City of Stories Cocktail

The story behind the cocktail

When it came to crafting a signature drink for us, Jen was the obvious choice. A back-to-back champion, she took home the crown in the Norwich Cocktail Week competition in both 2024 and 2025. On top of her expertise behind the bar, Jen is deeply committed to supporting the people who make the local scene thrive; she founded The Regulars, a community group where Norwich hospitality professionals gather once a month to tackle fun challenges, share experiences, and support one another.

Here is her story, in her own words

My story starts about eight years ago when I moved to the UK for a boy—as so many great (and terrible) stories begin.

Before making the move official, I visited Norwich with him and a few friends. One evening, we ended up at Gonzo’s Tearoom, and I fell in love instantly. Not with the boy… with the bar.

The décor was unlike anything I’d ever seen, and the cocktails felt impossibly cool. But what truly stuck with me was our waitress, Monica. She was hilarious, warm, and effortlessly hospitable. At the end of her shift, she led our group over to Bermuda Bob’s—Gonzo’s sister venue at the time—where she proceeded to hand us drink after drink on the house.

For a brief moment, I genuinely thought I’d achieved celebrity status.

As it turned out, Monica was married to Brad Baxter, one of the co-owners. Brad and his brother Mike are Canadian, and since my boyfriend and his mates were American, maybe Monica adopted us because we were the loudest North Americans in the room. Maybe it was because Americans tip well. Or maybe we were just good fun. Honestly, I still have no idea.

What I do know is that it was my very first taste of truly extraordinary hospitality. It wasn’t just the free drinks that made me feel special—it was the people.

Fast forward a year or two. I finally relocated to Norwich to study film production at NUA. Naturally, being vegan at the time, I landed a job at a local vegetarian Indian restaurant. I started as a kitchen porter and somehow found myself promoted to line chef by day three—a meteoric rise I still can’t quite explain. I stayed until COVID made me redundant, which, in hindsight, was a blessing. It turns out professional kitchens are approximately one thousand degrees too hot for my liking.

That was the moment I decided I wanted to be a bartender.

And because Gonzo’s was the spark that started it all, I marched straight in with my CV and practically begged for a job. They didn’t have any vacancies, but they interviewed me anyway and told me to follow up in a week.

When I called back, Brad answered: “I’m at the beach. Call me next week.”

Fair enough.

I called back the following week. Eventually, he said, “Come in for a barback shift.”

That was my foot in the door. I spent my shifts running food, clearing tables, sweeping up broken glass, and cleaning up the chaotic aftermath of people having the best nights of their lives. It wasn’t glamorous, but it taught me humility.

While everyone else went home to relax after their shifts, I went home to study. I buried myself in cocktail books and WSET spirits material—memorising, practicing, and becoming completely obsessed.

It was agonising watching new hires get placed straight behind the bar while I remained on the floor. But after more than six months of grinding, my moment finally came: I got my first bar shifts.

And I absolutely loved it.

That bar is where I found my community. I made lifelong friends and learned from incredible bartenders. Eventually, I moved upstairs to work at Brix & Bones, where I fell head over heels for fine dining and craft cocktails. Somewhere along the line, this industry became my whole life.

That’s what I love most about Norwich. It’s never really been just about the venues—it’s about the people inside them.

I’m not from this country, and I don’t have family here, yet I’ve never once felt homesick. Hospitality gave me a family. It gave me confidence, lifelong connections, and fundamentally shaped who I am.

I genuinely believe everyone should work in hospitality at least once. It teaches you resilience, empathy, teamwork, problem-solving, and the delicate art of smiling while a customer insists they definitely ordered a mojito—even as they’re actively sipping the espresso martini you handed them five minutes ago.

So, this cocktail is my little thank you. It’s a twist on a Whiskey Sour, inspired by Mike and Brad Baxter, and built on everything this industry has given me.