Woods and Whiley to head up Handling’s bar offering

British chef Adam Handling has recruited leading bartenders Rich Woods and Matt Whiley to “enhance” the drinks offering across his London venues.

L-R: Rich Woods, Adam Handling, Matt Whiley. Photo credit: Tim Green

Woods, head of cocktail and spirit development at sky-high venue Duck & Waffle, and Whiley, of London bars Scout, Peg & Patriot and Talented Mr Fox, will create “heightened experiences” for Handling’s sites.

The new venues include Eve Bar in Covent Garden, the new Iron Stag opening in July, and The Bar at the Belmond Cadogan in December 2018.

The partnership will allow the chef to focus on his existing and new restaurants.

“We have beautiful bars with a great name in Adam behind them. Our role is to develop stand-out cocktails and drinks and create a story and an atmosphere that gives each bar its own personality,” said Woods.

Whiley will “bring the bars to the next level” with offerings such as whisky soda on tap, kegged cocktails and a “creative” beer programme.

“We’ll also be introducing a new style of service in the bars that will give them a real edge,” he said.

Handling added: “These guys are at the cutting edge of the UK cocktail and bar scene, and I am knocked out that they have agreed to share their expertise with me to make Eve Bar and Iron Stag indisputably top London bar destinations.”

Eve is Handling’s first stand-alone bar and is located underneath Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden.

The renowned restaurateur will be moving his The Frog E1 restaurant from Shoreditch to Hoxton next month. The new larger site at 45-47 Hoxton Square will be home to the newly named The Frog Hoxton, as well as new sustainable coffee shop and deli Bean & Wheat, and Iron Stag.

Iron Stag will serve a selection of bar snacks designed to complement the drinks. There will also be an emphasis on aged whiskies, including 35-year-old and 40-year-old bottles, as well as the bar’s own casked whisky.