In June, Espolon Tequila gathered 11 likeminded and creative bartenders together in Hobart to attend Dark Mofo, the winter festival of arts and culture known for being a little subversive and provocative. They discussed creativity, swapped ideas, and found inspiration in the depths of winter — and now they’re sharing what they found with bartenders in their cities.

You will find Alex Kingdom behind the bar at Stingray inside the QT Gold Coast in Surfers Paradise; below, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, Alex talks about how challenging himself and getting out of his own comfort zone helped open his mind to new creative ideas, his Espolon Reposado drink (called Danse Macabre), and how to find the beauty in the mundane and everyday.

BOOTHBY: Alex, what’s the idea behind your drink?

ALEX KINGDOM: The drink is called Danse Macabre, which is based on one, Danse Macabre, the classical music piece; and two, Danse Macabre, the show piece at Dark Mofo, which was my favourite one there.

Tell us about that.

The exhibit of Danse Macabre at Dark Mofo, was essentially two pianos playing classical music, which builds and crescendos while the world burns around you. I love that idea of yeah, this is all going to hell, but you know, we’ll get through it. Everything’s on fire, but it’s fine.

What was that experience like down there at Dark Mofo in general?

Amazing. It’s something that I didn’t think I would actually be into originally. Looking at Dark Mofo and thinking I’ve never really done something like this, with a whole new group of people to share ideas with, which was incredible. Definitely out of my comfort zone. It’s something I enjoyed and something that I want to go back to next year if I can.

How important is it to get out of your comfort zone, what’s that like for creativity?

It’s very important because a lot of the people there that I met, wonderful people, had much more impressive ideas than I’m normally used to. I don’t really bend as much as I should. I’m normally rigid to my ideas. So just seeing things, and being confronted with things that I’ve never thought about was fantastic.

Tell us what’s in your drink?

I use Espolon Reposado. That’s our base, which is just brilliant, obviously. Lime juice, to add some citrus to it. Rosemary agave, to cut through the tang and the charcoal that’ll come later. I reduced down a pomegranate molasses, which I think is interesting and delicious, and then on top I float charcoal activated mezcal just for a bit of smokiness.

How do you usually go about ideas for drinks?

I take inspiration from people who I know are better than me, and see what crazy ideas they’re working with, and I try to understand how they came to those pairings, especially with chefs. I love working with chefs in terms of flavour profiles that I just never would thought of.

In terms of creativity, what inspires you? You mentioned chefs, but what gets the creative juices flowing?

Writing. I love to write, I love to read, it’s one of my favourite things. Classics as well. Like The Old Man and The Sea, by Hemingway — I think it’s a simple idea of how something basic can be amazing if it’s just well written. I love complexity coming from nothing, from basicness. The idea that even the mundane is interesting.

How do you take something that is mundane and make that more creative and memorable?

It’s trying to make beauty in your everyday life. It’s not taking drugs and seeing the colours slightly brighter; it’s realising that the day was bright already.

What advice would you give someone trying to get started in their creative process?

Taste more, experience more, try more. Different flavours that you hate. Take the taste of a Negroni. No starting bartender enjoys it, and then eventually you learn that that’s a delicious flavour and you’re not used to it. Break out of your comfort zone and try things that sound disgusting, sound wild, sound weird and wacky and pick what you enjoy.

How do you bring that creativity to not just the drink making aspect of the job, but to hosting and the guest experience?

I love talking guests through ideas. Anytime you can see a guest genuinely latch on and be interested by something, you know you have a good audience for sharing a new idea. Everyone’s interested in the cocktail making and creating and most people just enjoy a bar and don’t really know what goes into it. But every now and then you find a guest who just loves it. You have to connect and share your idea with someone, completely fresh. I love it.

Alex Kingdom’s Danse Macabre recipe

• 45ml Espolon Reposado
• 15ml charcoal-infused mezcal
• 30ml lime juice
• 30ml pomegranate molasses 
• 15ml rosemary-infused agave

Shake all ingredients except the mezcal and strain over crushed ice in a double old fashioned glass. Float mezcal on top.