Award-winning bartender to visit Stoke-on-Trent to share skills at hospitality event
Lele Mensah will also take over Desire Cocktail Bar for a special guest shift
One of the UK’s leading bartenders will visit Stoke-on-Trent next month to share his knowledge with hospitality professionals before taking over the bar at Hanley’s Desire Cocktail Bar for a special guest shift.
Lele Mensah, winner of the Diageo World Class Great Britain 2025 title, will visit the Piccadilly venue on Friday, August 28, as part of an event organised by the Staffordshire Drinks Collective. The prestigious competition saw Lele go on to represent Great Britain at the global finals, where he competed against some of the world’s best bartenders.
The day will begin with a panel discussion for hospitality professionals from 12pm to 2pm, where Lele will discuss leadership, career development and the future of the UK’s bar sector.
In the evening, he will join the Desire team behind the bar from 6pm to serve a specially created cocktail menu.
Lele was previously head of creative at the Connaught Bar in Mayfair and is preparing to open his own West African-inspired bar, Asase, in Shoreditch later this summer.
He said: “I can’t wait to experience the hospitality of Stoke-on-Trent, and I’m proud that we’re championing culture and diversity through this project.”
The event is the latest organised by the Staffordshire Drinks Collective, which was launched earlier this year to support and develop Staffordshire’s drinks and hospitality industry through collaboration, education and professional development.
The afternoon will also feature an introduction to fermentation and its place within modern cocktails, additional tastings and a first look at Desire Cocktail Bar’s upcoming menu and development process.
Owner Dereece Gardner said the visit reflected the bar’s ambition to raise the profile of Stoke-on-Trent’s hospitality sector and establish the city as a destination for high-quality cocktail culture.
He said: “Lele is someone many bartenders look up to, so to have him coming to Stoke-on-Trent to share his knowledge is a huge opportunity for people working in hospitality across the region.
“To be able to attract talent of his calibre feels like a real sign that something exciting is brewing within the city and the county.”
Table reservations are recommended for the evening guest shift. For more information and to book for the Staffordshire Drinks Collective event, please complete this online form.
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