I can’t imagine walking into a bar and asking for a cocktail made from beetroot, or artichoke – but Chandelier Bar mixologist Tom Masters assures me he can make a great tasting drink out of pretty much anything.

“I went to the number one bar tending school in the world, The European Bartender School, in Kos,” he says.

“It’s a month over there and they take you through everything – the flairing (those fancy tricks with cocktail shakers and bottles of liqueur), down to the history.”

One of two mixologists at the Chandelier Bar, located upstairs at the Boathouse on Christchurch Quay, Tom admits he has a passion for his work.

“I wanted to be a chef,” he admits. “But I’ve always been interested in drink. There aren’t many 14-year-olds who can tell the difference between Dom Perignon and Prosecco.

“I like alcohol and this is much more fun.”

Tom, who admits he’s a whiskey man himself, has been working at the Chandelier Bar for just over a year, after completing his training on the Greek island.

He now delights in creating both alcoholic and non-alcoholic creations for customers – from traditional cocktails such as Mojitos and Cosmopolitans, to bespoke creations, including those with beetroot and artichoke.

Tom has even created his own vanilla infused liqueur. “The wackier the better – normal is boring.”

Cocktails, a bit like food, have their own seasons, with Tom making up Mojitos in the summer, while winter calls for more warming drinks using port, whiskey, cognacs and mulled wine. The bar even has a set Christmas cocktail menu.

But what are the hottest trends? “Everyone loves an espresso martini, but I like prohibition era kind of drinks like the Martini, Manhattan and Old-Fashioned,” says Tom.

“Cocktails are coming more into fashion.”

boathouse.co.uk

SIGNATURE COCKTAIL: High Society – a competition cocktail

Tom mixes Remy Martin fine champagne cognac with Havana Club 7 rum, a rye whiskey and vanilla infused liqueur.

Cherry wood chip is burnt slightly to give the drink added fragrance and flavour, and the cocktail is served with a slice of orange topped with caramelised brown sugar, which is to be eaten half way through the drink to cleanse the palate and completely change the flavour of the cocktail.

Garnished with a sculpted apple, topped with caramelised sugar, and a cigar.