Sunday, October 26, 2008
Food, Wine, Beer & Spirits, "Behind the Bar", Q&A

A few of my favorite things

Steven Kowalczuk, trendsetting mixologist at Room at Twelve, experiments with interesting ingredients for cocktails

By Hope S. Philbrick

Before taking on the role of bar manager and master mixologist at Room at Twelve, Steven Kowalczuk created some of Atlanta’s most popular cocktails at Kyma, Taverna Plaka and Lobby at Twelve. His cucumber martini earned him the title of Tanqueray’s 2005 Most Wanted Bartender in Atlanta. His Greek espresso martini was featured in InStyle magazine. With 21 years of experience, Kowalczuk is a trendsetter who draws crowds to his bar.

Q What gets you excited about bartending?

A I started in the service industry, but once I got behind the bar I wanted to excel not just at bartending but at creating cocktails that were changing people’s lives. Back in 2001, I was at Kyma, and that’s when I really started creating some special cocktails. It’s a lot of fun to dive in, create a new cocktail and create a stir. Pretty soon, people started coming to Kyma just to drink cocktails—and not just one night but every night. I started realizing that I wanted to create stellar cocktails that would get national attention and have fun with it. It’s tough to stay on top—there are a lot of creative mixologists out there coming up with some amazing ingredients. I’ve pretty much just worked my way into this position. I love it and enjoy what I do.Oh, come on. A cocktail can change someone’s life?

For foodies, cocktails are a great way to enjoy life, conversation, spending time with friends and family—it’s a great sharing moment that starts with a cocktail. A few friends have said, after tasting one of my cocktails, "This is life-altering! This is amazing!" Some people are just blown away and inspired by the combination of things they’ve never tasted before in a cocktail.

Tell us about Room at Twelve’s beverage program.

It’s pretty awesome. We have a really strong, impressive cocktail list that’s really cutting-edge, with drinks priced at $8 or $12, depending on what’s in them. A lot of our high-end, handcrafted cocktails use things like lavender or wintergreen simple syrup, dandelion, black pepper, vegetable juice—we use cucumber a lot, and also fennel and other interesting juices and purees, like papaya and pomegranate. If there is such a thing as a healthy martini, I’m the master of it. I like to use healthy ingredients, not artificial sugars. I quit drinking altogether; I do taste and spit out, but after that, it’s just the reaction of guests as to whether or not I keep a cocktail on the menu. I put everything I have into these drinks.

On Saturdays in October and November, I’ve been hosting Mixology Events—these are sold out, but I’ll host 10 to 12 more classes starting in January 2009. Each class features a different spirit, and we run through basic to advanced-level bartending skills. People get to taste different cocktails and build up skills while making them. It’s very fun and interactive. Afterward, they can enjoy 25 percent off dinner.

What inspires your cocktail creations?

For many years, it was anything food-based, especially desserts. Then, from 2002 to 2005, I was paying attention to trends. Now I go out and seek interesting ingredients. Funny enough, sometimes I even start with a name. "If a cocktail was named that, what would it be?"

I used to lean more toward working with white liquors, but that’s easy. You can disguise them in a lot of things. Gin and brown liquors are about the complexity of flavor, and it’s a challenge to build cocktails using them. Now I’m all about enhancing flavor, and like working with cognacs and bourbons. I have a grilled pineapple martini that’s wonderful, succulent and fun. SP

 Room at Twelve Centennial Park is located at 400 West Peachtree St. For reservations or more information, call 404-418-1250 or visit www.roomattwelve.com. To learn more about Steven Kowalczuk and review some of his cocktail recipes, visit www.myspace.com/cocktailchef.