FROM THE BARLIST JOURNAL
Bars and Cocktails
The transformation of the modern bar did not begin with centrifuges or laboratory glassware. It began earlier, when cocktail preparation first shifted from improvisation to standardization. By the mid-20th century, hotel bars such as the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London had already introduced repeatable methods for drinks like the Martini and the […]
April 8, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
In 2013, a small basement bar opened in Hoxton, London, that removed what most bartenders considered essential. At White Lyan, there was no ice behind the bar. No citrus. No fresh garnishes. Cocktails were not built during service. They were designed, batched, and stabilized in advance. Founded by Ryan Chetiyawardana, the bar introduced a system […]
April 6, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
On a narrow stretch of East 13th Street in Manhattan, a restaurant opened that resisted definition from the beginning. Momofuku Ssam Bar did not present itself as a fixed concept, but as part of the expanding ecosystem of Momofuku. Under the direction of David Chang, it quickly moved beyond that role, becoming a space where […]
April 4, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
Cocktail menus are rarely just a list of drinks. It functions as a structured system that shapes how guests navigate choice, often before any interaction with a bartender begins. Through layout, naming, pricing, and categorization, menus guide attention and reduce uncertainty, influencing decisions in ways that feel intuitive rather than directed. Across modern bar culture, […]
April 2, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
Few cocktails have achieved the cultural permanence of the Martini. Yet the Martini did not become a global benchmark through private clubs or neighborhood taverns alone. It was within the Savoy Hotel, Waldorf Astoria, Dukes Bar, and Harry’s Bar that the Martini evolved from a fashionable drink to an international standard. The Martini Standard emerged […]
March 30, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
Late afternoon in Barcelona does not fade quietly. It shifts. Shutters rise halfway, terrazas fill, and small stemmed glasses catch the last amber light of the Mediterranean sun. Before dinner begins, before nightclubs pulse in El Raval, another ritual unfolds across the city. Vermouth is poured over ice, garnished with an orange slice or olive, […]
March 29, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
The Bloody Mary originated in the early 1920s at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. Fernand Petiot, the bartender often credited with its creation, first experimented with a mix of tomato juice and spirits to produce a savory, balanced cocktail. Early versions included a combination of tomato juice, vodka, a hint of black pepper, and […]
March 4, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
A ringing telephone inside a New York hot dog shop opens a concealed door. A narrow staircase in Shoreditch descends into candlelit jazz. An unmarked façade in Singapore reveals one of Asia’s most awarded cocktail programs. These are not acts of evasion but of design. The rise of Speakeasy 2.0 marks a shift from prohibition […]
March 2, 2026
Bars and Cocktails
World Bartender Day 2026 is observed on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, honoring the professionals who shape global drinking culture through craft, hospitality, and technical discipline. While widely recognized within the bar community, the day has increasingly gained mainstream visibility as cocktail culture continues to expand across continents. Bartending today extends far beyond mixing drinks. It […]
February 24, 2026
