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July 1, 2025 β€’ 34 mins

Damian is joined by Bart Miedeksza and Valentino Girotto, longtime collaborators, former bar owners, and co-authors of Bubbles: A Guide to Carbonated Cocktails. In this first half of the episode, they dive into the origins of their partnership, the evolution of Crossroads Bar into a consultancy, and the obsessive research process that led to their groundbreaking book. Expect tales of late-night DMs, deep dives into molecular flavor compounds, and why carbonation is more than just sparkle β€” it’s a science.


πŸ§ͺ What You’ll Learn

  • How Bart & Val transitioned from running bars to full-time consulting
  • Why they wrote Bubbles β€” and how an Instagram post forced their hand
  • Collaborating with a Cambridge professor to decode carbonation chemistry
  • How they used flavor compound mapping to reverse-engineer cocktails
  • Why consistency trumps complexity in modern bar programs
  • Tips for designing menus with both guests and GP in mind


πŸ”— Links & Resources


Crossroads Consultancy

🌐 www.crossroads.bar

πŸ“Έ @crossroads.consultancy


The Book

πŸ“˜ Bubbles: A Guide to Carbonated Cocktails β€” available via their website.


πŸ”’ Bonus Content

To hear the exclusive Lock-In Session with Bart & Val β€” where we dive deeper into carbonation techniques, common pitfalls, and pro tips β€” head to thecocktailacademy.com.



🎧 Hosted by Damian Cole

πŸ“Έ @welovecocktails

🌐 www.thecocktailacademy.com


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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