Episode 075 - Cocktail Menu Development

This time around, we had the pleasure of speaking with Hakim Hamid, who's the beverage director of a really excellent speakeasy-style cocktail bar called "Nocturne" here in DC. We spoke about a new, globe-trotting menu he's recently developed, really taking our time to explore that process. So whether you're contemplating creating a menu for an event you're hosting at your home, or if you're just curious to peer behind the curtain and develop a better understanding about what it takes to develop a spectacular menu, this episode is for you. Some of the topics we cover in this really fun conversation include: How to think about the difference between bartenders, mixologists, and beverage directors, and how Hakim's curiosity and insatiable imagination propelled him into the role of "Beverage Director" at Nocturne. The roles that bar design, vision, and leadership all play in the execution and ultimate success or failure of a cocktail menu. How Hakim started this menu with a single, crucial cocktail that then led him around the world and even permeated his dreams as the menu took shape. The relationship between food and drinks on a cocktail menu and how to go about pairing them with balance and delight. How to think about guests as renewable resources, capitalizing on relationships, rather than volume and high profit margins. Which member of the Expendables to grab a drink with in London And much, much more.