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SB meets… Jean Trinh, Alquímico
Greek brand Mataroa recently partnered with Alquímico for a takeover at Avra bar. Here, the bar’s owner shares his thoughts on the collaboration.
You own one of the best bars in the world – what is that like?
Last year we won World’s Best Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation’s Spirited Awards, and we were awarded ninth place at The World’s 50 Best Bars.
Winning awards is a responsibility because you transmit values to the next generation of bartenders, the hospitality world and your community. For me, this is the most important thing: transmitting values and spreading respect. When I talk about respect, I mean respecting all the different faces of our industry: the guests, the brands, the suppliers – everyone.
I always say that the more awards you win, the more humble you need to be and prove your worth every night.
How was your experience of Greece?
I really love Greece. It is my second time here and I love Greek hospitality – for me, it’s natural hospitality. I am very surprised by the quality of the ingredients, the culture, the environment and the ambience in the venues. I’m surprised by the level of research and development (R&D) and what the industry is doing in Greece. I’m also impressed by the quality and quantity of good venues with good drinks, but also with good food – a combination that is very rare.
The hospitality in Greece is more inclusive (in terms of welcoming everyone all day long) than exclusive (not only at night as a cocktail bar). This is what I think we should do everywhere in the world: make hospitality more democratic.
For the takeover at Avra, you worked with Mataroa MDG and Mataroa Happy to create signature cocktails. Did you get the results you hoped for?
When we do this kind of collaboration with a product from far away, it’s not so much about the spirit but more about the culture and history behind it. This is always interesting. The challenge is to understand how the brand makes the spirit and where it comes from.
We’ve been here for days, so we had the opportunity to taste local food and understand what kinds of flavours the locals like. Mataroa worked perfectly with our creations, as we savoured the Mediterranean flavours that we discovered this week in Greece.
Greece has come a long way in the spirits industry in the past few years. What is your opinion on Greek spirits in general?
The Greeks, like all great civilisations, have always had a strong cultural history with hand-crafted food products, design and a high level of R&D in many sectors. The knowledge of local produce is a huge advantage for Greece. You can feel the desire to explore local products, which is fascinating. It has indeed evolved a lot in the past few years, and it is great to see how they preserve and work to highlight local ingredients.
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