#64 | Old Crow, Zurich, Switzerland
Last Visit: Winter 2023/2024
Bar legend Charles Schumann said years ago in an interview about his film "Schumann's Bar Talks": "There are far too many pretentious bars where everyone is more important than the guest themselves. You can see that immediately. People always talk about hospitality. It should be completely normal to be hospitable in a good bar. That doesn't always mean that I – Charles Schumann – am hospitable, on the contrary. I work so much that I often can't stand people."
Don't worry, you haven't clicked on the wrong article; this one is about the Old Crow Bar, yes. It's just that when I recently reread this interview – after I had already created the draft for the article about Markus Blattner's Bar – I noticed how close Mr. Schumann's words are to those of Blattner from an interview with him in the German bar magazine Mixology (2/2024).
Copyright: Attitude Driven Adventures
Well, Blattner would certainly not say the last part; on the contrary, he enjoys welcoming and saying goodbye to guests, but otherwise observing them mostly from the safety behind the bar. Additionally, he also clearly states that he does not prefer bars that focus too much on active interaction, presentation, and concept communication, at least not for himself. Professionalism, calmness, politeness, hospitality, but no long lectures or presentations of drinks are the idea here, and I can respect that very much. Above all, it fits in very well with the classic American bar that he wanted to create, after he had already shaped and managed one to a certain extent in the famous Widder Bar (Zurich) for 13 years before that.
This also includes details such as the fact that all drinks are prepared on white cloths behind the counter. Although this is not an academically acceptable sample size for statistics, exactly two of the two bars that have done this so far and that I visited are located in Zurich. It's a classy city, whether it's old-school bars or modern concepts (the other one, by the way, was the elegant Kronenhalle). This seems to be more than well received, as the Old Crow together with the Bar am Wasser was definitely the busiest bar during my trip to Zurich. It always has its own unique charm, looking at a more classic American style bar from the outside, with some dark wood, in an old house, full of people and warm, inviting light (especially in December).
Copyright: Kevin Rechsteiner
I deliberately chose the photo of the spacious interior above (apart from my own pics) to give you an idea of the layout, especially the area away from the bar counter itself, which is often the only center in other photos online. There are spaces with vintage wooden benches and tables along the walls, as well as a chic archway leading to another small room. However, the photo was taken in the early days; since then, a little more decoration has been added to some of the walls, and details have been lovingly added over the years. In general, I was surprised by the photo above when I saw it online. Arriving in the evening in the dark and with so many people inside, the focus quickly shifts to the bar and the shelves with bottles. So I had the deceptive, false memory that the whole room was mostly dark wood, when in fact it's only the furniture and individual elements, with the bright white of the walls and ceiling serving more as a canvas. Everything seems very calm and harmonious, as if it had been here for much longer than just over 11 years (at least under the Old Crow name), exactly as it is now.
As for the bottles that immediately catch the eye, there are quite a few. As with every other article online, we will briefly also share the always mentioned fun fact: the collection includes approximately 1,600 bottles, also approximately 900 whisky bottlings. I find the large selection of vintage liqueurs particularly exciting, from not-too-rare (or expensive) cool-looking Bols bottles from the 1960s to 1970s, to one of the most sought after and pricey things in the spirit world these days: vintage Chartreuse. Anyone who has followed the auctions in recent years knows that old Chartreuse from around 1940-1950 can sometimes fetch €2,000 or more – a fascinating time we live in.
The menu is positively old school, meaning simple lists, black on white, and a ton of drinks. I didn't count them exactly, but there must be well over 50, including 8 with sake alone for example. In general, it is mostly divided according to the base spirits.
Ouverture
| French Vermouth
| Italian Vermouth
| Scotch
| Chartreuse MOFS
A great representation of the classic Old Crow style, Noilly Prat, Antica Formula, Johnny Walker Black Label - none of the brands are jaw-dropping or "special", but definitely deliberately chosen, rock-solid brands that harmonize very well with each other. The highlight here is my beloved Chartreuse MOFS, which I always recommend to everyone all the time anyway. Especially in stirred drinks, regardless of whether yellow or green is specified in the original recipe, try this "premium" version by the Carthusian monks instead! The result is almost always fantastic. Here, too, you end up with a beautifully balanced, harmonious yet deep, vermouth-focused drink, with some body from the Scotch and the depth of the Chartreuse. Dried grapes, slightly smoky maltiness, herbal honey, and everything blending together perfectly.
Nightshade
| Islay Single Malt
| Port
| Bitters
| Sugar
| Klosterfrau Melissengeist
Another small step up from the above, a Caol Ila 12 (an underrated distillery, by the way...) meets port wine, bitters, and a little bit of lemon balm spirit, which finds its perfect place here. Again, beautiful maltiness, salty notes reminiscent of distant shores, some dark cherries, nutmeg, and cinnamon, then fine lemon balm tea. Deep and as with the one above, everything flows together so seamlessly that it could be bottled as its own spirit.
Before these two drinks mentioned above, I also had a Nikkita with Japanese whisky, yuzu sake, tea liqueur, lemon, and Chartreuse. I found it solid, but a little monotonous in its focus on yuzu.
So my conclusion is a clear recommendation to visit Old Crow for its atmosphere and service, but above all for its extremely well-balanced, stirred drinks and the occasional champagne drink. In that Mixology interview, for example, the Nachtvogel was also mentioned, again with Islay whisky, bitters, and port, but here combined with champagne. I can immediately imagine how well it will work, similar to my stirred drinks. As a high-end cocktail fan, you shouldn't take every drink on the menu too seriously, as Blattner himself said. Among the many pages, there is also a Bailey's Banana Colada, but these cocktails with a nod to "earlier" times are the clear exception. The Old Crow knows what it has to offer and what it can do, and the audience rightly appreciates it. Hopefully, bars of this kind will continue to exist for decades to come.
/rds
Parts of the menu (click for original size):
