Nordic tastemakers
My Nordics, as told by bartender Bobby Hiddleston
Hotel lobby bars tend to play it safe. Bobby Hiddleston doesn’t. The Edinburgh-born bartender spent two decades in serious bars across Edinburgh, New York and London, then moved to Stockholm to open Sally’s inside the newly renovated Sheraton Stockholm.
How do you bring old-school cocktail craft into a hotel lobby without losing the buzz? For Bobby Hiddleston, it starts with the classics and ends with the guest. His specialist subjects are classic cocktails and whisky, but the real focus is atmosphere: a room that feels effortless, personal and hard to replicate.
In this Nordic Tastemaker feature, he shares the Nordic places that shape how he unwinds, eats and drinks, from a near-off-grid stuga outside Hofors to late nights in Slakthuset and seafood lunches at Östermalms Saluhall.
Table of Contents
Top photography courtesy of Sheraton Stockholm
“There is big city vibes, small urban realism, but also wonderful nature and scenery”
In the Nordics, my favourite country is …
… Sweden. It is the one I have visited the most, but it feels like the most all-round to me. There is big city vibes, small urban realism, but also wonderful nature and scenery. I also have most of my family here.
For a dose of urban pulse, I head to …
… Stockholm. The city centre might be a bit polished, but the suburbs have so much character.
Photography courtesy of Unsplash and Sheraton Stockholm
“I leave my phone in a box for a week and swim with the ducks every day.”
For the perfect close-to-nature experience, I visit …
… my sister-in-law’s stuga [a traditional Swedish cottage] near Hofors, a small town in the Gästrikland region. The place barely has electricity. I leave my phone in a box for a week and swim with the ducks every day. Such a great way to reset.
For a memorable getaway, I check myself into …
… Hotell Höga Kusten in Sweden’s Ångermanland region. The hotel itself is pleasant enough, but the area and views are what sticks. Great for runs and walks, and not very far from one of my favourite distilleries.
Photography courtesy of Hotell Höga Kusten
“For a proportionately small venue they’re very impressive.”
For a great meal, I go to …
… Lisa Elmqvist in Östermalms Saluhall in Stockholm. It has been there for two generations and has some of the best seafood in the region, in my opinion. I go back because the service is lovely, and not at all because they have Pol Roger by the glass.
For a fun night out, I head to …
… Slakthuset in Globen, Stockholm. I’ve always been a huge fan of electronic music, and they’ve consistently been booking the best acts in Europe. For a proportionately small venue they’re very impressive.
Photography courtesy of Slakthuset and Lisa Elmqvist
“… I don’t know who does their wine buying but whoever it is knows what they are doing!”
For a dose of retail therapy, I shop at …
… ICA Liljeholmen, a grocery store in Stockholm. I couldn’t care less about buying clothes or electronics or whatever, but I love a good quality food shop. They also have a wine bar in the middle of it, and I don’t know who does their wine buying but whoever it is knows what they are doing!
For a dose of culture, I head to …
… The western part of Djurgården, Stockholm. Yes, it’s touristy as hell, but it has so much to offer. Loads of museums, great views, good concerts at Gröna Lund in the summer. If you don’t like it there I just think you’re elitist.
“A quintessential Nordic experience is an ice-cold, flavourless, domestic beer in the sauna and then jumping in the snow.”
For a hidden gem, I recommend …
… the Sheraton Stockholm. It used to be so cool in the ‘70s, ‘80s & ‘90s, but became completely forgotten for the past two decades. The new owners, new management and full renovation have totally transformed the place.
For me, a quintessential Nordic experience is …
… an ice-cold, flavourless, domestic beer in the sauna and then jumping in the snow. I did this the first time I met my mother-in-law in Umeå and I try to do it as much as I can now.
Photography courtesy of Sheraton Stockholm
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