What's a Mixologist?

Joseph Boroski is a Mixologist, teaching the bars of Bangkok's restaurants how to shake, stir, crush, serve and ultimately pour their love into their cocktail shakers.

Joseph where are you from and how long have you been in Bangkok?

I grew up in a small town about an hour and a half drive from the New York City and I’ve been in Asia for over two years so Bangkok is definitely at least one of my homes.

Tell me what your business is called and what it is?

Sip Slowly is a full bar consultation business, providing complete staff training, cocktail and bar menu development, efficient design integration, bartender placement, and cocktail event handling for high-end venues. It is also the name of my cocktail related blog.

Where is the best restaurant bar in Bangkok to sip a margarita?

A margarita is an excellent example of a perfectly balanced cocktail when made correctly. I have had some great margaritas in Bangkok—most recently at Flava at the Dream Hotel, Eat Me and Angelini’s at the Shangri La.

And a mojito?

If you were to visit ten separate bars and order a mojito at each one, you would end up with ten different—and likely drastically so—versions of a mojito. A good mojito is not determined by the perfect recipe. It’s quality is ultimately defined by fresh ingredients, properly implemented technique, correct alcoholic strength, and perfect balance.

What is the secret to a good cocktail?

Love! A good cocktail you can feel. If the person who makes your drink loves what he or she does, it makes a huge difference. It’s similar with food, isn’t it?

Aside from this, the freshness and quality of ingredients, type and amount of ice, method used and its correct implementation, glassware, and presentation.

How does the service in Bangkok’s restaurants differ from the USA or other countries?

In the US, a server or bartender relies on tips as income. In Thailand, as in most other countries, tips are a much smaller proportion of income. So when I get great service in Bangkok, I like to give a nice tip.

Service in Bangkok is very personal and usually friendly and genuine. However, efficiency and attentiveness are sometimes lacking.

When you consult with restaurants and bars what is the main idea you are trying to impart?

It is a combination of many concepts which it is important for the staff to thoroughly understand and practice, from technique to efficiency to exceptional guest service to consistency and, of course, thorough cocktail knowledge.

What three restaurants should people go to if they haven't already?

Some of my Bangkok favorites are Giusto, Baan Klang Nam 2, Eat Me, Nadimo’s, and Isao.

What is the coolest bar/restaurant in the city?

I love Parking Toys, Demo, and Hyde & Seek.

Why is the long island iced tea so difficult for anyone to get right?

It’s not difficult at all. Pour equal parts of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and orange liqueur over a full glass of ice. Add a touch of fresh lemon (not lime) juice, and a splash (no more) of Coke (Pepsi’s okay as well). Quick stir. Garnish with a lemon (not lime) wedge or wheel. Follow this recipe and it won’t be hard to make.

And finally – shaken or stirred?

What is the best way to prepare a martini? Shaken or stirred? An olive or a twist or even an oyster or a caper-berry? Dry or dirty or simply a vermouth-coated glass? Perhaps vodka instead of gin? Maybe on the rocks instead of up in a cocktail glass? For me, it depends on my mood. As I tell my bartenders, the best way to make a martini is always the way that the person who is going to drink it likes it best!

Okay, I know you want me to give you a straight answer on this one. Stirred. Smoothly and swiftly with a bar spoon in a mixing glass for twenty seconds.