Myles Davies

Words by Jane Ryan

Profession: Group Bar Manager
At: London

Myles Davies is a bar manager with a passion for food and fresh produce. After a stellar London-based career behind the bar, he's currently managing the beverage programme across Hix group, known for their locally British-sourced ingredients. As part of this role Myles is also conducting innovative work with whiskey and ageing cocktails.

Life behind the bar started out for me in a small town in rural England, miles away from the hustle of busy city venues. But it was more than beer and wine that ended up interesting me, so I went and found a cocktail course with Bas Basian. From that day it was an industry I wanted to be a part of and I landed my first cocktail bartending job at the Texas Embassy Cantina, Trafalger Square.

I've been lucky enough to work in London as great bars emerged, and my CV contains a few bars I'd happily describe as legendary for this city and our cocktail culture. From Texas Embassy I went to LAB, Be At One, Green and Red, Hawksmoor, Mark's Bar, Viajante, Beagle and eventually found my way to Hix. Like I say, a fair few legendary bars there.

Throughout my time in bars Nick Strangeway, has been, without a doubt my biggest inspiration, or rather a shining light of simplicity in a world full of pretentiousness. I like things to be told as they are and there's nothing better than a simple cocktail done well.

Due to the bars I've worked in tequila and cachaca have ended up being particular passions of mine but I certainly discriminate in my choice of spirit. As for cocktails, I've always been proud of a drink I invented at Viajante, inspired by a dish from Noma, which used earthy Puer Tea and a leaf syrup.

My current project and consuming passion, however, has been with barrel ageing. It's not an uncommon sight to see a barrel perched on a bar nowadays with a concoction mellowing inside. However it's often poorly understood and far more complex than throwing any old cocktail inside and checking back in a few months to see the results.

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I first started experimenting with barrel ageing a few years ago at Hix when Nick was doing some playing around with stave aging, it was a start. But I quickly realised just how many variables there are and how badly it can go wrong.

That said, done well, with a controlled temperature, and the right ingredients, a barrel aged drink has a smoothness and depth of complexity which really draws me in. When Jameson Irish whiskey decided to develop a serve using barrels Nick put them onto me, and it seemed like a great little thing to be involved with. After all this was a company whose job it is to understand wood and ageing and my style of bartending has always revolved around consistency.

After a lot of playing around I came up with an Irish Manhattan-style drink. It was Hix's dedication to British produce that inspired me to use The Somerset Cider Brandy company's Kingston Black Apple Aperitif as the sweetening agent alongside the vermouth and a dash of liquorice bitters added to the finished cocktail.

Working for a group has its benefits but for me it's the amount of people there are to bounce ideas off and not just within the small world of drinks. I have access to head chefs, pastry chefs, waiters and wine experts. I read far more chef and foodie books nowadays than I do cocktail publications and both worlds inform and help each other progress with flavours and combinations.

In the end of the day, as corny as it might sound, my career is about being happy. And the retirement plan? Hopefully my son will make it as a footballer, he's Brasilian so it's a given right, and then I will live the dream in the South of Brasil.

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Autumn Leaves
Glass:
Coupe
Method: Pour 30ml from the barrel, stir over ice and add 2 drops liquorice bitters.
3 parts Jameson Irish Whiskey
2 parts sweet vermouth
1 part Kingston Black Apple Aperitif

Myle's Autumn Leaves is now available to try at Hixter Bankside.

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