Is Mixology just a fancy way to speak about Bartending, or is it something different? We are about to find out.

Mixology can be defined as the art and study of preparing, inventing and serving mixed drinks, the so-called cocktails; the in-depth stud y of the craft of mixing drinks. In Marriam-Webster’s dictionary, that dates back to 1948, mixology is defined as – the skill of preparing mixed drinks. However, the term of mixology dates back, as old as the 19^th century. The old days can have an image of people drinking only beer and liquor, shots, thus cocktails could be categorized as girly drinks, and it actually was so, pretty much, the so called “cocktail dark ages”. But thanks to enthusiastic bartenders who were interested in mixology, they kept the craft alive. With time, with the growing population, with the growing trend of globalization, people started looking for better products in everything. Now the customer wanted unique experiences. And the bars weren’t an exception. People wanted to taste new things on the menu, different from all the classic cocktails. Thus, based on the classic cocktails, new recipes were invented, variations of the original ones.

So, you might say, isn’t a mixologist a different name for a bartender. The answer is, No. Each of the titles requires both the same and different set of skills. A bartender might make you a drink that might or might not be any different from any you had before, and uses his basic knowledge about cocktails and resources to prepare you one. A mixologist uses his drinks to create a unique experience for his customer, and to tell a story. Creates innovative cocktails, using unique ingredients, house made or special local ones, to create unusual tastes in drinks. All mixologists are bartenders, but it’s not the other way around. It can be related to a very well-known quote “Every cook is not a chef, but every chef is a cook”. Mixology is like fine-dining and molecular kitchen. The mixologists use fresh ingredients to create amazing and rich flavors, prepare all the syrups, bitter, that later on might be used by the bartender for the service.

Molecular mixology is the process of creating cocktails using the equipment and techniques of molecular gastronomy. The equipment that is used varies from the simplest items such as blowtorches, shaker, bar spoon to items such as vacuum sealer and atomizer. These methods enable the creation of greater intensities of flavor, flavor combinations and different ways of presenting drinks. Powders, foams, gels, atomized sprays can be used for the different tastes as well as for the appearance of the cocktails.

Mixology influenced the way people drink in bars, it created a new standard that haven’t existed before. The mixology bars, don’t necessarily serve you only the most fancy and complex drinks, it can be your regular Whiskey and Cola, but served with better quality Whiskey. In the city of Antalya, the only mixology bar belongs to Pio Gastro Bar and Bistro. The cocktails menu of Pio was exclusively created for the bar, by its mixologist. They have a special menu of signature drinks, that you cannot find anywhere else in town. Fresh ingredients are used such as watermelon, oranges, lime and lemon, from Tuvana’s garden, homemade syrups, freshly dried fruits (pineapple, oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear,) used for drinks decoration, fresh rosemary that grows in the garden of Seraser. With all the elements put together, Pio created the atmosphere and tastes to satisfy all of your wants, and to submerge your soul into the depths of pleasure.