Introducing Woitek our in-house mixologist
September 9, 2014
A hideout with a twist
Dublin is a city with a constantly growing and evolving culture. We’re lucky to live in a city with such emphasis on the arts, in food and more recently in cocktails. More than ever, we’re spoilt for choice as well.
When you think about it a casual stroll through the city centre will lead you through the doors of some fine bars and restaurants, introducing you to some bartenders with serious talent.
Yes, we like to drink in Dublin, but that’s not to say that everyone loves to lose control seven nights a week. Here, drinking is about socialising. We go out after work to catch up with a friend, relax over a slightly longer than usual lunch, and generally just take a load off with a glass of something lovely in hand.
In recent months, the trend is to relax with a hand crafted cocktail in hand, laboured over by a fantastically talented bartender who’s spent their fair share of time perfecting the recipe and technique. In fact, gone are the days when a ‘cocktail’ turns out to be some pre-mixed fluid dumped hastily into a glass of crushed ice. We’ve entered the era of mixologists, and what an era it is.
More than a few watering holes to choose from!
Take just a moment to think about your favourite place to go for a cocktail.
Perhaps The Liquor Rooms, The Exchequer or Opium come to mind immediately. But what about Brasserie Sixty6?
You know us and love us for our American style menu, our famous rotisserie chicken and our boozy Sunday brunches, but do we strike you as a cocktail heaven? If your immediate answer isn’t yes then don’t answer yet, just read on.
You may be someone who already knows a bit about what goes on behind our bar, but if you were shocked by the last sentence, you should know that at Brasserie66 we take cocktails seriously.
The man behind the bar
We have an extensive cocktail list designed by our resident mixologist Wojtek. He’s the youngest member of our family, joining Brasserie66 just over a year and a half ago, but in that time he’s helped us build one of the biggest, most colourful cocktail lists in town.
Wojtek started working behind the bar at the Morrison Hotel nine years ago and was immediately recognised for his talent and intuition behind the bar. Within a year he entered the Brinkman Beverages cocktail competition and placed second in the freestyle category, an impressive start for this young barman.
That competition, however, was just the beginning; Wojtek quickly began working on refining his palate, experimenting with different flavours and discovering the subtle nuances of various spirits that he’d later come to master.
After years of taking part in various master classes and entering other competitions for the fun of it, he landed in Brasserie66 and changed the way our bar works.
At the time, Dublin’s cocktail culture hadn’t hit its height, and it was Wojtek’s passion that brought about the vast expansion of our cocktail list that we think helps us compete with some of Dublin’s finest bars.
For Wojtek, working behind the bar is synonymous with expression. He’s got booze on the brain, consistently creating new recipes, twisting classics and putting his touch on each drink.
When asked about his favourite drink, he names a classic old fashioned. “In Dublin now, people judge bars based on how well they do an old fashioned. It’s a classic, but it seems like it’s the drink everyone has got in their hands.”
Everybody loves a well-made old fashioned, that’s true, but Wojtek also likes to play with sweet spirits, like 42-Below’s passion fruit or manuka honey infused vodka, as well as being a great lover of sour and bitter flavours.
“I like to work with flavours people night not immediately think of, trying out different ingredients to make something special,” he says as he shakes a round of Gin with Passion for a group of eager customers. “The colours can be really inspirational too. I have a background in graphic design, so I think I’m always trying to make things that will stand out.”
Whether mixing up one of his signature creations or producing a fine rendition of a classic, Wojtek brings an unmistakeable passion to the bar.
Somewhere you mightn’t expect to end up
And though he’s quickly become a part of the family, Brasserie66 is a bit of a departure from the structured bar he was trained in. Here, we like to take our time, approaching service with a relaxed style that lets us interact with our guests.
For Wojtek, this means that behind our bar he’s free to really engage with customers, to find out what they like and to show them the Brasserie66 take on it.
Wojtek and our other dedicated bar staff have worked hard to produce a cocktail list to inspire all, from casual sippers to cocktail connoisseurs. Our list changes with the seasons, incorporating only the freshest ingredients.
So, next time you’re strolling through town looking for a unique little libation, stop by and try out one of Wojtek’s hand crafted cocktails. You might just be surprised to find Brasserie66 will become your new cocktail hideout in town.