Talking taste and ‘consistently good’ mixers with Tigerlily’s Dion Anogiatis

March 21, 2025

FOR the first in our series of features with London Essence, SLTN popped into famously maximalist Edinburgh venue Tigerlily, to talk about balancing flavours – and the satisfaction of a serving a well-made drink – with bar manager Dionysios Anogiatis.

Having been named after the ancient Olympian God of wine, parties and general excess, Dionysios Anogiatis was perhaps always fated to have a career in drinks-based hospitality.

But back in 2014, when the young Greek first arrived in Edinburgh, he was an ‘exquisite student’ on a mission to study electrical engineering at one of the world’s very best universities – then his life changed course.

Tell us how you came to be behind one of Edinburgh’s most beloved bars?

“I arrived here as a student, but as a young adult, I found I preferred work to studying, more and more, to make some money. Then I fell in love with this industry.

“It can be compared to a piece of artwork – I don’t want to sound pretentious, but good service and a job well done, for me, was more fulfilling than studying.

“I joined the Montpeliers Group right after Covid, starting at Indigo Yard up near Charlotte Square, then came to Tigerlily in late 2022, and have been its bar manager since last April. So I must be doing something right.

“There is pleasure in delivering not only the result I am expected to deliver, but also the standard of service I aspire to. And I enjoy managing a team, and all the rewards that come from that.”

A maximalist bar frontage in a traditional Scottish sandstone building — Tigerlily, on Edinburgh’s George Street

Tell us about Tigerlily and the people you serve?

“Tigerlily opened on George St in 2007, which I understand was a great time to be running a bar in the heart of this big business district.

“Obviously what we offer has changed as the industry has changed, and customers’ expectations have shifted.

“People don’t go out to drink the way they did 10 years ago – all the late night drinking that was once common.

“For the clientele we get, especially, we are talking more often about a boozy brunch experience. People want to come in not necessarily to drink to the point of no return, but to have some food with a couple of really nice drinks.

An extravagantly decorated bar interior — Inside Tigerlily

“How we cater to the tastes of our customers, that is always going to be a mixture of expectations and reality. For example, every year we say mescal is gonna be the biggest thing, but we are still waiting for that.

“But to Tigerlily’s clientele, the boozy brunch people, one thing to be sure of is we will sell a lot of Pornstar Martinis… more than 10,000 last year. We have a 70-item menu here – and Pornstar Martinis, French Martinis, Espresso Martinis are by far the drinks we sell the most of. Nothing else is even close.

“But coming up in popularity is a more spritz heavy experience, for which London Essence can be extremely helpful.”

How do you innovate within your clientele’s expectations?

“At any given time we have at least two or three menus running, changing on a quarterly basis, depending on season and partnerships with brands.

“So right now we have our main drinks menu with 70 items, which we will always adjust and refine around those core serves, but we are also doing a Guinness cocktail menu for the rugby.

“For that, I’m taking some Guinness straight from the tap, adding demerara sugar, simmering till it thickens, and then I’m left with an almost non-alcoholic Guinness syrup, which is used in three serves – an espresso martini with vodka and coffee rum; a Guinness bramble using whisky instead of gin; and a Guinness margarita which actually works quite well.

“As well as that, right now we have a menu of six special margaritas, and the highest selling is the hot honey margarita – so we are always chasing the new hype, and that means changing all the time.”

A 1950s style illustration on a printed drinks menu — Tigerlily’s special Margarita Month menu

Tell us about what you do with London Essence products, and why?

“London Essence uses less sugar and is more palatable. When it comes to mixing especially, you want something that is not going to overwhelm and take away from the other ingredients you are using.

“In my experience, London Essence does that more reliably than the other options. It is consistently good, and that’s what I really like about the product.

“My favourite is the London Essence White Peach and Jasmine Soda, which goes extremely well with many things. I have it in several perfect serves – I’ll pair it with whisky, I’ll pair it with vodka and a little bit of wine – it just works every time.”