Meet the Mixologist: Rami Lavy from @ramithemixologist

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into mixology? Who/what/where taught you what you know?

I get asked that a lot, I have this little joke where I say that one day my parents left an open bottle of piña Colada in the fridge, and the rest is history! But in reality I don’t really know what drew me into this world, I just found myself interested in it more and more, and I started making cocktails (at home) almost 20 years ago, a little bit before legal drinking age (18 in Israel). I read books about it, made experiments, and a lot of mess in the kitchen. At some point, I even built a bar in my room (you can find a picture or two of it if you scroll down enough on my Instagram profile). Immediately after I finished my army service, I took a bartending course and started working behind bars.

Israel is a great place for a Mixologist, because as a huge melting pot and culture mix, you get exposed to so many spices and styles of cuisines, and you just can’t help but be inspired. The rest is pretty much my deep deep passion for this field and a lot of self teaching for a while, and then teaming up with other bartenders/Mixologists where we have a mutual inspiration during the creative process.

Tell us about a recent experiment!

Something I find very interesting is aquafaba. I started playing with aquafaba infusions, and I think it’s pretty awesome. Before aquafaba (and frothers) we used to put our trust in egg whites (and elbow grease) to create that beautiful froth/foam we all love. Alas, egg whites are extremely sensitive, and there’s no room to play – using aquafaba is much more durable and allows us to make Infusions. What’s fun about it is that by infusing the aquafaba, you create an “entrance” flavor and/or aroma for the cocktail. I’ve Infused it with dry spices which works great. I’ve also tried citrus peels which taste great, but provide a little less foam (I guess because of the oils). It’s very simple to make, just think of the flavors you want to add to the cocktail and Infuse the aquafaba for a few hours, then strain, and use. And while in some cases there is a “leak” between the flavors of the cocktail, and the flavors of the froth, most flavors from the Infused aquafaba stay on top, it’s a great way to create clever cocktails with layered flavors. So far I’ve only used traditional aquafaba made from chickpeas, but I plan on expanding that to other legumes like adzuki beans, lima beans, lentils, and even peas.