Since 22-year-old Olly Gilmour started his job as a bartender at the Fairmont St Andrews, he’s developed a passion for crafting cocktails, and has become a self-professed “drinks nerd”.
Olly, now a senior bartender at the luxury hotel, says the creativity is one of the things he loves most about his job.
“I really like creating things,” he says, “and as a bartender, I get to do that on a daily basis.
“I’m a really big nerd when it comes to beverage, spirits and how they’re made.
“So I like trying to push people’s boundaries a little bit, shift them out of their comfort zone and make them taste flavours they haven’t had a lot of experience with.”
Olly was ‘mesmerised’ by cocktail-making process
Olly thought he knew a lot about alcohol, until he started his job at Fairmont St Andrews.
“I remember walking in on my first week,” he recalls, “and getting that overwhelming feeling of ‘oh my god, everything I thought I knew, I know nothing about’.
“The first bartender I worked with was so open to teaching things.
“I used to stand at the bar, cleaning all the glasses. I would point out a bottle to him, and he would tell me everything there was to know about it.
“Those conversations when I came in really nurtured my love for everything that I do right now.
“He lent me books on the topic, and now I have a big collection of them. I have way too many,” he laughs.
Now, in his senior position, he gets to take on that mentorship role and use his passion to inspire new staff.
“I was so mesmerised by everything when I first came in,” says Olly.
“Now when we bring new people in, I try to instil that love for the craft that I have.”
‘I love providing those special moments’
What is 22-year-old Olly’s favourite part of the job?
“Guests put their faith in us,” says Olly.
“They give us a few specifications of what they like, what they don’t like.
“Then I get to play around with that, think on the spot, and create something really unique for those people.
“That’s one of my favourite things about the job.”
Serving cocktails is about more than just how the drink tastes, says Olly.
“It’s putting a drink in front of them, and making sure every little aspect of what I put in front of them is as good as I can get it.
“Being able to provide a bit of joy to the experience is so important to me.
“They’re not just coming into the bar, sitting down and having a drink and feeling okay about it, then going back to their rooms.
“I want to give them that unique experience. I love providing those special moments.”
Conversation