“We need to make it current and modern, and we need to make it an educational platform of health and safety and for people to know what will happen after Brexit,” says Johansson. This year also saw Johansson become the London chair of the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild (UKBG) as part of a revamp that includes a new team comprising bartending legend Peter Dorelli and Declan McGurk, bar manager of The Savoy’s American Bar. Will it stand the test of time or is it a fad? We try to keep it as classic as possible in terms of whether it is replicable. That’s our building block for the drinks. There are so many great bars you go back because of the classics that are available there. He says: “I love concept menus but they have a shelf life. Hiddleston is keen to keep the menu’s focus on classics. “We’re gonna use the idea of having the simplicity of a classic cocktail but with modern flavours that are accessible, understandable and approachable,” says Johansson. The duo is also working on a new cocktail menu, which will be released next month. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the industry or not, you’re gonna get the same service and hospitality.” Johansson adds: “Our favourite thing is that we run a bar like the series Cheers. That element of warmth, that pub feel it’s a very relaxed atmosphere. ![]() We love people coming in and having a gin and tonic it’s a great thing. “A lot of people are scared to go into cocktail bars. Our staff retention is fantastic – that’s been our number-one accomplishment.”ĭespite Swift’s stylish setting, “there’s a lack of pretension”, Hiddleston says. “The second year we wanted to develop the brand, and also develop the team because they have been really loyal most of them have been with us since day one. We did 120 hours in the first week because we were here constantly. “We didn’t even see the lows because we just powered through. “The first year of Swift was hard the highs were kind of parallel with the lows,” says Johansson. They were excited to see what we were going to get up to.” The upstairs bar at SwiftĪfter a weekend of closing parties, with Lab alumni and bartending greats tending the bar, Swift opened its doors. “It was like the industry was watching so hard because we were taking over sacred ground. “It was fun because when we opened, it was such a huge thing – we could feel people breathing down our necks a bit,” says Johansson. With the financial backing of Stimpson and Weil, Johansson and Hiddleston set about opening the site, which boasts two different but complementary styles – a buzzy aperitivo ground-floor bar inspired by the standing vertical bars of continental Europe, and an inviting, speakeasy-style basement bar. They wanted our style in terms of clean, concise, but friendly and quick service.” “But this project, which turned into Swift, was what they were after. “We love the bars but they’re very different very theatrical. It was very strange in the sense that Nightjar and Oriole are not really our style,” Hiddleston recalls. “In mid-2016, we were approached by Ed and Rosie, who said they had a project for us. Johansson and Hiddleston seemed well placed to take over the site, and their style and skills were sought after by fellow couple and Nightjar and Oriole founders Rosie Stimpson and Edmund Weil. When it launched in November 2016 at 12 Old Compton Street, the venue had big boots to fill, replacing renowned drinking den Lab – a former playground for some of the industry’s leading bartenders. The pair, who married in 2016, returned to Soho to open the much-anticipated Swift, which has grown to become one of London’s most prestigious bars in just two years. They went on to work at other acclaimed establishments: Swedish-born Johansson at Mark’s Bar at Hix Soho, while Hiddleston was the opening head bartender at New York’s Dead Rabbit and also served at Shoreditch’s Callooh Callay. ![]() *This feature was originally published in the December 2018 issue of The Spirits Businessīartending duo Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston met when they were slinging drinks at London’s Milk & Honey in 2010. And while they may have killer cocktails and the awards to boot, their real love is offering a warm welcome. ![]() With Swift, bartending couple Mia Johansson and Bobby Hiddleston have created one of London’s best-loved bars.
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