Kieran Keane

Kieran Keane In the first of our new mini-series, we learn what it’s like to be on the other side of the bar and get an insight from the bartender’s perspective. To kick off the series we met with Kieran Keane to discuss how he got into the Irish whiskey industry and what his role in the Jameson Distillery as Craft Ambassador involves. Originally from Knocklyon, Dublin, he has worked in the hospitality industry for many years and perfected his craft originally in Canada and then honing it in many bars across Dublin. Nowadays, Kieran displays his knowledge and expertise while showcasing the Jameson Whiskey range, through tours, tastings, and cocktails, to the hundreds of thousands of visitors at the newly renovated Jameson Distillery Bow Street, Dublin.     IWM: Growing up, were you influenced by the alcohol industry or was there a particular reason you were drawn to it? KIERAN: Originally, no. My mother didn’t drink, and my Father would only have the occasional one. I first got interested after finishing my college degree, in Engineering. I decided to go on a J1 visa and travel. In my first week of staying in a hostel in Canada, I got a job straight away in their bar. That was my very first bar job, and I absolutely loved it. I worked in the hostel for 6 months, then came home and went straight to work in TramCo, a 1,200-capacity nightclub in Rathmines, Dublin. That threw me into the deep end very quickly, where you learned to sink or swim. Luckily, I learned to swim. Now, it wasn’t the most cocktail expert job, as you were given the pre-set list, so you had to just make them, but it was a great start.   IWM: What got you interested in the cocktail side of bartending? KIERAN: I became interested in, ok, what flavour can I get with what. They’d always come asking can I have something new, you’re like, well what if I try this, what if I try that? Now, at the start they were terrible, you’re just finding your feet, you’re kind of learning what goes well with what. And the thing is you develop a sudden, “I like doing this, I like coming up with my own little ideas.”   IWM: Is it something that you find you’re bringing home in the sense that you’re experimenting with different things? KIERAN: Always. I have so many cocktail shakers at home, cocktail kits, little spirits, any syrups I make, I come up with new ideas constantly. With syrups, I’ll try anything, sugar and water, what if I mix a bit of lavender? Or I’ll infuse a bit of strawberry in this, I’ll get some ice, raspberries, some summer fruits mixed up. What if I try mint? What if I get a bit of chilli? This all happens at home.   IWM: Jameson have recently been experimenting with their own types of bitters, at what level of cocktail making do you start introducing them? KIERAN: It’s generally when you’re tasting a cocktail yourself. You know to balance sweetness with bitterness. Bitters is one thing I think everyone starts off with. Bit of sugar here, that’s too sweet, another dash of bitters, that will reduce the sweetness but also adds a nice new layer of flavour to it. So, as a bartender, you’re going to start messing around and then you suddenly find more of a range.   "I like doing this, I like coming up with my own little ideas."   IWM: And how do you learn? Is it by playing around or do you watch videos of other people or cocktail makers or read books on different types of cocktails, or is it hands-on? KIERAN: I worked with some great people, so I just learned from them. You start playing around at home, so you kind of get it yourself. You’re again looking online. And you’re also going to different bars. Like when I go out, I’ll go to some of the best cocktail bars, to watch what they do, how they interpret the spirit to go with that cocktail, how they’re going to put on that show, how they make the cocktail so aesthetically pleasing. So again, you’re just going around learning from different people. You learn from each other. And then you add your own twist.   IWM: How has the cocktail scene changed in Ireland? KIERAN: think there’s more of a demand for cocktails now, and not just the basics. People now want a certain taste, they want a certain aesthetic. I think there is more knowledge coming in and more appreciation of the craft. People now want that right balance of flavours, they want the show you give, they want the fantastic drink. Obviously now in the last 10 years, it’s really surged.   IWM: How has the customer changed over the last ten years in terms of cocktails? KIERAN: Originally, I think cocktails started off, that looks pretty in a glass with big straws, umbrellas and pineapples and everything, I’ll have one of them. People have become more aware of their drink. Since the recession hit, people are realising if I want to spend cash, I’ve got to spend it wisely. They’re a bit wiser with their money, so I think they invest it in better quality drinks.   IWM: How has the cocktail scene changed in Ireland? KIERAN: I think there’s more of a demand for cocktails now, and not just the basics. People now want a certain taste, they want a certain aesthetic. I think there is more knowledge coming in and more appreciation of the craft. People now want that right balance of flavours, they want the show you give, they want the fantastic drink. Obviously now in the last 10 years, it’s really surged.     - "I would love to be a mixologist one day. I think I still have a lot of work to go. I call myself a bartender because I know I still have a lot to learn." -     IWM: The presentation of cocktails seems to have toned down a little bit, no umbrellas? KIERAN: Yeah, originally it was just decoration for the sake of decoration, make it for the sake of looking good. Now with your garnish you’ve got to keep it nice and simple, like a sprig of apple, even smoking the drink, a nice foam on top, or just a bitter cut through it. You just want to basically mirror with your drink, what the flavours are. You want it simple, keep it pure. Or do you want more of a taste and more of a smell? In that case, you’re going to smoke your glass with the flavours you have in there so that the full senses are awake. I think aesthetics have become a bit better. Obviously not as frivolous over the years, but I think they’re more concentrated and a lot more pleasant.   IWM: Are you now finding a wider age of people drinking cocktails and the male to female ratio changing? KIERAN: Stereotypically, it would be slightly more female here. I don’t want that glass, I don’t want a coop, I’ll have it in a manly glass they call it. So, they probably go with an Old Fashioned, but there is still a huge rise of men having cocktails. Ever since Mad Men and Don Draper with the Old Fashioned in every scene, they’re starting to realise oh that’s a nice cocktail. When I do the ‘Shaker’s class’ here in the Jameson Distillery, predominantly there is a more female base, but you can still see the rise in male participants.   IWM: Would you describe yourself as a cocktail maker or a bartender? KIERAN: I would call myself a bartender. People will say, mixologist, some of the bar staff. I have no objection, whatever you want to call yourself. I think a bartender’s a bit more casual. I personally think mixologists are the professionals that have every single flavour down to an art. I would love to be a mixologist one day. I think I still have a lot of work to go. If you’re a mixologist, fair play. I call myself a bartender because I know I still have a lot to learn.   IWM: Is that one of the things that motivate you, to learn more? KIERAN: Every day, yes. I have some great people in here behind the bar. Jamie Reilly, he came up with a lot of our drinks on the menu. His mind is just great. You’re just constantly learning from each other. And it’s that kind of push. You don’t want so much to get one up, but you kind of go like, I want to beat you one day. I want to beat you, I want to have this. I think everyone will have that competitive streak. That’s what keeps pushing people.   IWM: And what other skills do you think are required to be a successful bartender? KIERAN: Patience. You need to have a lot of patience. I absolutely love my job, I love all you do but there are some nights that will push it. Obviously, at some bars you’re going to be dealing with extremely intoxicated people, impatient, don’t know how to queue. They will be yelling at you, screaming at you. They treat you like dirt sometimes. You just learn how to breathe, stay calm. And realise at the end of the day, I’m having fun behind the bar. This is what I get paid to do. I’m going to meet some fantastic people, there will be a few, 1%, that will annoy me. The other 99% I would have such a laugh with, I’ll have such fun with.     - "increasing every note so you really enjoy every single aspect of the whiskey within a cocktail." -     IWM: And what other skills do you think are required to be a successful bartender? KIERAN: Patience. You need to have a lot of patience. I absolutely love my job, I love all you do but there are some nights that will push it. Obviously, at some bars you’re going to be dealing with extremely intoxicated people, impatient, don’t know how to queue. They will be yelling at you, screaming at you. They treat you like dirt sometimes. You just learn how to breathe, stay calm. And realise at the end of the day, I’m having fun behind the bar. This is what I get paid to do. I’m going to meet some fantastic people, there will be a few, 1%, that will annoy me. The other 99% I would have such a laugh with, I’ll have such