We’re not shy about enjoying a drink or two at Troxy and back in 2016 we wanted to raise the bar (pun intended) and improve the drinking experience for our customers. We’re a vintage building so we had plenty of restrictions on space and how we can alter our bars to increase the choice. We needed someone to help us work around the fabric of the building to create a fantastic experience…enter Davy our Irish Bar Manager, who knows a thing or two about booze.
“10 green bottles hanging on the wall…you know how the song goes, well that’s similar to how it felt when I first arrived at Troxy back in April 2016. We were really limited on beer selection, a sea of those very same green bottles filling every fridge to the brim. There was absolutely no draught beer or cider on tap, and mixers were being poured from 2 litre bottles. That was going to be a big challenge so we kicked off with some easier wins…
I brought on a supplier I already knew and trusted to change our wine selection so that we now offer very drinkable Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot. You can also take your pick from four different sparkling wines for both public events and corporate dos, and we launched a canned prosecco which is really popular with Troxy customers.
Next up we overhauled our mixer and soft drink selection, getting post-mix more widely available through the building, and where it wasn’t practical, getting in those little cans you see on planes. This way, the product is always fresh and cold. We also launched a beer for the designated drivers, BrewDog’s Nanny State, which we think is the closest you can get to beer without the hangovers.
We get plenty of special requests for spirits and so we’ve started to bring in selected small batch spirits including gins, whiskeys and rums alongside the trusty favourites that no bar in the land can go without.
Then came the launch of draught beer throughout the venue! We worked on some key issues around changing the bars so we could accommodate barrels and the infrastructure for draught products. Getting draught to our permanent bars was a trial – some of our walls are over a metre thick and we needed a way to get through them. Diamond drills and a lot of sweat and patience was all it took.
We partnered with InBev because we love their passion for beer and cider. Now at the Troxy bars you’ll find Goose Island, Becks, Magners and Camden Hells on draught, meaning you can get a pint of London’s finest or some international options if that’s more up your street. If none of that takes your fancy you can enjoy a bottle of Corona or a draught Brewdog Punk IPA, and we even kept bottles of Peroni for you green-bottle lovers.
Finally, I was frustrated by the way we did big drinks pre-orders for our corporate events – it was a very manual process. I worked with our General Manager and website designer to create an online ordering system. It’s really slick and has taken all of the friction and hard work out of it – and our corporate clients love it.”
Next time you’re in Troxy make sure to ask at the bar for our top tipple recommendations!
