Sitting at the Bar with Tom Godfrey and Theo Quinn, co-founders of Barcelona's Hottest New Cocktail Bar, Foreign Correspondents
From bartending in Bristol, UK, to working at some of the world's best cocktail bars in Barcelona, Tom and Theo tell-all about the opening of their first bar, Foreign Correspondents.
I’m excited to share my first “Sitting at the Bar” newsletter! It’s a series I’ve been waiting to launch on The Tipsy Traveler until the platform got some momentum, and I think it’s finally at a place where enough folks engage with the content to make these types of profile features worthwhile (woohoo!).
“Sitting at the Bar” is meant to spotlight noteworthy bars and bartenders through informal “interview” questions I’d typically ask while sitting at the bar sharing a drink with them (note: please don’t ask your bartenders these questions while they’re working and have a room full of guests…).
As the reader, you get the inside scoop on a range of topics. From where bartenders find inspiration for the cocktails served at their bar(s), to more casual (and fun) topics such as which famous person (dead or alive) our featured bartender(s) would love to share a drink with. Sit back, be a fly on the wall, and enjoy the written equivalent of what it’d be like to eavesdrop on my typical conversations with bartenders.
Bred in Bristol, UK, made in Barcelona
Tom and Theo are career bartenders who started their careers in the UK — Tom in Bristol, and Theo in Brighton. But it was in Bristol at the now-shuttered Red Light bar where the two young bartending mavericks initially met and became close friends.
At Red Light, a bar which was owned by a former head bartender of Milk & Honey for my industry readers who enjoy understanding a bar’s pedigree, Tom and Theo refined their bartending skillset. As is the case at most bars run by ex-Milk & Honey bartenders, the duo learned how to properly execute classics; they learned about bartending mechanics and technique, ingredients on the back bar, and efficiencies in service. Naturally, after working together day-in and day-out, the two began to dream about opening their own place together someday.
After close to 2 years of working there together, Theo made the move to Barcelona, to run a bar from another ex-Match Bar Group (the group of London bars which Milk & Honey was a part of) bartender, called Carlos + Matilda in the Gothic Quarter. Meanwhile, Tom went to work and run another Bristol-based bar called Filthy XIII.
After 2 years at Filthy XIII, Tom followed Theo to Barcelona to work at Carlos + Matilda during the pandemic, before the duo split up for a brief period of time to work at a couple of the best bars in Barcelona: Paradiso and Two Schmucks. It was during this time that Tom and Theo received an opportunity to reunite and start their own project, resulting in Foreign Corespondents — better known as FOCO.
Sitting at the Bar with the Foreign Correspondents
Now, for the juicy deets as I ask Tom and Theo all about FOCO, what they like to drink when they go to bars (spoiler: Tom does questionable shots of Midori), a few of their favorite tapas joints in Barcelona, and more.
For all of the cocktail lovers and bartenders out there who want to visit your bar while in Barcelona, what can they expect from FOCO?
FOCO is a sum of our combined experience within this industry. It is the culmination of what we believe the essence of a bar should be: delicious, intelligently put together drinks, presented in an unpretentious and un-intimidating way; and in a setting that encourages people to put their phones away, meet new people and share stories and experiences in a comfortable, relaxed environment.
The hospitality, vibe and service will be welcoming and relaxed on the surface to focus on providing a comfortable setting for anyone who walks through our doors who wants to have an experience they want to share with other people. Under the surface will be unrelenting attention to detail, similar to what you would find in any 5* hotel bar.
Alright, here’s a three-for-one: How has your journey as a bar owner been thus far? Was this always something you planned for? And what have been the most challenging tasks for you guys as bar owners?
Our experience as new bar owners has been one full of ups and downs. Whilst both of us have been involved in numerous new bar openings for other people in our past, I don’t think anything can prepare you for doing it yourself for the first time. We can honestly say we have thoroughly enjoyed the process, but many lessons have been learned along the way — lessons which we would love to share with anyone interested.
In terms of have we always planned to open a bar, I suppose the answer would not be black and white. We both have - at different points in our life - dreamed of owning a bar, and also known it was something that we didn’t want to do! But when the opportunity came to do it ourselves, and to do it together, the timing just felt right, and everything fell into place.
The most challenging tasks have probably been more generalities in terms of opening a bar in a foreign country (the irony of our name is not lost on us). Navigating the intricacies of another culture and bureaucratic traditions has, many times, both baffled and slowed the opening process down. However it is also something that we have embraced, and is a big part of what we think makes our bar different: Two English guys, setting up a more “London”-style bar in a more traditionally Spanish area of the city. We are looking to bridge those two worlds and really create a space where anyone, from anywhere feels comfortable and can’t wait to return.
“Whilst both of us have been involved in numerous new bar openings for other people in our pasts, I don’t think anything can prepare you for doing it yourself for the first time.”
Which bars, or people, inspired FOCO's approach to cocktail development and hospitality? And how so?
So the genesis of the idea behind Foreign Correspondents is a series of bars around the world called Foreign Correspondents Clubs. These are social clubs that rose to prominence in the 1950’s which were dotted around the world. The clientele of these bars were exclusively foreign print journalists (aka Foreign Correspondents) and these clubs acted as a place for these people to meet, share their stories and then send them back to their prospective home countries.
This concept really resonated with me and Theo, making the move from the UK and its social setting, to Spain where we noticed a stark difference in people’s tendencies to introduce themselves to new people, sit with them and get to know them in a bar setting - specifically Carlos + Matilda where we both worked.
In terms of cocktails, as with the whole concept of the bar, our initial drinks menu will be based around our classic Milk & Honey bartending training, and the way we learnt to engineer a drink and the flavors within it. 2:1:1 classic ratios, fresh ingredients and a focus on balance above anything else. But what we will be bringing to these classic-influenced drinks are the modern techniques, more exotic and food-focused flavors and other things we have learnt along the way since we met. Think: Tequila Verdita shots, but reimagined into a clarified smoked pineapple and jalapeño highball.
Now, let's get personal: If you could only drink with one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be, and why?
Tom: I’d probably have to have a drink with Bill Murray as not only does he seem like a very good drinking buddy, but there is a scene with him in The Life Aquatic which got me into drinking Campari, after years of saying I hated it. In fact, the whole cast can come with him - but only if they bring me a red hat and some of the branded Adidas trainers with them.
Theo: I would have loved to have shared a drink with Sasha Petraske. For the both us he pretty much built the foundation that we stand on. I would love to converse with Sasha about the essence of a bar, I believe he had an element that a lot of people lack nowadays.
For tipsy travelers visiting Barcelona, where should they go for the best tapas before coming to drink at FOCO?
We both agree the best three spots in Barcelona for tapas are:
The most “authentic” tapas experience you’ll get. It’s hectic, loud, with people throwing plates of food at/across you and drinking 1 liter bottles of Cava. Sensational, but expect to queue [i.e wait in line, in American speak].
An institution that’s been where they are for, I think, close to 20 years, with elevated twists on classic tapas plates. Try the raw mushroom and wasabi salad - delicious!
Unbelievably delicious and rustic—and mainly fish based—tapas in Barceloneta. It’s always rammed, always tasty. Definitely check if they’re open before you go, and try and get there before they open to avoid disappointment.
Finally, before we go, which bar is your favorite to drink at, and which classic cocktails and shots are your go-to?
We both think our favorite bar in the world to drink at would be Satan’s Whiskers in London. Not only have a number of our close friends either worked or managed the venue, but we love the setting, the drinks, the service and the effortless consistency with which they have operated for so many years now.
As for cocktails: We’re both Martini guys. I [Tom] would normally take a bone dry naked Vodka Martini. Theo is also a big fan of a Negroni, or any riff around that basic recipe. And, regarding shots, I am a sucker for anything light, fruity, and that I can do a lot of - read Midori. It’s rum all day for Theo.
Great read, as always ! Your buddies Theo & Tom belong next to you.
Beautifully written, Best wishes to Tom and Theo.