Where did you learn your craft?
Edinburgh and London.
Name a few of the places you’ve worked
Tonic, Annex 3, Albannach, The Kenilworth, Maze.
Who’s the most inspiring person you’ve worked with and why?
There are too many people to single out one, I like to think I’ve taken things from every person I’ve ever worked behind the bar with.
What makes a good bartender?
The combination of hosting your guests and making them happy, along with great drinks and attention to detail.
Which bartender do you admire and why?
There are too many to mention, anyone who can stand behind the bar and keep their guests happy deserves admiration and recognition.
What’s your proudest moment as a barman?
Probably being named as one of the three most promising for Bacardi Legacy.
Shaken or stirred?
I think shaken. A couple of years ago it would always have been stirred, but shaken is back!
What’s your favourite drink?
To mix:
Manhattan.
To drink:
Daiquiri.
On your menu:
Dapper Dandy
What’s your definition of a bartender and a mixologist and where do you fit in?
It depends on your interpretation. To me a mixologist is someone who just mixes drinks, whereas a bartender is someone who does that as part of their job, alongside a whole host of other things. I would always refer to myself as a bartender, but I don’t have a problem with people calling themselves a mixologist.
What’s your favourite ingredient?
All of our homemade ingredients. It means I can control the exact flavour I’m looking for in an ingredient.
Where do you drink off duty?
I don’t go out drinking very often when I’m not working, as I don’t really have the time, so I tend to try new places when I do. But the places I always get drawn back to are The Connaught Bar and Artesian. But that’s as much about the people there as the bars themselves. If I’m in Edinburgh it’s the Canny Man.
What’s your essential piece of bar kit?
The 30cm Japanese tear drop barspoon from Cocktail Kingdom.
What’s your failsafe recipe to mix at home?
A Daiquiri. It’s fit for any occasion, 3 ingredients and easy to make. I always say it’s like breathing, but better.
If you could mix a cocktail for anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why?
It’s a bit of a cliché in the drinking world, but I think it would be Hemingway. He drank in so many of the worlds iconic bars, and had several great drinks named for him, so it would be a great compliment if he walked in to your bar, and a test of your skill to host and mix a drink for him.
Find Chris tending bar at The Beaufort Bar, The Savoy, Strand, WC2R 0EU. T: 020 7836 4343. fairmont.com/savoy.
