In the final hour of editing, something happened that changed the scope of this month's newsletter.
Just 23 hours prior to publishing, Ulrich Deleuran Steffensen, Manager at Doktor Hermann in Fredericia, posted a note on Facebook. In it, he highlights the familiar first symptoms of stress and burnout, and how he has decided to leave his position in order to proactively take care of them. Not only is it a heartfelt post with much love and respect for his coworkers. In an industry where the collective approach to mental health is still ridden with stigma, it's ballsy as f***k.
For change to be brought about, it's not always a matter of waiting for the big players to make the first move. In fact, to get the game going, all it often takes is one person kicking the ball down the field. Presently, Ulrich's post has 356 likes and 55 comments of love, support and respect for his decision. It just goes to show, bartenders are not oblivious to the virtues of mental health. But are there enough of us voicing it out loud?
When looking at innovation, all researchers agree that one of the biggest obstacle to bringing about transformation is human nature. We're animals of habit. But, arguably, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Once we break out of the false comfort of habits, we'll be better equipped to take actions that goes against human nature. Ulrich Deleuran Steffensen broke with habits of the industry and listened to himself rather than the "herd", and people applauded him for it. Fanny Wandel broke the habits of silence and complacency to bring lasting change to the beer industry. One small step for Ulrich and Fanny, but a much larger step in the right direction for the industry.
Change does take time, however, but sometimes events accelerate the process. The pandemic reminded people of how great it is to go out, and home bartending raised the bar (so to speak) for what counts as a quality drink. Post-COVID, more people are aware of when, what and how they consume alcohol. The recent cocktail week in Aarhus is evident of this, unfolding over two days and attracting thousands of visitors. Although a couple of guys clearly misunderstood the concept and managed to down a couple of Tuborg Classics before sipping straight liquor for three hours, a majority of the visitors we encountered were curious and captivated.
Innovation almost never happens in times of peace. Which is a positive reminder to keep in mind as we reflect on the current sh*t show of a dystopian global drama we all find ourselves co-starring in. When there is an issue at hand, solutions become clearer, or at least are uncovered a lot faster. But if bars are to truly discover new ways for sustainability - both in terms of waste AND in terms of workers wellbeing - it's important to look beyond hospitality industry. To get you started, we tagged along to the nomination round for this year's Danish Design Award, where danish solutions across a range of categories and sectors are honoured for their innovative and human-centric designs. We've linked the article further below, but if you're curious enough, click here and read it now. If you are looking for more hands-on innovation with a direct impact on the industry, then scroll on down to this month's podcast where we talk with former brewer and founder of To Øl, Tobias Emil Jensen, about his new adventure with hyper-accelerating the ageing of spirits. Enjoy!
NEWS AND EVENTS
June 6th/June 7th - Anyone with a love for agave is invited when Jesse Estes from Tequila Ocho land sin Copenhagen. You can either sit down for Monday movie night with Palomas and mezcal popcorn, or join Tuesday Puntas Tasting at Pulp - or do both!
June 12th - The World Class Nordic Finals is taking place at Moltkes Palæ in Copenhagen, where this year, the Artemisia bar opened. Contestants have quite an intense program ahead. For more info and to sign up, check out the event on Facebook.
June 18th - Craft Spirits Berlin is coming to Copenhagen! Gathering local and international craft spirit makers, the CSB is taking over Pumpehuset by Vesterport station to host talks, tastings and presentations on everything from genever to mezcal and fruity snaps. Tickets are 249,- and can be purchased here.
June 30th - Meet The Producers is back again at Kester Thomas. This time, Mika Abouaf, Master Distiller and Owner of Audemus is joining Kester Club to present and elaborate on his Pink Pepper Gin. For more info and to sign up, click here.
PODCAST: Tobias Emil Jensen (EtOH Spirits) on Accelerated Ageing
WARNING!! This episode is for extreme spirit nerds only
Since 2018, EtOH Spirits have been combining theory, science and technology to hyper-accelerate the ageing of spirits. Using innovation as the key motivation, former brewer Tobias Emil Jensen has managed to develop a unique method that according to EtOH themselves is so precise, it eliminates the need of blending.
So, exactly how does one take a year-long process and shorten it to one week? What possibilities follow when you release yourself from the restrictions of traditional spirit categories? And what unique character does chestnut bring to new make? We sat down with Tobias in the EtOH creative office - a shipping container in the north of Copenhagen - to find out.
DROPLETS
The Danish Design Award: There are a lot of problems associated with working in a bar, but what innovative design solutions are out there? Every year, the Danish Design Awards honours design solutions by danish companies, designers and student across a number of categories, including Better Work, Employment Growth and Outstanding Service. Ahead of the announcement of the winners on June 9th, we decided to dive into some of the nominees to see what solutions are available to the bar industry. Read it here.
Vegan Alcohol: Did you know that Kronenburg 1664 is NOT vegan? There's a "health craze" element associated with veganism that often makes bartenders shrug when a person comes to the bar asking for vegan cocktails and/or spirits. As opposed to 10-20 years ago, in these days, it's more likely the person is making an environmental choice rather than a personal health choice. Nonetheless, as a vegan-former-bartender-turned-semi-alcoholic-journalist (try and fit that on the CV), I was delighted to see an old friend of mine from university, Molly Long, write up this piece on Vegan Alcohol for Food Matters Live. Worth reading before the next time you have to give recommendations to your vegan guests.
Worker-owned hospitality venues: “Why is it that in conversations about ‘sustainability’ we talk about vegetables but not about people?” begins this explorative essay in MOLD on the lack of worker-owned co-operative restaurants in the states. Seeing as the co-op ownership is quite prominent in Denmark (from co-op housing to the supermarket chain 'Co-op'), it's remarkable that the system hasn't trickled into our industry. So, why is that? And what benefits might lie within a co-op for both owners and workers alike? Set aside reading time before shift to find out.
The history of grape: MOLD strikes again with a historic and sociological exploration into the cultivation of grapes, from sacred food to modern day natural wines. This article is well worth a read - especially if you are planning to visit Kester Thomas Champagne & Cocktail bar in Copenhagen, home to Denmark's No.1 grape guru, Erwan Le Bonniec.