‘We’re in the business of making memories,’ says Bertie Boekemann

Bertie Boekeman is the bar manager at Sydney bar, Now & Then, in the CBD on Clarence Street. Whilst he’s also a musician, as he talks about below, he’s a dab at hand at the cocktailing arts, too, and is one of the top 25 bartenders in the Espolòn Afterlife To The Bone cocktail competition.

You can get a taste of what Bertie whips up with his entry into the competition, called Sweet Embrace, at the bar throughout August.

And, if Bertie’s drink impresses the judges, you might just see him as one of six bartenders through to the national final during Sydney Bar Week next month.

Below, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, Bertie tells us about the drink, about Now & Then, and his creative process.

Tell us the name of this drink that you’ve made and what’s the big idea behind it?

Yeah, sure! So it’s called the Sweet Embrace and it’s sort of a modern take on a classic Painkiller and the idea is, I wanted to re-imagine the Painkiller for a modern audience.
It’s a delicious cocktail, but it’s pretty heavy and, for lack of a better word, gluggy.

The modern palate’s a little bit lighter. I approach that from a horchata thing, which is great. That brings it back to its Latin American roots.

The name Sweet Embrace harkens back to the idea of death and what comes afterwards, and it not necessarily being a scary thing.

Tell us what’s in your drink?

So obviously a bit of Espolòn Reposado. It is our hero spirit. We also have made a pineapple and orange skin horchata. It’s like a Mexican spiced rice milk. A little bit of macadamia in there for body.

That’s lengthened with some coconut milk and coconut cream. And then finally sweetened with a little bit of spiced pineapple agave.

How do you go about thinking about new drinks and creating new cocktails? What’s the process? Do you have any particular place you draw inspiration from?

I’ve always been creative. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. Don’t do that — it’s a waste of money. I use the people in the world around me to spark ideas and internalise those and just see what comes out, really.

You you asked me about a way I do things. Not really. I throw things at a wall and see what sticks. But as I said, the brief is always smashable, interesting and enjoyable.

In terms of Now & Then, can you tell us a little bit about this place — what should people expect if they come in see you behind the stick?

It’s a casual professionalism and just warm customer service and friendly vibes, but with a world class approach to our drinks. Particularly our wine list is phenomenal for a bar that’s not really a wine bar. And you know, I’m super proud of the cocktails we put out as well. It’s a bit cliche, but you know, we take what we do seriously, but not ourselves.

Why do you do what you do? Why are you bartending? Why are you in hospitality?

My mum’s a musician and my dad managed restaurants and hotels for his whole career. So I’ve sort of come up both, being a musician myself and then also being in hospitality, you know, since a very young age.

And for me, those two things are really the two sides of the same coin. The industry that we’re in is the experience industry. We’re in the business of making memories and we’re a small part, we’re the background for that. We’re the set piece for people’s memories.

Sweet Embrace recipe

50ml Espolón Reposado
60ml Piña Horchata
15ml Roasted Pineapple & Salted Agave Syrup
5ml Lemon juice

Shake and fine strain into chilled Agate Jicara.
Serve nutmeg steamed hand towel on the side.

For the Piña Horchata:
250g White rice
100g macadamia
4 cinnamon sticks
250g ripe Pineapple skins and core (save flesh for pineapple agave)
150g orange peels
50g coconut flakes
1 pinch salt
800ml water
500ml evaporated milk
500ml coconut milk

Lightly toast rice, macadamia and spices taking care not to burn anything. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Pour water over and cover with cling wrap.  Refrigerate and leave over night. Blend everything together on medium until a smooth paste is formed (approx. 4 minutes). Strain mixture through coffee filter.
Add coconut milk and evaporated milk to strained liquid. Store Pina Horchata in bottles and refridgerate till needed.

For the Spiced Pineapple Agave:
The flesh of one ripe pineapple
Agave Syrup 
6 cloves
2 cardamom pods (cracked open)
Pinch of sea salt 

1. Cut Pineapple flesh into thin slices and lay flat on a lined baking tray
2. Roast Pineapple at 100C for 20 minutes
3. Lower temperature to 70C and leave for two hours.
3. Remove from oven and allow to cool
4. Add 150g roasted Pineapple, together with cloves and opened cardamom pods to 300ml of agave, pour mixture into vac seal bag and seal.
5. Sous vide at 55C for 1 hour, allow mixture to cool.
6. Strain solids and bottle infused agave. 
7. Refridgerate ready for use