Best Bars 2011

We’re accustomed to the saturated low light of the bar—yellow and red glimmers bouncing off of mirrors and champagne flutes—but this dense, warm atmosphere can feel inauthentic on camera. To remedy that, we focused on the ingredients—the ice, the juicer, the chilled mug.

Andrew Bohrer of MistralKitchen helped determine what makes a well-stocked bar. When I asked for eight items, he offered his entire arsenal. “I know that sounds insane, but it’s easier this way,” he said.

The day of the shoot he walked in the door with two large plastic bins carefully packed with everything you’d need to make the perfect cocktail. Bohrer laid out his tools, cut garnishes, and mixed drinks that sweated under the spotlight. As photographer Ryan McVay and I played with shadows and heroic angles, Bohrer shared tips (“Shitty bars don’t have bar spoons”) and told stories. The wooden mallet was originally for woodworking, a gift from his dad at age 14. To make ice cubes, he cuts down a 300-pound block with a chain saw.

At day’s end, we toasted with Bohrer’s beautiful drinks—all of us a bit wiser and excited to show you the heroes of the trade, casting their dramatic shadows usually lost in the darkness.
—André Mora, contributing designer