🐼 x🍹Baijiu Cocktail 009: Brothers 兄弟 @Bar Break Rotterdam

Rarity Increases Value

In 1982, the Château Lafite Rothschild winery in France produced fewer than 300,000 bottles of red wine, commonly known as "Lafite" in China. However, in China, about 1,000,000 bottles of 1982 Lafite are consumed annually. Can you imagine how many bottles of Lafite the Chinese have drunk from 1982 to today?

Telling this joke or fact isn't necessarily to mock those who spend irrationally, but there truly are things like Lafite: very rare, often mistaken for being possessed by many; people chase after it fervently, only to eventually find out it's fragile or even fake. The reasons why Lafite is precious are threefold: 1. The grapes that year were exceptional, resulting in excellent wine from the same process; 2. The marketing was on point, but the product was limited; 3. The passage of time adds value. In life, friendships are actually like Lafite. People desire true friendships, yet it is very difficult to maintain such friendships over a long period. Sometimes, you find life filled with transient acquaintances, leaving you feeling particularly lonely. The preciousness of friendship is also its fragility; sometimes friendships fade as people pursue different goals. As you reach a certain age, you reflect on past people and events, lamenting how many memories are buried due to broken relationships. Once these memories are buried, it seems as if you never truly lived.

For me, having a friend is like a ship having an anchor; it can dock on the boundless sea and no longer drift aimlessly. It's like a plant taking root in water.

Bar Break Brothers

I met Salvo and Rick in Rotterdam. They are the co-founders of Bar Break in Rotterdam, and they have had a friendship spanning 23 years since they met in 2002 while working at the same place. Their friendship fills me with admiration. Although I still have a close friend I've known since 1999, who is now like a brother to me, while I also lost another sworn brother along the way.

Living in the Netherlands for a while, I learnt the straight-forwardness and one important principle: there is no stupid question, but there is only stupid answer. So the first question after I know Salvo and Rick's story is: Are you a coupe? They said, No, we do have our own families, and we are good friends and business partners. The answer is very interesting: they are not just good friends, but also business partners. Yes, these identities are different, so the norms of each role are different.

Free and Precious Take Away

In order to explain well, I organised the conversation into a few questions, the answers are reworded according to the answers from Salvo and Rick:

Q1: Why do you call this bar: Bar Break?

A1: People need to take a break from any routine, work routine, family life routine, study routine, and so on. And there are many kinds of break-away, you can go for a running, or a cycling tour, or hiking in the mountain. But, in the concrete jungle, take a Bar Break is also a good choice.

Q2: What is the feature of Bar Break?

A2: We've both been bartenders for over 20 years, we know a lot of traditional cocktail recipes. However, modern people seek novelty and enjoy exploring new flavors. Therefore, based on over 20 years of experience, we have innovated the flavors of traditional cocktails to satisfy the desire of more people for unique tastes.

Q3: How have you managed to maintain a friendship for over 20 years?

A3: We are very familiar with each other, knowing each other's strengths, advantages, weaknesses, and shortcomings. As a result, we proactively take on tasks we are good at and provide support to each other. To avoid conflicts, we also set boundaries. For instance, in this bar, we divide it into two areas: inside the bar and outside the bar.
Inside the bar: This includes the bar counter, liquor cabinets, and refrigerator. Everything within this area, such as mixing drinks, making ice, and so on, is one task package.
Outside the bar: This involves cleaning the floor, taking orders from customers, serving drinks, and preparing bar snacks. All these tasks form another task package.
We alternate these roles on a weekly basis. For example, when Salvo is in charge inside the bar, Rick takes care of the outside tasks, and vice versa.

Q4: How do you deal with your conflict?

Q4: A good relationship has an important foundation, which is mutual trust. We believe that any mistakes the other person makes are not motivated by bad intentions. Therefore, when facing certain situations, we always discuss how to achieve our goals rather than getting caught up in assigning blame. After all, experiencing the consequences together once is enough; the next step is to work together to prevent similar situations from occurring again. As for conflicts between us, after so many years of being together, we have almost smoothed out all the rough edges.

In the Brain of Hans Ngo Wurfbain

You lucky bastards! I wish truly Salvo and Rick's friendship last forever! The best wishes! And the same time, wish all of us could find the limited number of limited people of ultimate relationship. Please be expecting all the time! Have some faith! You are NOT alone!

P.A.N.D.A Baijiu Cocktail Routine

Something I have to do again and again, but I won't write about again and again, for example:

1. Ride a bicycle to the interesting bar.
2. Introduce Shuntun Baijiu to the bar owner/s, and please find link at homepage to learn more about the first Chinese Baijiu being sold by a lot of Dutch local liquor stores.
3. Ask the chef bartender of the day to create a new cocktail with Shuntun Baijiu.
4. Together with the creator and friends to discuss about naming.

P.A.N.D.A Baijiu Cocktail 009

Name
Brothers 弟兄(by Hans)

Tasting Notes
From the appearance, the cocktail created by Salvo looks very similar to the No. 008 cocktail: Baijiu Out of Blue, made by Henk at Leeuwarden Dr. Watson. However, the taste is vastly different. This cocktail’s foam on the surface seals in the aroma of the baijiu, preventing it from escaping directly. Taking a deep sip, you can feel the sweet freshness of tropical fruits and the scent of a grassy meadow. Closing your eyes, it feels like you are lying on a lawn on a sunny day after the rain, with the moisture carrying the fragrance of grass and leaves. The baijiu gives you a warm sensation, while the cocktail itself is cool. It reminds me of cooling herbal tea in Guangdong, China. This description inspired Rick to name the cocktail "Extinguish"; however, I still cannot shift my attention away from their enviable friendship, so I want to name this cocktail, full of memories of brotherly friendship, “Brothers.”

Recipe
- Shuntun Baijiu 40ml
- Montenegro 15ml
- Maraschino 7ml
- Clear/Fresh Apple Juice 50ml
- Chocolate Bitters 4 Dashes
- Chamomile Tincture, a few spray to cover the inner wall of the cup
- Garnish with foam, you can also improvise a little bit.

Afterword

Hans and the Bar Break Brothers both agree that good food and drink can foster communication and solve any problem. Therefore, during their conversation, they decided to meet again in the near future for another gathering. Each person will prepare a dish, but the ingredients cannot include fish or apples. 😂