Hotshot London Bartender Marian Beke to Guest at Atmosphere, Jun 27-Jul 1
Having only been open a short two years, Marian Beke's The Gibson bar has already shaken up London's vibrant nightlife scene, becoming a hotly popular venue that snagged the sixth spot on Drinks International's World’s 50 Best Bar Awards 2016. Before that, his bartending helped another of the city's most popular cocktail venues, Nightjar, rank third on the same list. Now the hotshot mixologist is set to win over a swath of Beijing fans, announcing a June 27-July 1 residency at Atmosphere Bar in the CBD.
A couple of years ago, Beke told Lifestyle Asia about the creative process for his cocktail recipes, which have been praised especially for their uniquely elaborate garnishes, one particular fan favorite being orange blossom-smoked candy floss. "I like to compare it to how chefs work with their dishes – there’s a very simple way of cooking where you pay really close attention to details, and there are complex recipes based on days and days of preparation," he said, before going on to describe his other F&B source of inspiration: wine.
Beke began his career years before that, as a boy helping out at his father's wine business, going on to become a sommelier at various hotels and restaurants. But things changed after "a trip to an American-style cocktail bar in Prague when I realized you could do all that and more as a bartender."
He maintained that eclecticism as a bartender, telling The Spirits Business, "most of the inspiration isn’t from other bars but different industries, like chocolatiers, perfumiers, and patisseries. We learn a lot from pastry, like how to shape caramel and make edible straws. We get more ideas from those kind of businesses because bars are all a bit similar these days."
Such varied ingredient ideas can be found in a few of his most popular cocktails at the The Gibson, like the the onion cocktail, made with Tanqueray gin, martini Riserva Rubino, and in-house pickled onion; and the pickled banana daiquiri, featuring Azuki bean liqueur, Bacardi 8, banana chutney, milk oolong, palm sugar, young coconut water, curry leaf, lime, and gold coconut rice.
Beke told Boutique Bar Show that The Gibson's moniker is apt because it's "built on the classic Gibson Cocktail" and heavily incorporates pickled ingredients in all its drinks because said ingredients can "be batched easily, there is very little waste" and, more importantly for customers, "pickling really concentrates and accentuates the flavors and we carry the concept through to small food dishes serving up carpaccio cuts of meat picked up from the nearby Smithfield Market."
With his esteemed rep in one of the world's greatest cocktail capitals, his creative ingredient preparation and his varied sources of F&B inspiration, Beke is sure to be one of the most warmly received guest bartenders to visit Beijing this year.
Knock back one of the famous barkeep's cocktails during his June 27-July 1 residency, and in the meantime, watch him mix up a few cocktails, with various eyecatching tricks, here and here.
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Photos: European Bartending School
