This is the latest in a regular series of Business Q&A features published weekly. This week, we spoke to Richard Hamer, owner of Over & Above in Harrogate.  

Tell us in fewer than 30 words what your firm does.

Over & Above is a small, independent neighbourhood cocktail bar. It's a hidden speakeasy – you have to go through a bookcase to get in – and we provide full table service.

We also take our drinks seriously, but not ourselves.

What does it take to be successful in business?

It's important to be passionate about what you do. We're incredibly passionate about good drinks, good service and good music, and being able to combine those things in one place is a blessing.

Earlier this month, we made it into the official UK Top 50 Cocktail Bars list after only eight months of opening. It's considered the go-to in the UK drinks industry for the best of the best. To be rubbing shoulders with bars we admire is absolutely bonkers!

Most bars take years to get to that level of recognition, but we've done it in eight months, so we're delighted.

There’s only been a handful of bars from Yorkshire that have featured in the list over the years – we are incredibly proud to represent Harrogate and put it on the UK cocktail scene map for the first time ever!

What drives you to do what you do every day?

This has been our dream. I'm 34 and have been in the drinks trade all my life, but I've never had my own place.

I've also got a little one at home, so I do it to support my family.

What’s been the toughest issue your business has had to deal with over the last 12 months?

It's become incredibly hard to operate in the hospitality business. Higher taxes and less disposable income mean it's very difficult to get people to come out.

So we pull out all the stops. It takes 15 hours a week to prepare the drinks, and some take 24 hours. The glasses are kept in freezers – we think of everything. We haven't had a single drink sent back since we opened in March.

Which other local firms do you most admire and why?

Stuzzi – we're big fans. They always source high-quality ingredients and give excellent service.

We're big fans of Paradise Tap & Taco too. We go there for a beer in our breaks and have done a few collaborations with them.

We like No 35, the coffee shop on Cheltenham Crescent, too – we've needed a lot of caffeine over the last few months!

Who are the most inspiring local leaders?

Richard Parkes, the owner of the Little Ale House, downstairs from us. He's opened places in Leeds and this month in York too, and he's done a lot to support us. Great business, great man.

What could be done locally to boost business?

I hope the government does something about tax relief for the UK hospitality industry, because we pay more than anyone else.

For every drink we sell, we might get 50p to a pound – and it's the same across the hospitality industry.

Best and worst things about running a business from Harrogate?

There's a nice sense of community here, and a lot of support for the independents, which is part of the reason why we came here.

The main challenge is that it's quite a family town, so there are a lot of parents who don't get the chance to go out. It's not like in big cities, where there's a higher proportion of younger people. As a result, there's definitely a younger, or less mature, hospitality scene here.

What are your business plans for the future?

We're going to push the boundaries of what we're doing, so we're going to get even more technical. We'll be concentrating on nailing consistency and getting more footfall.

What do you like to do in your time off?

Relax! I don't get a lot of time off, but when I do, I like to go for a couple of beers, or maybe to Harlow Carr or a farm with the little one.

Best places to eat and drink locally?

Stuzzi, of course, and also Rhubarb, which is really a food version of what we're doing.

Fifty-Two at Rudding Park and the General Tarleton, [celebrated chef] Tommy Banks' new place at Ferrensby, are great too, and Domo in Harrogate does really good sushi.

If you know someone in business in the Harrogate district – including Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Masham and Nidderdale – and you'd like to suggest them for this feature, drop us a line at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.