Avinash Jagersar is the head bartender at Spark, one of the longest established and most iconic of cocktail bars on The Hague's drinks scene.
Describe your venue in one sentence?
We're a hotel bar focussing on cocktails, G&Ts and entertaining guests.
How did you come to work in the bar industry?
I started on working on the beach as a bartender, then when the season ended I went on to work with a cocktail company. They introduced me to the world of shaking and stirring, and I've never looked back.
What’s your venue’s most popular cocktail? Why do you think that is?
Right now we have a movie themed cocktail menu. We make a lot of different cocktails, but mostly they have a Caribbean flavour.
What are the key drinks trends for 2019?
I think there is an upcoming trend for rum. After a lot of tastings with the Brand Ambassadors from different distributors here in The Netherlands, I can see that they are focusing a lot on rum.
As a mixologist, if you could choose one liquor, what would it be and why?
My favourite spirit is Cachaca. But if have to choose a liquor, it would be Licor Beirao.
It has an amazing taste, and you can make lovely cocktails with it such as a twist on a Caipirinha.
How has the bar scene in the city changed in recent years? What does the future hold?
A couple years ago there weren’t a lot of good bars in The Hague. Spark and BluePrint were pretty much all you had to choose from. But today you have some new – and amazing – bars. The Hague is on the verge of becoming a city with a lot of new and exciting bars: The Five Points, The Court, Syndicaat, Bleyenburg, Snoeshaen, and this spring Bricks is going to open.
Other than your own venue, where do you go to drink (and eat) in the city?
The Five Points for drinks, their amazing concept and very good bartenders. For food, I'd say
Ohana Poke: healthy and delicious food with a Hawaiian twist.
Have you got a simple trick or tip you can share that will help people make cocktails at home?
Make sure you have some cocktail essentials for your home, such as a shaker, muddler, bar spoon, jigger and – of course – a lot of lovely alcohol. That will definitely ease the process of making cocktails!
Spark at Hilton The Hague, Zeestraat 35, 2518 AA Den Haag • 070 710 7000
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