Globetrotting mixologist settles down in Salinas
PHOTO BY MARK C. ANDERSON
It proves difficult to quantify Alex Mouzouris’ depth of cocktail wisdom.
After nearly 20 years in the industry, countless cocktail conferences, myriad product launches and dozens of drink program debuts from Paris to Seaside, the London native’s understanding approaches encyclopedic.
Also hard to gauge: his passion for rum, which he studied for years as brand ambassador for 150-year-old liquor legend and sixth-generation Puerto Rican spirits house Destilería Serrallés.
“The most versatile spirit in existence,” says Mouzouris, currently beverage director at Heirloom Pizza Co. in Salinas. “And there’s rum made in more places than wine. Every island, every place that makes rum, is different.”
His appreciation for drink-making in his native London—versus, say, New York or Barcelona—is not as tricky to sum up. “No place is better,” he says.
Same for his thirst to stir up Monterey Bay Area’s cocktail game.
“A good drink program takes as much effort as fine dining,” he says. “People don’t get it. It’s a whole unexplored world around here.” But if and when you do measure any of those elements, make sure to do it metrically.
“I work in milliliters, not in ounces,” he says. “I am aware that I live in America and how things work here, and I’m delighted to be a citizen. But ounces are stupid and they make unbalanced drinks.”
For him, the magic of millimeters goes beyond familiarity and smooth conversions: It allows for the precision that helps define his approach to the craft—which also involves the use of tools like sous vide machines and food-grade acids.
Heirloom co-owner/operator Mike Foley enjoys observing how customers respond to Mouzouris creations like the Chamomile Collins with wildflower honey, the Jungle Stirred with baked pineapple rum and his whiskey sour, the pedigree and tartness of which Mouzouris takes personally.
“He’s elevating our drink program, and in general he’s elevating our vibe,” Foley says. “The food sells itself, and the bar is another piece of that puzzle, bringing out our name and product to Salinas to people who can appreciate it. People aren’t necessarily expecting that.”
Gabe Georis, owner of Barmel, has worked in hospitality for decades, and sees something uncommon in Mouzouris, who briefly helmed the drinks program there. “Alex has a gift for creating balance in his drinks,” Georis says. “Subtlety and finesse, it’s all there.”
Mouzouris’ rum allegiance bodes well for Heirloom’s forthcoming Mainlanders Tropical Bar upstairs (slated for late summer opening), which layers on promise for Oldtown’s ongoing rise, and rum’s historic resurgence overall.
“Rum built the New World, all of this, in some fashion or another,” Mouzouris says. “At one time, it was worth the same as its weight in gold.”
To be clear, he 1) genuinely finds that equivalency fair, and 2) is measuring that weight in kilograms
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
