Bartenders

Ernest Reid

Type

Bartenders

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

Born in Leytonstone, raised in Colchester, my dad is from Barbados and my mum is from Galicia in Spain.

WHERE DO YOU/HAVE YOU WORKED?

I'm currently at Smith & Wollensky, and I was at Boisdale of Canary Wharf at the most awesome whisky bar on the planet, but I have worked in too many places to list. Loads of pubs and bars in Brighton, Spain, Colchester and London.

FAVORITE BARS?

Apart from Boisdale? Nightjar. Mainly for their absinthe menu and awesome garnishes, you got to love drinking with Barnaby & Billy at The Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town, and I can’t survive without the Hackney’s staple pub club that is The Dolphin for after work drinkys!

FAVOURITE DRINK?

Scotch Malt! At the moment Ardbeg Uigeadail (it’s been in my top 10 for a long time now); Tomintoul 16 Year and some of that Hudson Baby Bourbon. As for cocktails Negronis, Old Fashions and Bobby Burns, basically anything stirred that is made of booze… keep your juice for the part-time drinkers.

Bad ass barman/rock n roll moment?

Besides being a party carnivore, I’ve had a few “bad ass” moments, although there weren’t very rock and roll. I was on a German prime time TV show hosting a private rare whisky tasting at Boisdale of Belgravia’s Back Bar for Jamie Cullum and Boris Becker. There were both super cool! Another moment was, again at Boisdale, when I sold two whiskies at £1,368.80 each! And I met Stringer Bell (actor Idris Elba) from the HBO drama The Wire whilst I was working at the Boisdale pop up bar in Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum 2014. He was very nice considering I couldn’t remember his real name.

Ever done it on a bar?

I’m Christian so I’ve only ever done dry humping... only joking! No not on the bar but I’ve had some pretty extensive foreplay behind the bar and on a pool table….

What's next for you?

I’ve got the Nikka Perfect Serve European final on Reunion Island in December and this summer I’ve promised to enter as many competitions as possible. Lastly, I hope to launch my website whosthatcoolguydrinkingwhisky.com. The site is live now but I haven’t had the time to write the content!

Best/worst chat up lines you've heard at a bar?

It’s not a chat up line but often people say “where have I seen you before?” to which I reply “do you watch a lot of porn?”. Coming from Essex you hear a lot of bad chat up lines, I heard this one last time I was in Colchester “Hello Darling do want to come back to my house and watch a porno in my mirror?” Awful!

Tell us a secret or something we don't know?

Most bartenders think it’s sophisticated to only like ‘dry’ drinks and most ‘mixologists’ can’t talk and are very shy. That’s why I call myself a bar steward! Oh! And I have a cheeky crush on BarChick! Mmmmm.

If you were to make a barchick cocktail, what would you put in it?

The BCC Brandy 40mls (Hennessy Fine De Cognac) Cointreau 20mls Chartreuse (Green) 10mls Crème de Violet Bitter truth 5mls Shaken, served up with a toasted marshmallow.

How do you like your Martini?

I looooooove Gin and it’s 50mls Tanqueray No. Ten, 25mls Rosso Vermouth. Yummy!

What did you want to be as a kid?

I was crazy for Chinese food and Kung Fu films and as a kid and I always wanted to be a fight choreographer.