Artesian appoints new head bartender

The Artesian at The Langham hotel in London has appointed a new head bartender following the departure of Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale earlier this month.

Phillip “Pip” Hanson, Artesian’s new head bartender

Minneapolis-born Phillip “Pip” Hanson will now head up the Artesian, which has been named the “World’s Best Bar” for the last four years in a row.

Hanson has a decade of bartending experience under his belt, working in both the US and Japan, spending the last five years at Marvel Bar in Minneapolis.

His cocktail making style is described as “minimalist”, having been influenced by a year working with Uyeda Kazuo at the Tender Bar in Tokyo’s Ginza district.

Hanson will be looking to bring his “stripped down” style to the cocktails at Artesian, which thus far have been famous for their elaborate presentation and unusual ingredients.

“I’m very excited to be joining the Langham at this important juncture. This is a time of change and evolution for the bar and the New Year will bring with it a very new style of drink making. I’m delighted to be able to define the next phase of Artesian’s creative legacy,” he said.

Artesian’s former head bartenders, Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale, left the bar in early November to work on a series of different projects together including their own bar.

Following the move, nine members of the bar team decided to hand in their notice, meaning a new team has been recruited for Hanson to manage.