I’ve been named among the top 100 bartenders in the country thanks to Mother Mercy

James Brown, a bartender at Mother Mercy Heaton, has earned a place on the World Class Great Britain Top 100 Bartender’s list.

In making it onto the list, he becomes only the second ever bartender from Mother Mercy to do so - with Luke Riley being the first.

The competition sees bartenders up and down the country crafting their own unique concoctions and presenting them to an expert judging panel.

James has told NewcastleWorld how he got involved with World Class Great Britain and how his close family helped to inspire the cocktail he made to enter the competition.

He said: “I got involved with World Class Great Britain when I was working at one of the best bars in the world, called Side Hustle at the NoMad Hotel.

“One of the head bartenders, Danilo, won it last year and he trained me up whilst I was working in London.

“It was him and Luke Riley, the only other person from Mother Mercy to make the list, who massively inspired me to push myself and go for the challenge.

“The first drink I created using Singleton 12 Whisky was inspired by the time that I spend with my granddad in Scotland.

“We always take his orange Triumph Stag out around the Lochs scavenging for chanterelles, which he cooks into some awesome mushroom broths, so the sense of being in Scotland and around wildlife really inspired me with this challenge.”

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James also gave an insight into how he felt when he found out he had been named on the list and praised the team at Mother Mercy for supporting him.

He added: “It feels amazing because one of the things that I love about bartending is that in a bar, people create and they share experiences.

“I’m flabbergasted that I’m on this list with some amazing bartenders, it is an honour to be representing Newcastle alongside Luke [Riley] and Angus [Mason].

“The team at Mother Mercy have been with me through every step of his so far and they’ve given me the confidence, the ability, and the time to really nurture my craft.

“If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am now so I owe a lot to them.

“I can’t thank everyone who has trained me and helped me on my journey, both at Mother Mercy and before that.”

James’ cocktails will now be on the menu at Mother Mercy for a limited time as part of the next stages of the competition.

Following that, he will be assigned one of four cities where he will have to go and present one of his cocktails to a judging panel.

It is this stage where he will demonstrate whether or not he has the potential to be one of the top 10 bartenders in the country.

You can find out more about Mother Mercy by visiting: https://www.mothermercy.co.uk/.