Hackathon and a cocktail with pine shrub

I´m always looking for things to challenge me. One occasion arose over the weekend 29.04 – 30.04 which is called a Hackathon. How I stumbled across it was because I won my spot into the top 10 in World class Iceland, the number one biggest cocktail competition in the world. If I would get through here at home I would go to the grand final in Mexico. I was looking for a way to put Iceland into my cocktails. Whilst doing that I tried to find out who would judge this competition. I came on to aromatic sprays and found me reading about how brain and smell works. A few hours later I was on Facebook chatting in a Icelandic food pioneer group. I asked if somebody was infusing oils, distilling and making extracts for food grade industrial use. I sent my findings to Ingi Björn Sigurðsson who organized the Hackathon and he asked me to showcase my idea.

So how a Hackathon works is that they invite entrepreneurs to meet mentors and other individuals to join their idea team. Then everybody work for 48 hours and it all end with a showcase and presentation for investors and mentors to get feedback. I had two people on my team. Vilhjálmur R. Vilhjálmsson, a former bartender and at the moment in school learning computer science and Berglind Ósk Sævarsdóttir which is currently enrolled into becoming a Science technician.

I came with an Idea for aromatic sprays, this evolved into extracts, then oils, then how we could connect five to six different products into mixology, gastronomy and herbal remedies.

This is what happens when active minds are clashed into one room. Things happen and we always learn something from each other, new knowledge will never be taken from us.

I would want you reader to check this event out or other similar connecting to what you are focusing on. This lead me to challenge myself, using other methods that I was not familiar with but am now. For example, rotary evaporator which distills literally everything and gives thousands of ideas that will be tested more in the future. Connecting to other people and extending my social network, teaching me to present and get valuable constructive comments from professionals around the world. I would totally do this again and since I am moving abroad I will look this up around my vicinity in Denmark.

Other point is that all of the industry can be connected and used on both ends. You just have to listen, ask daring questions and be ready to take whatever in that comes your way.

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Shake my pine!
60 ml Mountain vodka
30 ml newly squeezed lemon juice
15 ml Blue Curacao Liqueur
15 ml homemade pine shrub*
1 bar spoon Elderflower Liqueur

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into your favorite glass. Garnish with pine.

*Pine shrub:
90 grams of pine (Pinusuncinata)
500 ml of cooled down sugar syrup (1:1)
100 ml of red wine vinegar

Method: Put pine and syrup into a blender and mix. Use a cheese cloth to strain 3 times, then add the vinegar to the mix and stir to dissolve. Bottle and refrigerate.

Leó Ólafsson aka Icebreaker, Bartender Matarkjallarinn, Reykjavik, Iceland

Member in Icelandic Bartending Club (BCI)

Mail: isbrjotur@gmail.com

Instagram: @isbrjotur

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