Page 34 - July Hawaii Beverage Guide

Bar TalK
greaT Wall
Kyle Tran, Beverage direcTor, liBrary of disTilled spiriTs, neW yorK
By alia akkam
Kyle Tran, an alum of Chicago hit The Aviary, is Beverage Director at the new Library of Distilled Spirits—Dushan Zaric of Employees Only fame is a partner—inside the Hyatt Union Square Hotel New York. Here, a heady collection of 1,000 different spirits is illuminated in a bespoke 16-by 20-foot oor-to-ceiling library wall.
Beverage Media group: What was the motivation behind such a staggering range of products?
Kyle Tran: The decision to pursue this project was a combination of wanting to build an academic resource as well as provide a haven for hospitality. The spirits geek in me is excited to be part of a place that references the varying distilled spirits throughout the world. For the cocktail bartender, this gives us more ingredients to work with. Chefs have a belief: ‘He who dies with the biggest pantry wins.’ The ‘hospitalian’ in me is happy to be able to say yes to almost any request for spirits. Rare Japanese whisky? We got you. Some Aguardiente to bring you back to the month you spent backpacking through South America? Coming up.
BMg: All of the bar’s offerings are found in a hefty encyclopedia. This might be overwhelming for some customers. How do staff aid their exploration?
KT: To help guests through the list, we have to gauge their knowledge level without information overload or dumbing
it down. You want to get to
know who is sitting in front of
you. It helps to know what they
already enjoy. From there you
take it a step out of that bubble.
This helps them move toward
trying new things in a controlled way. If you introduce something too obscure and geeky right off the bat, you run the risk of the guest creating a negative memory of that particular spirit.
BMg: Every guest sparks a different dialogue.
KT: It is a uid and natural process. There is no script. We treat everyone as an indi- vidual that we have to learn more about. People want to feel special, not just an- other seat that adds to the cover count. Hospitality is a freeform art, and no two situations are the same.
BMg: Cocktails, of which you are showcasing some 150, are one route to making many of these spirits more accessible to some. Is this why there is a focus on classics like the Gimlet and Sazerac?
KT: The classics are the base of how we got to where we are in modern-day cocktail culture. They are a piece of his- tory. We have a responsibility to preserve these gems.
BMg: Of the staff signatures, which are making a splash?
KT: The Western Addition is something I usually see on every other table. We paired
“Hospitality is a freeform art, and no two situations are the same.”
tequila with sparkling sake, rhubarb and Madagascar peppercorn. It does well for these warm summer nights.
BMg: Staff training here must be especially demanding. What are some of the highlights of the process?
KT: There is a major emphasis on un- derstanding the raw materials, produc- tion methods, history and regional styles. From there, they start to learn how a particular house chooses to do things. We hold regular classes that cover a specific spirit with tastings to understand how processes lead to the flavors and aromas you experience in your glass. Up until the opening, we had a rigorous curriculum creating a foundation for further education. The goal is not to provide answers but to ask more questions and start a dialogue about a subject. No one in this build- ing claims to be an expert, but we are inquisitive. ■