Charlotte Barker: 'Waiting staff are often overlooked when we talk about drinks'

What made you lean towards whisky?

I was always a bit afraid of whisky because it is such an in-depth category, but I had the most interesting training session with Stef Holt about Nikka whisky and I was blown away by how she spoke about it – I knew then that I wanted to work with whisky and inspire people. I love it when customers are at the start of their whisky journey – it's all about asking questions and finding out what flavours they like. If you break down all the brands into flavours they are much more approachable and less scary.

How do you think the whisky industry is moving regarding representation of women?

I think we're getting there, but it will always be an ongoing journey. As a female brand ambassador in whisky I've found the environment very supportive. I have a very good team around me, and I've been very lucky that the malts ambassador is a woman too. There hasn't been any weird behaviour, but I'm always going to be on my guard. I do feel that my time at Milroy's has prepped me for that and given me confidence.

What is your style of training?

I like to bring people in to see how things work. I love to ask questions like, "Have you been to Skye? What was it like? Have you picked up peat? Have you felt it and smelt it?" Stills – the equipment used to distil whisky – are complicated to understand, so I get volunteers to set themselves up as a ‘human still' to show how they work. I find this makes it lighter, people are engaged and laughing, and they come away with something.

How are you seeing whisky cocktails moving forwards?

Similar to how people are discussing tequila: it's about taking a classic cocktail and replacing the gin or vodka with whisky to make a different classic cocktail. Highballs are on the up, but I think a bit more education needs to be had as they haven't quite infiltrated with guests as we want them to. What I would love to see, and what I've been thinking about, is how to integrate whisky into spritzes.

What gaps do you think there are when it comes to serving whisky in a restaurant?

I think it needs to be more inclusive because there is a divide between bartenders and servers. In restaurants customers aren't going up to the bar, so you need to give serving staff the power to talk about drinks – they have the selling power and are the authority on the floor. They often get overlooked when we talk about drinks but they should be seen as a higher power, and if I'm doing general category training, I like to give people the power to pick up a bottle and be able to explain it.

Seasonal food and drink pairing: Château d'Aqueria Tavel Rosé 2020 + globe artichoke

Artichokes can be notoriously tricky when it comes to pairing with wine, but rosé wines from Tavel in southern Rhone have the qualities needed to do the job. Why? Because they have more structure and tannin than rosés from Provence. This bottling from Château d'Aqueria is deep ruby in colour and bursting with red fruits and spice on the palate.