3y ago
Behind The Bar: In Conversation With Zachary Abbott
Know the boss behind the bar.
From getting introduced to new cocktails to trying out new alcohol, bartenders are the best thing that ever happened to us. (especially when it comes to a good recommendation) They tease our palate and tingle our taste-buds with choices we never thought we’d go with.
But have you ever thought, what would it be like to get to know the guy behind the bar?
We got chatting with our in-house expert and Brand Ambassador, Reserve Portfolio at Diageo – Zachary Abbott, who reminisced about his earlier bartending days to becoming the Brand Ambassador at an empire like Diageo.
1. When did you realise you wanted to take up bartending as a profession?
Probably few months into my first real bar job! But growing up, I found pure romance in movies like Casablanca or “Some like it hot” where alcohol, bartending or even prohibition life was rife.
I found the idea of a place where anyone could come and find warmth and friendship to be extremely attractive. But when Bryan Brown exclaimed that “the Bartender is the aristocrat of the working class” in the 1988 movie ‘cocktail’, I was hooked.
2. Was it different than you imagined it to be?
Yes of course, but if something is easy it’s probably not worth doing.
3. What are the challenges you faced?
Honestly, in your early years you’ll most likely do long hours for little money and most young bartenders don’t save. Saving and investing from your 20’s as compared with your 30’s, there is a huge difference at retirement.
All the time you’ll be behind the bar rather than at a family event or out with friends. Although the life of a professional bartender can seem appealing - champagne filled nights and lots of friends and great music, that all stops at closing time. Then, it’s walking back through the empty city to a dark house and usually a bowl of Maggi or whatever you can be bothered to knock up after 12 hours behind a busy bar. The bartending life can be a rather solitary one.
5. Who did you look up to?
Marcus Mottram, Sebastian Redburn, David Wondrich, Yangdup Lama, Hanna Kerl, Matt Wood, Dale Degroff, Garry Reagan, Phil Bailey, Master Yoda, Optimus Prime, Bill Murray and my wife. (she puts up with a lot)
6. Tell us one incident from your early days that taught you a lesson, one that you keep reminding yourself every time.
I once dropped a cocktail shaker filled with chocolate and bitters all over a beautiful woman sitting at the bar in a lovely white summer dress, the moral of the story? Shake away from the customer, folks.
7. Tell us your go -to cocktail to sip on when you’re on the other side of the bar counter?
If the lime juice is good, a Gimlet or Tom Collins if not, a Gin and Tonic. Also, the Tanqueray 10 and grapefruit.
8. Who would you want to mix you a drink right now? And with whom would you want to make one right now?
A Churchill Martini with the Winston himself.
9. Tell us about your journey from bartending to being chosen as a Brand Ambassador?
I finished my studies and had just left the reserve military, so I took my backpack and left for Queensland Australia where I ended up in a town called Ipswich. I got a job as the security guard and bartender literally in that order.
From there I did some island resort work before moving to Melbourne to really hone my skills behind the bar. There I was introduced to some amazing people and bars where I could learn and really dive in.
6 year back, I moved to India to work with ITC Hotels and after nearly three years with them I moved into standalone bars particularly in Bombay. Then I headed to Scotland to do some whisky research for 6 months, where I got the call from call. Probably the best call I ever received.
10. Finally, one tip/trick that you learnt behind the bar? (that probably you never told anyone)
Be passionate!
Honestly, it’s all you really need. Passion allows one the energy to better themselves in something the find interesting. Good bartenders read, they read all the books and blogs; they can get their hands on and the reason for this is because they are driven by passion to know and understand more about their craft.
Passion is developed from interest, I was a terrible student to be honest and had little interest in being in school, always having trouble remembering things but with bars, bartending and cocktails it just seems to stick for some reason, thank God.
Follow our Diageo guru on Instagram @abbotts_alchemy to stay updated on all things alcohol!
