Coby Young, a bartender at Aberdeen’s Grape & Grain, chats with Lost Loch Spirits about Scottish eau de vie and sampling cocktails
If you have yet to visit Grape & Grain, next time you find yourself in Aberdeen’s West End – you should! It is a luxurious bar, which is warm and welcoming but what really sets it apart is the contents behind the bar. Here you’ll find a range of more than 90 fine wines supplied exclusively in Aberdeen to Grape & Grain by the award winning, Berkman Wine Cellars. In addition to the best beer, spirits and food Scotland has to offer.
We caught up with Coby Young, a bartender at Grape & Grain for a wee dram.
What does your job involve?
Making and creating drinks to give the customers the best drinks experience that they can possibly have.
Tell us something interesting about your work?
There are always new challenges when creating new cocktails. The sampling is the best bit.
How did you get into doing what you do?
As soon as I turned 18 I knew I wanted to work behind a bar and when I got the opportunity to work in a nightclub I jumped at the chance and haven’t looked back.
What’s your favourite cocktail?
An Aviation. A classic cocktail made from gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette and lemon juice.
What’s the most unusual spirit you’ve tasted?
Never. 25 – a Scottish eau de vie. It is a clear spirit, with a base spirit made from grain and fresh fruit infusions.
What’s your first experience trying gin?
I accidentally tried a gin and tonic when I was younger and hated it as it tasted like perfume.
What’s your favourite joke involving drink?
A horse walked into a bar. The barman said; why the long face?
What’s your party trick?
Opening a bottle of beer with my teeth.
If you could buy a drink for anyone who would it be?
Seth Rogen, purely for his laugh.
What’s the funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a bar?
The funniest thing I have ever had to do is throw a naked guy out of the bar who was in the toilet at closing time. I just need to clarify this incident did not happen at Grape & Grain.