The Bar Review #2

Back to essentials. A dialogue in liquid form, served at Combo Bar. 

Vienna. Wednesday. A day in the week that sparks a bit more enthusiasm. Weekend is close and spring is just around the corner. Still, a drink would be a perfect reward for the day. 

I’m heading to Obermullnerstrasse no 17, in the second district. Finally, I’m at Combo Bar. 

I leave my bags and all my noisy thoughts on a chair. I ask for a glass of water.

(left) “Mimicry”  – dill, yogurt, citrus cordial; (right) front wall in Combo Bar. Photos by Silvia Iacobescu

In front of me, a playful display of two rooms, flowing one into another. 

“The Heart of the Bar” is built around a beautiful terrazzo counter. It is a room calling for conversation, with vivid atmosphere setting the scene for about six guest tables.

The second room lures you into a dark blue space with nordic vibes. Clearly a more intimate space, confined by dim light. Here, the glass in my hand becomes more in focus, the wooden table, smoother to the touch and I’m drawn instantly by the globes of light, hanging from the ceiling. All details surrounding you become more important.

The third room, hidden to the guest’s eye, is where the magic happens. Magic that I feel, it would be unjust not to speak about. Every cocktail in the menu has a geeky story happening in this room, that you will not hear if you do not ask. And I do not believe it is an act of modesty coming from the people behind the bar but rather a manifesto “No stories, no decoration, just ice-cold. At Combo we serve flavour raw and neat.”

The main character in the room, a RotoVap used mostly to extract flavours from delicate herbs. On the wall an erasable board, there to support the daily agenda. I have the unmistakable feeling of being in a Chemistry laboratory: „The Brain of the Bar“

(left to right) The Heart and The Brain of the Bar (1st and 3rd room). Photos by Silvia Iacobescu 

I have the pleasure to talk with one of the owners, Lukas. Dialogue is simple and straightforward. Towards the end of our talk, he mentions studying Landscape Architecture. Then I realise with one quick all-around look: Combo Bar carries a lot from Lukas perception of structure, textures and spaces. A clean, almost mathematic approach of a landscape.

(left to right) “Mimicry”  – Cocktail Phases. Photos by Silvia Iacobescu

This was enough to set my expectations in regards of what I will be drinking.

The menu consists of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. A wide coverage of flavours but each recipe focuses only on few. In this way, with every sip, you can enjoy every flavour distinctively. Favourite flavours of Lukas? Fruitiness (found in fruits and vegetables as well) and herbal nuances.

We are heading to the mixing area, behind the counter. 

Lukas prepares Mimicry. Obviously, I choose an alcoholic option. But I had only one. 

He pours a transparent concoction, just like an “absolute”. So creamy that you can see the “legs” lingering on the rim. The Nick&Nora glass, a perfect fit.

The name of the cocktail explains intuitively the process: a re-composition of a classical Gimlet (“a Gimlet in disguise” as Lukas called it). Same mathematical equation but different parameters: dill, yoghurt, citrus cordial. 

My view on flavouring? Just on point! A perfect salty, floral milk punch, although not a milk punch per se 🙂 but, as I told you before, if you do not ask, you miss an amazing “behind the bar” story:

“We wanted to have a Gimlet on our menu. We use Hendricks gin as a base. We add our homemade yogurt-dill distillate and layer it with own citric cordial. Add juice from lemons, oranges and limes. Add the peels as well and re-distillate it. Add sugar and acids to finish it. The outcome: an oily soft citric cordial” Lukas, Combo Bar. 

Enough to catch your attention? 

(left to right) The “Heart of the Bar”  night mood (1), Mimicry (2), Lukas (3), The Combo Bar menu (4). Photos by Silvia Iacobescu

Maybe some of you have read or watched the movie “Ender’s Game”. The universe there is based on an amazing concept: “ansible” – an unseen wired structure that links everything, ensuring instant communication. Although a bit metaphoric, you might say, this is what I usually look for when walking into a bar. …and in my opinion, this is what Combo Bar stands for. A place that binds the guest with the environment, the drink and the serving into one essential combo you need. An information you can assimilate and enjoy instantly.

Flavours. Service. Ambient. The essential combo.

Loved the experience, Combo Bar! 

#drinkresponsibly

Until next time, 

Silvia Iacobescu