Aldar Ochirov is the head bartender of Siro in Almaty. He makes us two cocktails, one with Sweet Vermouth and Fino Sherry and the second with Gin and Homemade Aloe Basil Cordial.
Aldar Ochirov introduce yourself
My name is Aldar and I am born in Russia in a small town of Siberia. I started to work as a bartender there but a bit later I moved to Moscow and started to work at Insider Bar. Half a year ago, my colleague Nikita and I moved to Kazakhstan and started to work at Siro in Almaty. We made the new and unique menu created in collaboration with AI (artificial intelligence). To check it how it looks it’s here (on mobile only)
The classic you want to show us
Adonis
45ml of Sweet Vermouth
45ml of Fino Sherry
The bar you dream of
The bar of my dream is any bar where there are nice drinks, good music and a pleasant atmosphere.
What do you do in your time off
On my days off, I usually walk around the city and learn about new places and the culture of Kazakhstan.
The spirit you like the most
Most of all, I like to use vodka in my drinks. It’s like a blank page which you can turn into anything. For instance, you can make a distillate, an infusion, a liqueur, etc. Or you can just buy a flavoured vodka and use it. Our version of Negroni, it’s made without gin. We replaced it with pear vodka and an infusion of local herb Sagan Dali and added some Sherry, dry vermouth and bitter Luxardo.
What makes a good cocktail
The idea is the most crucial part of a cocktail. This idea turns an ordinary cocktail into something valuable and unforgettable. For example, a combination of cocoa, salt and matcha foam… sounds like a really good cocktail but what if I tell you that it’s a deconstruction of a classic cocktail “White Russian”? We changed the dense taste of coffee to a more delicate taste of cocoa and salt. And on top of it, instead of the usual cream, we put foam from matcha, coconut cream and mango adding an Asian twist (siro – Asian-inspired restaurant). The vodka remains unchanged, it’s cool anyway and we called this drink “Off-White Russian”. Only this story and idea can fill a cocktail with emotions and make it the best version of itself, and most importantly unique.
What ingredient do you enjoy using in cocktails
My favourite ingredient is tea. It’s really easy to use and it can add some fruity, floral, creamy, tannin taste, smoky flavour etc. I recently infused the Japanese wine Choya with jasmine and carbonated it. Suddenly, I’ve got a complex drink: fruity sweetness, light tannin and floral fragrance. I also added a dash of Islay whiskey and got the unique one-component cocktail on our menu – Jasmine Blaze.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Aloe Freshman
30ml of London Dry Gin
15ml of Fino Sherry
30ml of Homemade Aloe Basil Cordial
3 drops of Parsley Oil
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender
If you go to Ulaan-Bator in Mongolia, go to meet Awaraa at Il Punto, really worth it. And if you pass by Dubai, you should meet Andrey Bolshakov. He can tell you a lot about the cocktail industry and he was important in my career.
Thank you Nomad Barshow to make it happens