With cocktails on tap a growing trend, we speak with Michael Chiem, Bartender of the Year 2016 and co-owner of PS40 bar in Sydney.
Michael Chiem’s hospitality career began at the age of 16. From waiting on tables in fine dining restaurants and working in fine dining bars, wine bars, nightclubs and small cocktail bars to high volume cocktail bars, he now co-owns PS40, a cutting edge cocktail bar with a commercial soda factory on site. He was recently crowned Bartender of the Year where his winning cocktail was dispensed in a small keg.
He attributes the popularity of cocktails on taps to bars seeking efficiency particularly in high volume bars where fast execution and consistency are important. But PS40 has not gone down that route for these particular reasons.
“We have four taps that are core flavours and one seasonal tap that’s about collaboration and seasonality. We’re looking at prolonging seasonal flavours and adding gas to a drink as a flavour rather than just a method of carbonation. It gives that extra brightness to a drink and the fact that it’s simply executed is a bonus.”
Such as the Pistachio Problem, a punch style tapped cocktail with Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, Mate tea (a traditional South American highly caffeinated black tea), tangelo and pistachio tincture.
“We chose Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum because we wanted to work with Mate tea and it was a matter of choosing the right spirit to match our concept. Often bartenders choose the spirit first then build a drink around it. We choose flavours first. Mount Gay Black Barrel has that extra tannin character from the second maturation in heavily charred ex Bourbon barrels and pairs well with the tea. The drink is brightened with tangelo. Sherry ties in the strong and delicious rum with something acidic like tangelo. Pistachio tincture gives a little nutty characteristic and the fresh lime juice adds freshness to the drink.”
The cocktail is batched cold as close to 1oC as possible with all the ingredients except fresh lime juice. Dilution is factored at around 25-33%, a range where the ice in the drink would almost melt. It’s put on gas for 2 days and the keg is vented to release the head pressure allowing oxygen to escape and CO2 to get pushed through. “It’s a method which gets rid of dissolved oxygen in the cocktail and that adds to shelf life and freshness.”
Tempting as it may be for convenience, Michael does not believe some cocktail should be tapped. “Anything with a perishable product is not recommended. Espresso Martinis have seen a big push on tap, I’m not sure I agree with it or not. It’s a little tricky about how you gas it. The cons outweigh pros, would you rather drink a barista-made coffee or go into a supermarket and buy a coffee in a can?”
Other drinks Michael doesn’t recommend tapping are high ABV carbonated cocktails. “The boozier the drink, the more it sucks in the gas, and the flavours are the gas releasing on tongue. The higher the proof, the less effervescence you’re going to get. Negronis on tap are fine to dispense but carbonated Negronis are a backwards step.”
“There’s a big trend in cocktails on tap at the moment but it takes away from the magic and theatrics behind the bar,” Michael adds. “Sometimes people overuse the tap as well. I think you should do it for a reason and not just for convenience. If it’s adding to the flavour, adding to the drink and making it better, then it’s definitely worth it.”
The Pistachio Punch is now available at PS40.
In partnership with Spirits Platform, distributors of Mount Gay Rum in Australia.
Photo Credit: Philip Mack, used with permission.
