To hear that Bartenders Lounge director Craig Robert Scott has “an endless list of ambitious plans” was music to my ears.
It may come as a shock to some that the 23-year-old opened his North Silver Street cocktail bar in December 2022 and it has already become a city hot-spot.
But when you come across an individual with as much drive as him, success is imminent.
Circling back to hospitality
Even the most celebrated entrepreneurs need to start out somewhere. In Craig’s instance, he admitted this role was not his finest.
“My background has chopped and changed, but I always found myself circling back to hospitality,” he added.
“My first gig was at age 15 working as a terrible waiter. From there I branched out into events (primarily food based) where it became apparent hospitality was a bit of me.
“I loved the busyness, the stress, the problem solving and the feeling of smashing out 300 covers in a ridiculously short period of time.”
Between his waitering stint and now, the bar owner studied engineering, became an admin assistant and almost acquired a job in recruitment.
He was also employed by Lov Events in Bankfoot, Perth as an events and bar manager under Fraser Potter. This was until Covid hit as Craig then relocated to Edinburgh and worked at Tigerlily and Superico Bar and Lounge.
Craig, who now resides in Cove, went on to say: “He (Fraser) was brilliant with me.
“He worked me harder than most, but he also took me under his wing, gave me opportunity and responsibility which ultimately has led me here.
“Working for Superico will always be a core memory for me. The team and the patter was next to none – and they shaped me up to be ready for what I’m doing now.”
Bartenders Lounge
The 23-year-old’s story continued after moving to the north-east.
Craig took on a part-time job at Aberdeen cocktail bar The Tippling House, founded by Adrian Gomes, whilst waiting to secure the keys to the Bartenders Lounge – formerly Fusion Bar and Bistro – premises.
“This was a good move for me as it kept my skills up to scratch and introduced me to a lot of local bartenders,” he says.
Craig received the keys in October last year and opened its doors to the public on Sunday December 4. But what made him eager to open a bar?
Craig added: “Purely for the love of the trade, I just didn’t expect it all to unfold as fast as it did.
“It took us around two months to open up.
“There was a lot of work and prep done before we got our hands on the keys which helped us make the most of the time to focus on the venue and the bar setup itself.”
It’s always cocktail o’clock
The interior of Bartenders Lounge reflects its style of service – high-end but approachable.
With a capacity of roughly 100, the five-strong team knows its way around a bar. It includes two full-time members Beth and Kyle, two part-time members Finlay and Molly, and of course Craig.
The bar owner admitted he is service orientated. However, it is the cocktails that make people flock to the venue.
“We offer a range of 10 in house cocktails and all the classics,” says Craig.
“All of our ingredients are homemade, we don’t buy in anything if we can make it ourselves. This gives the team a chance to learn and create their own ingredients unique to anywhere else.
“All of our service and drinks are accompanied with bar snacks, house music and hip hop served in a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere.”
‘I’m just getting started’
He went on to say: “Business is looking super promising for a new start.
“Weekdays are touch and go but the venue is usually full on Fridays and Saturdays. I think bringing a food service will help boost the weekdays but Rome wasn’t built in a day…”
Customer feedback has been incredible since the bar’s launch. With that, Craig has big plans for the future.
“Most people don’t get given an opportunity like this at such a young age, so it’s important for me to stay humble and enjoy the ride.
“I have an endless list of ambitious plans, but for now I’ll be focusing on one big job at a time.
“Once Bartenders Lounge runs itself and maintains my standard, I’ll be looking into a new space. To be honest I’m just getting started.”
Bartenders Lounge is open from 4pm to 1am Monday to Friday and 1pm to 1am on Saturdays and Sundays.
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