Paddy’s wine and gin bar is a key player in Malmö’s cocktail scene. While visiting the Swedish city to celebrate new friendships, I caught up with 25 year old bartender Mr Jonatan Brinte, a man on the brink of a sunny adventure…
How did you land at Paddy’s?
“When I was 14, I started as a dishwasher in my hometown Höllviken, twenty minutes south of Malmö. I worked at different places before becoming bar manager at a Lebanese restaurant OCCO. When Irish pub Paddy’s opened a wine and gin bar, they headhunted me – kind of.”
Where does your love for cocktails come from?
“For me, the fun is in the people. I have tried to leave the industry, but kept coming back because of my passion for hospitality. My love for cocktail making began when I arrived at OCCO when I was 18 or 19. There was a one person bar with 150 cocktail recipes; I had to work hard and learn a lot in a short period of time. I consider Eric Bjergert to be my mentor. He didn’t only teach the cocktail basics, but also how to simultaneously make ten different cocktails and serve them at the same time.”
Where will your bartending career take you so next?
“In April I’m off to Marbella in the south of Spain for my first experience working abroad. OCCO is opening a place in Puerto Banús by the water. I couldn’t say no to that. I will be there for seven months. What I will do after that? There’s no plan yet, but I will probably go back to Malmö since Paddy’s has a fantastic bar to work in. If the Marbella adventure is a success, maybe I will go to another place abroad. Everything is possible.”
What is your dream job?
“If I suddenly had millions to spend, I would love to open my own bar in the Bahamas or the Maldives, right on the beach.”
What is your signature cocktail with Sir Edmond?
“What’s so nice about Sir Edmond is that it gives a punch in the beginning and a lot of vanilla in the end. I recently used Sir Edmond Gin in a Corpse Reviver No. 2, with Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice and some absinthe. That will sure as hell wake you up.”
