Name: Louis Moon
Pronouns: He/Him
Job title: General Manager
How long have you worked at The Hideout: 7 years in November (I was the first hire!)
Favourite drink: Americano - not the coffee
Awards & accolades: I won the national Silent Pool Gin competition.
I’ve also won several regional comps, and we are also preparing to launch our own Hideout comp with a local partner… more details coming soon!
I was lucky enough to learn from some of the best in the industry over the years I’ve been at Hideout.
When I became GM, I wanted to take everything they taught me and bring my own style to the venue.
I’ve always been driven to push Hideout to the next level to make the customer experience the best it can be, and keep my team closely involved in decision making process. They have great ideas and have made the bar what it is today. 5 heads are better than 1!
What got you into cocktail bars?
I always enjoyed catching up with friends over a couple of tasty drinks, so I thought why not get a job in a bar and get paid while doing it?!
How many years have you worked in the industry?
Hideout was my first bar job and is where I’ve learned everything I know about the industry. So it’s coming up to 7 years.
When I started, I didn’t even know what a Slimline tonic was and when a customer ordered a “Gin and Bitter Lemon” - I served them a straight gin with a bit of lemon!
I’ve had, and still have, a great time learning all there is to know about drinks.
What do you enjoy most about the industry?
I love the variety of the work, the creativity we can implement in the drinks, and most importantly, the atmosphere.
I get a real buzz from the customers' reactions when they're having a wicked time - enjoying our drinks and the vibe of the bar!
What makes a great cocktail bar?
A place where you can feel at home quickly.
Whether that be from how the staff treats you or them having your favourite style of drinks nailed down.
Somewhere where it’s obvious that the bar cares about what they do and do it well. Also, a massive selection of whisky helps!
Best drink on the current menu?
Hideout Old Fashioned is one we pride ourselves on the most and it’s by far our most sold. We use a special makeup of sugar syrup and secret Hideout bitters…
However, I would be amiss to not mention the Psychoville MKII (if you love mezcal) and our XXX (basically a clarified whisky Pina Colada.. what’s not to like!).
What does being a Top 50 Cocktail Bar mean to you?
It means a lot to us as it’s one of the few accolades that is industry-led, so getting recognition by fellow passionate bars and bartenders is a massive achievement and honour.
It’s opened doors to partnering with these bars through our events or takeovers - which really just means more epic drinks, and amazing nights on top of learning from each other to help improve what we do.
What is the best cocktail bar you’ve ever visited?
That's a hard one there are so many amazing spots and it depends on what mood I'm in.
But a stand out has got to be Filthy XIII in Bristol. I love the crew there, the drinks slap and I always have a wicked night!
What do you enjoy most about working at The Hideout?
The team hands down - I love them to bits (shout out to George, Dilly, Adam & Dan) and the customers aren’t bad either!
Favourite ingredient to work with?
I’d say amaros of all kinds…. Life is bitter, run with it!
What does the future hold for The Hideout?
We’ve got some very exciting stuff in store… currently the team and I are building our own mini-lab so we can finally get super nerdy with our cocktails....
Without saying too much… we might also be looking at distilling and making our brand of spirits and liquors… (pot still *cough cough*)
Also, for any whisky heads, keep an eye out for our single cask collaborations, we’ve just dropped a release with one of our local partners, Cotswolds Distillery, and it’s delicious!
