With stints in some of the best bars that Barcelona, New York and Buenos Aries have to offer under her belt, it’s safe to say that London-born mixologist and brand ambassador for William Grant & Sons, Charlotte Voisey knows a thing or two about making a great cocktail.
Hospitality caught up with Voisey while she was in town for the 2015 Top Shelf Boutique Drinks Festival to discuss current and future trends in the global cocktail scene.
Gin has been the flavour of the month in cocktail bars around Australia for some time now. Do you see this trend shifting anytime soon?
No, I think Gin is back and it is here to stay this time. It has rightly be reinstated as The Spirit of the Cocktail.
Are there any cocktail trends that you have seen in the UK and US that you think might make it down to Oz this summer?
Trends enjoyed in the US and the UK right now include bottled cocktails, clarified cocktails, drinks with Mezcal, Rum and Irish Whiskey. Tiki bars are everywhere, also.
Batching cocktails seems to be one of the hottest topics in the bartending scene right now. What is your opinion on the technique? Sure it would dramatically improve efficiencies in a busy bar, but do you think that it compromises on the overall quality of the drink?
Batching cocktails is certainly a trend right now. Many busy bars are taking the smart option to pre-batch the non-perishable elements of a cocktail for example the liquors but not the fresh juices. In this way the quality of the drink is not compromised. If everything is pre-batched you can lose a little of the theatre but batching some of your more complicated recipes is a good move.
We’ve seen the rise of whisky and the rise of gin, which spirit do you think is going to take the spotlight in the not too distant future?
Mezcal or Irish Whiskey!
Which bars do you think are leading the way in terms of Australia’s bartending scene?
Bars like Eau de Vie and the Black Pearl in terms of cocktails. The Baxter Inn for energy and The Barber Shop and Bulletin Place for great service.
What got you into the wonderful world of bartending initially? Can you give a brief timeline of your career thus far?
I started my career with a great restaurant group based in London which took me to Barcelona and Buenos Aires before returning to London to open and manage a cocktail bar called Apartment 195. This is where I focused in on cocktails and mixology. After winning UK Bartender of the Year I travelled for industry events before settling on a move to the USA with William Grant & Sons. I now speak regularly at all the major industry events around the country, consult on cocktails menus and even appear on TV once in a while.
