Mixologist Profile: Zack Ottesen of Five Fusion

Zack Ottesen may have only been tending Five Fusion’s bar for just over a year, but he’s transitioned the Japanese-centric resto into one of Bend’s most destination-worthy bars, as evidenced by one of his earliest concoctions, The Botanist, being selected as Central Oregon’s best specialty cocktail in our Best of Central Oregon reader’s poll. And that’s even before Five Fusion launches its new izakaya menu coming soon.

The cocktail menu rotates seasonally, which means Ottesen has sent scores of inventive cocktails across the bar. All the major categories of spirits, from Kentucky bourbon to Oaxacan mezcal, to Italian amaro, to, naturally, Japanese whiskey, get their shake as foundations to fresh fruits and herbs borrowed from the kitchen. Accents include a spate of house-made syrups (like the rosemary one the herbaceous Negroni), shrubs (like the strawberry one in the Scarlett Kiss, which is a Bauhaus riff on a paloma) and infusions (like the kiwi-infused Japanese vodka that grounds the Zen Garden, which ought to be a contender for 2024’s poll).
Zen Garden is one of those cocktails that pairs perfectly with many of Five Fusion’s signature rolls or virtually any of its salad plates but can draw the spotlight all on its own for the hotspot’s burgeoning number of barflies. After the Haku brand vodka gets its kiwi smack, it sees a healthy splash of shochu, citrusy yuzu extract and an additional kiwi syrup, all shaken together with the Japanese herb, shiso, which deserves a larger supporting roll in any fusion-style cuisine. A fresh shiso leaf doubles as garnish — perfect for anyone unfamiliar with the herb that tastes like a cross between Thai basil and tongue-tingling spearmint.

“Within (my) first month, I took everything off the (cocktail) menu,” says Ottesen. “And that made me one of the least popular people for a while. But then I won that cocktail award. That was a seven-month rollercoaster ride…So once people gave this a shot and they see, ‘Oh, he kinda knows what he’s doing,’ they’re into this sophisticated approach that’s without pretense.”

Ottesen also credits executive chef and co-proprietor, Sascha Lyon, for having him “suit up” and recognizing that the Bend market is receptive to — and actually clamoring for —creative, intentional cocktails even before the competition for such elevated programs began to kick in.

That said, Ottesen isn’t driven by re-inventing the wheel so much as finding innovative ways to spiff up some classics. His Clarified Paper Plane uses whole milk as part of the process — even if it’s not listed as an ingredient — because it leaves no milky trace and tastes more like a buttery Chardonnay than an oaky bourbon. Putting a finer point on that notion, his Browned Butter Old Fashioned made with brown butter washed bourbon for added nuttiness and richness is, in this Old Fashioned devotee’s opinion, the new paragon in town.