Words by Ian Cameron
Age: 33
Originally from: Edinburgh
Profession: Bartender
At: London
Scores of talented young bartenders leave Edinburgh and its thriving cocktail scene for London every year. We asked new Scottish émigré Benjamin Cleary, 22-years-old and aspirant gentleman bartender at Clove Club, Shoreditch, about the capital's gravitational pull, where that leaves Edinburgh - and his magnificent moustache.
I started working as a bartender at Bond Number 9 in Leith, where I spent two years before moving to the Kitchen, a Michelin-starred restaurant practically next door. There I worked as a waiter but missed the bar and went to Villager in central Edinburgh, and then The Bon Vivant for 10 months.
Edinburgh is a great training ground for bartenders as many of the guys that have opened bars there have travelled a lot and worked in London and New York. And because it's such a small scene there's a really close-knit and passionate community. It's one big family, where you're always bouncing ideas off each other, and that can really push you. The downside is you literally see everybody every day, you can get everywhere in 20 minutes and that can be stifling. Plus it can be a little bit limiting in terms of what customers in a small city want to drink.
I came to London as I felt I needed to develop in a city with a larger variety of bars, in a place where the drinks, fashion and art are always moving forward. As much as I love Edinburgh - I grew up in the city centre - it's always going to be a step behind in that sense. It's not that I've seen it all but I knew there was more out there, and there's only so many articles you want to read before you experience it for yourself.
I'm really enjoying the busy-ness of London, walking down the street at 100mph and how big the city is. I'm reassured by how friendly people are behind the bars, they are happy to support you - that's something I didn't expect and would be something that I'd miss about Edinburgh. I'm working through a sort of checklist of bars I feel I should have visited. I thought the American Bar at the Savoy was phenomenal, I like Opium and ECC Chinatown, but my favourite so far is Happiness Forgets.
The style of Clove Club definitely suits me right now. It's relatively calm, like stepping out of the Shoreditch madness, and we offer nice and simple twists on classics and frequent changes. I think the small list shows we understand seasonal produce, we are reflecting the spirits in fashion - such as ryes - and breaking down the classics.
The way I look does get reactions from people. It's not modelled on Harry Johnson or anyone in particular - I first grew my moustache for Movember and once I shaved it off I realised how unsophisticated I looked. I do think it's good to have a trademark. I've been stopped in the street, it helps guests remember me and I am enjoying cultivating an image as a gentleman. A customer I'd previously served at The Bon Vivant came in once and left a small package containing moustache scissors and some moustache wax - turned out he worked for Penhaligon's.
For all the bartenders that leave Edinburgh every year, I think Edinburgh is still a really good place to be a bartender. I think the talent coming through is the highest it's been in a while - the city definitely punches above its weight and that shows when people leaving Edinburgh walk into big jobs - just look at Ryan Chetiyawardana or Shervene Shahbhazkhani. I'll probably go back at some point but it won't be any time soon.
