Our drinking correspondent Adrian Gomes is back with more tales from behind the bar:

After a two-month hiatus, our Bartender of the Month feature returns with Brett Murray, current GM of Snafu and The Athenaeum.  Brett’s never been a shy one, and with a strong track record from his three years in St Andrews, he’s returned to Aberdeen with a mission objective.  It’s all too easy in this industry to work your way from glass-collector to bar manager in a few easy steps, but very few guys make the grade and stay there.  Brett’s a grade-maker and veteran of the bar scene.  Over to him…

Works…

General Manager at Snafu & The Athenaeum/graphic designer (clients include Chartreuse).

Previous…

Bar Manager at Hotel du Vin, St Andrews.  This is also my second time around at Snafu…

Off Duty…

Golf, pub, club & general misbehaving.

Drinks…

Rum, preferably English, Spanish or French/Tequila Reposado or Anejo/Chartreuse/Light lager aka Cat Piss. I am a bit fussy when comes to cocktails – there are only a handful of bartenders I would ask to make me a drink; more or less the old-school guys.  Sorry if this offends anyone (G: As long as I’m one of the old school guys, I’m happy).

(More after this rather amusing photo of Brett)

Inspiration…

I look up to the guys who taught me; Matt Dakers and Adrian Gomes. I ain’t a bartender who follows others – just not how I operate. Everyone should have their own style.  I don’t want to mould myself on someone else, I’m here to be the best that I can be, sell the best products for the best possible price, rub shoulders with my reps so I can progress my career further and, overall, educate my customer.

Travels…

I ain’t gettting any younger.  Need to start thinking about the future, tie up the money & generally get old without stress.  If I was younger, I would still consider Australia for a bartending tour or learn some Russian and get across to see the scene over there…but, shit that boat has sailed now…

Looking Forward…

Turning around the bottom line which is, in essence, my current role.  I want to get into brand repping/ambassador/cocktail training/graphic design – any of the four will do, but I would say that every manager has a shelf-life after which they aren’t familiar with current trends.  I want out before that happens. Last thing I want would be a venue I was running that started dropping in sales.

Looking Back…

I have gone for a number of high-profile roles but not managed to secure anything.  At least I’m getting asked to attend the interviews through to final stages.  My CV is probably one of the most important parts of my kit.