Meet the man behind your cocktail at 10 Fleet Street Bar @ The Morgan Hotel
10 Fleet Street Bar, at The Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar, has become quite the cocktail destination in Dublin’s ever evolving night scene. Since its reopening in July 2018, the space, décor, food and especially their cocktails have been the talk of the town.
But who are the people behind the counter, and what do they have to say about the expertise of making these cocktails? We introduce you the Man Behind Your Cocktail, Bob Andrei.
Bob is one of the Mixologists at 10 Fleet Street Bar, and he explains how his mixology journey began: “I started working at a bar 9 years ago, and I was fascinated with all that was happening behind the counter. It took me a whole year to observe and learn from my fellow bartenders until I started experimenting with my own creations”.
Today’s culture has somewhat started to worship cocktails associating them with the best aspects of our daily lives, transporting us to holiday destinations through flavours, creating beautiful photograph moments with modern trends, or remembering old times with revamped classics. We asked Bob, in such a busy and vast cocktail scene, where does he get his inspiration from?
“I get my inspiration literally from everywhere, but most of all from the kitchen. Mixology is becoming more and more like being a chef, it’s great to see what new ingredients are being used and how to incorporate them into my work. Travelling also inspires me – I take in as much as I can from each destination, and always check local trends, unknown to the general public”.
No doubt travelling is a big part of the cocktail’s life story, as we now have access to even more exotic ingredients and exclusive flavours. Bob told us despite all of the unthinkable ingredients you can include in a cocktail, his favourite is the humble bitters – “When you add a few dashes of bitters in to a cocktail, it will completely change its taste and turn the cocktail more complex”.
So, if such a simple ingredient can make such a difference in a cocktail’s texture, what exactly makes a cocktail special - Good ingredients? Good flavour combinations? Or simply good technique?
“All of these make a cocktail special, but the crucial aspect of it are the story behind the cocktail, and its presentation. The cocktail must be tasty and look good, but the interaction with the guest is what makes it special.”