Bar Belétage in Traunkirchen: A Signature Mixology Style

Regional isn't enough: Time as a cocktail ingredient

With the Das Traunsee – Das Hotel zum See 4*S and the Hotel Post am See 4*S , the Gröller family operates two hotels in Traunkirchen, each featuring three exciting culinary concepts. But excellence extends beyond the plate—with one of the most unusual cocktail menus, drawing inspiration from both ancient monastic knowledge and Japanese micro-seasons. Bar Manager Marcus Volsa draws on the natural elements of the Salzkammergut for his “Tales of Amaro.”

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It’s not uncommon to meet “dropout” students behind the bar. Diving into the world of cocktails after completing a degree and a first career, however, is a rarity. And Marcus Volsa’s background—spanning a carpentry apprenticeship, work as an explosives instructor, and a stint as a political marketing consultant—aligns with his unconventional approach to mixed drinks. Craftsmanship and well-thought-out concepts, presented with top-notch aesthetics, have shaped the cocktail menus since his arrival at the Belétage. From the art of Impressionism around 1900, which inspired his first signature drinks, the journey led further back in time.

12 Seasons in a Glass

For what was enjoyed during the Belle Époque has its roots in far older beverages. Volsa traces these back starting in early May with his new menu. “We’re bringing the aperitivo back from the cities.” Whether Campari, Averna, Braulio, or Carpano: all the well-known bittersweet spirits on which the Negroni, Americano, or Manhattan are based have Alpine roots. And that is to be taken literally, as Marcus Volsa emphasizes. Gentian and angelica, just like glacier wormwood (“genepi”) or blessed thistle, imparted their aromas to the well-known industrially bottled bitter liqueurs.

At the Gröller family’s hotels and restaurants, they take a different approach. “When the plants offer maximum aromatic potency,” Volsa harvests them, following a Far Eastern philosophy. The Japanese micro-seasons, central to Kaiseki cuisine, are translated at the Belétage Bar into twelve monthly flavors.

Alpine Aroma Extracts

To achieve this, the botanical aromas are preserved in alcohol, as was customary in European abbeys at the dawn of spirits history. The bar manager captures the seasonal character of flowers, shoots, or fruits in “extracts” and binds them to alcohol. “This results in 12 unique infusions,” which are used at Lake Traunsee for local and seasonal cocktails. “You taste not only a region, but also a season,” says Marcus Volsa, explaining his vision. _MEDIACOMPOSE_[{"":"240878"},{"":"240879"},{"":"240880"},{"":"240881"},{"":"240882"},{"":"240883"},{"3":"240891"},{"2":"240892"},{"4":"240893"},{"":"240894"},{"1":"240895"},{"type":"2"}]_MEDIACOMPOSE_ In recent years, the Gröller family has transformed the idyllic town of Traunkirchen into a true culinary hotspot. Lukas Nagl serves as head chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Bootshaus and also oversees the casual food-sharing restaurant Belétage (3 Gault-Millau toques) as well as the 2-toque tavern Poststube 1327._MEDIACOMPOSE_[{"":"240878"},{"":"240879"},{"":"240880"},{"":"240881"},{"":"240882"},{"":"240883"},{"":"240891"},{"":"240892"},{"":"240893"},{"1":"240894"},{"":"240895"},{"type":"2"}]_MEDIACOMPOSE_





Hotel Post am See 4*S, Gröller Hospitality | Monika & Wolfgang Gröller, Ortsplatz 5, 4801 Traunkirchen | +43 (0)7617 2307
Email: post@groellerhospitality.com, www.hotel-post-traunkirchen.at www.groellerhospitality.com