Maximalist cocktails are back as bartenders go beyond garish to create ‘something special’

After years of minimalist, pared-back cocktails, maximalism is back. Drinkers are looking for more than just a simple serve, and bartenders are dreaming up bold colour palettes, layered flavours, oversized garnishes, theatrical glassware and playful twists on classic drinks. The trend harks back to the “really out there” drinks service of the ’90s, says Hannah Sharman-Cox, co-founder of The Pinnacle Guide, which rates cocktail bars around the world with a “pin” system. “It’s a little bit like that era’s grown-up cousin has taken the reins – more decadent luxury rather than garish waste,” says Sharman-Cox. “Even the simple martini is starting to get more elaborate garnishes – big pickles, colourful cornichons – and we’re here for it,” she adds. Mason Park, the general manager at Alice Cheongdam, in Seoul, South Korea, agrees that today’s maximalism takes a more thoughtful approach. In the past, it was about flashiness and “prop” garnishes. The focus now, he says, is on the flavour impact, as well as sight, touch and smell. There is also thought given to environmental sustainability, according to Siobhan Payne, The Pinnacle Guide’s other co-founder. “Garnishes are increasingly designed to be edible or reusable, so we’re seeing more elaborate partnerships between the bar and the kitchen to create something delicious that truly complements the cocktail,” she says. For Park, creative, attention-grabbing drinks also fuel and sustain the art of mixology. “We work with so many elaborate elements and get so many ‘wow’ reactions from customers when we serve them, we believe that this maximalism – making these fun cocktails – actually plays a role in sustaining the profession of bartending itself,” he says. Especially at a time when people are more cautious with their money, the industry needs to level up to give them a reason to visit bars – “not just for the simple experience of enjoying the night, but also to get something completely different”, says Emanuele Pedrazzani, head bartender at Nightjar, an underground bar in London. At Alice Cheongdam, which takes its inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the signature cocktail is Foggy Fongo, a riff on the book’s famous depiction of a caterpillar smoking a pipe on top of a mushroom. Served in a smoky, mushroom-shaped glass, the cocktail is built on bourbon, frankincense and palo santo (a Peruvian wood), with macadamia and hazelnut, as well as artichoke, sherry and the prized pine mushroom. “We extract the aroma from pine mushrooms using glycerine, and then we infuse that mushroom fragrance into the cocktail as smoke,” Park says. The cocktail also features a truffle cookie, which can be accessed by opening the 3D printed mushroom-shaped cap. “You can think of it as a cocktail that offers an experience where you eat and drink together,” Park says. On the other side of the world, Nightjar has the elaborately presented Beyond the Sea cocktail, served in a giant shell. It is loosely inspired by the Salty Dog (gin or vodka and grapefruit juice with a salty rim), with a combination of gin, fino sherry with kombu seaweed, shiso leaves, limoncello, absinthe and grapefruit, finished off with a briny foam to evoke sea spray, and an olive. It is an immersive experience, and it is hard to know where to start. “From one of the narrow ends!” Pedrazzani quips. He says he loves to make customers laugh – “to create some sort of connection” – and he jokes that in this case, sometimes they do not listen and the drink ends up all over them. At the Bon Vivants craft cocktail bar in Nassau, the Bahamas, experience is everything. If you order the Mama Maggie, the fruity mix of coconut rum, passion fruit liqueur, hibiscus, mango, lime and orange juice will be delivered to you in a photogenic porcelain pig topped with colourful fresh flowers. “When it comes to these types of drinks, customers want something they can post,” says Niko Imbert, Bon Vivants’ senior vice-president of hospitality. They also want to see you put care and effort into the product, he adds. “It’s just like a culinary experience in my opinion. If I see someone taking their time to create something special for me, I’m very thankful for it.” To up your maximalist cocktail game at home, Imbert says, consider using vintage and unusual glassware, bar tools, garnishing, glitter or even a cocktail smoker. “Just don’t go overboard, right?” says Jose Maria Donde, beverage manager and head mixologist at The Bedford Stone Street in New York. He creates a theatrical take on the Paloma, the Rey Bucanero (Spanish for “King Buccaneer”). Alongside the traditional tequila and grapefruit, it contains rum, elderflower, cacao liqueur and yuzu, and is garnished with shiso leaf “waves” and an orchid flower. At home, Donde suggests, start with something “that’s going to make you feel good and looks nice”, and add to it later as needed.

Maximalist cocktails are back as bartenders go beyond garish to create ‘something special’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Seoul to London to New York, bars buck the minimalist trend with boldly flavoured, classy drinks that create a multisensory experience

From Seoul to London to New York, bars buck the minimalist trend with boldly flavoured, classy drinks that create a multisensory experience