Max Macauley

Max Macauley started in the bar industry in 2013 as a bar back and worked his way up to General Manager at The Locale, whose success is leading to the opening of a second bar in Glasgow's West End.

During Lockdown, Max's reading led him to develop a passion for the technical aspects of cocktail creation leading to him launching his side hustle Hybrid. His consultancy work with top bars around Glasgow and sales of carbonated cocktails has earned him the nickname 'Mr Fizz'. At the Patrón Perfectionists UK finals in London, Max competed in three challenges alongside other nine participants.

Hometown Hero challenge cocktail: The Forgotten Fruit

40ml Patrón Silver tequila
10ml Fino sherry
2.5 Scottish Wild Absinthe (SweetDram)
150ml Sunset Soda clarified with Pectinex and Ascorbic apple juice and carbonated
Inspiration: Apples are in abundance in Max's neighbourhood, but rarely utilised. All over Scotland, streets and orchards are littered with fallen apples, most of which will waste away. Seeing this inspired Max to go out and unearth the best Scottish apples and showcase their exceptional flavour. His chosen apple, the Sunset, came from Cyrenians Farm, an organic community orchard that grows over 20 different Scottish heritage varieties. They tackle the cause and consequences of homelessness. Purchasing apples from them allowed Max to put back into the community. The idea was to showcase the purest expression of the apple, as if you had picked it right off the tree and bitten into it. That perfect sweet and sour liquid that just isn't replicable. He wanted something savoury, juicy and smashable. The Paloma's challenger if you will, and so The Forgotten Fruit was created.