IT UP

ALEX PALUMBO – CO-OWNER HEY PALU, EDINBURGH

Hey Palu is a friendly, modern Italian Bar in Edinburgh owned by husband and wife, Alex and Rachel Palumbo. The drinks are influenced by the Italian ‘aperitivo’ style of drinking, served in what Alex describes as a “neighbourhood bar”. He says, “since we opened, we have had a lot of regulars which is what makes our place special”.

One of their specialities is the Negroni, but they don’t just offer the classic Negroni. There is a ‘Wild Strawberry Negroni’, a ‘Caffe Cyroni’ and even a ‘Negroni Flight’, so you can sample all three!

Alex shared, “If someone has never had a Negroni before we give them the chance to try the classic one, which is Gin, bitters, and our homemade sweet vermouth. Then, there is our strawberry negroni which still has all the bitter elements of a negroni but with a nice strawberry aftertaste. Finally, we do a Caffe Cyroni, where we use rum instead of a gin, amaro instead of sweet vermouth, and bitter coffee. So, we have three different flavours profiled from the lightest to the more robust where people can try all the different styles.” The rest of their cocktail menu also looks delicious, with delights ranging from a Yuzu Margarita to a Spicy Paloma and even a Nutella Old Fashioned.

Alex says, “We like to use different techniques for the bar so that we are trying different methods of infusing flavours. We are playing with the carbonated cocktails and things like that, so we can offer our guests new, interesting flavours in the best way possible.”

ALLY SHAW – GENERAL MANAGER – THE GATE, GLASGOW

The Gate is situated directly across from the iconic Barrowland Ballroom and is warm, cosy and a delight to visit. General Manager, Ally Shaw says, “We are here to give people good drinks and great service first and foremost, but we also have events, socials and make sure that we’re always constantly doing other things. We serve delicious, balanced drinks and enjoy being able to have a conversation with customers, whether they are having a cocktail, a pint, or a great dram. It’s having a great team that creates the atmosphere and that pulls it all together.”

Its menu is fresh, seasonal and exciting. One of their bestselling cocktails this Summer is a Mezcal cocktail which takes the form of a Gochujang honey mezcal margarita. Ally says, “Mezcal certainly seems to be the hot spirit just now and this cocktail has got a nice balance of not too boozy but not too smoky as well.”

They are also keen on good practice when it comes to sustainability making red wine grenadine from spent red wine, their own champagne cordial and cutting their citrus to reduce their carbon footprint. Ally adds, “We’ve got a drink on the menu called the Disco Biscuit, which uses a hazelnut orgeat. We toast the hazelnuts and cook them with milk and sugar. We then take the toasted hazelnuts back out and we roast them in the oven to create biscuits with them. These are used as a garnish for the drink. So, we’ve taken one product and we’ve used it in two different ways.”

75ml of Prosecco D.O.C. 50ml of Aperol 25ml soda

1 Slice of orange

Fill a large wine glass with ice.

First pour 75ml of Prosecco Add 50ml Aperol Top with a 25ml dash of soda. Garnish with a slice of orange.