Following being awarded ‘Godfather’ status at last weekend’s Brighton Bar Awards, Nick Mosley talks to Zoe Cunliffe about her life in the hospitality industry.
Tell us about yourself
I first entered into the drinks industry in 2010, when my husband and I set up Mixology Group, running high-end event bars. Within a year, we opened Mixology School which ran for 14 years, offering a range of professional and accredited qualifications for people looking to get into the cocktail industry.
Getting into any industry isn’t always easy, and training comes at a price. Hospitality isn’t always the most respected career choice in the UK and is often overlooked when it comes to training. So over the years I decided that I wanted to be able to make our training accessible to all, regardless of their financial situation. After the dark time of Covid I saw that The Drinks Trust, a charity who fund people within the drinks industry in moments of crisis, were beginning their Develop programme and with their help we were able to fund courses for those in financial hardship.
Over the years this has been incredibly rewarding; we have literally helped people to leave their bedroom and go on to confidently work behind a bar.
What was the Brighton Bar Awards event on Sunday like? Did you expect to be recognised for your contribution over the years?
The Brighton Bar Awards has been running for 10 years. It is a hugely popular event within the bar industry and is always well attended with a raucous room of bartenders. This year was no exception. I have never been nominated for an award before, so it was a shock to receive a nomination for ‘The Godfather’ Lifetime Achievement Award, and a even bigger shock to win it. I had some fierce competition!
How have you seen the growth of the premium bar scene over the past couple of decades?
When we first moved to Brighton in 2002 we found the bar scene lacked a real sense of community. And in turn a lack of competition. It was with this in mind that we began Brighton Bartenders Association, a Facebook page with now over 15,000 members sharing information, arranging brand representation visits and now with its own job page.
From this we began working with Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival and launched various cocktail competitions across the city and wider Sussex. Over the years we have watched the bar scene grow in confidence and community with a whole host of amazing venues to try.
As ‘Godfather’ what top tips – from your experience – would you like to share with bar owners and bartenders who are entering the industry to make successful businesses and careers?
Look after your staff, invest in them with training, pay them correctly and keep them happy as they are the face of your business in a customer facing industry.
Bartenders, don’t stop trying to learn. There are so many places to access free information and training. Turn up to meet the brand reps and listen to the talks. And always have a Pina Colada on the menu because you never know when I’ll be in!
What are your favourite hospitality venues in the city and why?
Gung-Ho on Preston Street has long been a favourite bar of mine. They innovative, sustainable menu ever changing with the seasons keeps you wanting to go back to see what’s next. One to watch is Apiary that has recently opened on Western Road and winner of the newcomer award. I expect big – and delicious – things from them.
What is next for you?
2024 saw the closure of our Mixology School due to health reasons with my husband. However we are soon ready to come back, and will be seeking out somewhere to shake our stuff once again. I have not sat still though and have taken my years of event organising experience to work with the IWSC to create The World Whisky Experience. This is taking place on from 15-16 November in the beautiful Christ Church in Spitalfields, London. We have secured over 200 whiskies to sample and curated a line up of masterclasses and talks across the two days.
I’m happy to be able to offer 50% off of tickets to The Argus readers using the code WHISKYEXPERIENCE50. https://cluboenologique.com/the-world-whisky-experience/
Anything else you’d like to add?
Brighton should be very proud of its bar scene we have a vast amount of great venues to choose from, trust me you have to have tried a lot of cocktails to reach Godfather status!!
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