William Solorzano - Hush - London

Hush is famous for being one of the best evening spots in London.
Let's discuss with William Solorzano, Hush's bar manager.

Tell us a bit more about you, your background, your story, etc. 

William Solorzano - Bar Manager

I have been working « behind bars » since I was 17 (he’s now 26). I started working in The Soho Hotel’s bar simply because I wanted to make a bit of money, where I only was in charge of small bottom scale tasks, and then I moved to a private karaoke place which was very fun working in. It could accommodate 200 people and I guess that is where I learnt the skills that are required to become a good bartender, such as fast working and multi tasking. I then joined Hush (the bar he still works in), in Mayfair, somewhere between 3 and 4 years ago, and was appointed bar manager. As of today, one of the things that interests me most in this industry is the stories behind each and every type of spirits. They’re an integral part of the world’s History you know. 

What about Hush ?

It opened in 1999, with the intention of becoming sort of a hidden oasis in the middle of such a busy neighborhood, since it is located in a very small alley, concealed from the crowd’s eyes. It is divided in 5 distinct areas that all have specific purposes : the brasserie, downstairs, which mainly offers european food; the courtyard, where movies are shown during the winter (« Love Actually » being the most popular one among the customers); the Silver Room, that offers a slightly more intimate and elegant dining experience than the brasserie; the Cocktail Lounge, and finally, the Private Dining Room.

What do you like most about this job ? 

I particularly enjoy the fact that it keeps me busy all day long. It’s a non stop thing you know, I never get bored. It also requires quite a bit of creativity, which is always a nice thing. I love the networking part of the job too, weather it concerns customers or other people of the industry, as well as managing and fixing potential problems. I genuinely love this job, each day is completely different from the previous one. I also meet a lot of amazing people, that sometimes become friends for life ! 

Your « mantra » ?

Never stop learning. There’s never a moment when you can allow yourself to consider you know enough. Don’t limit your knowledge, you can always learn more. There’s always room for improvement, right? 

What do you like about FAIR. ? 

Well first, FAIR. Vodka is essentially made out of quinoa that is cultivated in South America, which is where I come from, and the company being fair trade certified means that it tries to help the people over there, which is obviously something that touches me greatly, and that I support fiercely. I also like the fact that they are pioneers of the system of fair trade, I mean they were among the first companies to put such a selling point forward. They don’t just follow the current trend. And of course we love Paul, the face of the company. He’s always there, he’s very supportive, comes here often to see how things are going, provides a solid follow up, and he’s just exceptionally nice. He’s the one that makes the company stand out. 

What is you're favorite cocktail made with FAIR. ?

For me, it would be a personal version of a mule cocktail, that includes lime, ginger beer, FAIR. Vodka, and Jägermeister; but the most popular one among the customers would be « Boris the Wolf », which is a very fruity type of cocktail. 

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