#6 | The Trust, Kraków, Poland
Visit: Summer 2022
While we are not going to write a whole analysis of the state of the Polish bar industry in the last decades, to really understand what puts The Trust ahead of so many other places that can't even be considered competition, we need a little context. For better, much more often for worse, the market and the customers decide what is offered. A classic cocktail bar, which focuses on spirits, focuses on creating taste experiences, tries to learn from what is happening in other parts of the world, oftentimes has challenging tasks. It needs to go up against a customer who simply wants to have a shot of alcohol for a night of partying, an expensive but oversugared drink to go along with the lifestyle of the newly rich and almost famous or a whole culinary experience with a restaurant attached.
It is absolutely worth noting how many bars in Poland and its cities try to break free from the demands of tourists and locals. The talent and passion is here. People are coming back from working in other places, seeing how drinks are done in London, in Lisbon, in Berlin and they genuinely want to bring that to their towns, while also giving it a unique twist. It is however, an obstacle many won't be able to overcome.
Not so The Trust. Build by a team that previously, and maybe even once again, was involved in Krakow's most well-known classic cocktail bar Mercy Brown and proudly presents lessons learned by exhibiting for example the Death & Co bar book on the shelf, they are well aware of the sweet spot between innovation and navigating the landscape. (Mercy Brown, since their departure, has unfortunately not been able to rediscover what once made it the city’s top spot.)
The bar counter / Copyright: The Trust
Menus follow mostly a musical theme, with drinks being named after songs. While other places might simply slap whatever song title they can come up with next to their creation, at The Trust you get very much what you expect when you hear a drink being named Blue (Da Ba Dee), of course referring to the 1998 song by Eiffel 65. The same goes for drinks named after Sinatra songs, take a guess what kind of drink would fit that boozy and slick voice entertaining smoke filled rooms of the 50s. The same goes for Elvis and what kind of a smooth, silky path that leads to.
Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Ostoya Vodka
Cointreau
White Chocolate Foam
This drink is surely going to cause arguments and mentioning it here as the first of three even more. Not only is it tasty though, if pretty straightforward in terms of sweetness, it also shows this skill of bringing the fun of bar-tending in the 80s and 90s into a new century. It does not have 30 different juices, blinking straw or a name like ‘Pornstar Martini’, but what it has is good quality ingredients, culinary influence with a homemade foam and just enough 90s cheesiness to make for a conversation starter. It also serves as an introduction to the mixology potential of Vodka in modern bars.
Suspicious Minds
Woodford Reserve
Vestal Black Cherry
Martini Rosso
Local Coffee Infusion
My personal favourite from the previous menu. It is a tastefully expanded Manhattan, what did you expect? Being a fan of Sherry and Port heavy Scotch the dark cherry Vodka adds enough power and lingering fruits without being so sweet that it overshadows the Bourbon and the coffee it is infused with. The coffee beans are from a local Kraków roaster that has amazing quality and I hope to see their stuff being used in subsequent menus as well.
The Hobbit
Botanist Gin
Apple
Thyme
Bergamot
So popular it came back as one of the few old drinks on the next menu. If this wasn’t called The Hobbit, I would name it after a potion in The Witcher and connect it to Polish nature. Aromatic and herbal, but approachable. The apple here is less fruity and adds more a hint of apple peel, you will see this drink on the last picture right at the bottom of the page.
The art here lies in how effortlessly decades of drinks can be bridged and made approachable, without seeming arrogant or too lost in a vision that only appeals to the bartender. While the general taste leans in the direction of sweet and smoth, something based on a Manhattan will be in that category, a creamy dessert drink will never be too heavy and modern milk washed punches won't be overdone just to make use of the fancy trend. There is a decent selection of Single Malts, unfortunately it is still hard to find a good distribution of that in Poland, solid R(h)ums, Gin and of course a focus on craft Vodka, that could, in my opinion, even have a more prominent place on the menu. Nice to see that Cava, Spanish Sparkling Wine, is much more common here than Champagne.
There is always the option to have any classic drink, the ingredients are all there and while the selection of spirits is not on top-shelf level just yet, it is still much better than so many of the other bars in Poland that still use terrible Whisk(e)y, Vodka and R(h)um.
The swinging book shelves / Copyright: The Trust
Why haven't we talked about atmosphere and style yet? Frankly, because quality and creativity of the cocktails do speak for themselves and because the bar itself will never push the decor in your face and try to distract from other shortcomings. A mix between a British private club, with wood, bookshelves and leather and an Art Deco music lounge, The Trust is elegant, but welcoming. During the day, the bookshelves are secret doors that hide the bar behind them and the first few tables, as well as the seats outside are open to have a coffee. I do not need to go into how much I like places that offer something more than the 'old school bar experience' (opening up at 7 pm and not a minute earlier). It would be nice to see them offering more than just coffee at some point in the future. The city offers amazing rosteries, bakeries and more that can be served during the day. Located in Kraków's alternative nightlife center, Kazimierz, it fits right in with exciting new restaurants, shops and galleries while still being close to the up and coming hot spots across the river.
The Trust also has connections to other bars in the city and are part of TNT, a kind of collaboration between them and Neon as well as Tag (hence the name TNT). Both of these are more easy-going places with less focus on spirits and extensive menus. Guest-shifts are frequent and the best international bartenders coming to Poland will make a stop here. While there won't be any groundbreaking products, aside from Polish, Czech or Baltic alcohol from time to time, The Trust is by far the single nexus for bar culture in Poland at the moment.
Hospitality and Atmosphere are key words in any bar or restaurant in Poland. There will be live music, usually Jazz on many nights, the free water in your glass will never run out, splitting bills into different payment options is never an issue and the staff will easily recognize regulars. All of that for more than fair prices (which of course would rise, if some of the mid-tier spirits were to be swapped for something better). But please do not make the mistake of only coming here for a cheap buzz. This attitude is frankly the reason that so many bars with potential fail. Go to promising bars such as this one and order something off the menu and indulge in the pleasant offer on the menu equally while talking to the people here.
If anyone is ever curious about visiting The Trust or this beautiful city, feel free to contact me, until then, Cheers.
/jf
The Hobbit
