Stirring Up a Global Cocktail Odyssey
I’ll never forget the day I embarked on my global cocktail quest. It was the fall of 2019, just before the world as we knew it came crashing down. As a drinks writer based in Philadelphia, I had a thirst for adventure and a longing to discover the cutting edge of cocktail culture worldwide.
Armed with my trusty notebook and an insatiable curiosity, I set out on a 60-day expedition that would take me from Berlin to Beirut, Seoul to Shanghai, and everywhere in between. My mission? To uncover the diverse flavors, techniques, and creative spirits shaping the world of mixed drinks.
As I recounted in my book “Booze Cruise: A Tour of the World’s Essential Mixed Drinks,” the journey was equal parts exhilarating and exhausting – a whirlwind tour of 11 cities, countless bars, and more than a few hangovers. But through it all, I discovered a common thread that united these far-flung cocktail cultures: a palpable sense of optimism and a hunger for new experiences.
The Cocktail as a Passport to the World
From Tokyo to Kyiv, the cocktail scene seemed to be a reflection of the city’s youthful energy and forward-thinking spirit. In places where the cocktail bar was a relatively new phenomenon, I witnessed a palpable excitement among the thirsty masses.
“The cocktail follows social optimism,” I observed. “The places where the cocktail scene is really strong tend to be cities with young populations with their future ahead of them.” It was a revelation that reminded me of the early 2000s in New York and Chicago, when the craft cocktail movement was just starting to gain traction.
But beyond mere mixology, I realized that the cocktail bar had become a unique urban space – a magnet for a certain demographic, a new kind of experience to be savored. In Singapore, for example, the cocktail scene was all about over-the-top showmanship, with drinks served in jewel-encrusted vessels or accompanied by wafts of dry ice.
“For a whole generation of Singaporeans now, they’re going out to a cocktail bar which just wasn’t a space that existed before,” I marveled. “It really helped me understand that cocktails are this really fascinating urban cultural phenomenon beyond just what they are selling.”
Interpreting the Cocktail, From Tokyo to Kyiv
As I traversed the globe, I discovered that each city had its own distinctive approach to the cocktail, reflecting local flavors, history, and cultural trends.
In Tokyo, the cocktail had been seamlessly woven into the fabric of Japanese tradition, with drinks meticulously crafted to evoke a specific sense of place and season. “The cocktail is really part of the experience of the other food and drinks that they consume,” I observed.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, the city’s cocktail scene seemed to be infused with the lingering spirit of the Iron Curtain. “If you were going to party, it better be behind closed doors,” I noted. “They just kept that, and it’s still impossible to find the bars in Kyiv.”
And in Hong Kong, the speakeasy had become a ubiquitous part of the cocktail landscape, a nod to the city’s history and a reflection of its penchant for exclusivity. “For us, the speakeasy was a style that rolled across the country at a very specific time,” I explained. “But I think Asia in general has adopted the speakeasy as part of the DNA of this new type of bar they are experiencing.”
Soju and the Rise of Asian Cocktail Culture
One of the most fascinating aspects of my global cocktail journey was witnessing the rapid rise of cocktail culture in countries that had long been dominated by beer and wine. And nowhere was this more evident than in Asia, where the embrace of the cocktail craft was nothing short of breathtaking.
Take South Korea, for example, where the traditional spirit soju has become a staple ingredient in innovative mixed drinks. As Penelope Bass has noted, the country’s drinking culture is evolving, with a new generation of Koreans exploring the world of cocktails.
“They just serve these over-the-top champion-style drinks that are experiences – opening jewel boxes or wafts of dry ice or bubbles,” I marveled. “They were also obsessed, in a really good way, with re-creating famous Singaporean dishes. I think it is a point of patriotism, like the Nasi Lemak drink emulating a rice dish that I included in the book.”
The Cocktail’s Universal Appeal
As I emerged from my global cocktail odyssey, I was struck by the sheer universality of the cocktail craft. From Berlin to Bangkok, bartenders were exploring new frontiers, pushing the boundaries of what was possible with a simple set of tools – a keyboard, if you will, that people all over the world were eager to play.
“I really felt going around the world that here are some of the best and brightest people in their countries, and they were attracted to cocktails,” I mused. “I think the cocktail and the cocktail bar is a window on the world wherever it is.”
Indeed, the cocktail has become a point of connection, a shared language that transcends borders and brings people together. As one of my bartender friends once told me, “Bartending is the best job because he gets to travel every day. You could be a bartender almost anywhere, and people are coming to your bar from all over the world.”
It’s a sentiment that perfectly encapsulates the magic of the cocktail – a bridge between cultures, a gateway to new experiences, and a testament to the boundless creativity of the human spirit. So, raise a glass and let’s continue to explore the diverse, delightful, and downright dizzying world of global cocktail cultures. Cheers!
