It was a crisp morning when we had the pleasure – and honour – of sitting down over a coffee with Peter Roth, the first Swiss bartender to win the World Championship. A man who not only made history on the international stage, but also helped shape one of Switzerland’s most legendary cocktail bars: the Kronenhalle Bar.
After four decades behind the bar, Peter retired ten years ago. Yet he remains deeply connected to the scene and is still a highly respected figure in the bar world today.
In Part I, Peter takes us back to the beginnings of his remarkable journey; from a cruise around the world to the bar, his very own rockstar moment, and the story of what Roger Moore left behind in the Kronenhalle guestbook after tasting one of his creations.
Read on and raise a glass to a true Swiss bar legend.
And stay tuned for Part II, where Peter reveals what makes a cocktail truly timeless, the story behind his legendary “Ladykiller” and much more…
Peter, how did your journey to the Kronenhalle begin?
I was born in Erlinsbach, in the canton of Aargau, and I also went to school there. At sixteen, I decided to start an apprenticeship as a chef. My mother was a very good cook, and my father loved to eat, so food was always present in our home. I had other ideas at first, one was becoming a decorator but my parents didn’t think that was such a good idea. Creativity, however, was always a central part of my life.
“I had other ideas at first, one was becoming a decorator.”
Peter Roth
I then began a two and a half years apprenticeship in Laufen in the Basel region at a hotel called Jura, while attending school in Basel. Toward the end, I asked one of my teachers if they knew of any job opportunities in the French-speaking part of Switzerland so I could learn French. I had the choice between Montreux Palace and the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva, and I decided to go to the latter. This was in the late 1960s.
I stayed there for eight months and learned a great deal. I enjoyed it immensely, although I didn’t actually learn much French, because everyone in the kitchen spoke German. I liked working there, and the executive chef was a good person, so in that sense I was lucky.
After that, it was time to join the army. I did my recruit school in Fribourg. After the basic training, I mostly worked in the kitchen. Once that was finished, I returned to Zurich and worked in the kitchen at Hotel Continental. Afterward, I moved to Hotel Zürich on Neumühlequai, and because I was missing the direct contact with the guests, I started to work at the cocktail bar for the first time. It was a new, stylish hotel with piano music in the bar area. I started as a Commis de Bar, then became Demi Chef de Bar, and worked my way up.
