
While some champion the magic and craft of the bartender, others swear by consistency, speed and economy. But if you take a closer look, none of the dogmatic, orthodox schools are right. From drink to drink, from bar to bar, it may or may not make more sense to work with pre-batches. Cocktail culture is all about showmanship. This was already a fact when Jerry Thomas conjured up a Blue Blazer for his guests.
For many, the fascination with the work behind the bar - where ideally every move has a meaning, like in a Japanese tea ceremony - justifies the price of a cocktail. But now that the Tom Cruise role model is fading and the term 'mixologist' has largely disappeared from the modern bartender's vernacular, many Barkeeper are reconsidering. The magic should be felt throughout the bar: from the hospitality to the contents of the glass.
To make a Hugo, you have to reach for the ice scoop once, a bottle three times and decorative tongs twice. Nevertheless, very few people would say that there is less "magic" in a Milk Punch. This raises the question: how many of my guests actually have a clear view of the bar? It's quite possible that many place more importance on the visual appearance of the drink than that of the bartender.
Business management considerations
The biggest argument in favor of pre-batched cocktails is probably economic. Whether executed by a professional or a student, a pre-batched cocktail reaches the guest faster than one prepared à la minute. Being able to guarantee fast service even at peak times is doubly worthwhile. While one guest is still waiting for his 7-ingredient drink, the other is already sipping his second pre-batched Negroni.
Perfect and fast service should be guaranteed even at peak times - batching can help.
On the cost side, the advantage is less clear. Although unskilled (and therefore cheaper) employees can also prepare first-class drinks in this way, the time required for preparation must be factored into the sales price. (How long did the rotary evaporator or centrifuge take?) There is also the risk that, depending on the cocktail ingredients, entire batches may become undrinkable.
Technical implementation
At best, a pre-batched cocktail has a quality that would be impossible to achieve if prepared à la minute. In the worst case, the quality is worse. These five points should always be taken into account:
1. take dilution and temperature into account
Ingredients for cocktails are usually at room temperature, whereas pre-batches are often chilled, if not frozen, for reasons of shelf life. Melt water that gets into the drink during stirring or shaking must therefore be included in the recipe.
2. barrel management for barrel-aged cocktails
What applies to whisky also applies to barrel-aged cocktails. The number of refills, pre-aging and time influence the taste of the stored contents. As little liquid comes into contact with a lot of wooden surfaces in standard cocktail barrels, the wood note can quickly become too dominant. It is therefore best to fill the drink into a glass bottle after ageing.
3. bottle or on tap?
Glass bottles are one way of storing and serving pre-batched cocktails. The cocktail on tap is another option. This is particularly interesting for highballs. Depending on the pressure and gas mixture, it can also be used to prepare drinks ranging from Negroni to Nitro Espresso Martini. But be careful! In many places, a contract with the beer supplier limits the use of the tap.
4. premixed ingredients
How long will my cocktail keep and does the whole drink have to be pre-batched? Is it enough to pre-mix spirits, vermouth and syrups or can a cordial make my life easier? Mixing a premixed ingredient with an acid source and filler can greatly reduce the time required for a drink. In any case, ingredients with an intense aroma such as cocktail bitters should be used with restraint when scaling up the recipe.
5. special requests and à la minute recipes
What to do if the batch is sold out? What if a guest has a preferred spirit or an allergy? Despite pre-batches, Barkeeper should always be prepared for special requests and be able to cater to them if possible.
This article appeared in
issue 4-2024
BAR NEWS magazine as single issue
