Constantinos Kazelis is bringing the Cuba Libre back evolved. His cocktail, for Bacardi Legacy competition 2018, is called “Back in Black” and is a memoir to evolution, through hard (and overall smart) work.
Back in Black is a memoir/ode to evolution, through hard (and overall smart) work. Starting off as a preps guy at Lost + Found Drinkery back in 2014, as an individual, Constantinos Kazelis always tries to give his 100% at what he does. One day he got the chance to spectate 2 of his mentors, Dinos Constantinides and Andreas Sanidiotis, participate in Bacardi Legacy and that’s when he fell in love with Bartending as a general concept (and not just a profession).
“Going through mostly all of the positions of an establishment, with the calibration of Lost + Found, i realised that if you work hard and smart you evolve and that pays off. It’s a simple yet powerful feeling” describes Kazelis and continues: “Simple yet powerful has a liquid representation tho, it’s called Cuba Libre and it happens to be one of my favourite drinks. It’s simple because you can pretty much find it in any establishment that sells alcohol and it’s powerfully charged through emotions of celebration, patriotism and hard work. Bacardi Legacy is a competition that want’s a “piece” of you. You have to be true and original in order to create your Legacy. It’s not just how your drink tastes like it’s also what it stands for. Why Back in Black? The answer is a bit complex and nerdy: According to science a perfectly white surface reflects away all light and absorbs none of it. On the other side black according to physics is the perfect for absorbing light and by thermodynamic rule the best to emit it. So if metaphorically speaking “light” in knowledge then black has absorbed any light that it came in to contact with and can now emit. This is why Black. Colour Black is a statement of evolution.
In other words, Constantinos Kazelis is bringing the Cuba Libre back evolved. He took Coca-Cola out of the equation and created a drink that for 2018 is still as simple and tastes as good as it’s “prototype”. Read the recipe below:
Back in Black
- 45ml Bacardi Carta Blanca
- 15ml Amaro liqueur ( Averna or Ramazzotti or Montenegro)
- 15ml Simple Syrup (1:1)
- 15ml Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 dash Aromatic Bitters (Angostura or Dr. Adams Brokers, or Bitter Truth Aromatic)
- Top up with tonic water
Garnish: Lime Skin
Method: Built
Glassware: Highball/Collins