A ROUND OF APPLAUSE - FOR ALL OF US THAT MADE IT TO HERE
It's been exactly 1 year since I, Miriam Gradel, sent out the first Liquid Matters newsletter. In December 2020, Denmark was on the verge of a second lockdown. One month earlier, hospitality personnel and employers had demonstrated in front of parliament, demanding to be heard. Trying times indeed, for our industry and for the individuals who call it home.
But as industry troubles go, lockdowns might not be the worst ones. They come - but they also go. And in spite of unemployment, denied benefits, relocation and plenty more hiccups, I remained positive for the prospects of our industry.
Then came Spring, and the worst sexism scandal in the known history of the Danish hospitality scene surfaced. First, a renowned industry representative was called out for starting and maintaining a user-heavy Facebook group where the general tone was dominated by sexist, chauvinistic and at times, perverse comments about women and adolescent girls. Many industry peers turned out to be members of this group - and many chose to stay silent.
When the unravelling of the beer industry brought more indecency to the surface, another big local player in the hospitality industry, Mikkeller, was exposed for not handling years of well-known toxic work culture. It took 6 months, a beer protest, the tireless work of online activists, multiple articles and eventually the attention from national media to finally make Mikkeller own up to its shortcomings. Only now we're starting to see some actions for change from the company.
For the women who work or have worked in hospitality, these incidents are outrageous, but not surprising. Rather, it was just one of many great examples of the toxicity that thrives within the industry: A toxicity that has driven not just women away from the craft, leaving the industry in the worst staffing crises in ages. The incidents were supposed to be a wake-up call - If we don't do something now, the toxicity will rot our industry from the inside out.
But no one 'awoke'. Everyone talked about how horrible things were, how much we all realised about life and work in lockdown, and about how things need to change from here. But then everyone continues in the same routines.
This year, what shocked me wasn't the stories that came out. It wasn't the revealing of a toxic work environment that continues to create harm for not just women, but all individuals in the hospitality industry. Rather, it was the reluctance to change; it was a cold shoulder from supposed industry "peers"; it was answering every "this is what we've factually experienced and why we want to make it better" with a "yeah, but...".
Liquid Matters was founded to give a voice to the industry. But in June 2021, I suddenly felt that I myself didn't have a voice within my industry. And so, I had to take a break.
You can't win the game from the sidelines
I am happy to say that Liquid Matters will continue. Everything can be upgraded. How to ensure the best upgrade for this platform is what has kept Liquid Matters from returning sooner. But it is back. There are stories to be told. There are voices to be heard. And if you ask me, we are on the verge of a new era within the Danish cocktail scene.
Early last month, whilst visiting friends in Rome, I came across RIOT STREET BAR in the outskirts of the city. A newly opened bar, I immediately noticed a Nordic style in the serve and bar design. I was convinced the owner, Simone Merolla, had spent time in the Copenhagen bar scene. Surprisingly, he had never worked outside of Rome. But a brief trip to Copenhagen in 2015 had brought him to Atze Peng, where he had been instantly smitten by the industrial bar design and minimalistic cocktails. He had made a clarified, Tzatziki-inspired vodka cocktail that even as a vegan, whisk(e)y devotee absolutely blew my mind.
Later that week, I visited my friends at Mila in Pescara, who had brought their experience from Fiskebaren restaurant in Meatpacking and Lidkoeb cocktail bar back with them. Sipping on a twist on the Rapscallion, I felt like I had entered a surreal realm where Italy and Denmark had melted together in a perfect serve.
It just goes to show that Denmark, in spite of its petit size, continues to punch above its weight. How we got to this point is the focus of this month's podcast conversation with 2-time Danish World Class winner, Hardeep Rehal. Last month, he spoke at Bar Convent Berlin about the mindset that pushed Denmark onto the cocktail map, and this month, he talks to me about the reasons how we came to hyper-accelerate innovation in cocktails at home and beyond - and what needs to happen in order for the current stagnation to end.
NEWS AND EVENTS
Lille Fortun, the latest star in the Ruby-Brønnum-Lidkoeb constellation, recently opened its doors in Lyngby, north of Copenhagen. From the central station, it's a direct journey with the S-train, so we really don't have any more excuses to not go and check it out!
Force Majeure in Aarhus is converting the shop space into a 14-seater bar during certain nights. Drinks are chilled, music is banging, the spirits are enticing and with owner Mads Scheck at the sticks, service is bound to be on top.
Nimb Bar recently delivered a super interesting exploration into the sensory experience of cocktails. Around 70% of how we experience flavour is through the nose, yet bartenders rarely go beyond the garnish to tailor the cocktail experience. The event at Nimb, Tanqueray Top Notes, had guests choose between three disclosed cocktails based on the scent they found most intriguing. Like a bloodhound on the search for game, or a pig on the hunt for truffles, we dived in. Each scent had been developed to represent the cocktail, not the other way around. Fortunately, the drinks were superb, rounding off a pretty darn interesting experience! Hopefully, we'll see more to the sensory side of cocktail pairings in the future.
Nørrebro is the world's coolest neighbourhood, and resident bar The Barking Dog was recently named one of the top 10 best tequila bars in the world.
Curfew's new location is absolutely stunning, and we highly recommend you go and ring the doorbell - if you can find it.
Nominations for the annual Bartender's Choice Awards is underway. But more importantly, great efforts have been made to update this year's jury to be more inclusive and representative of the industry. Women now make up 25% of the jury as compared to just 6% beforehand. The award show won't take place until January, but as we enter December darkness and COVID high season, that's probably for the best.
CHECK THEM OUT!
After a complete remodel, the space beneath the old restaurant Peder Oxes Kælder is now equipped with a new bar and dance floor. Former Ruby bartender, Sophie Jaquet, is behind the menu - and the party!
JoJo on Vesterbro serves extremely high-quality, low-priced cocktails - from tap!? Empirical approves, which, if you ask us, is always a pretty good mark for quality control.
Strøm Bar just released an absolute banger of a menu, including the Monkey 47 winning cocktail, La Revance du Cassis. The bar is also the only place you will be able to taste the 48 botanicals distiller's cut, but if you find yourself in Aarhus, Gedulgt is having a raffle where the lucky winner will get a bottle to take home.
Pavillon Averre has managed to create an intimate space for enjoying flavoursome cocktails in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Torvehallerne in the centre of Copenhagen.
Copenhagen-based writer and bartender, Lena Hunter, perfectly unfolds the narrative around the Mikkeller scandal in her article for The Copenhagen Post. If you still aren't aware of what's going on, this is to date the best overview of key happenings, interactions and events.
If you find yourself in Aarhus, do swing by Barstart! Slightly hidden, this cosy little bar has a surprisingly good selection of spirits. But more importantly, the staff are humble, friendly and passionate about what they do.
PODCAST: HARDEEP REHAL on DANISH DRINKS: A Lasting Ethos?
Design is an integral part of Danish society. From LEGO up until how urban planning shapes our cities today, design and design thinking is what continues to link our internal mindset with our global influence.
In 2004, it manifested itself in the food scene with the New Nordic manifesto, soon spilling over into the cocktail scene. Today, the Nordic style is pushing cocktail bars across the world in new directions and decentralising our industry by giving bigger attention to local ingredients, sustainability and human-centric approaches.
How did a lack of food culture and tradition push Copenhagen onto the cocktail map? And has the New Nordic become our shackle of tradition? Listen below:
DROPLETS FROM THE INTERNET
This article on the counterintuitive forms of addiction, and how to solve them is a great read for managers and change-makers. It's an interesting exploration that goes beyond addiction to substances and outlines how addictive behaviour is keeping us from finding better solutions to pressing issues, like lack of resources and climate change. If we want to change things for the better, we need to first break the addiction.
Jungle CPH brings you insider stories from the Copenhagen food scene, sometimes spilling over into the bar industry. Curated by chefs, baristas and sommeliers, it's a nice, personal and intimate portrayal of some pretty awesome humans and their places.