THE TASTE
Barchef COCKTAILS ON FIRE by
Dave Gordon | photos Leanne Nuefeld
F
rankie Solarik’s not only lit cocktails on
For me, the idea is to truly evolve the experience.
fire, but also introduced frozen carbon
It’s fusing modern and progressive, contemporary
dioxide and hydrosols to ordinary alcoholic
approach that you find in “molecular gastronomy
beverages … to make them extraordinary.
kitchens”. And it’s evolved into this totally new
These and other eye-opening experiments have
genre, completely challenging that, 'Is it a dish
made Solarik, and his avant garde concoction
because you eat it with a spoon, or is it a cocktail
creations, the subject of a global buzz. He’s
because there is alcohol involved?'
received consultation requests from as far away
Our approach is so involved making everything
as Syria and Dubai, and he has won acclaim in
in house with infusions, syrups, and bitters. All of
New York Times, National Post, CBC and CNN,
our bitters at the bar age for a minimum of three
as well as having a guest judge spot on The Food
months
Network's Top Chef Canada. pie:
Eating a cocktail with a spoon. Tell me about one
Patrons to BarChef, which he co-owns, come to
or two of them.
be dazzled by the spectacular presentations – the
solarik:
sights, sounds, smells and taste of cocktails like
Ontario Strawberry’ which was a celebration of
they’ve never had before.
Ontario’s strawberries for the season.
Pie caught up with Solarik to find out more…
I came across a service piece that really was - it
It began with a concept called ‘The Chilled
almost looked like a coupe glass, but it also was a pie:
What is your goal with these drink creations?
solarik:
I’m very passionate about the idea of
bowl. I was like, ‘Okay, so, someone could perceive this as a glass, and also someone could perceive this
creating a new standard of what’s possible with
as a bowl. So, why don’t I create a ‘cocktail’ that
drinks, a new perspective as to what’s possible. My
would challenge that genre?’
goal is to create a new genre in the world of food
It was a strawberry gin base, and there was an
and drink.
edible component of balsamic and lavender, there
pie:
was violet component as well, and roasted black
What inspired you to take these challenges?
solarik:
It was the idea of refusing to be limited by
pepper.
the confines of a glass. Who’s to say that it needs to
I’m working on expanding on that perspective of a
go in a standard rock glass, or a traditional coupe
cocktail being presented in a bowl.
glass? 32 PIE DIGEST