Inside the RND Bar: How Our Mixologist Builds a Cocktail
RND isn’t loud about what it does. The music stays low, the lights stay warm, and the cocktails arrive without theatrics — clean, balanced, quietly confident. But behind every drink on the menu is a process. A slow one. A considered one. And a mixologist who sees cocktails the way chefs see dishes: as stories, memories and ingredients layered with intention.
Here’s how a cocktail is born at RND.
It starts with a feeling, not a recipe
Some bars start with measurements. RND starts with a mood.
A late-night spritz that feels like Bondi after dark.
A highball that tastes like the first 10 minutes after sunset.
A spicy, citrusy something designed for people who aren’t ready to go home yet.
Our mixologist begins with the vibe of the room — the energy, the season, the type of night people are showing up for. The drink has to fit that moment, not interrupt it.
Next comes the flavour architecture
Every RND cocktail is built like a structure: base, body, lift.
Base — the spirit that sets the tone (clean tequila, citrus-led gin, smoky mezcal).
Body — the depth and flavour (house syrups, infusions, ferments, teas).
Lift — the brightness that keeps it fresh (yuzu, grapefruit oil, herbs, bubbles).
The goal: nothing heavy, nothing muddled, nothing you need to “figure out.”
Just clean lines, sharp edges, and balance.
Ingredients rule everything
The menu changes with the seasons, and so do the ingredients behind the bar. Citrus is sweeter in summer, so cocktails lean brighter. Winter shifts the palette toward warmth — toasted spices, subtle earthiness, deeper profiles.
House-made elements anchor everything:
Yuzu cordials. Vanilla tinctures. Passionfruit syrups. Infused salts.
Little details you taste but don’t necessarily see.
Technique is quiet — and precise
RND doesn’t shake cocktails for theatrics. Every movement is functional.
The temperature of the ice.
The dilution rate.
The way citrus is peeled to avoid bitterness.
Even the glassware matters — slim highballs for spritzes, cold coupes for anything spirit-forward, weighty tumblers for late-night pours.
Everything has a purpose.
The final step: testing it on the room
A drink doesn’t make the menu until the team tastes it, critiques it, adjusts it, and ultimately watches how people respond.
If the room leans in, if the drink disappears quickly, if someone orders a second without thinking — that’s how we know it belongs.
Because at RND, cocktails aren’t just beverages.
They’re part of the night.
Part of the atmosphere.
Part of the reason people stay longer than they planned.
