#Amy - restaurant as contemporary art

A month ago, an important discovery took place on Patricks, which is impossible not to pay attention to. Alexander Oganezov’s new Amy is truly impressive: from contemporary art in the interior to a skillfully composed menu and signature cocktails.

We met with Amy's chief bartender, Vitaly Skripchinsky, to talk about creating a bar menu, preparing for the opening and modern trends.

Amy Restaurant is one of the most anticipated openings of this summer. Please tell us a little about the concept of the restaurant and the process of preparing for the opening?

I’ll start with how we prepared for the opening, because we prepared for a long time. It probably all took a year and a half. We prepared slowly, like all projects with San Sanych (Vitaly calls Alexander Alexandrovich Oganezov that way - author's note). We paid a lot of attention to all sorts of design aspects: something got stuck at customs due to the situation, somewhere logistics failed, and somewhere everything arrived quickly, so it took a total of about a year and three months to prepare for the opening. I just joined the company - they just started doing all this. As for the concept: it’s difficult to say how general it is. Everything is here. As for the cuisine: pizza, seafood, fish, and meat, among others. But there is probably more emphasis on fish: after all, this is a fish restaurant. All kinds of urchins, three types of oysters, and so on.

As for the bar: we also focused on everything. We made one column of signature cocktails and a second column “Around the World” - what is drunk all over the world. Because, apparently, the trend for colored drinks is coming back. This is mojito, these are some red-pink tones, in general, “no transparency!” Although, we have milk panchi on the menu - after all, it’s tasty, interesting and beautiful, despite its transparent color.

Amy's menu includes classic cocktails, like the mojito. Tell me, did you somehow transform the recipes?

Certainly. Specifically, we added passion fruit to the mojito, because, whatever one may say, passion fruit is always in trend, along with jasmine rum, mint and jasmine water. The result is a floral taste with a long passion fruit aftertaste.

Haven't they changed other classics?

There were probably no more twists as such. The Aviation cocktail has an interesting presentation. It is served with cotton candy in the shape of a cloud. The Singapore Sling has been preserved in its original recipe, as well as Margarita, Daiquiri, Hemingway - such things are popular and classic.

Particular attention should be paid to the design of the restaurant: the wide space and unique art objects attract attention. What were your impressions when you first saw the finished project?

A famous restaurateur came to our opening to see and ask around. He comes up to the bar and says: “You have a very interesting restaurant.” It's gray, but it's warm." I liked this phrase. Then I started to take a closer look: the tones seem to be gray, but they look very harmonious in the room - warm light, comfortable, cozy... White tablecloths, gray walls. I won’t tell you much about the design , because Zhenya, the designer (Evgenia Uzhegova - author's note), designed everything here herself. I can only tell you figuratively, as I know. Where the open bar came from, for example. As such, there was no place for a bar - you can't put it there, where the bottles and glasses are. Therefore, we decided to make this island in the form of a bar counter. It is separate, there are all sorts of sewers, nothing is visible. Actually, that’s where we prepare drinks, serve them, and serve them.

The bar counter is contact - that is, people can sit directly at it?

There is no stand as such. A guest can sit down in the cocktail area and chat there, we can offer him something and advise him.

But the restaurant does not have a classic bar counter. In principle, it was not in the project. Guests can sit here - there is also a bar counter, seating, and a waiting area. If a guest has ordered a table and it is not ready yet, then they can wait here.

Three in one

Well, yes. Here there is always more or lessThere are free places, but in the evening everything is occupied.

Patriarch's Ponds are the favorite place of all gastrocritics and restaurateurs in Moscow. Do you think the location of the restaurant influenced its popularity?

I think there are several components at play here. And the place is a former famous restaurant (previously the New York restaurant Saxon+Parole was located in this premises - author’s note), and the name “Oganezov”, and its guests, and the quality, and the view, and the look - that’s all, in general , played a role. We will maintain quality, we will come up with something new. As everywhere, as in all projects of Alexander Oganezov.

Let's get back to the drinks. You have 11 signature cocktails and 12 classic ones. What was your approach to developing drinks and what did you focus on when creating them?

The number “11” was simply taken. There were 20 drinks in my head at once. I didn’t want to show the classics, but it’s easier for the guests. One way or another, she drinks. When you give a guest a menu with signature drinks, he may not understand something, think more, or ask something. And then we decided that we would serve both signature and classic drinks. In the classic ones, we only changed the mojito, and tried to make all other cocktails according to the original recipe. It is clear that some liqueurs, vermouths, and so on are not available on the market, but we still try to read old foreign books and follow the recipes that were invented earlier. If there is 7.5 ml, it means there is 7.5 ml and no more.

As for signature cocktails, we supported the trend and came up with something of our own. We made milk panchi - it’s tasty and interesting. They mixed something unusual. I like it. I invited my fellow bartenders for a tasting even before the opening. They also tried it and approved it, as they say: “Good luck!”

You mentioned “Aviation” with cotton candy (kokt.) So I can’t help but ask about the presentation. As you said in one of your interviews: “There is no drink without details.” What glasses did you choose to serve and what details should you pay attention to in Amy cocktails?

First, the dishes. We focused on glassware because a good glass is a good start. We decorate with ordinary craft skewers and pierce the cherries with them. I probably won’t tell you more about the details what’s so special about it. Glass, taste, attitude, these are probably the three main formulas.

Nowadays low ABV cocktails are at the peak of popularity. What other bar and cocktail trends can you see in contemporary culture? Are they reflected in Amy's bar menu?

There is a Low-ABV wave here - less alcohol, more taste, it played a common, key factor here. People don't want to fall asleep after one drink. Again, our menu also includes strong drinks. There is the same Negroni, very interesting. But more of these moments: something light, aperitif, with bright flavors.

As for trends. As I mentioned earlier, colorful cocktails are coming back, some classic cocktails, maybe a little modified - such a beautiful word “twist”. Still, the classics will live forever.

Drinks with the addition of still or sparkling wine are a never-ending trend. Aperol spritz there... We have a watermelon spritz here - very popular in the last three weeks. Therefore, the lightness, taste, and tingling sparkle are in demand. At least in the summer for sure. We will replace it again in the winter. We plan to keep these drinks for three months; if they don’t sell, we change them; if they sell, we leave them. Actually, just like everywhere else. We will change and analyze sales. If a drink is not sold, why keep it on the menu and bear responsibility for it?

Have you already planned your fall/winter menu? What additional positions will you introduce?

A seasonal offer will be prepared. It will be separate: either as a separate tab, or we will somehow highlight it in the menu with a line. Some “Autumn special products”. There are currently six drinks in development.

In conclusion, I would like to note that Complex-Bar is glad to be part of the high-profile opening of Amy. In the process of working together, we were so inspired and inspired by the project that we are unshakably confident in its brilliant future.