Dick Bradsell

Dick Bradsell
Born
Richard Arthur Bradsell

4 May 1959
Bishop's Stortford, England
Died27 February 2016(2016-02-27) (aged 56)
London, England
Occupation(s)Bartender, writer
Known forHis innovative work with cocktails

Richard Arthur Bradsell (4 May 1959 – 27 February 2016) was a British barman noted for his innovative work with cocktails, including the creation of many new drinks now considered to be modern classics.[1] The Observer described him as the "cocktail king",[2] while Waitrose Food Illustrated compared him to celebrity chefs[3] and the San Francisco Chronicle credited him with "single-handedly (changing) the face of the London cocktails scene in the 1980s."[4]

Bradsell was born in Bishop's Stortford, England.[1] As a teenager, he was a friend of David Steele of The Beat.[5] A poem of Bradsell's was adapted by singer Dave Wakeling into the lyrics of Twist and Crawl which appears on the Beat's 1980 debut album I Just Can't Stop It, and for which Bradsell received a writing credit.[6]

Bradsell was acclaimed for inventing several new cocktails, including the Espresso Martini,[7] the Bramble,[8] the Treacle,[9] the Carol Channing, the Russian Spring Punch and the Wibble.[10] It was reported that Bradsell could "rarely enter a bar without an enthusiastic bartender thrusting his version of the (Espresso Martini) drink at him."[11] In 2003, he and Tony Conigliaro co-wrote several articles for the now-defunct bartending magazine Theme. In 1998 Bradsell Married London jewellery designer Vicki Sarge. They divorced in 2000.[12]

Bradsell died from brain cancer on 27 February 2016 at his home in London.[1][13]

  1. ^ a b c "Dick Bradsell, Bartender Who Helped Revive London Cocktail Scene, Dies at 56". The New York Times. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  2. ^ Mover and shaker at The Observer/The Guardian, by Michael Jackson , 9 July 2000 (retrieved 14 December 2010)
  3. ^ "Mover and Shaker", by Jonathan Goodall, from Waitrose Food Illustrated, January 1999, archived at Waitrose.com Archived 26 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 14 December 2010)
  4. ^ Here's to the genius who created the Treacle by Gary Regan, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 August 2010 (retrieved 14 December 2010)
  5. ^ "Dave Wakeling". Twitter. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  6. ^ "The Beat (2) – I Just Can't Stop It". Discogs. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  7. ^ Simon Difford (2017). "Vodka Espresso/Espresso Martini". Difford's Guide. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  8. ^ Cecchini, Toby (16 June 2010). "Case Study: The Bramble". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Regan, Gaz. "The Cocktailian:Treacle". Imbibe UK.
  10. ^ Parkin, Sophie (25 March 2016). "Dick Bradsell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  11. ^ This quote is from Difford's Guide for Discerning Drinkers 2013, Top 100 Cocktails (link) Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, published in April 2013, accessed 15 October 2014.
  12. ^ Parkin, Sophie (25 March 2016). "Dick Bradsell Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  13. ^ Dick Bradsell, by Simon Difford, at Difford's Guide for Discerning Drinkers; retrieved 1 March 2016