Veteran bartender Matthew Bax is against the Americanization of cocktail bars. His new spot, Gamsei, in Munich adapts hyperlocalism to mixed drinks.
“All across the planet, the very same classic drinks, mostly prohibition era, are being served,” he says. “Disturbingly from the same tattooed guys all dressed in the same Boardwalk Empire costumes.”
Not so in Gamsei, where Bax’s crew makes liquors, schnapps and syrups from foraged or locally farmed ingredients.
Architect Fabian A. Wagner echoed this communal approach by simulating a Bavarian beer hall. Patrons sit on amphitheater style benches and become an audience to the drink-mixing in the middle. It is, quite nicely, a bar without a bar.
Wooden cupboards conceal dried flowers, herbs and leaves. Meanwhile, their house-made liquors keep in white ceramic bottles that hang from the ceiling and function as a nice leitmotif throughout the space. Minimalism, in multiples.
Photographed by S&S Schels, Jann Averwerser
Visit Gamsei and Buero Wagner for more information
