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10
Dec 2024
Independent speakeasy bar to open in Harrogate
An independent speakeasy bar is to open next year in Harrogate.
The two-floor site will be located above The Little Ale House on Cheltenham Crescent in the former Ali Raj restaurant.
Over & Above is owned by Richard Hamer, 33, and is expected to open in March 2025.
The space is undergoing extensive refurbishment from new walls and flooring to bespoke bars.
The venue will be split across two floors with a different bar on each level. Mr Hamer added that the space will be “unrecognisable".
There will be around four staff, or ‘floortenders’ who will act as bartenders and front-of-house staff who will be hired in the coming months.
Mr Hamer moved to Harrogate three years ago and first developed a passion for bars aged 17 at his first glass-collecting job.
He then worked in cocktail bars from the age of 18 and ran bars whilst studying for a master’s degree in Brewing & Distilling in Edinburgh.
He has since spent 10 years working as the head of prestige and advocacy for Sipsmith Gin in London.
Mr Hamer told the Stray Ferret now feels like the right time to open somewhere of his own.
He said:
It felt like the right time to take a leap, and I feel like there is a gap in the market in Harrogate for late-night table service.
I have thought about every aspect of the bar and thought every element of the cocktail meticulously through, from ingredients, temperature, glassware, to garnish and ice.
Some of our cocktails will take up to three days to make, so we will prep just like a chef would in a high-end restaurant.
Richard Hamer head of prestige & advocacy for Sipsmith Gin will open a Harrogate bar
He added that he will lean into his contacts across brands he has previously worked with and there will be beers and a wine list alongside the cocktail menu.
Exact opening times are to be confirmed but Mr Hamer said Over & Above will open Thursday and Friday evenings and all-day Saturday and Sunday.
The bar will be table service only and there will be no hot food but there will be bar snacks on offer.
He said:
People might just see another bar after quite a few have opened recently, but because of my background and because I’m a big geek for sexy drinks, it will offer something different.
The name – Over & Above – is literally because we are above the Little Ale House structurally and and is synonymous with how we will go over and above for our guests.
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