Liz Cocktails: Tai Barbin's dreamlike journey

With a solid and well-traveled background that has taken him from behind the bar of Australian Iain Griffiths, World's Best Bartender according to 50 Best Bars, to the legendary Calabrese family in London, in addition to having opened several successful bars, Barbin returned to Brazil and revolutionized the country's mixology with various establishments in Rio de Janeiro, finally arriving at his Liz Cocktails, with which he has achieved, among many other awards, being in the Top 10 of Tales of the Cocktails in New Orleans on several occasions, being declared 50 Best Discovery three years in a row, and reaching position 350 in the Top 500 Best Bars in the world (the only Brazilian on the list).

Tai's long journey behind the bar has led him to define a distinct and unique narrative. A literary and fabulous way of showcasing the evocative power of botanicals as they play hide-and-seek with spirits and fantasy. In Barbin's vision—the menu, one for each season—cocktails belong to the holistic realm, forming part of a universe that must be explored in its entirety to grasp the final message, that unknown Kadath to which he aspires. Therefore, each day of the tasting itinerary (a total of nine combinations) is based on a single ingredient, a singular interpretation, whose intensity gradually builds until the story concludes.

The tasting cocktails

Entitled 'O Diário de Liz, a Arte Secreta da Mix Botânica', the newly launched menu, carefully explained in the form of lyrical stories to add multisensory enjoyment to the drink, proposes visiting the forests of Brazil with echoes from the whole world.

The story begins with the 'Açaí', a refreshing and earthy starter cocktail made with the famous Amazonian fruit, Maker's Mark bourbon, camu-camu (an exotic fruit from the Amazon), rice vinegar, and nasturtium leaves. "Açaí tastes like that dream we almost forgot, but that insists on returning," Tai explains.

The second is Cupuaçu (an Amazonian fruit from the cacao family, with a similar flavor but more pulp). It's made with three-year-old Havana Club, the ultra-premium Patrón tequila, pineapple, and lime. Velvety sensations.

Elderflower. It also incorporates St. Germain, the super-top cachaça Magnífico Bica do Alambique; white rum, Aperol, pineapple, passion fruit, Sicilian lemon, yuzu, fennel, green tea, lactose-free whey, and mango bitters. A maddening kaleidoscope of flowers and citrus.

Hibiscus. With Patrón tequila, sake, white vermouth, dry vermouth, Luxardo, bitter oranges, and hibiscus. Intense and floral.

Brioche. One of the most surprising. Magnífico Extra Premium cachaça (in which the brioche is infused) and pear. “Feeling like you’ve never been hugged before; the brioche is the sun disguised as bread,” Tai writes.

Apricot. Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve, Greek brandy, Beefeater, and apricot. Comforting delicacy.

Dill. Beefeater, Absolut, Lillet blanc, dry vermouth, dill, mustard seeds, thyme, and cloves. “Dill is the echo of a garden in the middle of the snow,” Barbin dreams.

Gergelim (sesame). Glenlivet Founder Reserve, Amaro Averna, red vermouth, maple, sesame oil, tahini, the yu (Japanese chilli oil) and salt. Other faces of the sesame.

Yucca. Tiquira (fermented and distilled yucca spirit from Maranhão; formerly the indigenous people used their saliva prior to fermentation to generate sugars), Campari, pineapple, Tahitian lime, coconut, cashew nut, gentian and pixurí (a type of Amazonian nutmeg).

Beyond this journey, Tai also creates micro-seasonal menus (lasting three weeks), right now, 'Botanical Winters', an immersion in bitters.

For classic cocktails, he offers his tinctures at his discretion to personalize them (for example, a dry martini with a touch of mustard).

It also has a small menu with artisan cheeses from Entreserros, burrata from São Paulo, Italian cured meats, gyozas with sriracha mayonnaise…

And one last personal gesture: with the bill, he gives customers a postcard of the place, which he himself puts in the mailbox next to the bar and which, every week, he takes to the post office to be sent.