For the lay people who haven’t heard of Molecular Mixology or Gastronomy yet, they may interpret these as subcategories of food science that use modern ways of cooking food or making drinks while taking advantage of their chemical and physical properties to transform the products into the something with the same components but not fully resembling its original form. Some examples of methods would be spherification, smoking, the use of gels, atomisers, foams, powders, and even the inclusion of inedible substances such as leather and tobacco.
The Hatter’s Group and its few affiliates in the bartending scene in the country, including Pinoytender Management and Savoroso Inc, think that it might be time to introduce Molecular Mixology to the people in the industry here, or at least those who are willing and have the means to invest on the experience. This will be the first event of its kind and we are very excited to share with the local bartenders the principles of Molecular Mixology.
The few pioneers would hopefully continue the work in their respective establishments, conduct their own experiments, and try out more advanced techniques on their own after the workshop. Of course the fee is no joke. That’s because we currently do not have an expert in the Philippines and have to fly one in, provide the workshop attendees with the equipment, ingredients, and a kit for the starter substances that will be used in the processes.
Our guest trainer, Neil Ocampo, the resident “Liquid Chef” from 1 Altitude & Stellar Bar at the Raffles Place in Singapore had trained directly under the proponent of Molecular Gastronomy, Chef FerranAdriá from Spain of the famous elBulli restaurant during one of his workshops in Singapore. He says that he attributes the fundamentals of his techniques to another prominent leader in molecular gastronomy, American chef Grant Achatz. He says that he had started pursuing a career in mixology seriously only 6 years ago, and it has gotten him very far as a Filipino mixologist working overseas. The choice had brought him from studying in the American Bartending School in New York, learning about wine in Chile, whisky in the Macallan Distillery in Scotland, and attending the Elite Bartender Course (JWC) in Singapore, to working in Chicago, Indonesia, Taiwan, and now Singapore, then competing in London for the Gold Drinks International Cocktail Challenge. There is much to learn in the beverage industry, but Neil intends to push the limits further and see how much more can be done with ordinary ingredients in the bar.
Seats for the workshop are limited and cost Php6,500 before the 31st of August and Php7,000 afterwards. Call Danee at 0932 8883215 or visit our website at www.thehattersgroup.com for more information on how to join!
Mixology Goes Molecular with “Liquid Chef” Neil Ocampo
