Ryan Nightingale, recently crowned Hong Kong Chivas Masters champion, tells Michele Koh Morollo what it takes to be the best behind the mahogany.
“You look like I need a drink” is a line that Ryan Nightingale uses on hung-over patrons that drop by his bar at Aberdeen Street Social for a cocktail. “Be careful with this one, I use it strictly on friends or people I see regularly,” says the Canadian bartending sensation, a recent finalist in the Bartender of the Year at Hong Kong’s 2016 Bar Awards, and the new Hong Kong Chivas Masters champion. “Can I have your autograph?” is another line he throws out now and then when asking someone to sign for credit card payments.
Indeed, the art of banter and clever one-liners are particularly important for those in his trade, and Nightingale, who has been in the industry for a decade, is never short of lighthearted chitchat.
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After working in Tide & Boar Gastropub in Moncton, one of Canada’s most popular watering holes, followed by London’s bustling Pollen Street Social and Social Eating House, Nightingale relocated to Hong Kong in 2014 at the behest of his friend, Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton, who invited him to tend bar at Atherton’s then-new establishment Ham & Sherry in Wan Chai. Nightingale now splits his time between Ham & Sherry and Atherton’s modern British restaurant Aberdeen Street Social (now closed).
Even before he embarked on his bartending career, Nightingale says he had always been very particular about his drinks. “Discerning is just a nice way of saying I used to be the annoying customer when it came to my gin and tonics. I think this fixation with having my drink exactly how I wanted it helped me to practice with the classics, and find my own sense of balance.”
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On what it takes it be a good bartender, he says that it’s crucial to get a good read on what a customer is looking for from their bar encounters. “Everyone at a bar is there for some sort of social interaction, otherwise they would just drink at home. Some people are super comfortable telling you about their ex-boyfriend or their bad day at work, whereas some people just want to exchange simple pleasantries. The art is in providing the right type of conversation for each individual guest,” says Nightingale who adds that it helps if one can function well with a hangover.
Though he admits he’s always been a “heart on his sleeves” kind of guy, Nightingale believes that bartenders should never bring a bad attitude to work. “If you’re in a bad mood, don’t stay in it. It’s always easier to move from a ‘fake good mood,’ to a real good mood than it is to move from a bad mood to a good mood,” he says adding that it is also important for a good bartender to be able to keep secrets and let bygones be bygones.
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While he appreciates all the great bars with glamorous interiors in Hong Kong, he says he’d like to see more “everyday” drinking establishments offering affordable, high-quality cocktails here in the city. “I hope in the near future, we see new places cutting costs on design and rent and passing those savings onto their customers.”
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