Ben Reed
Ben Reed, former Cocktail Bartender of the Year, will be passing on some of his superb mixology skills to festival-goers in The Idler’s Academy. So come and take the weight off your feet while Ben whips up one of his signature cocktails. Whether your chosen tipple is something fresh like a Strawberry Mule or one of Ben’s many variations on the classic martini, he’s sure to have something to suit your palate.
Ben is one of the industry’s best-known mixologists thanks to his high profile as the BBC’s Shaker Maker, regular appearances on This Morning and GMTV, and his colourful career mixing cocktails for the capital’s trendsetters and style leaders.
He began his bar career working with Sir Terence Conran, becoming head bartender for the prestigious downstairs bar at Mezzo. His career really took off during an enormously successful three-year stint as bar manager of London’s premier private members club, the Met bar.
As well as writing a weekly column, Barfly, for the Saturday Times magazine, Ben is the author of numerous sell-out books, including, Hollywood Cocktails (1999), Cool Cocktails (2000), The Cocktail Hour (2002), The Martini (2002), and The Margarita and other Tequila Cocktails (2002), The Art of the Cocktail (2003), and his latest, The Bartender’s Guide (2007).
Video:
Watch Ben’s Summer Cocktail Masterclass here:
