Infusion Room to Host Award-Winning Beirut Bartender Jad Ballout, Feb 20-21

Jad Ballout may be known as an award-winning bartender, but he's also impressively adept in the kitchen. The renowned Beirut drink maker (who will be the guest bartender at Infusion Room from February 20-21) uses ample morsels of food in his cocktails, which has no doubt helped him secure the runner-up spot for the Bacardi Legacy Global Final, a finalist for the Diageo World Class Global bartender competition, and his bar claiming a rank of 26th among the world's best 50.

As the manager of Central Station Boutique Bar, Ballout opperates one of the most popular establishments in Beirut's trendy, shoreside Mar Mikhael neighborhood. Ballout tells TBJ that Beirut's bar scene has plenty to offer, but is unfortunately underappreciated. "When it comes to cocktails, a lot of people would not think of the Middle East as a go-to destination. Or even if they think of it, Dubai would come to their mind long before Beirut," he says, adding: "This is exactly something we want to change as we aim to put Beirut on the global cocktail map."

In Ballout's eyes, as the 'Paris of the Middle East,' Beirut has a strong influence from both France and the Mediterranean, meaning its people are quite sociable and enjoy an early afternoon aperitif. He adds: "Because of the region and the climate, we have amazingly fresh produce and fascinating local spices that constantly sparkles creativity inside me."

And while his award-winning status in the Lebanese capital's nightlife is enviable, it wasn't his lifelong dream. Instead, he spent much of his youth fantasizing about becoming a chef. 

“After a while, I joined the bar where I started to learn more about bartending and realized that I can play with ingredients and do some cooking to create drinks,” Ballout told Tales of the Cocktail. “What I loved the most was creating recipes and mixing ingredients together like chefs do in the kitchen, and at the same time, meeting people and sharing my creations. So I decided to stay behind the bar instead of pursuing my kitchen chef career.”

That foodie mentality has been indespensible to him behind the bar, as he looks to cookbooks and chef's blogs for cocktail recipe ideas, employing such high-end techniques as sous-vide – used in the best French kitchens – to "infuse spirits by cooking them in vacuum bags, like smoked tea infused whiskey used in the Whiskey & Cola and banana-infused bourbon for the Winter Colada," according to Tales.

Of his incorporation of sous-vide, Ballout tells TBJ: "I like to approach bartending as a perfect form of art and science. The sous-vide technique allows me to be more consistent and provide the best quality in all of my creations. It also allows me to make my own craft syrup and infusions that express my ideas in absolute details. I collect a lot of cookbooks to understand and learn the techniques from respected chefs including Rene Redzepi and Ferran Adria. I believe in getting to the essence of ingredients; you should understand the particular methodology of preparing each independent element and respect its characteristics."

Ballout goes on to tell TBJ that one of his favorite new creations is the “Mezze,” a smoky and sour cocktail inspired by the Lebanese dish baba ganoush. "In additional to the classic roasted eggplant flavor, I also incorporated cardamom smoke to infuse the puree with another layer of oriental complexity. This time I am also bringing this top seller at Central Station to Infusion Room. I believe Mezze would entice the sophisticated palate of Beijing's fine drinkers."

Another of his drink recipes – detailed in Definitive Drink Guide back in 2013 when Ballout worked at Beirut's Mexican-meets-Mediterranean bar and restaurant Garcia’s Cantina y Cocteleria – used the Central Asian meze cuisine staple fattoush salad as its foundation. That finely chopped salad, along with olive oil, Sumac spice and Ketel One Citroen vodka, made for a wholly unique and distinctly local cocktail.

Classy Beijing barflies, especially those with a penchant for Middle Eastern cuisine, will surely enjoy mixing it up with this innovative, highly reputed bartender.

Photos courtesy of Jad Ballout, Infusion Room, UO Blogs