Movers & Shakers I
A new column for bartenders: Remy Savage’s tenure at the Artesian is officially underway this month with the launch of the bar’s new menu, Chris Grøtvedt opens the doors on his new bar *Ism, and Lee Daniel Hobbs joins Santa Teresa.
Whether it’s a new venue, a fresh face on the team, or a completely new job, change is always just around the corner in the drinks industry. To help you keep up to date with who’s working where, we’ve launched Movers & Shakers – a new column focused on the ever-changing staff rosters at bars, clubs, restaurants, and drinks brands all over Europe.
If you know a bartender or brand ambassador with a new job on the horizon, please get in touch and let us know!
A Little Red Door Straight Into The Artesian
After announcing the move back in October, Anna Sebastian and Remy Savage’s takeover of the Artesian is now complete, with the launch of the bar’s new menu on December 1. Sebastian was formerly bar manager of the Savoy’s Beaufort Bar, garnering a number of accolades, and Savage was head bartender at Little Red Door in Paris, where he made a name for the venue with carefully crafted drinks and themed menus. In his new role as head bartender at the Artesian, Savage made sure to bring a familiar face with him to be his number two: Emilio Di Salvo. It’s certainly a dream team for the four-time World’s Best Bar.
Named Cause, Effect & Classic Cocktails, the Artesian team’s new menu aims to explore the way in which “ingredients may be affected by how, when and where they came to be.” The drinks are riffs on well-known recipes, each bearing the inventive touch of Remy Savage. There’s an Espresso Martini featuring medium roast, unroasted, and heavy roast coffees, and a Gimlet sporting three different kinds of lime.
Chris Grøtvedt Goes From Thief to Philosopher at *Ism
The other big venue news this month comes from Oslo, where Chris Grøtvedt opened his new bar *Ism just a few weeks ago. The longtime head bartender at The Thief and founder of the Oslo Bar Show announced back in July that he was leaving The Thief to open his first bar, and things have moved very rapidly since then. Grøtvedt is now in charge of a venue featuring two separate bars, with two distinct themes: hedonism and humanism.
A well-known figure in the Nordic bar scene, Grøtvedt says he feels “incredibly blessed and grateful” to be running *Ism with his hand-picked team. “They’re a group of super talented people with different styles and backgrounds, which lends us a diversity where everyone brings different elements to the table,” he says. Check out our full article on *Ism for more about Grøtvedt’s unique bar.
Santa Teresa Scores Lee Daniel Hobbs as Brand Ambassador
It seems Hamburg’s loss was Venezuela’s gain last month, as Hamburg’s The Walrus Bar bid farewell to Lee Daniel Hobbs, who left the bar to become Santa Teresa’s German brand ambassador. “I would not have imagined working as a brand ambassador before,” Hobbs admits. But after just over a month in the job, he’s confident he made the right call. “I think it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.”
Hobbs has been pouring Santa Teresa (which is distributed by Bacardi) for more than 10 years, and “it was always my favorite rum.” His new role began with a tour around Germany, to get feedback on the rum and “see what all the creative bartenders are doing.” He’s excited about his opportunities to learn from other bars, as well as pass on his own ideas about using rum. In addition to running rum workshops, Hobbs is keen to share some of his “crazy food pairings and new drinks adapted from the classics.”
Back to the Bar: Hauke Thüring Leaves Brown-Forman
Heading in the opposite direction from Hobbs, Hauke Thüring stepped down from his role as a sales representative at Brown-Forman. The Berlin-based bartender, best known as head bartender at Mitte’s Rivabar, announced that he was returning to bartending after just six months as a sales rep.
Thüring emphasized that his decision was no reflection on the job itself, but rather a recognition that his heart belongs to the bar. It’s a timely reminder that some people were put on this earth to mix drinks, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Thüring is currently taking a well-deserved break over the festive season, but we can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for this thoroughly committed bartender.
And that’s it for our very first edition of Movers & Shakers! We’ll be back next year with more job news. And if you know anyone with a shaker who’s on the move, please let us know. Merry Christmas!
Credits
Foto: Photo via Shutterstock.