Charlinsky Perez: La Gintoneria (San Sebastian)

Charlinsky Perez is the head bartender at La Gintoneria in San Sebastian (Donostia) in the Basque Country, Spain. He makes two cocktails for us, one with Gin and Cardamon Bitters and the second with Rum and Drambuie. 

Charlinsky introduce yourself
I’m Charlinsky from the Dominican Republic and was originally an engineer and worked in New York, Milan and Spain. It was in Spain where a lot of my friends worked in bars and often got me behind the bar for fun. It started as a hobby, but people kept saying they really enjoyed my drinks, so I decided to change my career. That was 11 years ago and now I’m the head bartender at La Gintoneria where our philosophy is to enhance the flavour of every one of the 109 gins we serve here.

The classic you want to show us
Gin and Tonic
60ml of Citadelle Gin
1 dash of Cardamon Bitters
1 Grapefruit
1 Star Anise
1 Green Lemon Peel
1 Orange Peel
1 Drop of Moon Spray Lemon
200ml of Le Tribute Tonic Water

The bar you dream of
It would definitely be in San Sebastian as the people here know so much about food and flavours and I love that. I’d like a small bar with four stations, so there’s really time to talk to customers. It would be dark with lot’s of crystal so it shines like a jewel. I would definitely serve food in my bar as it’s what San Sebastian is famous for. I would also want a lab alongside the kitchen.

What do you do in your time off
When I have time off I like to go out on one of my two motorbikes and explore, as I love to travel.

The spirit you like the most
Of course it’s gin as there are so many and all with very different flavours.  There are so many nuances with gin and I especially love the spicy ones. My two favourites at the moment are Sipsmith and Citadelle.

What makes a good cocktail
Balance and the bartenders knowledge of the ingredients they use.

What ingredient do you enjoy using in cocktails
I really like using spices, as there is such a wide variety to choose from. They are so versatile and we use them a lot here at La Gintoneria.

The signature cocktail you want to show us
Gabarron
2 Barspoons of Apricot Marmalade
4 mint leaves
60ml of Botran Dark Rum 12 years
35ml of Drambuie
25ml of Sweet and Sour (Sugar & Lemon)
15ml of Pierre-Ferrand Triple Sec
Top with Ginger Beer

Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender
My choices are all from London and they are: The American Bar, 69 Colebrooke Row, Callooh Callay and Nightjar.

One Comment

  1. Pingback: Sother Teague : Amor y Amargo (New York) – Le cocktail connoisseur

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