Alejandro Legaspi, head bartender, Moe’s on the 5th at Sheraton Grand Hotel, tells us about his passion for mixology.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a simple person with a passion for mixology and mastered my skills from 8 years of experience in venues like Leon de Bruxelles, Left Bank, Fuego, Infinity Club and Moe’s, working and mixing behind the bar in different environments. My personal drive is absolute guest satisfaction, that aspect has pushed me far in the art of mixology and guest relation skills or in other words I talk a lot behind the bar.
How do you bring creativity to your drinks?
I evaluate guest preferences by simply talking to them, with a couple of questions you can get to know a lot about the person. Then the imagination starts to do all the work, I believe perfection can only be acquired through open mindedness, knowledge and imagination mixed together.
What is your signature drink and why?
Coco Chanel which is gin, Irish cream liqueur and coffee liqueur blended together. It’s a drink crafted for dessert loving ladies and some gents as well, who take a liking to those flavor. This can be one can be one for the cream lovers too.
What is the most important factor in mixing the perfect beverage?
Well it depends on a person’s perspective, the perfect beverage must be easy to make and enjoyable. Something that can be mixed in any bar set up, like gin and tonic with a squeeze of fresh lime wedge, simple, yet everyone loves it.
Which is your favourite flavour to work with?
It is agave, a widely used sweetener alternative that gives more character to a drink. With a lot of people being sensitive to sugar, it is a great alternative with better taste.
How often do you experiment on your beverage offerings?
I suggest a twist in almost every drink that I make, especially when I sense guests are bored with a certain one. Giving them something that they might not have tried is a way for us to learn and experiment. However, we can’t satisfy everyone so there are still chances of failure and it is important to have an open mind and accept feedback for improvement.
What do the coming months hold for your beverage menu?
Our menu is composed of simple yet tasty signature cocktails carefully concocted and handpicked by our top decision makers. We are currently on our second beverage menu since we opened about a year back. We continue to focus on guest feedback to re-engineer our beverage offerings, as mixologists we are always ready to surprise our guests whenever necessary.
