House Tonic 5

HOUSE

TO N I C Big Apple

Soho House’s Drink Maga zine Bartender Summit in New York Boozy news Cocktail Competition Wine School Puerto Rico Argentina Insider's Guide to LA Issue 5 -1-

PHOTOGRAPHY: DAI WILLIAMS

Contents -4Aperitifs Booze News

-6Aperitifs In-House Competition

-8Aperitifs Shorts

-10At The Bar Your Friendly Bartender

-12At The Bar Bartender Summit in New York

-18At The Bar Wine School

-20At The Bar A Bartender's Guide to LA

-22At The Bar Best Cocktail Books

-24At The Bar Golden Globes Party

-26Digestifs Cocktail Competition in Puerto Rico

-28Digestifs Argentine Wine

-30Digestifs Rising Stars

Editor’s Letter Welcome to the fifth issue of House Tonic – a magazine for bartenders and people who love bars.

We’re passionate about the drinks we serve in all our venues, from the Soho Houses in New York, London, Berlin, West Hollywood and Miami, to Shoreditch House, Pizza East Schoreditch, Cafe Boheme, BKB, The Electric, High Road House, Pizza East Portobello, Hoxton Grill and Dean Street Townhouse in London, as well as at Babington House in Somerset and Cecconi’s restaurants in LA, London and Miami. Whether it’s the perfect cup of tea, a cocktail party for a thousand guests, or an iced glass of water on a scorchingly hot day, we take it all seriously. And when we’re not working, we don’t mind the odd drink ourselves, either.

This issue is all about the recent Soho House Group bar summit in New York, which House Tonic Ambassadors from every venue worldwide attended; mostly work, with a little late-night research thrown in. We've also got results from the latest inter-house cocktail comp, judged by Simon Difford from Class magazine, reports from Puerto Rico and Argentina, a round up of bartenders' favourite cocktail books and a drinker's guide to Los Angeles. All that, plus loads more besides!

Cheers! sohohouse.com/housetonic housetonic@sohohouse.com twitter.com/HouseTonic Cover photograph: Juan Sevilla and Felix Perez, House Tonic Ambassadors from Soho House New York Editor: Rebecca Seal Design and Art Direction: Plus Agency Publisher: Dan Flower Thanks to: Caroline Boucher, Phoebe Strawson, Kat Hartigan, Chris Ojeda, Dylan Murray, Jessica Hopkins, Oli Juste, Chris Hudnall, Tom Kerr, Michael Frohnwieser, Nathan Dixon-Jones, Richard Arnold, Damian Samuels, Paul L Mang, David Greig, Shannon Beattie, Ann Tunnerman, Ben Carlotto, Jay Newell, Paul Mott, James Mitchell, Ashley Lent, Lilaj Battista, Jacki Spillane, Amanda Middlebrooks, Gareth Jones, Eliot Sandiford, Dai Williams, Simon Difford, Hannah Sharman-Cox and Arthur Woodcroft Front Cover Photograph by Stephen Toner

Wine tasting at Concrete, Shoreditch -2-

NEWS

ZDENEK KASTANEK

NEWS

TOM KERR

Legacy Competition London Finals

Cocktail of the Month

Tough chaps

“New York has joined the effort to reduce plastic waste. After learning at the Summit (see page 12) that the UK Houses don't automatically serve drinks with straws, we're also trying to cut down on using them here,” says Juan Sevilla, bars manager at Soho House New York.

Soho House New York is in training... but this time it's got nothing to do with drinks. They'll be competing in the Tough Mudder event in New York, "one of the toughest events in the world”, say bars manager Juan Sevilla – and he's not wrong: it's a 10mile obstacle course designed by the British Special Forces.

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LA House Festival The annual House Festival in London has been such a huge success in recent years that it's time to give the US a taste of the action.

This June will see the first US food, drink and music Festival take place at Soho House West Hollywood. The 2011 gig featured Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Stereophonics, KT Tunstall, gallons of cocktails and piles of fabulous food – including hundreds of lobsters. Expect an even bigger and better party stateside! Find out more about this and the UK's House Festival at www. houseseven.com.

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Every month, Grey Goose designs a special cocktail just for Soho House Group. You can get it in any of the venues. This month it's a dry, fruity number inspired by a classic French cocktail from the era of silent cinema. The Artist’s special cocktail was first created in the 1920s at the Artists’ Club on Rue Pigalle, Paris.

40ml Grey Goose vodka 20ml fino sherry 10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice 10ml redcurrant syrup 2 dashes of cherry bitters Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled coupette.

Short Straws

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Congratulations to Tom Kerr, who is now House Tonic Ambassador for Soho House's British and European sites. Tom is currently head bar manager at Electric House and will be based there but will also be helping creative bar director, Chris Ojeda, with new programmes and training in Europe.

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Get online Prosecco at Cecconi’s Mayfair

CHRISTOPHER COOPER

Wine Events Members! Keep an eye out for some more of Christopher Cooper's excellent wine events, particularly Life After Sauvignon, which is all about alternatives to this ubiquitous wine, or his ABC evenings (Anything But Chardonnay). He's also got more of his popular How to Impress in Seven Wines nights to come, and cigar and wine pairing sessions on the roof at Shoreditch House. Check www.houseseven.com for more info.

Fire and wine

In the Meantime Meantime Brewery in Greenwich was one of the first companies to experiment with artisan brewing in London back in 1999, after founder Alastair Hook got the beer bug. His wisdom and know-how was shared with 20 bartenders from across the group when they made the journey to the south-east banks of the Thames to see the brewery in action.

(If you want to try their work, head for the Greenwich Union or one of the many good pubs who stock their beers.)

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Check this out – it's our new QR code.

Just zap it with your smartphone and you'll be taken straight to our website (sohohouse.com/housetonic) for loads of extra content.

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Soho House Berlin's bar team have been keeping out the last chills of winter in a novel way, explains bar manager Sabina Westfal.

“We've been making feuerzangenbowle, which is a traditional German alcoholic drink for which a rum-soaked sugarloaf is set on fire and drips into mulled wine. The name translates literally to fire-tongs punch”. Tasty.

After casting the net wide and lots of fiddling around with the cellars and taps in the restaurant Cecconi's Mayfair is now serving prosecco by the glass from the tap. This is a different and more delicate aperitif compared to the bottle equivalent; according to sommelier Christopher Cooper it’s perfumed, delicate and very refreshing. “Far too easy drinking!” he said. A huge relief was felt once the first glass was poured

by Cecconi's long-standing GM Giacomo.

MEANTIME BREWERY

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We arrived at the Freemasons Hall [writes Tom Kerr] which is an amazing building dating back to the early 1930s. We all grabbed a cocktail, Daiquiris were the call for the evening and I think we even slipped in a couple of Pina Coladas. The venue, drinks and staff were amazing and the night was gearing up to be a big one (we weren't thinking about work in the morning). Upstairs we watched as the competitors made and presented their cocktails to the panel of judges which included the one-and-only Dale Degroff, AKA King Cocktail, and Audrey Saunders from the famous Pegu Club in NYC. The standard was very high all evening and the three most promising competitors will now promote their cocktails to bars and the public over the next year in the run up to the final. The overall winner will not be known until next year and then they'll represent the UK in the Bacardi Legacy Global Finals. Zdenek Kastanek was the winner last year and he just represented the UK in Puerto Rico. There was an after-party at The London Cocktail Club which was fantastic. Everyone was in high spirits with tequila and cocktails flowing everywhere – Bacardi and the boys from LCC throw a wicked party. The Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition is growing fast and becoming the best-known competition for bartenders. Also, a huge well done to Shervene Shahbazkhani, the UK Bacardi ambassador, for her excellent work.

Europe's new House Tonic Ambassador

APERITIFS

GIN COMPETITION

Bombay Gin Competition Gareth Jones reveals the winners of this quarter's Soho House Group cocktail face off Photography: Dai Williams

Judge Simon DIFFORD FROM CLASS MAGAZINE

§ MATT GREENLEES FROM BABINGTON AND BEN CARLOTTO FROM BACARDI

AVIATION BY Steven Sunderhauf

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hat a night the Bombay Sapphire Competition turned out to be... From the weird and wonderful to classy and elegant we saw the full range of cocktails being made. Our judging panel included the brilliant Simon Difford from Class magazine and Diffordsguide – a man who knows cocktails and competitions like nobody else. After the competition the competitors and audience were lucky enough to get feedback from both him and his fellow judge Bacardi's Ben Carlotto, which was hugely valued by the bartenders.

After a little chat and banter and a bit of posturing, it was time to make some drinks and see if anyone could knock Shoreditch House off

the top – they have won the last two competitions, so feelings were running high.

We kicked things off with the comparison cocktail which was won by debutant competitor Steven Sunderhauf from Soho House Berlin, who had flown in that morning for the event. Fittingly the comparison cocktail was an Aviation.

Next we had the signature round with competitors bringing in ingredients as diverse as wasabi peas, liquid nitrogen, fennel seeds, gunpowder tea and soya milk and serving them in Japanese teapots and vintage barware. Some of the drinks were incredible and others were more...experimental!

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There was definitely no shortage of ambition, plus it was great to see so many supporters making so much noise – Shoreditch House's event space, the Tin, was buzzing with people who had come along to cheer on their colleagues.

60ml 2oz Bombay Sapphire

COMPARISON WINNER Steven Sunderhauf FROM BERLIN

Gin 15ml 1/2oz LEMON juice 15ml 1/2oz Luxardo Maraschino 5ml 1/4oz Bigallet Crème de Violette

Shoreditch House's Steve Tarr retained the crown for the third time, throwing down a gauntlet for the next time (Naomi Fletcher came close second).

Method: Shake and strain.

Garnish

Congratulations to Shoreditch House and Nathan Dixon-Jones' bar team, a great effort all round and as always they were the showmen.

lemon twist (discarded) candied violet flower (in the glass)

Until next time... diffordsguide.com/classmagazine

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APERITIFS

SHORTS

A Touch Of Bitterness Juan Sevilla from Soho House New York on the make-your-own bitters evening he held for bartenders and members

The Playlist: Music To Drink To Bartenders know how to create an atmosphere, so who better to recommend the best tunes to accompany an evening's drinks? In this issue, we asked Soho House Berlin's bar staff to share their perfect playlist

“Everyone had an Old Fashioned as they arrived. We started by explaining a little of the history of bitters; their medicinal properties and how they were later used for flavouring and balancing cocktails.

pepper, cardamom, fennel, rosemary – mason jars, and high-proof grain alcohol.

Each guest filled a jar and they're now in our storage room infusing. We will finish the product and announce which bitters we thought were the best and display them at our bar. The process takes about 30 days.

Watch this space for news of who won and for the winning recipe...”

We had a long table with bowls full of several different ingredients – lemon, orange and grapefruit peels, anise, cinnamon, black

Depeche Mode: It's No Good "Time, I have all the time in the world to make you mine..." This has a great beat and is good music for sitting and being reflective.

Paul Kalkbrenner: Aaron This is the epitome of the Berlin lifestyle: partying in a cheap but chic environment with an electro/techno soundtrack. Very laid back and chilled.

Chris Isaac: Wicked Game Great for sipping something like a Negroni or Old Fashioned and being nostalgic about unrequited love or a bitter and twisted old flame.

Fairy Nice Jay Newell from Cafe Bohème gets into absinthe and pastis

After the House Tonic Ambassadors made a visit to Maison Premier in Brooklyn, NY, I was inspired so much by their offering. Maison Premier is a French/New Orleans style absinthe and oyster bar which boasts a 27-strong absinthe menu; with Cafe Bohème being a classic French brasserie, I want to now incorporate pastis and absinthes on my menu a lot more.

My knowledge of absinthe was limited so I contacted Francis Weier and Alan Moss from Distillnation (www.distillnation.com) to arrange an absinthe training for my bar team. The guys from Distillnation took us through the history (there is a lot) as well as production and then the inevitable tasting!

We used an absinthe drip to slowly drip four parts ice cold water into one part absinthe. Pouring the water in slowly allows all of the aromas and flavours to be released. It also turns the absinthe cloudy and this effect is called the 'louche'.

We tasted three different styles and strengths, each with unique aromas, colours and tasting notes. My favourite was the Butterfly absinthe which had citrus and minty notes.

We then tried the products in a few cocktails. First Alan suggested a Caipirinha with 35ml Clandestine absinthe, lime and sugar and it came out surprisingly well! Equally surprising was that the drink developed in taste the longer it sat untouched, due to water being added as the ice melted.

We touched on serving suggestions also and there are a few dos and don'ts which I'm sure most people associate with absinthe. Fire: never set fire to your absinthe! This is a gimmick which came around in the 90s, not only are you burning away the alcohol but you're also burning the drink which will completely alter the product. Sugar: some people like sugar with their absinthe, this is all down to personal preference but some absinthes are sweeter than others so sugar isn't always needed. Water: always add ice-cold water.

Absinthe was designed to be drunk like a glass of wine and to be lengthened with water. When water is added you open up all the aromas and flavours and if the water is ice cold you'll take away that alcohol burn. Lastly...enjoy absinthe responsibly!

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Hotel Côstes: London in the Rain This is a great tune for being with friends...

Perfect for sipping a drink while the heavens open up in vibrant London town – while you're not there of course.

Zoo Brazil: There is Hope Such an upbeat and feelgood track. It makes you feel amazing after just a few seconds and is a perfect antidote for a cold Berlin winter.

Funnel of Love: RocknRolla Soundtrack Quintessentially British rock and roll that some Berliners love.

Eminem: Lose Yourself A motivational song with positive energy that gives a room a great buzz. Great for a sing-a-long or rap-a-long.

Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon: Pulp Fiction soundtrack Chilled song that is just great with a group of chicks.

Nosowska Unplugged (with Chylinska): Angelene Putting a Polish accent on our list: two great Polish singers, two different voices and styles bringing back an old song of PJ Harvey's. Great next to the fireplace with a glass of good red.

Florida: Good Feeling A massively positive song, vibrant, with a good beat. It will keep you up!

Master Glass your ability to speedily and elegantly make classic cocktails and show off your individual style put to the test. The best competitors in each session will be offered a job. If you'd like to find out more about Master Glass, including dates and venues for the next sessions, get in touch with Gareth Jones on +44 (0) 20 7851 2569 or garethj@sohohouse.com.

With the opening of Little House in the next few months, plus Soho Houses in Toronto, Istanbul and Mumbai over the next year, Soho House Group is recruiting. To find the best bartenders, Gareth Jones, House Tonic recruitment manager, devised Master Glass – if you want to work behind a SHG bar, all you have to do is come along and make some drinks. The day is run much like a traditional cocktail competition with

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AT THE BAR

PROFILE

Your Friendly Bartender Sabina Westfal, 27, Bar Manager, Soho House Berlin Interview: Jessica Hopkins

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’ve been working for Soho House Group for about two and a half years now, starting in Shoreditch House as a bartender before coming over to Berlin. I lived in London for about five years so I do miss it, but it was a good decision for me to move to Berlin. The pace here is very different, people aren’t in a rush like they are in London and I really notice it now when I go back there to visit. Berlin now is how London was ten years ago; it’s filled with artists and young people and the bar scene still feels new and exciting.

a place that serves simple, classic cocktails. A lot of the bars over here get rammed and have too much going on. I want something easy and basic with good music and good drinks.

I’m originally from Poland and the bar scene there is totally different to Berlin or London: there aren’t really bars; there are pubs and you just pour beer. But the social aspect of it is what I enjoyed, it was fun and I got to be with different people all the time, which is much better than just working the boring 9-5.

While I was working in the pubs I was actually studying Physical Education with Rehabilitation to become a physiotherapist, but I quit my studies to move to London.

I wanted to improve my English and I really wanted more money: the economic situation in Poland wasn’t great and I always dreamed about buying a motorcycle, which I finally did when I got to Berlin.

As soon as I got to London and started working in bars I never considered picking my studies back up because I realised that what I really wanted to do was to eventually open my own place. I had it in my mind for a while that I’d like a small Tiki place in Thailand, but I think that would be too hard, all things considered! Now I’m thinking Berlin would probably be the best place to do it, one day. I want

The first job I got in London was as a waitress in Mash on Great Portland Street, which is now closed. The biggest challenge I’ve had to face yet was probably there as I wanted to work the bar but my manager at the time told me he would never have a girl behind the bar. Another person might have left and gone to work somewhere else but that’s not who I am: I had to prove myself, prove him wrong and make great drinks, which is what I did. As it happened, when I spoke with him about it much later he said it wasn’t because he didn’t want a girl behind the bar but because he didn’t want to lose me as a waitress because I was the best he had!

The main thing that I love about this job is that you can be whoever you want to be behind the bar. There is definitely a bit of acting to bartending, a bit like you are on stage and everyone is looking at you and listening to you. In fact most of the time you can tell people what to drink, although this is harder in Germany. It’s my mission to get the German people drinking good cocktails. There seems to be a throwback to the 80s still, with the way Germans like their cocktails: sweet and colourful – not so great! So I want them drinking more classic cocktails, ones that are a little more sophisticated. If I can achieve that I will be happy!

If you’d like to work and learn behind our bars email: housetonic@sohohouse.com

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“The main thing I love about this job is that you can be whoever you want to be behind the bar” -11-

AT THE BAR

SUMMIT DIARY

Soho House Bartender Summit in New York Diary by Oli Juste Photography: Brian Park and Jolene Siana

§ It was hard to be taken seriously by my friends when they asked me: “What does running the House Tonic summit mean?”

Spending five days in New York City with some of the best bartenders Soho House has to offer – our Ambassadors – tasting cocktails and talking about what they are most passionate about…It was difficult to make it sound like hard work.

CAPTION The House Tonic Ambassadors in New York

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AT THE BAR

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o at a time when most people start detoxing, there I was, embarking on a cocktail extravaganza in NYC. (Two of my New Year’s resolutions were to lose weight and save money. Somehow, I knew this was not going to be successful.) When we met at 8am on Tuesday, January 4th at the top of the escalators in Paddington station, I was ready for an interesting trip. And when the air steward served me the most disgusting Bloody Mary I have ever had, I also knew that things could only get better. After a long trip with the winds against us we finally made it to the Soho House New York Pantry Bar, and after a couple of Negronis I was suitably ready for bed.

Wednesday 5th My good friend Pierre, (who also happens to be SHNY general manager) welcomed us to our second House Tonic summit (the first summit took place in January 2011 in Shoreditch House in London). Then the fabulously charismatic, super-knowledgeable, extra-enthusiastic, mister Chris Ojeda (also known as Bar Papi, Soho House creative bar director) and my good self warned our House Tonic Ambassadors of what lay ahead for them over the next few days. This was work after all!

By then all I wanted was to get started, but I should take you back to last year’s summit for you to understand my excitement. It really was the most inspiring week of my 11 years at Soho House. Never before had I been surrounded by so many talented, bright, articulate and fun individuals; I just knew that the new team (some of the original House Tonic Ambassadors plus a few new ones) were not going to disappoint me this year. I was so thirsty for knowledge (and tequila).

After spending a little time getting to know each other again, the Ambassadors presented their views on how the House Tonic programme has had an impact on their sites - from product quality to sales, ice to glassware, training programmes to recruitment, plus our UK Master Glass recruiting days and much, much more. Christine from LA also made us taste some of Soho House West Hollywood’s Casa Noble their very own single barrel tequila. Seriously gorgeous, and a must if you are in LA visiting.

After brainstorming about how to up our game in-House and in new cities around the world to attract more likeminded people to join us, we decided it was time to crawl around a few dark bars between the Meatpacking District and the East Village and relax, sorry…research.

Thursday 6th With an extra layer of cashmere and a thick scarf, I met a bunch of zombie-like Ambassadors for ‘kaaufee’ at the Blue Bottle in Williamsburg at 8.45am. The Blue Bottle coffee shop first opened in San Francisco and recently opened in New York. I think the staff there might have

SUMMIT DIARY

been overwhelmed (maybe even scared) when we arrived.

But crossing the East River from Manhattan makes all the difference and everyone was just that little bit more friendly.

After a hearty diner breakfast we were back in business and in the House, doing more work on tea, coffee, garnishes, fresh juices and straws. Training and defining clear learning objectives for the 2012 House Tonic Programme were also big subjects.

That night, Raj Nagra, Bombay Sapphire's global brand Ambassador, and Ben Carlotto from Bacardi (our honorary House Tonic Ambassador) organised drinks at Madam Geneva and then dinner at Saxon + Parole (316 Bowery at Bleecker, New York, saxonandparole.com), hosted by the wonderful general manager, Linden Pride. I wanted to make sure I was not going to leave my dignity at the bottom of a martini glass so I drank celery gimlets instead, which turned out to be perhaps the best cocktail I’ve ever had.

We ate downstairs in a dining room decorated with empty wine bottles and horseshoes – the restaurant is named after two racehorses – and were served the most beautiful dinner. Phil Abram, Saxon + Parole's sommelier, introduced us to a wonderful Californian Gewürztraminer called Navarro, from Philo in Mendocino County. Hand harvested, there is a fairly limited supply, so if you want to try it you'll have to hurry. We all had a really great time in this unpretentious and sexy restaurant. A $6 cab journey later, we found ourselves downing shots in the Summit Bar (how appropriate!) between the East Village and Alphabet City.

The bar was fantastic, with a great vibe, cute staff, good music and, of course, brilliant cocktails.

OLI JUSTE

“It really was the most inspiring week of my 11 years at Soho House.

Never before had I been surrounded by so many talented, bright, articulate and fun individuals”

Friday 7th After a quick presentation from Chris Ojeda, the boys and girls started brightening up when we directed them to where they belong…behind the bar. We poured, we mixed, we shook, we poured and shook some more; we tasted, using straws to start with, but quickly adopting my favourite method – straight from the glass. Putting together the four cocktails that will make the final 2012 House Tonic list is not an easy task, but after tasting and arguing (a little), we are delighted with the result. Watch this space!

Then we spent some of the afternoon playing alchemist, going over molecular science. I felt like we were back in physics or chemistry class. (And the closest I came to chemistry as a child was filling up my dad’s bottle of whisky with water after my friend and I had gone through his drinks cabinet.) Don’t worry though, you won’t find any Nitro-Martinis or smoking-hydrogen-Bloody-Marys on our menus. But Chris Ojeda reckoned this extra knowledge was indispensable in order for our Ambassadors to grow.

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BY JAY NEWELL

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AT THE BAR

SUMMIT DIARY

We asked the other House Tonic Ambassadors what they'd never forget from their trip to New York...

Nathan Dixon-Jones I'll never forget Chris Ojeda and Ben Carlotto going head to head behind the bar in a session designed to improve the speed of service.

Between Ben's shaking hands and Chris rolling a Negroni onto the floor missing the tin altogether it was hilarious.

Jay Newell, Café Boheme, London Sunday 8th January 2012 The day started quite sensibly by going for coffee at possibly the smallest coffee shop in the world with a few of the other HTAs. Once the caffeine had kicked in and breakfast had been eaten, the day started to gain pace. We took a cab to Maison Premier, Brooklyn where we met up with a few other industry guys and the Bombay Sapphire lot. The Bombay company card was tossed behind the bar and an immense amount of oysters, cocktails and tequilas were ordered – but we stayed away from all of the 27 absinthes they had!

We then took another cab back to Manhattan to watch the sunset from the top of a hotel. The hotel was The Standard, and on the top floor is The Boom Boom Room! If there is a more beautiful bar to drink in then I have to see it. Shockingly, none of us could afford the $3,000 for a table so we headed straight to the bar for Bombay East Martinis. Drinking martinis with a panoramic view of NY, watching the sun go down from the Boom Boom Room in such great company was a very, very surreal moment. And one I won't forget!

Tom Kerr, House Tonic Ambassador for the UK and Berlin, also toured New York's bars during the summit – all in the name of research of course...

One of the nights when we all split up we were given the challenge of finding a new drink or a type of drink we could base a new House Tonic cocktail on. I was paired with Chris Hundall and Rick Nani who are both outgoing crazy Miami boys. We started at a place called Mayahuel, which is a great little Mexican bar/restaurant. But before we could get in we had to wait an hour. So we put our names down and walked to a little pub on the corner and started on beers and tequila (a lot of tequila actually). Back at Mayahuel we were seated in a booth upstairs which was small and sweaty. The menu was all about mezcal, tequila and chartreuse cocktails – the drinks tasted great!

DEVISING NEW DRINKS AT SOHO HOUSE NEW YORK

“An immense amount of oysters, cocktails and tequilas were ordered – but we stayed away from all of the 27 absinthes they had!”

Saturday 8th This was our last day, and a lot had to be covered. Chris and the team went through the cocktails that will make up our revised 2012 compendium; it looks like it’s going to be a good year. Next, we had a speed competition between the Ambassadors, which felt like extreme-cocktail making.

I’m sure you would like to know the winners and losers but my sense of camaraderie is forcing me not to drink and tell. We also finalised all the training programmes that the ambassadors will run throughout the year: there will be monthly bar training calendar, a bar school and maybe even a bar academy.

Finally, we were lucky enough to have a visit from Giles Woodyer, House Of Bombay and Prestige Brand Managing

Director and his team. They concluded the summit with a few inspiring words and affirmation of their partnership with us in the future.

The week was about raising our profile and preparing ourselves for a great 2012 through training and passion.

We want to share this knowledge and generosity to all our staff working for us, but also to our friends on the other side of the bar. We want to up our staff profiles so they feel great about themselves, and through this, we’ll attract passionate staff who love what they do, whether that's making “the first coffee of the day, or the last drink at night”.

And guess what? On the return flight my Bloody Mary was perfect.

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Next we ventured to Death & Co. as Chris knew one of the bartenders. This cocktail list was more advanced and a lot longer and set out in categories. Death and Co. was nice and relaxed, and a bit snug and funky.

Sabina Westfal For me it was a chance to go to the US for the first time in my life, so I was extremely excited. I had the worst time getting there though – the day I flew was really windy, so my connecting flight didn't land at Heathrow, but Stansted instead. Then because of really strong wind and trees falling on the rails the Piccadilly line wasn't running to Heathrow. I made it in the end though!

It was a great experience and we learnt a lot from each other.

Brainstormings were great, we found out how the other sites work, about the differences in drinking and serving between the houses.

We also came out with standards that will apply to all. Thanks to the summit we became friends, exchanged ideas, experiences and gossip between the houses. We helped each other with finding solutions and giving advice. It's always good to have an opinion of someone from Soho House Group, but outside our own House. For me, one of the most exciting parts of the summit was the speed test. There we could see how other people work under pressure, how clean and organised they are behind the bar and how the drinks are presented. It was really challenging, Ben picked up on everything and gave us amazing feedback. I think it helped some of us to improve a lot.

Juan Sevilla, Soho House New York I will not forget seeing Chris Ojeda and Ben Carlotta go head to head in a speed round of making cocktails. This was not planned as they were the trainers. After constant critiquing of all of the ambassadors we challenged them to get behind the bar. They struggled and showed a bit of nervousness like many of us.

On Sunday Ben Carlotto, Chris Ojeda, Jay Newell (from Café Boheme London) and I visited a coffee shop that had been recommended to me called Abraco. I started learning about coffee in Australia and I can see that the New York coffee scene is starting to really take off. The shop was only big enough to fit about three people inside and the line was out the door. We stood in the cold and drank the coffee and it was fantastic.

In the early afternoon we jumped in a cab and shot off to Willamsburg to a place called Bar Oysters – which was exactly as the name suggested. It had a real New Orleans feel, with absinthe and about 33 different kinds of oyster fresh every day. Eric, the bartender, looked after us extremely well. The bar has only been open for 7 months but it looked like it had been there for about 50 years!

We then met up with Raj from Bombay and he took us to the Standard Hotel which has the most incredible views of the sunset over New York. We finished our night there. The views were amazing – even the bartender was wearing sunnies If you’d like to work and learn behind our bars email: housetonic@sohohouse.com

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AT THE BAR

WINE SCHOOL

Wine School Group sommelier Christopher Cooper introduces his new initiative – Wine School, aimed at giving every member of front-of-house staff a solid knowledge of wine Photograph: Dai Williams

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I

t's fair enough to say that the world is at our fingertips today, with iPads, apps, Google and the like, but there’s no written substitute for knowing what wines taste like and why they taste like they do. Not everybody can have the breadth of knowledge that a sommelier has, but all sommeliers like me started somewhere and even now I’ll still use that world of written information when necessary.

So we combined some of that information with my collection of thoughts on wine and created Wine School to empower Soho House Group staff and re-energise their passion for wine: while we’re refreshing the wine lists, why not also refresh our minds and our knowledge?

We want to get to a stage where everybody is on the road to wine knowledge and there is access to the next level of learning for any staff in any venue.

Ultimately wine can be quite a dreary subject to teach but it's so sexy when we know what we’re talking about… so very impressive and so sophisticated. But talk too much and we all switch off, so it’s a very delicate subject to get right. You may be informed and know a great deal about wine, but as I say to everybody at Wine School, don’t become a bore! Don’t talk too much about wine, don’t become one of those people we all dislike talking to, don't use 20 words when three will do; and please, please, please don’t become one of those nauseating sommeliers that we all really hate!

Wine events The wine clubs have kicked off in earnest since the New Year with one every week somewhere. They have gone through a bit of a makeover as we become more creative and are not even called wine club any more…! Open to all with traditional and new attendees alike, the new wine events will draw from the creativity of each House and their wine departments to create bespoke events to suit all houses. Watch this space for Christopher’s next trip to a house near you, where you may see him at the next event or just hanging out. All his events are also listed at www.houseseven.com

Will Fuller, a waiter at Shoreditch House, at Wine School

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Wine School isn’t about making mini sommeliers out of everyone – we're not actually teaching anything most people don't already know – but rather is about reiterating the knowledge that we already have, giving us all confidence in our assumptions and realising that actually we know more than we thought. We’re not only driving House staff forward in their knowledge of wines in general but also in the flavours of the wines on the lists themselves. ‘Is this a light or a heavy wine?’ ‘What is that smell? Is it mango or is it lychee?’ If we’ve actually tasted it and can tell guests what it tastes like, and if we even like the wine ourselves, then we’re all going to be a winner.

I tell so many of the staff members that they should ‘be confident, because you’re right in what you think’.

It’s a difficult thing as we all have different levels of knowledge and we all learn at different rates, but we only go as fast as the slowest person because it has to be inclusive. And to cover all the front-of-house at the Soho House Group is a tall order, but not beyond us. It's an exciting time to be working for the Soho House Group and also an exciting time to be our guest, as we’d all love to know more about wine. With Wine School in place and Wine Academy on the way, we’re building on everyone’s wine knowledge whether they be bartenders, waiters, managers or hosts.

Thinking while drinking Christopher Cooper's top tips for front-of-house staff on how to become more confident about wine The three magic words – the three words to remember about every wine that help you describe it succinctly

You’re not wrong – if it tastes of apples then say it tastes of apples!

There are no wrong answers

Build up your portfolio – think about the flavours that we taste and smell every day and apply them to the wines you taste

Be honest – don’t be afraid to say you like or dislike something but remember, is it you that’s drinking it?

It's not rocket science – wine isn’t something that’s beyond anyone’s grasp so stick at it and often you’ll be surprised how much you do know

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AT THE BAR

Bartender's Guide to LA

Bartender's Guide to LA Creative Bar Director Chris Ojeda takes us on a bartender's tour of his favourite bits of his home town, Los Angeles – a city that has a grand, if until recently neglected, history of drinking. The town that was once home to Cocoanut Grove, Romanoff’s, the Cock ‘n Bull on Sunset, the Brown Derby on Wilshire, Chasen’s and Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood, is rediscovering its past and becoming a great place to be a bartender again

§

INTELLIGENTSIA COFFEE

where you'll find gardening tools, saws and blunt knives that are great for cutting ice. Perfume dealers sell great vintage bottles to use as atomizers.

L

os Angeles is split up into sections like most cities are but the difference is we have to drive to get from one to the other.

So for cocktails I like to visit places that are in particular areas. I grew up visiting Downtown LA and it's a big source of inspiration for me; I often venture there for a fantastic cocktail.

Being one of the few born-and-bred Angelenos in LA, I take great pride in seeing Downtown being restored into a proper city.

Start with Seven Grand because they were the first to do classic cocktails in LA and have one of the largest whisk(e)y selections around, with 270 on offer from different countries.

Marcos Tello and Damian Windsor, close friends of mine, opened it so I always knew I was going to find a bar where I could get a proper whiskey sour with egg white, which wasn't happening anywhere before them.

The best cocktail bar in the city hands down is The Varnish, which sits inside Cole’s French Dip Restaurant and is the West Coast's Milk and Honey.

It’s a bar I used to work in and while I only worked with the family just under two years I credit them and owner Eric Aperin for instilling in me the importance of mis-en-place. The Varnish is where other bartenders – like Willy Shine (NYC), Ryan Magarian (Seattle), Anu Apte (PDX) – drop in to do a shift or two. The list is only seven cocktails so most guests opt for the Bartender's Choice. Right across from The Varnish is Las Perlas – a bar you might think was built in Tijuana, Mexico. The cocktails are fantastic and they have a smart selection of tequilas. O Bar & Kitchen has been a great place for industry people to let their hair down and enjoy a well-selected wine list from small producers or great cocktails.

For those late nights when the bar

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closes and you want to continue the party I hope you end up at the Golden Gopher because they have a grandfathered liquor license (meaning they can sell bottles to take away so you can carry on your night at home). This place always stocks great bourbons and ryes so it’s hard to pass up. Of course no list can be complete without a place to have an after-work Guinness. Try Casey’s Irish Pub. Rivera, where Julian Cox mans the bar, does amazing tequila cocktails to match the food of John Sedlar.

The Blood, Sugar, Sex Magic made with rye and the Barbacoa – smoky with chipotle peppers and ginger – both helped put Rivera on everyone’s radar.

In Downtown there are a lot of shops for tools and kit too: fabric, jewellers' tools, knives. For the bartender who is into cutting ice there's Little Tokyo

In Downtown you'll also find Handsome Coffee which is just about to open up the first roaster and coffee boutique in LA. The guys at Handsome Coffee have been winning world barista championships for a few years now and have decided to open their own shop.

Outside Downtown, some of my favourite places to grab a coffee and take in a beautiful LA afternoon (because bartenders just don’t get up for breakfast) are in nearby Silver Lake – try Intelligentsia Coffee at Sunset Junction.

And then, of course, Silver Lake has bartender favourite Barkeeper.

Barkeeper sells everything: bitters, small batched spirits, books and has a great collection of vintage glassware and bar tools. It has supplied every place I’ve worked for the past four years. Joe, the owner, travels all around the country attending estate

sales and buying all the glassware he can get his hands on.

Down the street from here you’ll find the legendary Tiki Ti, the direct descendants of the famous Don the Beachcomber. The 1960s Polynesian feel is helped out by over 80 rumfuelled drinks.

LAMILL coffee boutique is a local roaster we use at Soho House. You can order different brew methods that bring out layers of flavours in the coffee or order from their house signatures. Loyal followers wait in long lines for them or their classic espresso offerings. It's a fantastic place to hang out and enjoy a quality cup of joe.

A few bars have opened with a spiritfocused concept which has been eye-opening for Angelenos. Thirsty Crow in Silverlake has a bourbon and rye selection that almost rivals Seven Grand; La Descarga in Korea Town is rum-centric; Edison Downtown has the largest gin selection in the city and they run a Thursday special with a 35 cent gin cocktail like they did during the Great Depression

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LAMILL COFFEE

For Seven Grand, Varnish, Golden Gopher and Casey's Irish Pub, go to 213nightlife.com; riverarestaurant.com; handsomecoffee.com; intelligentsiacoffee.com; barkeepersilverlake.com; tiki-ti.com; lamillcoffee.com; thirstycrowbar.com; ladescargala.com; edisondowntown.com

AT THE BAR

COOKING THE BOOKS

Cooking the Books The best bartenders are just a little bit obsessive about their craft. That means they educate themselves about drink in all its forms – so we asked our drinks teams what books we'd find on their bedside tables

Simon Difford, editor of Class magazine and author of Diffordsguide (diffordsguide.com)

Gareth Jones, House Tonic recruitment manager Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book always gets my vote.

§ Christopher Cooper, SHG Sommelier

with raw, new, bilious atrocities. Here if ever the smart host will have a special cache of a few prize jewels – for his very own sake. The vile odours arising from improperly aged spirits are just about all a chap needs to set him withering on the vine permanently...Use only the best ingredients, for after all we don’t do these things very often, and it’s better to be safe than sunk."

The Art and Science of Wine by James Halliday and Hugh Johnson – it’s a bit advanced when it comes to talking about wine and the processes behind it but it explains some of the more complex stuff in a really easy and understandable way so anyone can really get it. This is where I started reading.

Josh Judge-Talbot, Pizza East and Concrete Jigger, Beaker and Glass: Drinking Around The World by Charles H Baker is a fantastic book, first published in 1939 as The Gentleman’s Companion. It comprises various drinks and cocktails discovered during the author's travels around the world during the 1920s and 30s. Every recipe has a little story about its discovery or creation. It also comes with little “Words to the Liquid Wise” at the beginning of each section. I wrote these down and put them on the wall for my bar staff to see. Here is an example: "Just as we don’t serve mediocre acid red wine to the delicate sensibilities of a prize gourmet friend, neither do we give the timid and demure morning-after tummy a turn

Tom Kerr, Electric and Europe House Tonic Ambassador My favourite cocktail book is Jigger, Beaker And Glass. It takes you on a journey around the world drinking all kinds of concoctions and mixed drinks. Baker gives a running commentary throughout the book as well as the recipes themselves, When it comes to the business of drinking he is never without his opinions or words to the wise. In this book he really discovers that drinks get by on a gimmick and a cute name and he gives some great advice: don't mix too many drinks at once; resist the temptation to buy inexpensive liquor and measure accurately. I really enjoyed reading this book as I think it's not just about recipes but the stories Baker finds behind these drinks, that feel like he has discovered and revealed the golden era of large drinks and even larger living.

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Jay Newell, Café Boheme In books from the late 1800s you hear bartenders explaining the art of serving customers and setting up for a successful service. Many have sections dedicated to toasts, or even how to use different spirits to cure your ailments. They really bring the old world of drinking to life! It’s rare that a modern book captures such a snapshot of drinking culture, but a couple of months ago I picked up Jim Meehan’s PDT Cocktail Book. It’s definitely a modern cocktail book inspired by the best books from the past, but it successfully avoids being a copy or imitation of the Savoy or The Bon Vivant's Companion. It’s a great read, but the best thing about it for me is that you can see the influence of new brands that have launched over the years and the changing styles of drinks that gained popularity in New York at that time. (PDT is a small cocktail bar in Manhattan, hidden behind a payphone in a dark corner of Crif Dogs, a famous hotdog diner. Drinking here is one of the experiences that every cocktail enthusiast should try!) The book takes you through everything from the thought process behind setting up a bar to how to make drinks at home. It’s easy to read and it's inspiring to see every detail of the process and how it affects the serving and enjoyment of your drink. It feels like we are in a new golden age of cocktails with inspiration drawn from the past, so it’s nice to think that in a couple of generations bartenders will be able to look back and see what trends, techniques and products were popular at this moment in time. Our time!

(Read more from Jay about the PDT book at www.sohohouse.com/ housetonic)

Ben Carlotto, Bacardi and House Tonic Consultant I really enjoyed Ted Haigh's Vintage Drinks and Forgotten Cocktails.

The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Augustus Embury is a book that no selfrespecting cocktail imbiber should be without.

First published in 1948, Embury was not a professional bartender, but this keen amateur’s work has become a modern day bartenders’ bible. Embury is highly opinionated throughout so, as well as being loaded with vintage recipes, it is worth a read for his jibes at the disco drinks of his day. Original copies change hands for hundreds but reprints are available at www.cocktailkingdom.com for the price of a couple of good Daiquiris.

Paul Mott, High Road House Shaken and Stirred by Douglas Ankrah is great.

I worked in Soho back in the early 2000s and used to drink quite a bit in his bar, Lab. I'm a big fan of Simon Difford as well – mainly because back in 2001 he put a recipe of mine, Forest Breeze, into his Sauce Guide, which was a precursor to his current series of Diffordsguides.

Sabina Westfal, Soho House Berlin One of the most inspiring books for me is The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan. It's not just another bible with a massive amount of recipes and nothing else. Reading this book is like standing with Gary behind the bar and learning from a master. He brings new understanding for cocktail making and the book is both for a professional bartender and an amateur. He also gives advice and tips to bartenders – what you need to be one, what you need to be a good one, how to treat a customer who doesn't tip and how to tell someone he has had enough. Regan dives into laying out the various styles of cocktails and mixed drinks and how to understand them in ways that focus on the proper and well-balanced construction of each style. This book shows you that cocktails don't need to be as confusing as they seem

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AT THE BAR

GOLDEN GLOBES

Golden Globes ROBERT DE NIRO AND SEAN PENN

Soho House West Hollywood knows how to throw a party... but add in Grey Goose Vodka, top talent agents CAA and the Golden Globes, and you've really got a night to remember.

Bar manager Vincent LaRusso tells all...

STEVE TYLER

§

“The moon was wrapped in clouds and resembled a Batman movie and the scene under it was 360 degrees of Los Angeles” MADONNA AND DEMI MOORE

ASHTON KUTCHER AND JAMIE FOXX

TOM CRUISE AND CAMERON DIAZ

ROBERT DOWNEY JR AND SUSAN LEVIN

GOLDEN GOOSE

THE DOUBLE G

GOOSE STARLIGHT

40ml 1 1/2oz Grey Goose

30ml 1oz Grey Goose

40ml 1 1/2oz Grey Goose

vodka

Le Citron

vodka

20ml 3/4oz Martini Bianco

20ml 3/4oz grape juice

50ml 2oz pomegranate juice

15ml 1/2oz sweet ginger juice

10ml 1/3oz elderflower

15ml 1/2oz passionfruit

5ml 1/6oz yuzu juice

liqueur

syrup

1 dash Gold Rush bitters

10ml 1/3oz pear purée

10ml 1/3oz Maraschino

Top up with soda water

10ml 1/3oz white grapefruit Method:

I

t's tempting to say that our pre-Golden Globes party went off without a hitch, but that'd be so boring, and not entirely accurate. It came together though, and became one of those enjoyable clichés – you know, when the whole is greater than the sum.

The Grey Goose mixologists we work with inevitably need things like...virgin guava root, grown during a single rainstorm in a tropical desert. While I've grown accustomed to their specific needs, I still manage to assume that grapefruit juice can stand in for white grapefruit juice, and passion fruit puree has to be what to buy when someone has requested passion fruit syrup. Wrong on both counts. But Dimi Lezinksa and

Guillaume Jubien from Grey Goose always manage to pull it all together. After a few market runs, they made four dynamite cocktails: the Goose Starlight, the Golden Goose, the Double G, and Le Fizz. Hard work, but we made it.

Method:

Shake and strain into a

Shake and strain into a

rocks glass filled with

Method:

highball glass filled with

cubed ice. Garnish with

Shake and finely strain

ice. Top up with soda water

two grapes on a cocktail

into a chilled coupette

and garnish with edible

pick.

and garnish with starfruit

gold flakes.

on the rim.

The stellar guest list was a total Hollywood who's who.

Guests hung out on the terrace or in the roof garden and among many others included Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna, Tom Cruise and Robert De Niro. There was a din, but a pleasing one. The moon was wrapped in clouds and resembled a Batman movie and the scene under it was 360 degrees of Los Angeles, seen from 14 floors up. It was no surprise that everyone looked as happy as that crowd did

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JUICE

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DIGESTIFS

LEGACY COMPETITION

Competitive Cocktailing in Puerto Rico

by Tom Kerr

§

P

uerto Rico: the spiritual home of Bacardi and where the most awarded rum in the world is crafted. I was there to watch the finals of the Global Legacy cocktail competition. The first day we were free to see what Puerto Rico had to offer so Richard Wynne (owner of Callooh Callay in London) and I explored the old town all day, wandering in and out of bars and drinking rum and frozen daiquiris. Bacardi rum was everywhere and all the locals loved and embraced everything about it and its legacy that began in 1862 with the creation of Bacardi superior rum by Don Facundo Bacardi Masso in Santiago de Cuba. This competition marks the 150 years of the world's first premium rum.

influential people in the industry and I got a real sense of togetherness between all competitors and brand ambassadors. (And woke up with bit of a headache in the morning.)

The semi-finals were held on Sunday. With a gathering of 26 of the world's best bartenders on show it was going to be a tough competition. All of them had a chance to have their drink placed alongside the other great Bacardi cocktails: the Mojito (1862), the Daiquiri (1898) and the Cuba Libre (1900). The drinks were of very high standard, although it wasn't just about the drinks but also the bartenders' etiquette and their own legacy and inspiration.

The semi-final dinner was held that night and the eight winners were announced who would compete at Monday night's final which was being held at the distillery.

We hit the town after the semi-final dinner with some competitors and brand ambassadors from all over the world. While in Puerto Rico I met some of the most

“With a gathering of 26 of the worlds, best bartenders all on show it was going to be a tough competition”

Speak Low

by Shingo Gokan

At the final that night the competitors were mixing and showing off their skills and drinks outside under the stars, with the iconic Bacardi building as the backdrop.

It was tough to pick a winner but Shingo Gokan from Angel's Share in NYC came up trumps with his drink Speak Low. He made an emotional presentation about the drink's inspiration. He is Japanese but hadn't been able to return home after the earthquake and tsunami. His drink was based on his grandmother's tea ceremony and explaining it reduced him to tears. However, that meant his presentation overran for which he'd be penalised by 50 points. To avoid this, his fellow competitors rushed onto the stage after he'd made his drink and helped him clean down before his time was up. In that way, his winning was a real team effort.

30ml 1oz Bacardi Superior rum 30ml 1oz Bacardi Solera rum 15ml 1/2oz Osborne Pedro Ximinez sherry 1tsp matcha and zest of yuzu

Method: Mix the Bacardi Superior and matcha with a chasen Matcha whisk in a glass tumbler. Strain into a shaker and add Bacardi

It was an honour to be able to travel to Puerto Rico with Bacardi and a experience I will never forget. Congrats to Zdenek Kastanek (London) and Hayden Scott Lambert (Belfast) for both reaching the final eight and doing Great Britain proud If you’d like to work and learn behind our bars email: housetonic@sohohouse.com

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Solera and the sherry.

Hard shake and double strain into Old Fashioned glass and spray of yuzu zest on the top.

Shingo Gokan

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DIGESTIFS

ARGENTINE WINE

“Bodega Noemia makes 3000 bottles a year of 100% Malbec”

Argentine Wine Giovanni Galluccio from Cecconi's Mayfair spent a week travelling Argentina, learning about the country's wines

§ BODEGA NOEMIA

M

y trip to Argentina was very exciting, a full immersion into Argentinian wines and winemaking. The tour was organised by Wines of Argentina (WOFA), a government-funded agency and I travelled with staff from other restaurants and wine buyers from London. We were very lucky – it was just the right group of people; we had a lot of fun together.

I'm studying for my Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) diploma and I'm passionate about wine – collecting it, trying it and making it. My love for wine comes from my family – back home I used to tread the grapes with my bare feet and use a manual press. I was lucky that Cecconi's and head office were able to help me make this trip.

It was a seven-day tour, with two days in Buenos Aires and five inland and we packed in a lot, and tasted a lot of wines! We visited 40 producers and often their neighbours came with extra wines as well, so we're talking over 200 wines, without doubt. For me, the highlights were visiting Humberto Canale, which is responsible for putting Rio Negro on the map and makes good Pinot Noirs and an interesting Riesling and our trip to Bodega Noemia which makes 3,000 bottles a year of its top 100% Malbec. It's a pretty small vineyard with mostly new planting but

“Humberto Canale is responsible for putting Rio Negro on the map”

incredible attention to detail and the best soil in the area. It's in the middle of the desert and they couldn't do anything without irrigation. They served us the best meal we had as well – such hospitality. I also loved Bodega Chacra, a biodynamic grower making Pinot Noir Trienta y Dos, the most expensive of their wines, which shows complexity and opulence, with rustic notes to it. For me the star wine of the trip was their Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco which has great concentration of aromas and flavours, great balance between acidity and alcohol and an elegant and long length. Part of the reason for this is that the surrounding area is very dry – that there is maximum 30% humidity and seven inches of rain per year makes the area free of diseases. There is no pollution, meaning that there is a high purity of sunlight and therefore great photosynthesis. Throughout the trip we found that wines grown on more alluvial soils tended to be simpler, while the more interesting wines came from ground higher up, closer to the Andes.

It was a fantastic week and I learnt so much, even if by the end of the tour my mouth was almost cracking from all the big juicy wines!

If you’d like to work and learn behind our bars email: housetonic@sohohouse.com

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HUMBERTO CANALE

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RISING STARS

Fancy Rising Stars of the Bars

working in

Every issue we love to celebrate the unsung heroes of Soho House Group's bars. Meet our rising stars!

§

o u r

“Mateusz Swiercz is a perfect example of how to build a career in Soho House. He is a bartender now but he started in Shoreditch House, working as a busser and runner, then became a barback and finally a bartender.

He is a superstar, great to work by himself on a busy dispense and as a part of the team. Mateusz is a young bartender, but he’s got an impressive knowledge and is passionate about his job. Also he was in the first 20 in the Bacardi Competition in Germany.

I’m really proud to have him in my team, he never stops surprising me and always makes me laugh.”

bars?

Thomas Stanley from Soho House nominated

by Group sommelier Christopher Cooper

Adam Baca from Soho House New York nominated by bar manager Juan Sevilla “Adam Baca from New Mexico has quickly become a rising star.

He's been with the company since September and is hard working, reliable, consistent and contributed to the last cocktail menu. He has been an excellent team player. The cocktail pictured is a Rosemary's Affair, an original by Adam. (1oz Bourbon, 3/4 oz of lemon juice, 2 oz Aperol, muddled rosemary sprig. Shake and strain over rocks and top with Heineken beer.) He handles volume very well, is great with customers and his knowledge of cocktails and spirits is growing rapidly.”

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“A definite star for the future at Soho House is Thomas Stanley who is the man to go to for an opinionated thought on the wines on the list. Not only does he support the beverage team but also runs around in the restaurant discussing our wines with the guests getting feedback first hand.”

If you’d like to work and learn behind our bars email: housetonic@sohohouse.com

With sites in London, Somerset, Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Berlin, plus more on the way around the world, the Soho House Group is always on the lookout for exceptional staff. We offer high quality training, excellent support and you might even get the chance to work in venues overseas. We want to help you develop a great career in drinks.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ARTHUR WOODCROFT

Mateusz Swiercz from Soho House Berlin nominated by bar manager Sabina Westfal

If you'd like to join one of our bar teams in Europe or the United States then please get in touch: email housetonic@ sohohouse.com, visit sohohouse.com/housetonic or call Gareth Jones on +44 (0) 20 7581 2569. We'd love to hear from you!

You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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