Dick Bradsell

Richard Arthur Bradsell (4 May 1959 – 27 February 2016) was a British barman noted for his innovative work with cocktails, including the creation of many new drinks now considered to be modern classics.^[1] The Observer described him as the "cocktail king",^[2] while Waitrose Food Illustrated compared him to celebrity chefs^[3] and the San Francisco Chronicle credited him with "single-handedly (changing) the face of the London cocktails scene in the 1980s."^[4]

Dick Bradsell
Born	Richard Arthur Bradsell 4 May 1959 Bishop's Stortford, England
Died	27 February 2016(2016-02-27) (aged 56) London, England
Occupation(s)	Bartender, writer
Known for	His innovative work with cocktails

Bradsell was born in Bishop's Stortford, England.^[1] As a teenager, he was a friend of David Steele of The Beat.^[5] A poem of Bradsell's was adapted by singer Dave Wakeling into the lyrics of Twist and Crawl which appears on the Beat's 1980 debut album I Just Can't Stop It, and for which Bradsell received a writing credit.^[6]

Bradsell was acclaimed for inventing several new cocktails, including the Espresso Martini,^[7] the Bramble,^[8] the Treacle,^[9] the Carol Channing, the Russian Spring Punch and the Wibble.^[10] It was reported that Bradsell could "rarely enter a bar without an enthusiastic bartender thrusting his version of the (Espresso Martini) drink at him."^[11] In 2003, he and Tony Conigliaro co-wrote several articles for the now-defunct bartending magazine Theme. In 1998 Bradsell Married London jewellery designer Vicki Sarge. They divorced in 2000.^[12]

Bradsell died from brain cancer on 27 February 2016 at his home in London.^[1][13]