Q & A with Bar Manager Paul Dent

Let’s start at the very beginning… How old were you when you mixed your first drink?

I was about sixteen at a family wedding.  They thought it’d be amusing to put me behind the bar but it turned out I was quite good at it!

A friend got me into it properly quite a while later.  He owned and ran a cocktail bar and was looking for a manager back in Kent so I jumped in and learnt on the fly.

How did you end up out here?

A friend of mine wanted to teach me how to snowboard, so he got me to come out and do a season and then we ended up staying longer than intended to… Three years so far and I haven’t left!

What’s your favourite run?

I always love Prodains home run, weirdly.  We always end up coming down at sunset so it’s got a pretty sick view on the way down.

How about in summer?

I’ve just started downhill MTB.  I’ve had a few spills already and it’s only been a couple of days.  I’ve had a few ‘be careful’s at work.

What’s the coolest bar you’ve worked in?

Nowhere fantastically cool really.  I think to be honest I prefer bars which are less cool.  I think cool tends to go hand in hand with a bit of arrogance and I prefer a bit of humility behind the bar.  Here at Hotel du Lac I’ve got a good team and some fairly fresh minds so it’s good to be able to pass things on and teach some people new skills, they’re good guys.

Most annoying cocktail to make?

Mojitos, every time.  

Really, I thought you might say an old-fashioned?

No, I love making an old-fashioned.  Anything stirred is wicked.  It’s purely logistical and probably a bit of PTSD.  My first cocktail posting we used to run a two for one offer pretty much every other night and it was a horribly set up bar.  Between two bartenders we used to churn out between 2-300 mojitos a night and it was just horrendous!  They’re quite labour intensive.  I’m grumpy about making them but definitely still enjoy drinking them.  They’re a great drink, especially if they’re made with a bit of love.

My drink today has a great garnish.  Talk to me a little bit about garnishes.

I absolutely love garnish.  I try to keep everything as edible as possible in everything.  We’re pretty lucky here to have a sick spot for gardening.  I’ve cajoled our head-gardener into planting as many fresh herbs and edible flowers as he can stack in.  I get the ultimate luxury of going out and picking my garnishes each morning.

Can cocktails be seasonal?

Absolutely.  I try and source as many ingredients as possible locally.  In the mountains you’re limited with some things but also you get a greater variety of other things too.  These days you do have to source for fairly modern palates.  The joy of globalisation means you have access to all sorts but it does come from far and wide.  I try and keep that in mind and while I cater to all tastes, as much as I can I’ll push things which are local and seasonal.

Best classic cocktail?

You can’t beat a negroni, all day every day!  It’s easy to make but also easy to cock up.  So it’s super-satisfying when you get it spot on.  There are so many little twists so that you can never get bored of.  Also when working you taste loads of drinks so a negroni is great because it’s punchy and hits you hard.

What item is most stolen from a bar?

Everything!  Glassware obviously, but weird and wonderful promotional stuff often goes walkies too.  Anything that is pretty and shiny the magpies tend to go for, such as a copper Moscow mule mug!

What tip would you give to an amateur cocktail-maker?

Taste everything.  Every single time.  Especially with fresh produce, it can vary in terms of acidity.  You can slip slightly with alcohol content, it happens a lot.  Just keep tasting.

Talk to me about ice

It’s incredibly important.   It’s useful to control how slowly it melts into the drink.  Things like an old-fashioned and negronis you want a big old chunky thing in there.  We did a few cocktails last year where we’d freeze citrus into the ice cubes.  We have four different kinds here at Hotel du Lac.  There’s the classic pebble ice, large ice cubes, then there’s crushed and we use ice shards too.

And finally, who is you favourite Disney character and why?

Ariel!  When I was younger I was meant to get a magic set and my sister was meant to get the film The Little Mermaid and the presents got mixed up.  I ended up watching it on repeat and it became my favourite Disney film.