Dick Bradsell
British bartender
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
4 May 1959
- Bartender
- writer
Dick Bradsell | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Richard Arthur Bradsell 4 May 1959 Bishop's Stortford, England |
| Died | 27 February 2016 (aged 56) London, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | His innovative work with cocktails |
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 & Crawl" which appears on the Beat's debut studio album I Just Can't Stop It (1980), and for which Bradsell received a writing credit.[6] In 1998, he played the role of The Bald Guy in Christopher Nolan's directorial debut film Following.[7]
Bradsell was acclaimed for inventing several new cocktails, including the espresso martini,[8] the Bramble,[9] the Treacle,[10] the Carol Channing, the Russian Spring Punch and the Wibble.[11] It was reported that Bradsell could "rarely enter a bar without an enthusiastic bartender thrusting his version of the (Espresso Martini) drink at him."[12] 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.[13]
Bradsell died from brain cancer on 27 February 2016 at his home in London.[1][14]