Attempting to shine a light on Kiki Lounge and the island’s hospitality scene, Jamie Lewis and Drew Fleming are embarking on a three-day adventure, with a different member of their team joining them each day.
Starting their journey in Bristol this Sunday, Kiki Lounge is set to takeover Filthy XIII Bar, merging its tropical concoctions with Filthy XIII's innovative cocktail collection.
But the excitement doesn't stop there. On April 29, KiKi Lounge will make its mark in the vibrant cocktail scene of Bristol by transforming the acclaimed Milk Thistle bar into a tropical paradise, infusing its secret speakeasy-style drinks with a tropical twist.
Their final destination takes them to Bath on April 30, where Kiki Lounge will take over The Hideout, bringing cocktails to the historic stone-walled whisky bar.
The infectious pair say they want to ensure that the Isle of Man is in the conversation, and want to prove that we can make some noise despite the Irish Sea separation.
Just last week almost the entire KiKi’s team went to the CLASS Bar Awards in London, where they were nominated for the second year in a row in the Bar Employer of the Year category.
Whilst they sadly didn’t win the award, Jamie said it was great to take the team to London regardless and show them that ‘they are part of a Great Britain wide hospitality community’.
This upcoming tour gives Drew and Jamie an opportunity to learn from other bartenders, as well as showing off their own knowledge.
But as they always say, they’re part of a wider team and that’s why each day will see a member of Kiki Lounge coming out to join them.
‘This is an opportunity for each of them to learn from the best, and develop their own skills and knowledge.’ Said Jamie.
He added: ‘We’re on a constant mission to improve what we do, and bring the very best cocktails and hospitality to the island, and we firmly believe that no matter how good someone is, or think they are, one should never close themselves off to learning.’
Asked what they’re both most excited about, Drew said: ‘I’m really looking forward to sharing our unique style of hospitality with the UK.
‘We’ve worked hard in the last year since our move to North Quay to set ourselves apart, and really lean into providing world-class service right here on the Isle of Man.
‘We of course care a lot about what we serve inside the glass, that goes without saying, but we feel our particular niche is excelling at everything else outside the glass; namely the level of hospitality we provide our guests.’ The tour is sponsored by Del Maguey Mezcal, a Mexican spirit that is used in Kiki’s own ‘Juan Picante’, a kind of spicy and herbaceous margarita which also features Staarvey Farm herbs.
Jamie joked that one of the things he’s most looking forward to is ‘teaching the UK that ‘Juan’ is pronounced “Ju-wan” and not “Hw-an”!’
In addition to the tour, Kiki Lounge is bringing a series of bars to the island over the course of this year.
They hope to give islanders a taste of some of the world’s best bars, and they’ve got a few already lined up.
On June 7, Himkok in Oslo is coming over, and Seed Library from London on June 6 , who will be joining Kiki Lounge for their TT series of events, which will see uniquely Manx menus from foraged bounty.
They also have a confirmed return leg for Milk Thistle on Thursday, May 9 and Coupette from London on Thursday, July 25.
