So we talked about bar and drinking cultures with Tom Hearn of Vesper

From the city of constant rain to the one with constant pollution, please give a warm welcome to Tom Hearn, Vesper’s new bar manager.

Tom Hearn boasts a strong resume when it comes to bartending. He was part of the team at the legendary American Bar at The Savoy, where he had the pleasure of working alongside big names in the industry, such as Declan McGurk, Maxim Schulte, and the beloved Federico Balzarini. He was also the head bartender of KOL, No. 73 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022.

Seeing that this is Tom’s Asia debut and his introduction to Thailand’s increasingly impressive cocktail scene, we walked down Convent Road to ask only the most important questions, from his view on the different bar customs to his favourite show on London’s West End. Read on for an insightful conversation on cocktails and culture.

[Hero and featured image credit: Vesper]

So we talked about bar cultures with Tom Hearn of Vesper

How are you adjusting to your new role here at Vesper?

“It hasn’t felt much like an adjustment, really.” Tom answers, “It felt very natural. In terms of Bangkok, I love the city—so much excitement, so much potential. Every time I step out of the house it’s like, ‘What am I gonna do today?’ I love the food. I love the people. I love the balance of luxury versus easygoing—I can find a fine dining place and some street food right in front. I love how easy it is to do things around the city—meet people, go places, go to restaurants, go to bars. Coming from London, you have to book things like two months in advance, and not even for the top stuff.”

He explains further, “In terms of Vesper, I had three weeks working with Federico Balzarini so they didn’t throw me in and be like, ‘Hey, manage this place.’ Those three weeks I had a proper chance to learn about how things work. I asked like 25 questions every hour, and he [Federico] introduced me to a lot of people of the industry. I’ve been to a lot of bars and we got to do a guest shift together. There wasn’t a lot of pressure put on me, so it has been a calm, easy adjustment so far. Now Federico’s left, there’s just a lot more to do but I’m getting on with it.”

Seeing as this is your Asia debut, is there anything that has surprised you or is still surprising to you?

After a brief moment in thought, it seems the only thing that surprises Tom Hearn is how impressed he is. “London is famous for bars, hotels, and hospitality in general, but coming here, I honestly think Bangkok might be a more impressive city in terms of its bar scene—how high a level the bars here are operating.”

“It’s a little bit intimidating, but so inspiring at at the same time.” Tom elaborates, “It makes you want to compete and push, especially if you know everyone from the other bars. It’s like a friendly competitiveness, and you see it when you go to bars just how everyone is pushing the boundaries in terms of drinks and hospitality, like these people really made these amazing bars.”

“I was at Bar Us the other day. The menu is stunning, really. Hotels here are also not playing around; the bar at Four Seasons, for example.”

Do you see a difference when it comes to drinking culture, Bangkok versus London?

Tom says that it actually feels very similar. “The only people I know in Bangkok, really, are the industry people.” He said, “So I’ve been going out with them and in that sense, it’s kind of the same across the whole world. You go to a new cocktail bar and you try their cocktails, then you go out to a dive bar, get some beer and some shots. It’s that kind of vibe I’m familiar with. Because of that, it feels very welcoming and comforting.”

He explains further, “One thing that’s a very big difference is that in the UK, when the weather is nice—which is not very often—you can see people out day drinking during the weekends. You go out with your friends for lunch then you’ll be drinking from then. In Thailand, you’ll most likely have to wait until 5pm, which is a little bit difficult to adapt to.”

Is there a huge difference working for a hotel bar versus a standalone bar?

“Huge. HUGE.” Tom exclaims, “In a hotel, you have a lot more access to funding, as well as budget for marketing and branding. In general, you have more money to play around with. But, the freedom you have is not a lot at all.”

He elaborates, “Let’s say you want to change something—something very simple. Adding a new beer, for example. Here, there’ll be a guy coming to the bar, and if we’re in agreement, we can stock them in three days. For hotel bars, if you want to add a new beer like that, you’ll have to go through, like, six people above you and it’ll take three months.”

“This is why when there’s a new menu, it’s very strict and very rigid.” Tom reveals, “For every small thing, you need to get it approved by an executive in Canada who has never been to your bar before, even. Plus, you release a new menu. Three months later, you start working on the next year’s one. You’re always on your feet.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a hotel. In a bar like Vesper, if I want to do something that I think will be an improvement to the bar or it’ll make the guests happy and enjoy the drinks more, or make the bar more likely to win awards, I can just do it. I send a message, and if we’re in agreement, two days later you’ll find it at the bar.”

What’s the worst experience you’ve had with a customer?

In an honest and straightforward answer, Tom reveals: “Every week, you’ll find someone who’s being a dick and you always will. It doesn’t matter where you work, there’ll always be someone who’s being a dick. Everyone working in hospitality knows it.”

“When I was young—I started in the industry when I was 18—I always took everything people said really personally. Like, I’ve had worse customers since then, but when I had complaints I would take it personally. Now, I would just smile, say sorry, and ask if there’s anything I could do to make it better.”

He also disclosed a very particular incident: “There was one guy who booked for the bar. He came with his wife and was like, ‘Oh, we booked for the restaurant.’ That happened all the time there. The website very clearly shows which one you’re booking for, so he knew he was booking for the bar and he was trying to be cheeky. So I declined his request, of course, saying that the restaurant’s full. He replied that he’s working for a huge newspaper there and that he was going to write a bad review if he didn’t get a table. I know full well that that behaviour is illegal, and I just replied with, ‘I don’t think you work for the newspaper.’ He got so angry, threw a fit, and left. That was a good one, and he was probably the biggest dick I’ve ever met.”

Do you have a go-to drunk food?

“By the time all the pubs and stuff close, everything else is already closed.” Tom answers, “So there is a choice of fried chicken or kebabs. The kebabs suck, so fried chicken is my main go-to. It’s greasy, crispy, salty—it’s perfect to buy some, get home, stand over the sink, and just stuff your face with some fried chicken.”

“There’s a place in London, they do this Middle-eastern cuisine crossed with Indian. They have some kind of shawarma but filled with tandoori chicken, curry sauce, yoghurt, and french fries—all in one bite. I think it’s the most elated drunk experience I’ve had in my life.”

What’s your favourite play on the West End?

“The Book of Mormon, easy.” Tom answers without hesitation. “I’m a big fan of musicals. I love Disney movies with songs, and they make me feel like a kid again. I actually made a cocktail based on the play Wicked, but it wasn’t released because of Covid. It was going to be served at the American Bar with the name ‘Emerald City,’ and bright green in colour.”

“Maybe I’ll just release in again. We’ll see.” Those words are music to our ears.

Do you have a favourite bar yet in Bangkok, or any place you want to visit?

Even though he’s been in town for just a while, a few bars have already impressed Tom. “I’ve been to the bar at Four Seasons four or five times now. I really really like it, and they take care of us very well. I think when there’s a guest shift in Bangkok, BKK Social Club is one of top places visiting bartenders want to go to. When Alice Bar came here, we took them there. My mum will be in town for a bit, and I’ll take here there. It’s my favourite bar right now and there’s nothing I can complain about it.”

“I have to say that my favourite kind of bar has to be something like Smalls. There’s no fuss, I can easily get in, so that could also be a contender for my favourite bar. We’ll see.”

So while we love the ‘People of Vesper’ menu, we’re told that with your arrival, the new menu might be coming along earlier than we thought. What can we look forward to?

“We’re still in very early stages, so I can’t say much.” Tom says, “I have ideas about the concept and will discuss them with the team. I want it to be our menu, not my menu, so I want all of us to get together and work on it.”

“What I can tell you, though, is I want to work with some local sustainable organic producers which I’m talking to right now and figuring out some things. And I want the new menu to be approachable. I want customers to be able to look at the menu, read about a drink, and already sort of imagine what it feels like. There will be little tasting portions of the new drinks, so you also have the option of trying everything that way instead of having to slowly go through the menu.”

What can we look forward to when we come to Vesper now that you’re here?

“I don’t want to change Vesper’s identity.” Tom answers swiftly, “I want to put a little more focus on Martinis and the Vesper in general, and classic cocktails. I feel like this is what the bar has done well for a long time now but in general, the bar is already on an upwards trajectory and I want to maintain that trajectory for now. The changes I want to make are fairly small, and we have a number of exciting guest shifts coming up from across international waters. They’re going to get even wilder, and I’ll be playing with fire, so to speak.”

He further notes, “I also want to introduce guests to classic cocktails new and old, and be some sort of a place where people can even discover classics they never tried before. I’m thinking of a board on the wall—maybe write ‘classic of the week’ and see how it plays out.”

As we were about to leave Vesper, Tom gave us a classic to go try ourselves. The “Golden Cadillac,” a rich, creamy cocktail made from Galliano, crème de cacao, and cream. It’s sweet, frothy, yet feels refreshing in a way—certainly a fun drink to try. Now that got us thinking: if our quick and casual conversation got us this gem of a drink to try, the guests looking to visit Vesper with Tom Hearn manning the bar are certainly in for a treat and a half.