The producers of “Skyfall,” the twenty-fourth James Bond film, leaned against the bar at the Savoy Hotel. Erik Lorincz, considered by many to be the best mixologist in the world, worked as a bartender. The producers had a drink and watched him. After a month he was offered a cameo in the next plot about the secret agent.
The bartender introduces himself with impeccable manners in the hall of Palacio Neptuno and answers each question in a medium tone. He is a tall man who walks upright, aware of his elegance. His pose is spotless. He combs his hair back, millimetrically, and is one of those who manage to gesture without a lock moving.
He fulfills all the classic gentleman’s style topics and, while speaking, he attends his interlocutors from the distance of perfect English courtesy. The indisputable prestige of the cocktail maker brought him to Madrid to decide the star cocktail in The Excellence Project Edition 2, a cocktail contest organized by Maxxium.
What is the perfect time to order a cocktail
Anyone is. When I imagine myself having a cocktail, I do it on a Caribbean island, that’s why my б he has to achieve that when I drink, I feel there and, for that, he has to mix the ingredients that achieve that atmosphere.
What kind of cocktail will you take next year?
We are in a time of recreation, that’s why bartenders should not settle for mixing incredibles, we have to go one step further: create an environment. One example that I love is Civik vodka, which is distilled with seaweed and adds information to the drink. This is how information is incorporated into the product so that we feel in a specific place and in a specific way.
A cocktail recipe:
I recommend a recreation I did recently. It is a Bloodie Mary, but without blood. I use the original ingredients of this cocktail: ice, tabasco, a shot of lemon juice, salt, pepper, 60 ml of vodka, tomato juice and celery stick. Its basic spices are distilled with vodka, the others follow the traditional recipe, except for the tomato. With this vegetable what I do is mix it with water and part. Then I mix it all up.
What do you ask from a bar?
That serve details and achieve something more than the experience of drinking: unknown ingredients, exotic flavors, presentations that surprise me and elements from other parts of the world. I really like the concept of a Japanese drink called Hibiki because its composition focuses on the sensory. Fortunately, people no longer go to the bar just to get drunk.
What is the essential tool of a perfect mixologist?
Curiosity: because it allows you to discover, learn and make mistakes. Failures are very important to learn to be right in the future, I have always learned because I was wrong.
Is more training needed regarding bartending?
Yes, but unfortunately there is no specific training dedicated to it. You don’t finish high school and go to the bartending university to dedicate yourself solely to studying this trade, bartenders have to earn their respect with their work.
What is your opinion of the cocktail bar in Spain?
Spanish mixologists have all my respect because they are very creative. In addition, in Spain there is a lot of culinary culture and that is perfect because bartenders can adapt to that cuisine.
Would you recommend any cocktail bar?
In Madrid, Salmón Gurú. In Barcelona I love Paradiso, Solange and Boadas. They are wonderful.
What is your favorite cocktail?
The one in my glass.
Is the cocktail industry an industry anchored in the past?
Yes, it is difficult for him to advance. However, right now we are in the golden age, it takes it much more seriously. So I think it is time to get it to grow.
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