What have you always wanted to ask a bartender?
New research conducted by CGA shows that Manchester has seen the largest number of restaurant and bar openings in comparison to all other major cities in the UK – a 22% increase in Manchester compared to a 6.8% increase in London. And according to IQ Magazine, Manchester boasts the highest spend on nightlife per person in the whole of Britain.
This great success for the City brings great responsibility, especially for those at the forefront of Manchester’s nightlife economy: hospitality workers. The ones who put in the hours, day by day, throughout the night, week on week. A bartender is a botanical magician, formulating, creating and serving luscious alcoholic drinks or soft drinks in that oh so casual style. Whether that be sticking to the spec to allow the guest to re-live their favourite classic cocktails or freestyling to invent unique concoctions to excite their taste buds – a discerning palate is a bartenders most powerful tool.
We spoke to a bartender at one of Manchester’s favourite neighbourhood hangouts, Gorilla, the industrial chic bar and club under the railway arches of Oxford Road. The venue offers the City’s revellers everything from seaweed tacos to an intimate Rock or Jazz gig, not to mention serving the most rated espresso martinis in town. Open from 9am until 12pm (2am on weekends) and 4am in the club. Here’s what we found out in 10 questions.
What’s the most bizarre thing you have ever been asked for over the bar that wasn’t a drink?
You do get a wide range of requests again and again, from the annoying “Do you have a phone charger” to the “Do you have bar snacks? What about pickled eggs?”. But to keep it geared towards alcohol, one of the most baffling things is when people ask for an awful product that is more or less universally deemed as undesirable…
What’s the most common order you get at Gorilla?
Mmm, depending on the type of person really, but as a rule of thumb Women seem to love either Prosecco or Espresso Martinis and Men on the other hand just love a solid Pint – it seems to be especially Camden Pale at the moment.
What inspires you within your job?
I would say to be a good bartender you probably need some sort of passion for alcohol or just drinks in general, as with any job if your interest is there it makes doing it a lot more fun and enjoyable. Learning new cocktails and the history of them I find very interesting, I love to know how different cultures have their own certain tastes when it comes to drinks, especially cocktails, and how over the last hundred or so years they have been combined to bring us some of our favourites to this day.
If there was one drink that you would never have to make again what would it be?
Probably a vodka soda, even though it’s probably the easiest drink there is to make, it’s just no fun at all.
What’s your method in remembering all the recipes?
There is different methods really, some cocktails (usually some of the better ones) use equal parts of each ingredient, therefore you only have to remember what the ingredients are and then the rest becomes simple. Also there are little tricks with some, a recent recipe I learnt from one of our bartenders is the ‘Vieux Carre’ which is an old 1930’s New Orleans Cocktail, the trick to remembering those ingredients is: 5 B’s (Brandy, Benedictine, Bourbon, Bitters (Peyschaud’s), Bitters (Angostura)) and 1 V (Sweet Vermouth).
What’s the cocktail of 2019?
Just because of pure hype and popularity I would have to say the ‘Negroni’. Aperitif’s and Vermouth’s have been really big over the last year or so, spiking the popularity of drinks such as Spritz’, Spagliatos and the classic Negroni. As for next year, Tequila and Mezcal has seen a slight rise in popularity so hopefully that carries on, I would love to see a Tommy’s Margarita doing all the rounds next summer. The Negroni is Dead, long live Tequila.
How important do you feel you are towards Manchester’s nightlife economy?
Manchester is a city built on arts and entertainment, so hospitality and those industries go hand in hand, cause we all love a drink whatever sort of event we are at. As long as bartenders keep pushing the envelope with new ideas and concepts then they will remain important in the future.
What’s the worst date you’ve ever seen?
I’ve seen some truly dramatic walk out’s or a back-door dip after the bill is paid and the other of them goes to the loo. But the most truly painful ones are when it’s just dead silent, I have seen a couple sit at the bar for at least two hours, without speaking once after their drinks were ordered.
Will we ever say goodbye to Gin?
I’m not quite sure, I am not a huge gin person myself, but I understand why people love it, especially with gin and tonic’s as they are refreshing and quite healthy when compared to other drinks. There has definitely been a huge craze for it over the last four or five years with more and more new brands popping up all the time, but it’s hard to say if this will slow down too much anytime soon. The way it is filtered and infused with botanicals means that the taste range in gin can be massive, which seems to keep people’s attention better than most other spirits.
How do you prevent a hangover?
DON’T DRINK! But if you have to, drinking water throughout the night doesn’t make you a wuss, it just means you can go for longer and won’t have a dozen carpenters in your head the next morning.
