‘Everything tastes better with a story’ says cocktail expert

Alex Godfrey, general manager of the Milk Thistle in Bristol, emphasised the importance of customer service to delegates at The Morning Advertiser​’s MA500 event in Bath today (12 September).

He said: “Everyone returns for great service and atmosphere but the drink is the cherry on top. If the bartender is an a******e, customers won’t go back.

“They will always remember the person but they won’t always remember the drink they had.”

Cocktail range

Milk Thistle is number 16​ on the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list.​ With its four floors in one of the city’s finest historic buildings, the bar is a delight to drink in.

Cocktail prices range from £9 up to £9.50 for house-made specialities, with single serves of spirits ranging from £5 to a little more for rarer drinks.

Service is of high importance to Milk Thistle, it ensures every guest has a memorable experience and a great time.

Perfect serve

Godfrey added: “The Milk Thistle aims to put the guest first with a table service so they have a private corner to relax with friends.

“However, you can make a great drink but you can’t create personality. A perfect serve starts with the core of the business.

“If someone doesn’t know what they like and our menus are a bit confusing, we ask simple questions. What spirit and mixer they would choose, whether they preferred sweet, sour or bitter tastes. We can tailor make something for them if it isn’t on the menu.

“Everything about what we do is to make people come back. There are two things that are key with what we do at Milk Thistle. These are saying hello and saying goodbye. We want people to be happy.”