Richard Arthur Bradsell (4 May 1959 – 27 February 2016) was a British

barman A bartender (also known as a barkeep or barman or barmaid or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, b ...

noted for his innovative work with

cocktail A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic beverage, alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more liquor, spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, Shrub (drink), shrubs, and ...

s, including the creation of many new drinks now considered to be modern classics. ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' described him as the "cocktail king", while ''

Waitrose Waitrose Limited, trading as Waitrose & Partners, is a British supermarket chain, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. In 1937, it was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership, the UK's largest employee-owned b ...

Food Illustrated'' compared him to

celebrity chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in Books, printed publications. While telev ...

s and the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' credited him with "single-handedly (changing) the face of the London cocktails scene in the 1980s." Bradsell was born in Bishop's Stortford, England. As a teenager, he was a friend of David Steele of The Beat. A poem of Bradsell's was adapted by singer

Dave Wakeling David Wakeling (born 19 February 1956) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the band the Beat (known in North America as the English Beat) and General Public. Career Wakeling began his professional caree ...

into the lyrics of ''Twist and Crawl'' which appears on the Beat's 1980 debut album ''

I Just Can't Stop It ''I Just Can't Stop It'' is the debut studio album by the British two-tone band the Beat, released on 23 May 1980 by Go-Feet Records in the United Kingdom. It was released the same year in the United States on Sire Records, with the band credit ...

'', and for which Bradsell received a writing credit. Bradsell was acclaimed for inventing several new cocktails, including the

Espresso Martini The espresso martini, also known as a vodka espresso, is a cold caffeinated alcoholic drink made with espresso, coffee liqueur, and vodka. It is not a true martini as it contains neither gin nor vermouth, but is one of many drinks that incorpo ...

, the

Bramble ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. I ...

, the Treacle, the Carol Channing, the Russian Spring Punch and the Wibble. It was reported that Bradsell could "rarely enter a bar without an enthusiastic bartender thrusting his version of the (Espresso Martini) drink at him." In 2003, he and

Tony Conigliaro Anthony Richard Conigliaro (January 7, 1945 – February 24, 1990), nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1964–1967, 1969–1970, 1975) and C ...

co-wrote several articles for the now-defunct bartending magazine ''Theme''. In 1998 Bradsell Married London jewellery designer Vicki Sarge. They divorced in 2000. Bradsell died from brain cancer on 27 February 2016 at his home in London.Dick Bradsell
by Simon Difford, at Difford's Guide for Discerning Drinkers; retrieved 1 March 2016

References

External links

Interview with Dick BradsellList of London's best barmen, featuring Dick Bradsell as a 'Taste maker'George Sinclair's Tribute PageDick Bradsell and his Bramble Cocktail

''Theme'' articles archived on Scribd

Grumpy Old-Fashioned Men

Creativity Versus Authenticity

Dick Goes on the DefensiveBeware Wreckless Abandonment

Careering Through the Industry

Credit Where It's Due

Russian Spring Punch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradsell, Dick Bartenders People from Bishop's Stortford 1959 births 2016 deaths Deaths from brain cancer in England