An experience built to change the way bartenders explore taste–The Taste Collective by 1800 is a new kind of platform that invites the bar community to better understand their personal palate and unlock new flavor profiles through immersive storytelling and design.⁠

In partnership with Sidecar, we combined industry and intimacy with undertones of Mexican heritage to tell a unique story about creativity in the bar service industry. The materials we selected played a large role in this vision, with our teams harmonizing textured metals, laminates, stone, and lighting to create an urban and industrial environment.

Taking inspiration from classic bars like those found in Mexico City and Jalisco–the home of 1800–we knew lighting would play another large role in realizing our creative vision. Our team designed and installed a layered lighting setup that combined ambient LED lighting and neon to juxtapose the mix of materials and textures throughout.

Over the course of two nights, guests moved through intimate tasting spaces that blended texture, light, and form: a custom U-shaped modular bar, stone-laminate bottle-shaped shelving, 30’ runs of voile draping inspired by the iconic 1800 bottle, and glowing acrylic glass check-in counters.⁠