Claridge's appoints Nathan McCarley-O’Neill as director of mixology

Award-winning mixologist Nathan McCarley-O’Neill has been appointed director of mixology at Claridge’s hotel, London.

Originally from Belfast, McCarley-O’Neill started his career in the city’s Merchant hotel before moving to London where he worked as bar manager of Dandelyan at the Mondrian hotel on London’s South Bank.

In 2015 he moved to New York to join Nomad hotel, initially as head bartender of the hotel’s bar, before being appointed bar manager, working for renowned beverage director Leo Robitschek.

McCarley-O’Neill was part of the award-winning team at Nomad that carried off a plethora of accolades at the James Beard awards, as well as being named individually as the World’s Most Experimental Bartender at the Glenfiddich Global Cocktail Competition and Bartender of the Year at Heaven Hill’s National Bartender competition in 2017.

In his new role at Claridge’s, McCarley-O’Neill will work closely with the teams at the hotel's three bars: Claridge’s Bar, the Fumoir and Davies and Brook, as well as overseeing the opening of the hotel’s newest bar, the Painter's Room, set to launch in summer.

“I am hugely excited to return to Europe and to take on this new challenge at one of the world’s most prestigious hotels,” said McCarley-O’Neill. “We have incredible plans for Claridge’s, working to elevate an already much-revered offering to new levels”

Paul Jackson, Claridge’s general manager, added: “We look forward to Nathan – an exceptionally talented mixologist – bringing something new to Claridge’s as we enter an exciting chapter for our bars. The Fumoir and Claridge’s Bar are often regarded as two of the capital’s best, and it will be wonderful to have him on board as we see the opening of the Painter's Room, our first new bar in many years.”

Since his arrival at the hotel, McCarley-O’Neill has been working on Claridge’s first cocktail book, Claridge’s: The Cocktail Book, which will feature drinks created at the hotel since it opened in 1856. The book will be published on 14 October.