Creativity unites The Cocktail Geeks and Angostura’s rum range

August 17, 2026

For the latest in our series of columns with CVH Spirits, SLTN visited The Cocktail Geeks in Edinburgh to talk versatility and creativity with general manager Cam Chittleborough.

How would you describe The Cocktail Geeks?

Cam Chittleborough, general manager: “We’re a themed cocktail bar. Every four months we switch everything out. Repaint, redecorate, change the outfits, the playlists, of course the menus, all to be inspired by something that we are into ourselves. We’re a bunch of geeks, we’re into cocktails, it’s all in the name. Easy breezy.

“We’ve done Stranger Things, Studio Ghibli, mainly touching on pop culture. This one is more genre-based. The Journey’s End theme is fantasy, and Dungeons & Dragons a wee bit as well.”

How broad is the customer demographic? Do you have regulars?

Cam: “A lot of our regulars come in when the menu changes, as a sort of event. We do get regulars that keep coming back to visit.

“But the general demographic is incredibly mixed. Stranger Things had a wide variety of people coming in. But sometimes it’s just people popping in out of curiosity. Not everybody’s going to be into the theme but the drinks are tasty and the staff are really friendly. I’ve seen people even travelling quite far, which is great. Even if they’re not into the theme they’ve had some tasty drinks and some tasty patter.

“In general it’s a comfortable place to sit in, chill and have a drink. We can accommodate whoever. We do also have beer!”

How are the cocktail lists developed?

Cam: “The lists are all made by the team. There’s no absolute pressure to get involved in menu creation, but the team create the concepts, put them forward for workshops, we go through how to make them and finalise submissions.

“The guys really love getting into the nitty gritty with these things. And everybody has a different process of coming up with their drinks, which is really interesting to see. Everyone finds inspiration a different way. Not everyone is going to be into the theme, but they’ll find that inspiration. The team are very creative.”

What makes the Angostura range of rums well suited to cocktails?

Cam: “The range is quite diverse and I’ve always found it very flexible to work with. Say the Reserva, the 3 year, it’s got body to it and it’s very easy drinking too, so perfect for your Daiquiris, your Mojitos. But then when you get onto your 5 and 7 that’s where it gets a bit more warming. I find the 5 is my favourite to use in cocktails, or the 1919 for shorter serves. You’ve got some pretty cool stories behind the bottles as well.

“We use Angostura for all our classic rum cocktails.”

Why is The Cocktail Geeks a good fit for the Angostura brand?

Samuel Shekleton, Angostura brand ambassador, UK: “One thing we’ve always strived for at Angostura is innovation and looking ahead to what comes next. The Cockail Geeks is the perfect embodiment of that; their regularly-changing, creative and fresh menus are always surprising us and showing us what’s possible.”