Meet the Mixologist: Harry Lodge from @shakermakers

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you first get into mixology? Who/what/where taught you what you know?

I started working in a night club not long after my 18th birthday, where it would be very fast-paced (get drinks out quickly with not too much emphasis on the way drinks looked etc.) Apart from a couple of classic cocktails it was mainly just spirit and mixers. After a couple of years of working there I decided to move on and spent some time with my sister over in Australia. Coming back, I got a job and decided it was time to move to a bar rather than a club. The first few months I really started making more and more classic cocktails and developing my knowledge of spirits, beers, wines etc. After I’d been there for maybe 6 months, we decided it was time to start developing our own drinks for the menu and that is when I really found a passion for crafting cocktails. After spending the day down at imbibe in 2018 and learning loads of new things and meeting some really cool people, I decided to put some of my creations on the internet for people to see and so started Shakermakers.

What are you excited about in the world of mixology right now?

I think there is so much to look forward to in the world of mixology, I’m really excited to get back out and support local bars and see how they’ve adapted to the changing times. Instagram has been a really good platform during lockdown to follow what fellow bartenders have been making to keep themselves busy, so it’ll be good to get back out there to try some new creations.