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Meet The Bartenders Making The Most of The Innovative New Schweppes 1783 Range

Schweppes has expertly crafted a range of mixers to inspire the luxury drinking experience. This 1783 range includes five new flavour combinations and spirit pairings, ensuring there is something to please even the most discerning cocktail connoisseur.

We spoke to three of Ireland’s bartenders who told us why they love using Schweppes mixers to create their innovative cocktails.

Darren Costello – Bow Lane

Can you describe your role at Bow Lane?

Put simply, I am the bar manager in Bow Lane. My role is to guide the bar in the direction that we want it to go, but I don’t do that alone. The bar is run as a team effort. All bartenders are encouraged to experiment and try new things and all ideas are welcome.

Our cocktail menu runs on a 6-monthly cycle and each bartender is asked to contribute at least one drink as well as critique all the other drinks and general style of the menu.

Bow Lane

Do you feel that Schweppes fits in well with the quality and style of your cocktails and why?

While we are well know for our cocktails, we can only produce drinks of a high calibre when we use high quality ingredients. Several factors come into play for us when choosing ingredients: Flavour, provenance and cost. With the drinks we have at the moment that involve a sparkling mixer, Schweppes was the obvious choice. The taste is light and fresh enough to lend itself to our drinks yet has enough backbone to stand up with some of the more powerful flavours.

What is also important is the actual bubbles of the mixers. Schweppes has fine yet strong bubbles so that the drink stays sparkling for longer. On top of that, the range is bottled in Ireland meaning that we are working with local producers and reducing the carbon footprint of our product range.

We have recently changed our premium tonic from another well-known premium tonic to Schweppes’ own 1783 range. This was done purely on a taste basis. After a side-by-side comparison of what we had to what Schweppes were offering, it was an easy choice to make and we think that our guests agree.

Paul Flanagan – O’Connell’s Galway

Can you describe your role at O’Connell’s Bar?

I am responsible for all aspects of running the bar on a daily basis, from stock level management to staff rotas to menu creation etc. A key part of this is ensuring that we stay on top of industry trends and that we stock all premium brands.

Through training, we equip all our staff with the product knowledge and customer service skills, which will ensure our consumers receive the best experience possible.

What makes Schweppes stand out from other brands?

I have always been a fan of Schweppes, a brand with heritage and one that has proven itself time and time again. For me, its taste rivals no other tonics in the market. It is synonymous with gin & whiskey within my bar and it is the only tonic I have stocked.

What goes into the perfect serve and how does Schweppes contribute to that?

Schweppes 1783 fiery ginger is a perfect example of how Schweppes can help any bartender create a perfect serve. The natural flavours of this distinctive range allows the spirit and Schweppes to live as one and not overpower each other.

My current favourite perfect serve is an aged rum with a 1783 Fiery Ginger. The kick that comes with the fiery ginger totally compliments a rum such as an Havana special and all that is needed is a slice of lime.

Karl Cooney – Fade Street Social & Bonsai Bar

Can you describe your role?

As group beverage manager at Prime Steak (Bonsai Bar and Fade Street Social), my role is to oversee the drinks offering in all of our bars and restaurants, ensuring that the quality of our drinks matches up to the outstanding quality of food on offer throughout the group.

My role is a fairly new one to the group and we are currently in a transitional phase with a big focus on development and innovation. We we hope to make the beverage offering even better across the board and bring a whole new standard of drinks to the city.

An Interview with Mixologist and Author Tony Conigliaro

Why do you like using Schweppes products?

The quality and simplicity of the Schweppes range makes it very easy for a bartender to incorporate them into cocktails and bring a whole new flavour profile to their customer.

We recently worked on a gin and umeshu plum saké cocktail with avacado and yuzu puree and lemongrass sugar, which we topped with a Schweppes 1783 crisp tonic. The tonic helped us bring an amazing balance to the drink and made it one of my favourites of the year so far.

How do you ensure that the food paired with drinks that utilize Schweppes products will be a winning combination?

The Schweppes range is very versatile and complements your spirit of choice rather than distracting your palate with overpowering flavours.

This makes it very easy for us to pair our spirit serves for our diners, giving them a great, well rounded dining experience.

INTERVIEW BY SARAH GLASCOTT

Sarah has always had a great love of travel, food and photography. Following her journalism degree at DCU, she developed a passion for travel writing while living in Spain.

Named Best Break Out Travel Writer at the 2018 Travel Media Awards, Sarah loves exploring new places and sampling the local cuisine. Working with TheTaste.ie combines her love of food and travel.

A big people person, especially when it comes to hearing other people’s stories, Sarah loves interviewing chefs, food producers and more.

Sarah Glascott Sarah Glascott
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