Sam speaks with Andrey Bolshakov, head bartender at newly opened Moscow venue, Insider Bar about the possibility of doing something unique.

Chatting with Andrey from Insider Bar in Moscow, you get the immediate effect of enthusiasm, but also determination.

And what he and his team have created is an embodiment of that enthusiasm, that determination but also of the desire to create something unique, different and ambitious.

We at Behind Bars spend most of our time thinking about bars. From the smallest details like the radius of the steel bends, to more abstract concepts of ‘what is a bar? How does it interact with the larger venue? Can we rethink how a bar can work?’ and so when Andrey came to us with the concept pack for his project back in 2019, 0ur initial thought was, “yep, this is going to be interesting”. But as with any collaboration we do, the project evolves and takes shape and changes direction. The final result though, we think, is groundbreaking.

To give a very simple explanation of the venue, Insider Bar is a 30 seat venue with an island bar in the middle. Now you’ve got a picture in your mind, discard it, because this place is like nothing you’ve seen before.

And this is apparent as you enter the venue. The island station I mentioned above looks almost like a Japanese rock garden, with plant life and stones in the middle and dark wooden benches and brushed matt steel, it’s wild.. If you didn’t know it was actually the bar station you would be forgiven for thinking it was an art installation, a sculpture. But actually it’s an incredibly functional, 3 station bar with seating for 6 guests.

“It’s absolutely the most popular seat in the house. Guests want to be inside the action and are really appreciative of the skill and craft it takes to execute our drinks concept quickly and precisely. The other tables that are not at the bar are intentionally communal because we want people to connect and tell each other their stories, to learn, to engage and to understand the synergies we have between ourselves as strangers but also together as people”.

The concept is ambitious, but so is the venue and so are the owners; Galaktion and Elina Tabidze two young and successful Russian restaurateurs who have a number of amazing concepts to their name. The island stations incorporate the hexagon technology developed by Monica Berg and Alex Kratena at the Tayer bar in London in collaboration with Behind Bars. The hexagons allow the workspace to be totally adaptable to the requirements of the concept and the working style of the bartender.

The laboratory that runs along one wall is serious. Andrey and the team have travelled the world to understand how sophisticated scientific equipment can contribute to flavour creation. The unique drinks, and the way they are served are, after all, as important as any larger ideals Insider Bar may be working towards.

“Our lab really gives us unlimited capabilities to explore taste and aroma. We play with our drinks, with flavours, with ideas of what a cocktail can or could be. For us this is a joy we can present to the guest. Our lab allows us to alter colours, consistencies, and experiment with flavours, the glassware we have selected enhances this story, we are playful but precise, but nothing we do is by accident”.

The interior walls are constructed of rammed earth, a conscious decision to experiment with sustainable building materials, and a nod to the emphasis placed on nature that runs throughout this venue.

And it was not by accident that Behind Bars came on board the project.

“We knew we wanted to do something unique, something different, and something perfect for our ideas. We approached local suppliers but we didn’t get the feeling that they shared our vision for this project. We had seen the Hexagon station at Tayer in London which Behind Bars made, and walked through it with Alex Kratena, and we were really impressed by the functionality and the design, but we wanted to go one step further, and we called Behind Bars to see if we could work with them.

“We could see right away that these guys have a passion for the work, for bartending as a profession, but also an amazing creative capability to imagine what a bar is in a wider context. They are not stuck to one idea. They helped us shape our ideas into our perfect bar. The process was professional and the outcome is of the highest quality. It really is our perfect bar”.

For us at Behind Bars, this is the kind of project that we love. We spend a lot of our time discussing and imagining all the ways we could make bars more flexible, less linear, less single use, less the same as they have always been.

As soon as the guys from Insider walked into our lives with some crazy, ambitious ideas, we knew this could turn out to be an incredible bar. We’re really proud of the result and can’t wait to visit!