Crafting Flavour: My Ingredient-First Approach Towards Mixology
When I think about what makes a modern cocktail sing in 2025, it is more than the spectacle, the smoke, the tricks or the perfectly social media worthy garnish. Everything for me returns to the flavour, the detail, intent and respect for the ingredients we choose. From the base spirit to the smallest garnish, every element should be there for a reason. And that’s also one of the reasons I have been looking forward to bringing to my Johnnie Walker Black Label masterclasses.
An Ingredient-First Approach
I’ve worked with Johnnie Walker Black Label several times, and it remains one of the most reliable blends out there: complex and layered, but also exceedingly approachable. Its balanced flavours give bartenders an valuable foundation that enables us to get creative with our mixology.
My approach has always been ingredient-first, with minimal interference. In my mind, a bartender is then less of a magician and more of a translator, a conduit to help the spirit communicate more clearly.
The focus remains on letting this character come through rather than making the spirit altogether unrecognisable. A whisky as well-crafted as Black Label hardly needs disguising. All a mixologist can do is frame it and highlight its structures that enable a discovery of flavours already present. So, for me, this whisky represents exactly the kind of canvas bartenders need: layered, reliable, and versatile.
Also Read: How Monica Berg Takes Mixology One Step Further
This emphasis on ingredients actually goes back to my childhood. I grew up in Oslo where foraging and fermentation were more than trends, they were a part of life. Back then, this activity of picking produce was never referred to as foraging. Our parents would simply tell us to go outside and bring back what was in season. Those experiences gave me a flavour library that I draw on even today and imbued in me an understanding of how complexity builds over time, patiently and diligently.
Yet along with complexity, a drink also needs to be presented in a way that seems accessible. Hospitality is about creating something a patron genuinely wants to taste, otherwise you have missed the brief.
Sustainable Mindset
Sometimes a lack of glamour is what makes a cocktail shine. In a similar way, sustainability seldom requires grand gestures. Through my years at Tayēr + Elementary in London or my collaborations around the world, I have surmised that sustainability is a sum of practical, repeatable choices. At Tayēr, that might mean using one mango in three different ways, a syrup, a garnish and an infusion, before handing what’s leftover to the kitchen to transform into a dish.
Or it might be something as unglamorous as cleaning fridge filters every week. Although this sounds boring, it saves several resources. Now, while these may not seem glamorous interventions, they are quiet, everyday habits that enable a bar to follow an earnestly sustainable mindset.
Flavour In India
This conversation about ingredients, flavour and sustainability is perhaps why Indian mixology feels like a significant space today. Whisky holds a prominent place in Indian bartending cultures, but now is the moment when it can truly be reimagined putting homegrown ingredients in the spotlight. That’s why my masterclasses are more than just about the recipes. Recipes are useful, but they are snapshots. What’s in focus is a mindset: a curiosity about flavour and a willingness to experiment without losing sight of what makes a drink tick.
When I look back on my own drinks, I see that the ingredients I gravitate towards haven’t changed much over the years. I still love working with the same seasonal flavours but what has changed is the way I bring them together. With increasing clarity, what is visible now is also a confident simplicity. More than inventing something completely new or working with what is ‘trending’ every time, what makes a drink timeless is a deep, refined expression.
And this is where Johnnie Walker Black Label feels like a partner. Every bottle carries twelve years of craft and consistency. When the spirit itself is balanced, all bartenders have to do is bring their local influences, creativity and perspective on flavour into the recipe. This is where the transformation occurs — from a great whisky to a great cocktail. For me, that sums up the essence of modern bartending.
*Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
