Leading bartenders, brewers and cider experts head to Prowein 2020

ProWein’s ‘Same But Different’ exhibition space will be returning in 2020, featuring more than 120 craft spirit, beer and cider producers from 24 countries.

At the heart of the ‘Same but Different’ enclave is the BAR, which this year will be run by award-winning bartender, author and entrepreneur Stephan Hinz.

For a decade now, Hinz has been trend-setting force in Berlin’s bar scene, encouraging experimental methods and unusual concepts at his bar in Cologne, Little Link.

Nicole Funke, senior project manager ProWein said: “We’re thrilled that Stephan Hinz has agreed to host our ‘same but different’ BAR. He has helped bring a real breath of fresh air to his industry, not just through his creative ideas and cocktail artistry, but also through his trailblazing system solutions for bars and hip urban restaurants.”

Cocktail masterclasses

The BAR and the two Education School ‘classrooms’ at ProWein 2020 will host workshops giving cocktail classics like the gimlet, Martinez and gin fizz a fresh makeover to tie in with the latest consumer trends.

A roster of German bartenders have been invited to present their own innovative versions of these old favourites at the BAR.

Lars Holzem, the long-serving bar manager at Cologne’s Little Link, will host a masterclass showing how to combine classic bar craftsmanship with unusual cocktail ingredients like salmon and mushrooms. He will present a cocktail inspired by the Gimlet, called the Woolton’s Trick, at 1pm on Sunday 15 March.

Next up, Mohammad Nazzal of Cologne’s Al Salam, will incorporate Middle Eastern-inspired ingredients such as date syrup and tarator foam to present a drink called Les Saveurs du Levant, inspired by the Paloma,  at 3pm on 15 March.

Ruben Neideck, who was was named “2020 Bartender of the Year,” for his work at Berlin’s Velvet Bar, will show off an Erdbeere & Waldmeister (Strawberry & Sweet Woodruff), inspired by the gin fizz, on Monday16 March at 1pm.

Richard Dührkohp, bar manager for all four bars at Hotels Tortue Hamburg, is known for experimenting with ingredients such as chestnuts, parsley and santolina. ProWein visitors can learn how to make his signature serve called Monkey Business, inspired by the Old Fashioned, at a workshop on 16 March, 3pm.

Carsten Moeller, bar manager for the Capella Bar at Breidenbacher Hof in Düsseldorf, will be presenting his Auriga, inspired by the Martinez, at 1pm on 17 March.

And finally, Andreas Andricopoulos, who runs the bar at Golvet in Berlin, is also on the list to give a masterclass of his own at 3pm on 17 March, with more details to be confirmed closer to the date.

Beer and cider

This year, Arne Wildner, a beer sommelier since 2013, will give a masterclass in one of the educational classrooms each day at 2pm and 4pm on practical ways to zhuzh up your beer offering, such as optimal drinking temperatures, and proper glassware.

A Brewer Talk on the Monday of the show will take place on Monday at 5:30pm, led by Axel Ohm of ÜberQuell, Michael Lembke from BRLO, Jeff Maisel of Maisel & friends and Lars Großkurth at Landgang Brauerei.

Cider will also get its moment in the sun. Gabe Cook, the cider expert on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, will be presenting the sparkling drink daily at the BAR.

The international spirits and craft beer scene, Funke said, is “as lively and diverse as ever.”

“Alcohol-free spirits, gin that changes colours when mixed, craft drinks from exotic lands or classics revisited – the spectrum of craft spirits, craft beer and cider is getting wider and more colourful year on year, while the creative, quality-conscious handling of natural resources plays a prominent role at the same time.”

This is the third year ProWein will host an area dedicated to spirits and craft beer.

Funke said the recent developments in this part of the drinks industry benefit urban hospitality and bar business as well as retailers.

“Our exhibition hall 7.0 will once again become the epicentre of the international craft community.”