Around the World of Cocktails with Sidecar

As drinks specialists, staying on the pulse of global drinks culture is an integral part of our work crafting strategic brand stories and cut-through creative for some of the world’s best drinks brands. And that explorative instinct doesn’t stop while we’re on vacation. In celebration of World Cocktail Day, travel with us through some of Sidecar’s favorite cocktails from all over the world.

Michelle, Director of Operations

Destination: Tokyo, Japan

The Drink: Off-Menu at Bar BenFiddich

At No. 37 of The World's 50 Best Bars in 2023, Bar BenFiddich is such a unique bar. First, the space itself. It is on the 9th floor of a fairly nondescript building and when you step inside, it feels like you are in a cavernous tree trunk. It is moody and warm, with botanicals, wood, and animal figurines adorning the space. The bartender, Hiruoyasu Kayama, loves experimenting — he has a farm just outside Tokyo where he grows ingredients and he travels around the world to find new techniques and flavors, leading to a lot of homemade spirits, wormwood, and elixirs — things you can't make at home which is what I love.

It is a no-menu bar. You just tell the bar staff what tastes you would like. We had a number of cocktails, but the one that particularly stood out was a drink made with mezcal, Lillet, Campari, crème de cacao, and coffee-infused water. It had a simple presentation (this bar has a delightful collection of vintage-style glassware), but a unique, well-balanced and nuanced flavor.?

Drew, Co-Founder?

Destination: Méribel, France

The Drink: The Tiki Rafiki from Copi?a

For some reason, I have always found it tricky to find world-class cocktails on the slopes…but Copi?a in Méribel was an après ski revelation! Brilliant, ambitious flavours, and meticulously made by lovely people [shout out to Rhys]. Every one of the cocktails was delicious, but the Tiki Rafiki from our first visit has become folklore in my family — Gosling's Black seal, Havana Club Three Year, falernum, rhubarb syrup, cranberry and lime, topped with a huge caramelised marshmallow. Stunning.?

With another bar in Courchevel, Copi?a are firmly intent on breaking into the ‘World’s 50 Best Bars.’ They get my vote.

Darby, Account Executive

Destination: Puerto Carrillo, Costa Rica?

The Drink: Chiliguaro

While in Costa Rica, my family and I had the chance to see a traditional Costa Rican spirit called Guaro be locally fermented and distilled. Guaro is made from fermented sugarcane known as aguardiente, which translates to “water that burns.” Combine that with tomato juice, any kind of hot sauce, and lime juice, and you've got yourself an electrifying jolt to the system — chiliguaro.?

The feeling you get as the shot glass of bright red-ish madness is set down in front of you can range from dread to exhilaration. But once you drink it, it’s all exhilaration. Literal warmth, a slew of silly grins, and a pep in your step / dancing will likely ensue each time. These things go down easy, almost like doing shots of Bloody Mary but swap the vodka for guaro.?

Priya, Junior Designer

Destination: Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Drink: Jenever at Dutch Courage

The Dutch love their Jenever! The distilled spirit is made from malt spirit (“moutwijn”), juniper berries, and botanicals. It’s colloquially known as “the missing link between Gin and Whiskey,” but exists in a category all its own. Jenever hosts a myriad of subcategories, but the three basic types are “Jonge” (young), “Oude” (old), and “100% Moutwijn” (malt-wine) Jenever. “100% Moutwijn” is most similar to Scotch Whisky and is mixed with no other neutral spirit. This is the most “authentic” type of Jenever, as all Jenever was 100% Moutwijn distilled in pot stills until column stills were introduced at the end of the 1800s. I tasted all three types, and our menu had a little cheat sheet that helped us decipher the similarities and differences. For sipping, my personal favorite was the Oude Jenever! It was barrel-aged and tasted almost exactly like bourbon. However, I also tried a delicious savory cocktail with Wynand Focknick Rogge Jenever, a 100% Moutwijn Jenever.

Fun Fact: a light beer, such as a Pilsner, and a small shooter of Jenever, is known as a “Dutch Serve” (their beer and shot combo)!

Jenna, Account Director?

Destination: Prague, Czech Republic

The Drink: The Blue Blazer at Anonymous Bar?

Anonymous Bar is one of three concepts in Prague from the group "Anonymous Concepts." With a nod to V for Vendetta, the places give ‘mystery’ and ‘secretive’ entirely different meanings. Finding Anonymous Bar was a challenge on the cold fall evening we visited. A heavy, unmarked, wooden door left ajar lead to a very dark courtyard, and…I won't say any more.?

We enjoyed every moment of our time at Anonymous Bar. The cocktails are imaginative and superbly executed. We were barely able to tear ourselves away to head to our next stop. If you ever find yourself in Prague, consider it a must-visit. And don’t make plans to go anywhere after. You won't want to leave—that's IF they let you...

Andrew, Strategy Director?

Destination: Chicago, USA

The Drink: Mal?rt at a Halloween-themed pop-up bar

Mal?rt's "love to hate it" reputation had certainly preceded it and, as a Brit in town for two nights, I needed to experience my first Mal?rt. As is tradition, I was surrounded/mobbed by proud Chicagoans ready to see my face go pale and crease-up like an angry ghost. Maybe even go full Mal?rt-breathing monster and spit it out. This pressure to perform, the drink's infamy, and being in a place that felt like the armpit of Halloween itself—it was a true "Trick or Treat" experience. And faced with that pressure I can imagine lots of people would play up to it. Screw-up their faces. Shower their glaring colleagues with the gruesome potion. But not this socially refined (/awkward) Brit. I put toil and trouble to one side and took a good swig.?

And...................It was ok.

Did I love it? Absolutely not. But did I hate it? Far from it. On reflection I think the proud culture of Mal?rt as an "acquired taste" of Chicago has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Exaggerating its grotesqueness for reactions, which in turn makes those reactions stronger and stronger. It's like a reverse survival of the fittest. Survival of the worstest. Which, based on Mal?rt's local reputation, certainly seems to be working.

Liz, Managing Director and Partner?

Destination: Lake Louise, Banff, Canada.?

The Drink(s): The Mediterranean Tonic and Seedlip Grove at Fairmont Banff Springs

The terrace bar at my hotel on Lake Louise had a creative “What to Drink When You’re Not ‘Drinking’” menu fully catered to non-alcoholic “gin” and tonic cocktails featuring Seedlip and Fever-Tree. Guests have the option to mix and match N/A spirits, tonics, and garnishes to build their own cocktail perfectly suited to their tastes. For my cocktail, I chose the Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic featuring rosemary and lemon-thyme, the Seedlip Grove with a citrus-forward flavor, and a blueberry and thyme garnish.?

It was delicious, but there’s no doubt that the stunning views of Lake Louise and the turquoise waters made it taste exponentially better.