At 32, Erik Lorincz is head bartender of the American Bar at The Savoy in London. In 2010, he beat 9,000 bartenders from around the world to be named 2010 Diageo World Class Champion, and was tipped by Conde Nast Traveler (US) as its Hot Bartender of 2011
Erik Lorincz is the Heston Blumenthal of bartenders; a cocktail maker–cum–molecular gastronomist who will create “botanical fog” to flavour his concoctions, or lace them with a combination of celery bitters and basil. “Chefs combine ingredients with fire; I do it with ice. It is the act of mixing the cocktail in the shaker that brings it to life,” he says. Lorincz’s unique take on a tipple can be traced back to his upbringing in Nitra, Slovakia. His grandmother was a renowned herbalist, and during the summer holidays he would help her to blend tinctures, oils and teas. “When I came to create my own cocktails, I realised that, in essence, I’d been refining my skills since childhood,” he says.
Lorincz’s graduation to The Savoy came via cocktail training in Prague, bartending in Bratislava and a move to London in 2004, where he perfected English while mixing his magic at The Sanderson and The Connaught hotels. A detour to Japan turned out to be his “finishing school”. “Japanese culture has been the biggest influence on my cocktails,” he says. “There, I learnt the art of bartending as much as the science of blending spirits. I was taught how to be a gentleman behind the bar; the different methods for shaking a drink; how to stir a martini with elegance, not as if I was ladling soup.” Lorincz likens making a cocktail to the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, or the precise preparation of sushi. “When I am behind the bar, I am involved in a ritual. There is an element of performance and display.”
He affectionately calls the American Bar at The Savoy “the Institution”, because so many great cocktails have been devised there, including the Hanky Panky and the Champs Elysees. Now, Lorincz is adding his own recipes to the honours list, with classics such as his award–winning the Malecon, which combines fresh lime, nutty sherry and smooth rum. “A few years back, bartenders were university students paying their bills. Now, a place like the American Bar is a university of bartending; we have moved amazing cocktails on to a very high level of sophistication,” Lorincz says. And he is top of the class.
KATIE FRANKLIN
Cake artist
Former fashion student Katie Franklin, 28, is the trendsetting twentysomething behind Pomp de Franc, an avant–garde cake company which specialises in creating highly intricate and colourful cakes. Having started the company just over a year ago, she has made her sculpture–like creations for Mulberry, Lanvin and Stella McCartney
Miniature cakes baked inside real quails’ eggs; jewel–coloured Battenburg; sponge topped with edible painted paper – Katie Franklin’s cakes take baking to a new level of artistry. “I always want to give an interesting twist to my creations. My speciality is interpreting fashion collections in cake form, like the fried apple slivers that mirror the chiffon ruffles of designer Alex Noble’s designs, or the bespoke cakes I created for House of Holland’s spring/summer 2011 collection.”
Franklin studied fashion and textiles at the University of Brighton before assisting stylists on photo shoots. At the time, her cakes were a sideline, created for her friends and peers in the fashion industry. But word of mouth spread and she soon found a niche in the whirligig world of designer launches, parties and events, where her cakes add a mouthful of sweetness and whimsy to the heady goings–on. She decided to ditch the day job and, although she has no formal training in patisserie, launched her cake business, Pomp de Franc, last year. This Christmas she was commissioned to create giant gingerbread houses for the windows of Mulberry’s Bond Street store – fantastical creations dripping with icing and with sugar stained–glass windows that glowed red from within. “It’s important my cakes look amazing, but they have to taste good too. They’re known for their moistness, but also the unexpected flavours, like sour cherry, courgette and pistachio, and banana and Dime Bar.”
Now Franklin intends to add a cafe and gallery to the mix. “It will be a concept cake shop, where the cakes look like installations, there is art on the walls and a slice of something special to eat,” she reveals. It’s a long way from the her first experiments hi baking, inspired by a gift of a cookbook from her granny when she was aged four, and her mother’s sculptural birthday cakes – the rocket and Michael Jackson are favourite Franklin memories.
Her personal piece de resistance? The sushi cakes created for jewellery designer Fred Butler’s autumn/winter 2012 collection. What amazing creation will come out of her kitchen next?
BEN FORDHAM
Restaurateur
He launched his first Benito’s Hat Mexican bar and kitchen in 2008, and now has three more venues across the capital. With his first cookbook hitting the shops in August, Ben Fordham’s brand of fast, fresh Mexican food is having its moment
Ben Fordham is revolutionising mealtimes for thousands of Londoners. The recipe for his Benito’s Hat restaurants is simple: take fantastically fresh ingredients, give them a kick with authentic Mexican spices and chillies, and serve in a selection of burritos, tacos, salads and soups. Keep it quick with a takeaway, or make an event of it and eat in – perhaps with a pomegranate martini on the side. The concept has been as lauded in Toiler as it has in Time Out. Fast food will never be the same again.
“We have amazing high–end restaurants in the UK, but it’s harder to find a good, reasonably priced meal here. Having discovered Mexican food in the US, I knew I could offer an alternative to dull sandwiches or greasy burgers if you’re looking for something tasty while on the go,” explains Fordham.
He has even introduced the breakfast taco to Britain, targeting hungry commuters en route to work. “It’s the go–to breakfast in the US but I admit a morning taco is an alien concept to most Brits, even if it does have bacon and eggs in it,” he says with a laugh.
Fordham, 32, a former lawyer, had always dreamed of owning a restaurant. “It probably would have stayed a fantasy if I hadn’t spent a year in Austin, Texas as a student There’s a huge Mexican community in the city and I just fell in love with the food,” he says. Fordham practised law for three years, cooking up the plans for his new venture on the side.
“You couldn’t pay me enough to go back, but the professionalism and work ethic of the legal world have helped me with Benito’s Hat,” he says. He spends most of his time on growing the business, and menu development with head chef Felipe Fuentes Cruz. And just so he that knows what’s flavour of the week with the punters, you’ll also find him serving burritos to the lunch crowd every Friday.
“My go–to dish is our braised pork burrito,” says Fordham. “The recipe is one that Felipe’s granny made but it’s been tweaked by my understanding of modern Mexican cuisine. It encapsulates what we’re trying to do: bring a true flavour of Mexico to the UK.” With more restaurants planned and hints of a range of sauces to be sold in supermarkets, not to mention a cookbook out at the end of the year, the buzz about Benito’s Hat is set to get bigger. “Even more than the restaurants, our cookbook Real Mexican Food (Ryland Peters & Small, £18.99) is a chance to open people’s minds about the variety of Mexican cuisine,” he says. “That’s amazing.”
Tomorrow: three cultural innovators
The new Lexus GS
Lexus has created the amazing – with the next generation GS performance saloon, the Lexus GS450h.
The GS resets the benchmarks for comfort and craftsmanship and uses advanced technology to reduce power consumption across the board.
Its breathtaking performance is thanks to the powerful Lexus Hybrid Drive.
The intelligent partnership of a 3.5 litre V6 direct injection Atkinson Cycle petrol engine and a high–output electric motor delivers an incredible 343 HP, yet achieves fuel consumption of up to 46.3mpg.
When you start the car it’s incredibly quiet and is capable of running on electric power at speeds up to 25mph.
In everyday driving conditions the electric motor and petrol engine work together to deliver exceptional acceleration and a smooth drive, reaching 62mph in 5.9 seconds from a standing start.
When slowing, energy produced by the braking effect is used to recharge the battery. This is why a Lexus full hybrid never has to be recharged.
Plus, with C02 emissions at a low 141g/km, it qualifies for a company car tax of 20 per cent BIK.
And the eco–thinking doesn’t stop there. Inside, Intelligent S Flow technology provides climate control only to occupied seats, reducing heat loss and saving energy.
The result is an exceptional drive, great fuel economy and reduced emissions.
To order a brochure and foryourchance to win a Lexus GS for a month, visit telegraph.co.uk/amazing by July 31, 2012.
Expert comment
Monica Gatettiis senior sous chef at Le Gavrochein London and bestknown for judging BBC2 Masterchef: The Professionals.
“My chef‘s career took off when I was 20 years old. I was travelling through France working as a chef, when I applied to Michel Roux Jr’s restaurant Le Gavroche in London. Michel offered me a commis (trainee) chef position after being impressed by my CV.
I rose quickly up the ranks at Le Gavroche and I contribute this to my ambitious desire to be better than my peers. I went on to become first woman to cook both meat and fish sections and head chef at Le Gavroche in Mauritius.
What I love about my job is creating new dishes and using fresh ingredients when seasons change. And when the restaurant service is in full swing, it still brings on an adrenaline rush.
Now, I also judge the BBC2 Masterchef. The Professionals series. Discovering the future talents in this industry is incredibly exciting and I’m proud to be a part of this. On the programme, it is clear from the outset who has the drive, passion and commitment to go all the way to be an amazing chef. It is this same force that I believe makes your career take off in whatever you choose – it’s what’s got me to where I am today.”
