Final mix for genius cocktail makers at city speakeasy

WHEESHT is a modern speakeasy on Claremont Street. For the last year, the brains behind the secret bar’s theatrical presentation and freestyling cocktails, Jamie Moran and Dave Salvadord Ali, have been on the front line, talking to thousands of different Glaswegians about what they want in their drink.

Wheesht will close for good on April 12. Before that, here’s what they found out about the local cocktail scene.

“Glasgow is known for its very sweet palate and this is something we have found is true. Our most popular drinks have taken the form of a sweet-sour, that is, a cocktail containing citrus, but on the sweeter side of the spectrum.

Other favourites include twists on the Old Fashioned, a simple mix of spirit, sugar and bitters, and a variety of dessert-style drinks that we made as Flips.

A Flip is a cocktail that contains a whole egg and lends a yummy creamy texture.

As for spirits, gin is the favourite by far but rum, tequila and scotch have all been very popular too.”

“Whilst each drink is designed for each guest in the moment based on their particular likes, we did have some drinks that, over the year, we kept coming back to.

“The Zaiquiri was originally made for the old GM of the bar above us as a light, boozy, citrus forward sour containing white rum, yellow chartreuse, galangal (a variant of Ginger), grapefruit and lime.

This mix quickly became one of our go-to recipes for a wide variety of guests looking for something along these lines.

The Macarita has become our house Margarita twist using our Macadamia Orgeat (a syrup made from the nut milk).”

“One of the primary things we learned through not having a menu is how open Glaswegians can be to trying new drinks and flavours when they let go a little bit and immerse themselves in our concept, trusting the bartender’s expertise.

“One of our expressed goals was to take people out of their comfort zones with their drinks. Some of our guests seldom stray from the French Martini or Cosmo, so it fills us with joy to surprise people with flavour combinations they never knew they would love, like fig and cumin for instance or raspberry and Dijon mustard.”

While the duo are winding down their West End residency, they both have passion-projects they want to pursue. Watch out for what Wheesht do next.