Johnnie Walker Princes Street is crowned by two bars, led by Head Bartender, Miran Chauhan.

The 1820 Bar captures the imagination of guests through a drinks menu that takes a seasonal approach first. In addition to seasonality, the menu is also based off what a grocer may have had in their shop over 200 years ago, when John Walker founded his original grocer's store, taking fruits and spices that would have intrigued their imagination and mapped out their approach to flavour.

The second bar, the Explorers' Bothy breaks down traditional whisky barriers of what you think a whisky bar should be. The space is full of colour, artistry, sculpture and the menus are also extremely playful.

Keep reading to find out what an average day looks like for the person leading the world-class team.

A Day In The Life

8:30am
I have a living alarm clock in the form of my dog, Talisker. No matter what my shift pattern, he is bang on the money when it comes to his morning walk. He is actually a big reason why I've been relatively successful. He is a fairly playful hound who loves an adventure, so I tend to take a banana and an energy bar with me round the hills, coastlines and parks around Edinburgh he likes to frequent. I am also a keen forager, a skill which I've been fortunate enough to bring into my role at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, so I like to pick up wild ingredients all year round from our walks every day.

10am
In true hobbit fashion, a second breakfast is needed. Usually, Weetabix or eggs with foraged ingredients (wild mushrooms a plenty just now) and a strong cup of tea. I check emails and handovers from the previous evenings service before making my to-do list. At Johnnie Walker Princes Street, we have two cocktail bars with very different personalities, an innovation and training space in the Johnnie Walker Learning for Life Academy and an events room, so there is a lot going on across our eight floors.

11am
It may seem unusual, but my down time comes during the middle of the day. I tend to catch up reading articles in the hospitality industry whilst listening to a podcast or two.
It is really interesting to see, read and hear what other folk are doing around the world in other creative industries. I come from a Product Design background and am fascinated by people and businesses that have great creative philosophies. The bar industry also moves rapidly in terms of trends, so I like to keep myself informed and armed with potential ideas as we continue to establish ourselves on the exciting Edinburgh drinks scene.

12:45pm
I make a light lunch, usually pasta and a piece of fish, and I make a bit extra to take into work – you can never guarantee when you'll get to take a break on service, so it's best to be prepared. The dog then gets a second short walk before the dog sitter arrives and I head off to work.

3pm
Arriving at work, I usually head to the lab space in our Learning for Life Academy to meet with my senior bartenders. The space is part laboratory, part classroom where we have state-of-the-art equipment, and is a calm place for us to get to work on our new drinks offering. This month we're looking ahead to spring and all the incredible flavours and ingredients we can use in our bar over the coming months.

We have a strong focus on sustainability, and we really wanted to bind that practice into a few upcoming serves. For example, we always have lots of spent oranges which we use the zest for garnishing things like old fashioned cocktails. As you can imagine we get through a lot of those!

We have a lot of exciting changes to our menus this year, and we're looking forward to pushing the boundaries on sustainable practices behind the bar. R&D can take multiple days, and sometimes weeks to perfect, so its important to be thorough in the process.

We play around with ideas and serves, while catching up with the bar team. Bartending can be a mentally taxing job sometimes and it is important I feel, to make sure everyone is in a good head space with the support they need, whenever I can.

4:30pm
I have an early dinner that I had prepped earlier to stock myself up for a busy service.

5:30pm – 12:30am
Service begins – The best thing about this job is that no two days are ever the same. Meeting people from around the world and making their day is one of the reasons we do what we do. Any breaks we do on service, I get a bowl of muesli and a cup of tea in me to keep me going.

1:30am
I get home, take the dog round the block, and wind down with a dram or a glass of dry sherry.

For more information on Johnnie Walker Princes Street and to book your tasting experience, visit johnniewalkerprincesstreet.com