The day before the Oslo Bar Show – The Thief

The day before the Oslo Bar Show – The Thief

It was a very unusual hot day. It’s funny to tell people that I got a sunburn in Oslo, but it happened while I was walking through the city and alongside the sea. Last sight of todays trip was the opera house, when I suddenly bumped into my favourite bartenders and friends of Greece. What a wonderful coincidence and surprise for all of us!

It is really exhausting to discover the bar world by night and the sights during the day, and additionaly try to write proper articles afterwards. After I finished my latest blog posts we went out together for dinner at Arakataka a recommendation by Monica Berg. A restaurant serving a Nordic inspired menu consisting of several medium-sized dishes. An amazing trip through the Nordic food.

The Thief

After dinner we all fancied some drinks and headed on towards The Thief Bar. This is not a typical hotelbar because you really get individual storytelling drinks in an elegant and at the same time cosy environment. At this night it was the meeting point of many bar luminaries. Anyway, I loved the geek details they spend in the design like sockets and other interfaces beneath the bar counter. I tried four of the cocktails on the menu.

The Ethos of this bar is brilliant. ” A great thief is someone who pays attention to every little detail. We transfer this belief into how we make our cocktails. For us attention to detail reflects a true artist within his craft. This is a place for joyful gatherings and exploration of the cocktail world. A place where you will find masterpieces, counterfeits and discover lost gems from the ancient past. A place where innocense meets guilty pleasures.We welcome you in our own thieves den from the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves – we welcome you to the Thief Bar.”

Let’s turn words into action!

Eyecatching was the high professionalism of the bartenders. They are carving their ice cubes, they throw the drinks and “fly you to the moon” with an absofuckinglutly Martini. The Old Fashioned came with an ice cube where the place’s name is stamped into. Also the zeste comes in the shape of a T. Another one small detail painting the big picture.

The Nordic Ninja tasted that wonderful just like it was presented. Aquavit, cucumber, yuzu sake, the absinth were seemlessly stiched together and I enjoyed it through the velvet egg foam. If anyone is interested in the recipe:

40 ml Gammel Opland Aquavit
20 ml Yuzu Sake
10 ml Lemon Juice
A small piece of cucumer
A dash of egg white
15 ml green tea syrup

Pour all the ingredients into a shaker. Double strain in a masu cup, sprayed with absinthe. No ice cubes. Garnish with thyme, dehydrated lemon & some torched star anise  – created by Chris Grøtvedt

Mugged by Jack Sparrow and the Bitter Sweet Symphony came with full chocolaty flavours and were a perfect dessert after our dinner. I think the chocolate rim is only feasable in a Nordic country or during the winter. It left the hands clean. The Fly Me to the Moon is still present in my taste memory. Astonishing concoction with the Sherry and a lovely presentation. Mission accomplished.

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