Marian Beke to expand The Gibson bar

The Gibson founder Marian Beke has confirmed plans to open an international outpost for his renowned London bar.

The Gibson bar in London’s Old Street

Speaking to SB last month, former Nightjar manager Beke confirmed plans to open an iteration of his Shoreditch bar abroad.

“Maybe this year, we expand,” he said. “Maybe Asia or somewhere. I’ve got a few partners in Asia that I’m going to meet. The Asia market is very interesting but a bit far. So I need to meet them a few times and see, but there is an opportunity.

“We have one partner this year in New York, so it might still happen. New York is very good and I think The Gibson would be amazing there. People there love Martinis, boozy drinks and pickles, and our design is very New York so I can really see it as a concept there.”

As for plans for a second venue in London, Beke believes a second Gibson in the city “would give a sort of franchise element to it. It would lose its identity”.

The internationally-acclaimed bar, which Beke opened in Old Street in 2016, entered the World’s 50 Best Bars list at number six within weeks of opening.

Among his plans for the future, Beke is set to release details of his next cocktail menu, with a focus on making the drinks “more entertaining”. The new menu will follow last year’s list, which revamped classic cocktails with “outlandish” ingredients, such as lion’s mane mushrooms and marshmallow tea.

He also recently unveiled a partnership with Belgium’s Copperhead Distillery on a “savoury” namesake gin, containing 14 botanicals including pepper and ginger. There are also plans for a vermouth, created in collaboration with The Jerry Thomas Project, which is currently ageing.

*For the full interview with Beke, see the February 2018 edition of The Spirits Business, out now.