Last year, the bar team from The Cambridge Public House in Paris caused a stir at BCB for three days with their unique cocktail creations. The Low & No bar was the perfect place to enjoy great drinks with little or no alcohol in a unique pub atmosphere. Together with the well-known Amaro Bar from London, BCB wants to bring the trend theme to Messe Berlin again this year.
“The collaboration with BCB is a great opportunity for us,” says Elon Soddu (below), bar owner of Amaro Bar. “As the largest international bar trade show, it offers a huge platform that can help us to publicise our bar. This bar hotspot at the trade fair is something completely different from a guest shift in a bar or a talk on a stage – so it’s a very exciting challenge for us.”
BCB exhibitors have the unique opportunity to have low & no drinks created by the Amaro Bar team using their products. They can buy in their spirits, liqueurs or mixers at the buy-in bar and the Amaro Bar team will use them to create suitable and unusual drinks that can be sampled on all three days of the show. In this way, BCB visitors will be able to experience the variety of products and possibilities associated with the low & no trend in terms of flavour at BCB and exhibitors will have the opportunity to get unique recipes for their products.
From London to Berlin – Amaro Bar takes over Low & No Hotspot
Located in the Kensington area of London, Amaro Bar combines exceptional service and attention to detail with cosiness and an intimate atmosphere. The bar concept was the brainchild of Elon Soddu, a master of the hospitality industry and former head mixologist at The Savoy. He has over 13 years’ experience in the industry and has spent the last eight years working in the best five-star hotels in London.
In addition to the Amaro Bar, he has also been running a second bar in London, Twice Shy, since last year. He is also surrounded by a talented and motivated bar team, and you can see and feel that they enjoy their job.
Their approach to drinks is quite simple in some ways. “Our drinks are very accessible and easy to understand for every guest. Behind the scenes, however, it gets very modern and extremely specialised,” explains Elon Soddu. The bar team even has two laboratories where they can get creative and apply innovative mixology techniques. All the ingredients used in their drinks are also home-made.
Low & No has also long been an integral part of the bar team’s everyday bar life. Their bestselling cocktails include low creations such as the Mandarin Garibaldi or the Modena Highball with bourbon, strawberry water and balsamic vinegar. But the bar team is also passionate about preparing non-alcoholic drinks.
“It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the low-alcohol category is gaining importance in the industry – particularly in the UK – as people like to drink cocktails that don’t contain too much alcohol,” says Elon Soddu. “However, using low-alcohol or non-alcoholic products in cocktails doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice passion or flavour. It all depends on how the drink is prepared. If it’s made properly, it doesn’t matter whether it contains alcohol, just a little or none at all.”
Bar show premiere for young bar talents
Elon Soddu has made a conscious decision to bring two of his youngest talents from the bar team to BCB: 26-year-old Italian Aurora Fimati and 22-year-old Englishman Gabriel Tucker.
“They both came to the bar about a year ago with very little experience. The reason we hired them in the first place was because they showed that they were motivated and wanted to learn. I am very happy with this decision as they are doing a fantastic job at both Amaro Bar and Twice Shy.”
For this reason, Elon decided to take Aurora and Gabriel with him to Berlin and work with them to bring the Low & No bar at BCB to life. For both newcomers, it is the first bar show they will attend – and as hosts of a three-day pop-up bar at that! Elon, however, has full confidence in his team members: “They are both very excited about this unique opportunity and I know they will do a great job as they work hard and with a lot of passion.”
Bar Convent Berlin will take place from 14 to 16 October at Messe Berlin.
