The BarLifeUK interview tour heads North, as we communicate to Lucy Richmond of Tippling Home to search out out what’s taking place in Aberdeen.
Having by no means visited Aberdeen, I did some analysis by the use of watching Amazon Prime’s current drama, The Rig, within the hope it would supply a glimpse of the town. Seems, The Rig’s characters say ‘Aberdeen’ rather a lot, however by no means really go there. It’s additionally the worst TV present I’ve seen this yr, narrowly beating Willow for that title, so it’s finest prevented until you get pleasure from horrible CGI, wood dialogue, and incomprehensible plot traces. I do not know why I’m nonetheless speaking about it to be sincere, so let’s get on with the interview…
BLUK: Hey Lucy. Earlier than we speak about Aberdeen, are you able to inform us a bit about your bartending historical past?
LR: My first bar job was at Siberia Bar and Lodge on Belmont Road, it was on the finish of 2018 and I used to be nonetheless at Uni, doing enterprise administration. I used to be there a few months after which ended up shifting over to a cocktail bar and doing two years. That’s the place I did the method of bar-backing, working the ground, after which making basic cocktails. I really feel like that’s the place I actually got here out of my shell in working in hospitality. That was additionally when Covid hit, once I was in my second yr there, and there was was a brand new enterprise opening up at Shiprow Village, the Workshop Ivy Lodge, so I took a administration place there. And now I’m working at Tippling Home.
BLUK: I’ve heard excellent issues about Tippling Home, what kind of bar is it?
LR: We’re a late-night cocktail bar that’s excellent for particular person drinkers to return in and sit on the bar and chat to the bartenders, as quickly as you stroll in, you are feeling like you might be coming into a pleasant wee residence. However we’ve additionally bought loads of cubicles for teams to return in and benefit from the menu and off-menu cocktails as properly. There’s meals up till 11 and late evening snacks previous 11, it’s a great spot for bartenders to return in once they’ve completed work as a result of we’re one of many few that’s open to 3am on the weekends. The vary of whiskies we’ve bought at Tippling, a few of them I hadn’t even heard of earlier than I began, so it’s an excellent spot of whisky followers.
BLUK: I’ve by no means been to Aberdeen and don’t have a psychological picture of it, are you able to describe the town and the way the cocktail scene sits inside in?
LR: There’s a lot to see in Aberdeen. You’ve clearly bought the seaside entrance, alongside there you’ve bought a number of meals vans, cafes, and eating places. And once you stroll up from the seaside you get to Union Road, the place you’d be at Castlegate, down there you’ve bought nice cocktail locations like The Workshop… The Shiprow Village, once I first moved to Aberdeen, I by no means went down there because it wasn’t well-lit and I didn’t get pleasure from it. However for those who go all the way down to Shiprow Village now, there’s The Craftsmen, Ivy Lodge, The Workshop, a number of completely different meals locations. If you’re strolling to city from the seaside, that’s the primary place you’ll hit. Then once you get onto Union Road, there are such a lot of completely different locations for food and drinks, it simply relies upon what you fancy. You’ll be able to both pop into a couple of pubs, otherwise you’ve bought student-y bars like Siberia and Resident X… Aberdeen is loads smaller than Edinburgh, you possibly can most likely stroll from the seaside to the opposite finish of city in twenty minutes, so due to the smaller dimension, if you’re doing an evening out you’ll most likely do the entire stops alongside Union Road, moderately than simply sticking to 1 finish.
BLUK: The place would you ship a hungry visiting bartender?
LR: There are some nice meals vans on seaside. And there are loads of unbiased meals locations simply off Union Road, Cafe Concord might be my favorite place to go, it does actually yummy pastas and Mediterranean meals, they usually additionally do good basic cocktails. Nice service as a result of the persons are all so pretty.
BLUK: Tippling Home may be very well-known for its cocktails, so what kind of visitors do you sometimes serve?
LR: It ranges, all ages. You do get younger people coming in, eager to strive a few drinks. And we additionally get different people who’re there to have good meals, they may solely be popping out as soon as each two weeks, however when they’re out they have a tendency to spend fairly a bit of cash. However you do additionally get people who simply pop in, perhaps on their method residence from someplace, we do see the identical faces every week which is kind of good. We do additionally get loads of vacationers come by means of, particularly within the Summer time and simply earlier than Christmas.
BLUK: I consider the oil trade being based mostly in Aberdeen. Do you get a number of oil big-wigs coming by means of?
LR: I solely moved to Aberdeen in 2018, so I missed the oil increase. However I’d say you do get firms, particularly at Christmas time, reserving out venues for his or her occasions and shopper dinners. We do nonetheless get that, however I can’t evaluate it to what it was like throughout the oil increase.
BLUK: Whisky is clearly an enormous a part of Scotland’s hospitality tradition, do you assume that has any affect on the low-and-no ABV development that’s supposedly rising in the meanwhile?
LR: I’d say we do get extra folks ordering non-alcoholic drinks than we did earlier than Covid. Not a lot alcohol-free beers, however as a result of clients know we are able to make a drink to their tastes, they do typically ask if we are able to use one thing like Seedlip as an alternative.
BLUK: Talking of Covid lockdowns, once you have been on furlough, did it ever happen to you to depart hospitality and do one thing else?
LR: I used to be until at Uni on the time, so I wasn’t actually interested by doing one thing else, however I did determine I wished to combine issues up a bit and that’s why I moved all the way down to Shiprow as an alternative. After we did open up once more, after spending a lot time by myself, being within the flat, it was so good to get again to work and customer support, that’s once I knew I actually loved hospitality.
BLUK: You have been learning enterprise at college, what made you turn over to hospitality?
LR: I simply fell in love with it. I really feel like hospitality introduced me out of my shell, and it slowly grew to become not only a uni job. It slowly grew to become one thing I used to be all for, and I like the truth that every single day is completely different. With Aberdeen being such a small neighborhood, the place everybody is aware of one another, it meant by means of Covid I used to be doing cowl shifts with all my pals in several bars which was enjoyable. And I’ve been working with the Nationwide Whisky Competition this final yr, travelling all spherical Scotland. Getting the chance to do issues like that undoubtedly bought me caught within the trade.
BLUK: If a bartender comes into your bar and asks you to make a drink you’re keen on, what would you make them?
LR: Oh, that’s an enormous query. Properly, Aberdeen as complete, we completely love Negronis. But when it was a drink I used to be making up, it could be a bit little bit of a twist on a Scorpion. It’s good and juicy, it’s bought orange, orgeat, brandy, rum, lime, and orange bitters. Actually, once I drink it myself I believe it’s bloody scrumptious! Somebody requested me what the title of it’s yesterday, however I’ve nonetheless not provide you with one.
BLUK: So if a gaggle of out-of-town bartenders come for a go to, the place would you’re taking them for an evening out?
LR: If they’re stepping off the prepare, the primary place we’d go, as a result of it’s close to the station, could be Shiprow, and it’s the Workshop we’d go to as a result of I find it irresistible there. It’s a bit like a speak-easy as a result of you must go into a distinct venue to get into it, it’s like a tunnel, when you get in there it’s so good as a result of the employees are all so pretty, so that may be the primary cease. Then I’d must be biased and take them as much as Tippling Home, as a result of that’s my residence. And we don’t need to be consuming cocktails on a regular basis, so on Belmont Road it’s good to cease into Siberia or Ma Cameron’s for a gin and tonic. Then as you stroll up Union Road you undoubtedly have to cease in at The Grill, as a result of being in Scotland, they’ve a ridiculous vary of whiskies. Subsequent, there’s a spot known as The Bartenders Lounge, it’s a brand new place that’s simply been arrange, however it’s a pleasant place to sit down down and have a correct chat and calm down. I can think about by this time it’s getting fairly late at nigh, so it’s most likely time to go to Nightfall and have a little bit of a boogie. That’s the final cease, particularly if it’s a Sunday.
BLUK: Throughout this evening out, the place would you’re taking the travelling bartenders for mid-session meals?
LR: If it was round 10 O’clock at evening and everyone seems to be getting a bit hungry, there’s a spot known as Resident X which has three or 4 meals vendor bits, so there’s tons for folks to select from. If there’s an enormous group of you and you’ll’t determine the place to go, pop alongside to Resident X and there might be one thing for everybody there.
BLUK: Are cocktail competitions a factor in Aberdeen?
LR: Now we have a this competitors known as The Nice Enchanted Tiki-Off, all of the bartenders in Aberdeen choose teams of two or three, and also you get a month or so to provide you with an thought. It’s shut off from the general public, and every group goes up and does their speech and presents their cocktail. It simply signifies that anybody who’s new to the commerce isn’t so afraid to go and do a contest elsewhere as a result of they’ve already completed one with their pals.
BLUK: If a bartender with a time off was planning a visit to metropolis they hadn’t visited earlier than, what would you say to encourage them to choose Aberdeen?
LR: As quickly as you get to Aberdeen, as a result of it’s smaller than Edinburgh or Glasgow, it does really feel a lot extra ‘at residence’. The persons are all so pleasant and everybody appears to be like out for one another in hospitality. It’s additionally completely beautiful right here. Regardless that it’s a granite metropolis, when the solar hits it on an ideal day, it’s stunning. And we’ve got the seaside clearly!
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