How did you get involved in the guest bartending series at Hendricks Bar and what are you most looking forward to about?
It is great to see the bar and beverage programmes start to develop more within Four Seasons, such as at Manhattan and Hendricks Bar. And with Manhattan starting the Friends of Manhattan Series two-and-a-half years ago, it became a point of inspiration within the entire company. Guest bartending is popular all over the globe and it’s a great opportunity to exchange experiences. For me it is also a great opportunity to see old friends, make new ones and get to know another great Four Seasons venue.
What excites you most about cocktail development?
Mostly it’s the passion and knowledge that bartenders and guests have been developing over the last couple of years.
Guests enjoy high quality drinks as much as they enjoy great food, which allows the bars to increasingly use more high quality spirits. It’s great to see that people start to value the passion and effort bartenders put into creating new drinks — appreciating amazing fusions of flavours, bartenders are always looking for something new and exciting. But sometimes it’s also good to simply perfect classic drinks and recipes that were created in some of the first cocktail books in the late 1800s.
Finally, amazing bars and restaurants pop up everywhere which makes this industry by far one of the best to work in — it connects people all over the globe.
What do you think are the key ingredients to making a bar successful?
The room, the location, the lighting, the music, the drinks and the menu are key. But I also believe that it is about the people who bring the place to life every day — the team. Of course the environment is very important and one key to the success of a bar, but you do not need to have an awesomely designed bar for it to be super successful if the team working in it is providing a great service and providing their guests with an exceptional experience. It can be an amazingly designed place, as bars like Manhattan and Hendricks are, but we need every single member of the team in the front-of-house, back-of-house and the hotel management to be successful. A successful bar is the result of excellent team work.
What’s your favourite cocktail?
A difficult question! It completely depends on the mood. A good martini always works. And I do really love manhattans. As I said, it completely depends on the mood and atmosphere around me.
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