“‘Art’ is where we make meaning beyond language,” says art philosopher Catherine Bosley in Philosophy Now. “It’s a means of communication where language is not sufficient to explain or describe its content. Art can render visible and known what was previously unspoken.” And, in my view, mixology is undeniably an art form.
Nicholas Muthaka was a painter before he took up mixology, an artist by pure definition. The transition may not make sense to many but when you dive into what mixology is, the intricacy of the job and how much thought and emotion goes behind every drink, you start to realise that Muthaka never changed fields. He just walked into a new branch of it.
“I was playing with colour, now I’m playing with drinks,” Muthaka observes. Just as a painter blends colours to create a visual body of art, a mixologist blends flavours to craft a sensory delight. For a painter colour, texture, and composition tell a story, while flavour profiles, balance, and presentation serve as the narrative for a mixologist.
Both art forms seek to create an experience that resonates with the senses and evokes emotions that are communicated from the artist to those consuming their art.
I had the pleasure of encountering Muthaka’s artistry at the Procera Gin Bartending Competition in late 2024 where his stand-out drink “Emerald Sling” captured the hearts of many. This captivating cocktail features Gin, gooseberry, Prosecco, and a frothy layer of aquafaba, with the gooseberry being a pull from Muthaka’s childhood.
”The gooseberry idea was inspired when I was a little boy,” Muthaka enthusiastically exclaimed. “We used to eat gooseberries [in] the wild.”
Just as a painter translates an idea onto canvas, Muthaka, with the bar as his studio and a shaker as his brush, brought his vision to life.
The Emerald Sling is designed to be an all-occasion drink, unlike a Bloody Mary, typically enjoyed at brunch, or a Martini, usually reserved for the evening. This refreshing cocktail embodies a sense of freedom, much like Muthaka’s childhood memories of carefree days spent enjoying gooseberries in the wild. Free from the constraints of daily life – office deadlines, rent payments, and tax filings – the Emerald Sling invites you to savour the moment and embrace the infinite possibilities that life offers.
None of this means that colour is not an integral part of cocktail construction. Although Muthaka’s new art form focuses heavily on the balance and harmony of different flavours, he still finds himself mastering the art of colour. The Emerald Sling was his submission in the Color Me Bad portion of the Procera Gin Bartending Competition, where competitors had to create a vibrant cocktail in a few minutes. For Muthaka, he drew his inspiration, colour-wise, from his current place of work, Gem Forest Hotel Nairobi – MGallery Collection.
Gem Forest is one of Nairobi’s newest additions to the hospitality scene. Situated near the UN and the city’s diplomatic quarter, the hotel offers guests breathtaking views of the Karura Forest, a major source of inspiration for its design. Green pillars adorn the lobby, complemented by a captivating water feature that gracefully meanders through the space.
The Emerald Sling is a testament to Muthaka’s deep appreciation for the Gem Forest, a hotel that he credits with transforming his career, its vibrant green hue echoing the hotel’s signature colour scheme.
“We had a trainer who came in. They’d tell us how to make the cocktails from scratch” he said. “You can imagine we have like a hundred guests and you have an order of 50 Old Fashions, so he designed a way for us to batch the cocktails.” This method of preparation ensures both quality and efficiency.
Muthaka and one of his colleagues handle the “lab” where they batch cocktails. One of their more popular drinks is a twist on the beloved Old Fashion, infusing it with Masala to pay an ode to the hotel’s Indian roots. Their role is to expertly combine these flavours, skillfully infusing the masala into the base spirit. This is done in bulk and distributed throughout the hotel, allowing bartenders on duty to simply shake, stir, garnish, and serve. This also means that a large majority of the drinks at Gem Forest have Muthaka’s touch.
It’s this same colleague that Muthaka leaned on during the competition. “You must have a judge before you go to the actual judge,” he advised. “Sometimes I come up with something and they’re like ‘How about we add this?’ I create the foundation but the building itself of the cocktail…it has a lot of support.”
This support was evident during the competition finals, where the hotel was well-represented with colleagues cheering him on from the front row as Muthaka competed against some of Nairobi’s finest bartenders.
It’s this level of support, which Muthaka has been fortunate enough to find not just at Gem Forest but throughout his career, that has elevated his game.
When he first started off in the hospitality industry, he began as a waiter. However, as though strings were pulling his heart, Muthaka always found himself near the bar. A silent, yet undeniable pull, a sense of belonging he hadn’t realized existed.
“The owner [of my first hospitality role] was like, ‘You’re always near the bar, you look like one of them, how about you take over the bar when the other bartender is not around.’” This was a conversation that completely changed the trajectory of his life. “It was a great opportunity. I developed something that has pushed me till now.”
This drive and push has seen Muthaka accomplish things he never thought were possible but he is nowhere near done. “I’m hoping by the end of next year, I’ll be at some point where I can be a guest bartender. That I’m a name people look for.”
Written By: Latifa Waithera
