During this re-opening phase our interviews withe most important bartneder continue. From far east we get to northern Europe, more exactly in Sweden meeting Leo Lahti
Thanks Leo, first of all, tell us who you are
My name is Leo Lahti and I’m the Bar Manager at Tjoget. I have been in the industry for almost 15 years and I love almost everything about it!
Could you describe, in short, your bar, its mood and your philosophy of bar?
Leo Lahti
Tjoget is a neighbourhood bar in Hornstull, Stockholm. We aim to deliver world class cocktails, great food and good times seven nights of the week. Here’s what 50 Best wrote about us:
A multi-space venue since it opened, Tjoget houses a wine bodega, a beer café, a pan-Mediterranean restaurant and, of course, a cocktail bar. In tandem with the restaurant, the bar seeks inspiration in the flavours and fragrances of southern Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East, reinterpreted through Scandinavian eyes – simple serves, pickles and ferments, changing with the seasons. Drinks with gooseberry cordial may mingle on the menu with carrot juice or Turkish yoghurt, and beets are ever present through the ever evolving Beets by Tjoget. Sophisticated but never pretentious, Tjoget was built as a party bar – with a revolving cast of DJs – meant to last, if the owners have their way, 20 years.
Coming to the covid-19 crisis, how did you react humanly, psychologically at the spread of the virus and the consequent lockdown?
At first I didn’t fully understand how huge the impact of the virus would be, and just went on with my life as normal, trying to schedule events and stuff like that during the spring. When the lockdowns started happening I realised that this was something much bigger.
When the re-opening will be announced in your country what you will concretely do? what action will you put into practice?
Tjoget
Luckily for us Sweden is one of very few countries that didn’t enforce complete lockdowns, so we have been allowed to stay open through all of this. There are restrictions of course, but the fact that we have been able to stay open has meant a lot to us.
Some of the restrictions regarding personal hygien and such were already in place here at Tjoget, but the new ones include seated guests only, distance between groups of guests and some more. These won’t be lifted anytime soon, so we have adapted to work with these new guidelines.
What do you suggest to those who will be facing
Beets
the re-opening phase soon?
I can’t really give any advice to bars coming out of lockdown since our experience have been very different, but I wish everyone all the best and I can’t wait to come and visit people in their amazing bars all over the world again!
