Jenn Farrington Studios Photography NEW WORK Tasting Panel Mag Danny Ronen Future of Mixology Michael Mina Bourbon Steak Heaven's Dog Alembic Teardrop Lounge

Every year in the Nevada desert, a group of food and beverage industry folk descend upon the Las Vegas Convention Center to schmooze and share information at the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show, known colloquially as the Vegas Bar Show.

While entrepreneurs are present to sell their wares, many people on the bar service side of the industry use this event not as a hunt for the newest ID-verification device or VIP wristband printer, but rather as a way to connect with others in their field. One of the seminars held at this year’s Bar Show was perfect for bartenders: "The Future of Mixology."

Moderated by Livio Lauro, of Nevada Southern Wine & Spirits and national head of the United States Bartenders' Guild, the panel consists of four industry superstars: Tony Abou-Ganim, Bridget Albert, "Bobby G" Gleason and Francesco Lafranconi. If anyone can get a crowd of bartenders to listen attentively, it’s these folks, each of whom has decades of bartending and management experience under their belts.

What would these folks consider the future of mixology? Let’s find out, then show you where these ideas are already being implemented. The future is now!

• Flowers and flavored rims are nothing new to the world of garnishes, but Adam Seger of Chicago’s Nacional 27 makes it a point to create an elaborate, thoughtful and appropriate garnish for a cocktail he created for the Domaine de Canton competition finals, which called for "tropical sophistication."
• Drops of cacao oil in Daniel Hyatt’s cocktail at The Alembic in San Francisco can be described as a garnish; the inventive item adds flavor and texture, as the drops solidify into small edible spheres.

Juiced Up
The “fresh bar” is here! The use of fresh fruit and juices is a quick and easy discussion, as the panel considers this agenda item already accomplished. Anyone who has been to a bar outside of a metropolitan center knows this is not necessarily the case everywhere, but in order to speak specifically to this crowd, the panel chooses to move on to other topics.

The Next Ice Age
Is ice next? The panel members declare almost simultaneously that focusing on ice is the next big thing. Francesco Lafranconi says that the future will not just be the cube itself, but the block and pick, to help venues distinguish themselves. Bridget Albert also makes a good point that not everyone can afford the newer ice machines such as Kold-Draft; she recommends that bartenders learn how to best use what they already have. Sometimes it’s better to perfect the use of the technology currently available to your venue.

Some establishments have already forged ahead. Heaven’s Dog in San Francsico’s SOMA neighborhood not only has a Kold-Draft ice machine, but also forms its own ice spears, cuts cubes by hand for rocks drinks and even has Lewis ice bags for crushing ice. It seems like someone in the future must enjoy a good Julep.

Are garnishes going to change? Livio Lauro's first comment is pointed directly at the crowd: U.S. bartenders can’t seem to win the World Cup! The panel agrees that there is a lack of attention to detail in the U.S. bartending community, whereas if you go into a proper bar in a small neighborhood in Italy, you will still get a beautiful garnish.

• Kevin Diedrich of Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak in DC demonstrates the natural segue from garnish to flavor to flair. Kevin flames rosemary for a cocktail, which amplifies the aroma and beautifies the drink; it also catches the attention of other patrons, potentially inspiring more orders.
• San Francisco architect Jim Maxwell and Proper Potion Consulting’s Jonny Raglin worked together to design perforated stainless steel drainage and rinsing stations all along the length of the bar at Dosa Fillmore and at Oakland’s new Sidebar. Aesthetically pleasing and effi cient drainage and glassware cleaning.
• The concept of mise-en-place can include all cocktail ingredients, even tinctures. Daniel Shoemaker of Portland’s Teardrop Lounge built a Bitters & Tinctures display that houses his dozens of homemade concoctions, many rarely seen in use elsewhere.

It’s not for lack for garnishes, however; almost every bar has at least one garnish tray, maybe more. Tony Abou-Ganim explains that he started ordering Gibsons instead of Martinis because he didn’t want the "heat missile" of an olive that had been sitting out in the garnish tray since 10 a.m.

Bobby G also makes a good point: Bartenders should focus on making the garnish in front of the customer, even if it’s something as simple as using a channel knife to carve citrus peel for a specific cocktail. Bridget Albert also comments that in cocktail competitions, judging panels often include chefs; they always love the cocktails, but they want to see appropriate garnishes.

One example of appropriate garnishing comes from Chicago’s Adam Seger at Nacional 27, known for the veritable garden of fruits, vegetables and herbs he keeps at the bar for both cocktail creation and garnishes. Another practitioner, Daniel Hyatt at The Alembic in San Francisco, is sometimes minimalist but always keeps a connection to the cocktail itself—like the bright, aromatic slice of radish in his Promissory Note cocktail.

Thirty-Seven Pieces of Flair
Where is flair today and where is its future? This topic was also quickly discussed, Bobby G clarifying that the purpose of flair is to bring repeat orders, repeat customers and wordof- mouth recommendations. At the same time, however, we have advanced from the days of form-before-function flair and now must make a conscious effort to make great cocktails while using flair.

Building Smarter Bars
Are working stations going to change? From refrigerated garnish drawers at Salvatore at Fifty in London’s St. James, to Varnish in Los Angeles, where almost the entire bar counter consists of drainage, it seems that bars around the world are getting smarter and focusing on function—but never forgetting the importance of form. Bridget Albert comments that if a venue puts as much effort into the bar space as one normally would into the kitchen, the payoff is enormous.

The entire goal is for the bartender to be able to execute cocktails in the best and most efficient way possible. If bartenders can easily reach ingredients and tools, they can more quickly move on to the next drink, satisfying customers, increasing both tips and covers for the evening— everyone’s happy!

As the seminar panel states, "Mise-en-place and product knowledge along with quality consistency are the name of the game for a successful beverage program!"

Back to the Future, Again
What about bitters and tinctures? This topic was not part of the seminar but is something that should always be a part of any discussion regarding the future of mixology. The amusing thing is that bitters are not even remotely a new concept — the original definition of a cocktail is spirit, bitters, water and sugar — but the use of and creation of bitters has seen an amazingly sweet comeback. Bars and mixologists around the country are making their own extracts and ingredients to create more intricate flavors, as well as to educate their customers. From Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Oregon, to Drink in Boston, bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts alike are pushing the envelope of cocktail components by using multitudes of different bitters, including those made in-house.

The seminar’s final presentation slides included these two quotes:
It’s all about knowledge: The more you know, the more you sell and the more engaged your guest will be.

It’s all about the details: A personal touch goes a long way.

In 2009, we now have those who are truly looking to educate themselves as well as their patrons, bringing back bitters that had not existed since the time of the legendary Jerry Thomas, as well as other flavors, syrups and elixirs whose recipes had been thought lost. This resurgence of interest in the field, added to the topics discussed by the esteemed panel at the Vegas Bar Show, can mean only one thing: The future is now!

Jenn Farrington Studios image library for all photos from The Future of Mixology: