Top Tel Aviv Beverage Director Elad Shoham on the Local Cocktail Scene

On any given night, COVID-19 or not, the bar at Hotel Montefiore is at full capacity. The institution - a boutique hotel on top of a beloved restaurant - has been a mainstay on the Tel Avivian culinary scene for over a decade, and the clientele can’t seem to get enough. Hotel Montefiore belongs to R2M, one of the most powerful restaurant groups in Israel, and Elad Shoham, the group’s Beverage Director, knows a thing or two about longevity. Crafting the alcohol programs for the group for the past fifteen years, from seasonal cocktails to wine purchasing, an experienced and knowledgeable power player who is known to launch trends.

In addition to Montefiore, the group is behind Herzl 16, a stylish day-to-night restaurant with a lively beverage program, The Brasserie a mythical, bistro-like hangout that once was favored by the city’s cultural elites, Coffee Bar - a local classic and one of the first places in Tel Aviv to take cocktails seriously, and Delicatessen, a chain of delis where shoppers can purchase pre-made Negroni mixes Shoham had orchestrated.

Pouring a cocktail photo credit Anatoly Michaello

Tel Aviv’s love affair with quality cocktails started almost a decade ago, and Shoham doesn’t want to take credit; “Cocktails, as a thoughtful drink you put quality ingredients to? That started with the opening of Bar Imperial (in 2013, F.T) which made a huge difference,” he says. “We did cocktails at the Brasserie and at the Coffee Bar, but mixology wasn’t even a thing back then.”

Innovative Cocktails

These days, the R2M group is all about innovative cocktails. On the menu at Hotel Montefiore you’ll find drinks like the Yuzu Gimlet, made with Roku gin and yuzu sake, and a classic Sazerac. At Hertzel 16, mint-adorned Pimm’s Cup and ginger Margaritas are served in the shady courtyard. “Classics work,” Shoham says. “But they’re an anchor - the interest in cocktails has led to a motivation to use more lucrative ingredients, and to make your own syrups and shrubs instead of using something bought.”

Julllius photo credit Sivan Askayo

Indeed, Shoham notices, there’s been an uptick in high-quality, locally made cocktail ingredients, which he’s more than happy to use. “We’ve been working with Jullius Bitters, which use herbs from the Galilee, we’re making a spritz with local vermouth by Pelter winery” he says. “We now have a high-quality answer to almost any cocktail category, maybe except for tequila and mezcal.”

What’s Next in Tel Aviv?

What’s the ultimate Tel Avivan cocktail? The city, very hot during a good chunk of the year, seems to be primed for the worldwide trend of aperitivo. Shoham thinks this is the direction Tel Aviv is indeed heading in, but not just yet.  “People here still love a sweet cocktail, although lately Tel Avivians - and Israelis - are opening up to bitter, stronger cocktails,” he comments. “At Hotel Montefiore, we’re leaning on classics but also constantly introducing new things, like a new Mai Tai with a blend of four different rums, and a dry sherry cobbler - classics that we never had the right ingredients for, until now, or things that the audience hasn’t been ready for, until now. “

As the Brasserie, French in its core, reopens, Shoham hopes to soon make “cocktails based on calvados and pastis, which aren’t ingredients people would normally consume. I think the cocktail is a great way to make new flavors accessible.” He’s been dabbling with mocktails, too - even if they don’t work right away, reality eventually backs us up,” he says with a smile.

Ultimately, his job is all about maintaining “a mix of best-sellers and important drinks that will, eventually, drip into the mainstream - and we will then be the ones who’ve been making them forever. We constantly innovate, and people constantly “discover” ingredients we’ve been liking and joining us.” 

Jullius mezcalita photo credit Sivan Askayo

Jullius Mezcalita

Shoham sought out Julius Bitters, a digestif made of wild herbs that foraged in the Galilee, to craft a Mezcal-based Margarita that also “encompasses the "taste of northern Israel.”

50 ml IBA 40 Orange Mezcal

25 ml Jullius Bitters Wild Herb Elixir

25 ml Lime Juice

10 ml Simple Syrup

Angostura Orange

Chili salt

Shake all ingredients with ice until very chilled, strain to martini/coupe glass with chili salt rim.