Case Study: Bar Kismet, Halifax, Canada
Jenner Cormier, owner of Bar KismetFor Bar Kismet, a 35-seat restaurant and cocktail bar located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, ice is a prominent component,
going through about 400 pounds per day.
In addition to a predominantly seafood and vegetable menu, its offerings include an extensive beer and wine list along with its dozen or so specialty cocktails.
“Ice is an important ingredient when making cocktails,” says Jenner Cormier, owner of the restaurant. “If a product is cold, chances are it touches ice in some capacity.”
Bar Kismet, a quaint 35-seat seafood restaurant and bar opened in August 2017Cormier became familiar with Hoshizaki America Inc.’s ice machine lines through word of mouth, as he was in search of equipment known for consistency and reliability.
“It gets to a point in the cocktail industry where the things that separate quality establishments are beverage ingredients,” says Cormier. “When looking for an advantage over competing restaurants, it’s about drink consistency and taste.”
Bar Kismet utilizes Hoshizaki’s F-330BAJ-C air-cooled, self-contained ice maker with built-in storage bin, which produces cubelet ice. It features a durable stainless steel exterior, convenient drop down stainless door and two-second hourly rinse to remove impurities.
For cocktail chilling, Bar Kismet uses Hoshizaki’s IM-200BAA, which debuted last year. This model creates 1” x 1¼” perfectly square and crystal clear cubes. The high-efficiency undercounter ice machine has a small footprint, yet produces 200 pounds of cubes daily and includes a 75-pound built-in storage bin.
“These units cover all our bases,” says Cormier. “With the cubelet ice machine, we’re able to put a steel table over it for a great compact set up.”
Bar Kismet utilizes Hoshizaki’s F-330BAJ-C and IM-200BAA ice machines to produce and use nearly 400 pounds of ice per day.For its signature cocktails, Bar Kismet needed a dense cube that would not melt quickly to control beverage dilution. “It comes down to controlling every element of the beverage, that’s why we picked the Hoshizaki square cube machine,” says Cormier.
With the other unit, cubelet ice is used to chill glassware quickly, in cocktails that contain more juice or different mixers like syrups, and for storing and serving fish, oysters, raw scallops and sea urchins.
“When it comes to cocktail ice, the Hoshizaki unit is a workhorse, and provides the clarity and density that are key to high quality,” says Cormier. “It offers reliability and consistency, while maintaining the flexibility to adapt as trends change.”
Because the length of the actual ice cycle is so important, along with energy requirements with the machines operating 24/7, these were factors in Cormier’s choice of units.
“We have people prepping in the morning, and need ice machines that can turn over quickly,” he says. “We can’t wait 90 minutes for cube trays. This is a massive benefit of both the cube and cubelet machines, which are constantly producing.”
Another benefit of Hoshizaki’s units is the ease in disassembling for cleaning and maintenance. “That was a huge win for us, since regular cleaning and maintenance are important with this equipment,” says Cormier.
Ultimately, it was Hoshizaki’s reputation that was a key deciding factor. “We associate this brand with excellence and wonderful customer service,” he says.
