Nicknames: Pedro or Chef Chef (Depending on who you speak to)
Pronouns: He/Him
Job title: Big Cheese
Any awards or accolades?
Last year I came 1st in the UK and 2nd overall in No.3’s pursuit of perfection competition, I’ve run 2 bars nominated for best newcomer and of course, Project Halcyon was named the one to watch this year.
I was part of the Mecanica team that got 2 CLASS nominations last year, and most recently myself and the Project Halcyon team scooped up 2 awards including best new bar at the Manchester bar awards. Hopefully there is more to come.
Key skills: Menu Development, Training, Conceptual Design, Martini Drinking.
What got you into cocktail bars?
I worked in bars whilst studying game design at university, I found the environment infectious and exhilarating. I went from just pulling pints in my local, to working in one of the most prestigious venues in Manchester in no time at all.
How many years have you worked in the industry?
Including my time slinging drinks in clubs and pubs, over 7 years now, but it’s only really been in the last 5 years that I’ve put my sole focus on bartending.
How long have you worked at Project Halcyon?
Ive been working on getting the place open since August, so technically I’ll celebrate my anniversary with the place before it even celebrates its first birthday.
Favourite drink?
Dry Martini
What makes Project Halcyon stand out?
It feels like there’s so many things to talk about, first and foremost the team. The bar team are comprised of individuals who had less than 18 months of experience in hospitality when they started, I wanted to prove that you didn’t need to be a bar back for 5 years before you had the chance to do something amazing, they’ve all proven me correct.
I think our attitude to hospitality and the current bar scene makes us stand out. There’s few places that have an on-site distillery and lab, fewer still that almost treat that as the least important thing. Yes, we spend an achingly long time obsessing over ingredients, but to us hospitality is for the guests, the science is for us to worry about, we make things as approachable as possible.
What makes a great cocktail bar?
So many things, some people will tell you that its just about the company that you’re with but as someone who really enjoys a solitary drink, I can attest to that not being true. At the crux of it, cocktail bars are facilitators of an enjoyable experience. And the best cocktail bars can achieve that whether you’re partying with a group of 20 people or enjoying a quiet drink on your own at the end of a long day. In essence it is the people within the venue that make the experience.
What do you enjoy most about the industry?
Bartending and hospitality have exposed me to some incredible experiences that I could never have dreamed of. I didn’t grow up with the most affluent background and the ability to travel to different cities, with amazing brands, representing our venue, in competitions has been nothing short of amazing. You get to meet the most interesting people, all with very different stories about who they are and their backgrounds. It is a wonderful melting pot of talent.
What’s a signature drink of yours?
I have two strong staples. A margarita and a dry martini; both superb classics when executed well.
Tea or coffee?
Y’know I’ve found this new love for tea recently. I’m a tea guy now, drinking tea out of my little pot. It’s all very civilised.
What is the best cocktail bar you’ve ever visited?
There’s just so many to talk about for so many different reasons, the list would be borderline endless. Obviously, a special shout out to all of my Manchester locals, Blinker, SiC, Schofields, all absolutely world class in their own ways.
I love Hey Palu, Alex has always been such a gracious host whenever I’ve been there. Speaking of which Filippos is the hostess with the mostess at Tabula Rasa. Looking outside of the UK, Danico in Paris was one of the most well executed bar concepts I’ve been to in a long time.
There’s just so many to mention isn’t there?
What do you enjoy most about working at Project Halcyon?
Project Halcyon really allows me to explore the breadth of my creativity in terms of drink and menu design, we have full creative autonomy which is something most bartenders could only dream of. More importantly though, I’ve never worked in an environment where the team is so close. I get to turn up to work every day and spend my time with my best friends, that’s absolutely priceless to me.
Least favourite ingredient?
Water. Its imperative to drinks, but too much and the drink loses character, too little and the drink isn’t palatable. I’ve got such a vendetta against water I removed it from all our house classics and replaced it with other things. Boatyard Vodka Martini with clarified banana juice has become a bit of a staple at Halcyon because of that.
What does the future hold for Project Halcyon?
Well, being announced as the one to watch puts a lot of pressure on you to live up to that expectation, we fully intend to deliver upon that, however. We’ve got a new menu launching very soon, some collaborations coming up with some amazing bars up and down the country.
The biggest thing coming up is our bartender exchange program, we’re trying to build a national community and bridge the gap between all the incredible cocktail bars in separate cities. We’re very fortunate to have all of this incredible kit in the site, we want people to share in that. So we’ll be “swapping” bartenders for a week as they learn from each venue and bring their new found knowledge and experience back to Halcyon or whatever bar swapped with us.
So if you’re a cocktail bar that wants to exchange team members for a week, we’ll teach them how we do things and all we ask in return is you teach one of our guys how you do things. Get in touch.
