Meet Stefan Forsberg, bartender and owner of Care/Of Bar in Malmoe

Back to the roots and into the future

His passion for cocktails and bartending took him to South America, Australia and Denmark. His dream of having his own bar brought him back home to Sweden. Now Stefan Forsberg is running Malmoe’s first bartender-owned cocktail bar, Care/Of Bar. He loves it. And his guests too. Recently he extended the opening hours and hired more staff. His recipe for success?Craftsmanship and innovation.

Lives and breathes cocktails

Stefan has a soft spot for bartending history. The craft, the origin of classic drinks, cocktail books from the early 1800s. I learned a lot about the classics and traditional ingredients at Press Club in Brisbane, he says. That was a really good school for me. And from his deep knowledge of bartending – knowing the craft, judging quality, knowing how to balance flavors – comes new ideas. Sometimes I create new cocktails in my head, he says. And I pretty much know how they will taste before I mix them.

Drink better, not more

Stefan has a mission. He wants to make people drink better, not more. I want to educate my guests, he says. Make them aware of the ingredients and what quality tastes like. And surprise them with new experiences. Care/Of Bar has one cocktail served in a black glass – Wild Card. The ingredients are secret and guests are asked to guess what’s in it. To make them reflect on flavors and ingredients.

Cocktails made with care, by Care/Of

So what’s in a hand-crafted cocktail at Care/Of? Fresh ingredients, always. Preferably local, some hand-made, and often seasonal. Sometimes things you’d never expect to find in a drink, like ramson or chickpea water instead of egg white. And good ice. Ordinary ice isn’t good enough, Stefan says. It melts too fast, dilutes the drink. Dilutes the whole experience. So he built his own ice machine, with lower temperature and water that circulates. For perfect, see-through cocktail ice.

Shake, rattle and mix

The bartender is a showman, the counter a stage. And every performance 5-8 minutes long. It shouldn’t take more to mix a cocktail, Stefan says. Everything has been arranged to perfection. The counter is visible from every corner of the bar. The bottles, the garnish, the equipment, the cooled down glasses are cleverly organized to match the working order of the drinks.

The bar is quite small, 50 seats. Perfect size, it seems. It never feels crowded. The cocktails are served by the table, which keeps the guests seated and adds to the relaxed atmosphere. Snacks and smaller dishes can be ordered. But the main attraction – always the cocktail.

Name: Stefan Forsberg
Age: 33
Lives in: Malmoe, Sweden
Occupation: Bartender, Bar Manager and owner of Care/Of Bar in Malmoe
Passion: Cocktails, mixed and served at his cocktail bar Care/Of Bar
Favorite Rivsalt product: ”I use the 002 THE ORIGINAL REFILL – Himalayan salt rocks a lot, especially in savory cocktails like Paloma and Margarita. It’s perfect for enhancing other flavors.”

Texten om Stefan finns på Rivsalts webbplats.