This month we profile 10 of the best and today it’s the turn of Jamie Swift of Edinburgh’s Dragonfly and Sarah Berardi of Draffens in Dundee.
Jamie Swift
Dragonfly
Edinburgh
New Zealand-born Jamie Swift grew up in Moffat and got his first bartending job in The Balmoral Hotel in the Dumfries and Galloway town. He’s been a bartender at Edinburgh’s Dragonfly for just over a year and has also worked at The Devil’s Advocate in the city. Said Jamie, “Bartending is a never-ending apprenticeship and I love that about it, as well as every day being different. I am a career bartender, but I haven’t decided yet whether it’s the owner/operator or Brand ambassador route for me as far as the next stage of my career goes.” He continued, “In terms of people I admire in the industry, Kyle Jameson, one third of the guys behind Nauticus in Leith, is someone that I admire, plus he was the main reason I took the job at Devil’s Advocate.” Away from the job Jamie loves checking out bars old and new.
Sarah Berardi
Draffens
Dundee
Sarah, 28, is originally from New Orleans and this self-proclaimed career-bartender moved to Dundee to be with her partner who is a scientist studying at Dundee University. She’s been working in Draffens, a speakeasy bar in Dundee, for roughly two-and-a-half years. Said Sarah, “When I first moved here there wasn’t much of a cocktail scene in Dundee – and people assumed that I knew what I was doing. I have since won The Southern Comfort Patron Perfectionist competition for Scotland and placed second in the UK. I was also nominated for emerging Bartender of the Year at this year’s Class Bar Awards where I made the top 3 finalists.” Who does Sarah admire most in the industry? “My boss AJ Mcmenemy and Phil Donaldson are two people with a creative eye and passion for this industry that I try to emulate in everything I do.”