Andrei Marcu

Four Seasons Tenure

• Since 2024
• First Four Seasons Assignment: Current

Employment History

• Coupette and Atelier Coupette, London, UK; Simpsons Restaurant (1 Michelin star), Birmingham, UK; The Edgbaston Boutique Hotel & Cocktail Lounge, Birmingham, UK; Sky Bar, Resorts World Birmingham, UK; Interbelic Victoria Cocktail Bar and Nightclub, Bucharest, Romania

Birthplace

• Bucharest, Romania

Languages Spoken

• Romanian, English

With a passion for bartending that has evolved over time into a self-confessed obsession, Andrei Marcu considers himself incredibly lucky: “I love coming to work each day, and my goal is for every person on my team to feel the same way. When we have fun, our guests have fun. That’s what takes a bar from good to great.”

Growing up in Romania, Andrei was surrounded by the stories and traditions of hospitality thanks to his grandparents — one a professional chef, another a hotel bartender, and yet another a skilled home distiller. Young Andrei learned the ins and outs of distillation at his grandmother’s pot still, used to make tuica, a traditional Romanian spirit. Cooking, too, was a vital part of family life. “I baked my first ‘independent’ cake at the ripe old age of eight,” he recalls with a chuckle.

At university, Andrei started out studying marketing and management — but as life slowly revealed “the vastness and beauty of hospitality”, he realized his calling lay behind the bar. Using up all his savings, he enrolled in bartending school, where his talent and dedication made such an impression that the instructor ended up hiring Andrei as his teaching assistant.

In 2013, he forayed into the world of professional bartending at Interbelic in Bucharest, owned by pioneering Romanian bartender Costin Gache. This “chameleon venue”, which transitioned from restaurant to cocktail bar to nightclub over the course of each day, gave Andrei the chance to hone multiple skillsets — as bar back, chef, mixologist and club bartender. “Eventually, I spent so much time there that my boss offered me his old room located within the nightclub, but that’s a story for another day,” he says.

Encounters with inspiring bartenders like Marian Beke and Alex Kratena sparked a fire within Andrei, propelling him to the UK in search of fresh creative horizons. Initially, things got off to a rocky start in the small town of Nuneaton, where Andrei arrived with a smattering of English to “the most boring job I have ever experienced” at a clothing warehouse.

Fortunately, he soon landed a bartending role at the acclaimed Sky Bar at Genting Hotel in Birmingham, quickly learning the ropes of five-star hospitality and working his way up to Assistant Head Bartender. The team still remembers Andrei for a particularly innovative garnish he devised — a surprising mix of fried bacon and milk chocolate that became a favourite among patrons.

Next came a stint at the Edgbaston Boutique Hotel, known for cultivating industry giants as well as for its use of high-tech equipment like the roto-vap, centrifuge and sous vide. This was where Andrei went from being passionate about bartending to becoming consumed with it, his days and nights filled with studying, experimenting and participating in competitions across the UK. On his days off, he expanded his craft further by working as a commis chef at the next-door Simpsons Restaurant (1 Michelin star).

In 2019, Andrei joined the team at Coupette London, then ranked #23 on the World’s 50 Best Bars. As Bar Manager, he spearheaded an ambitious cocktail development project, creating over 500 new drinks annually and building the bar a solidly queue-worthy reputation. He also oversaw the launch of Coupette Atelier, a creative hub in Soho, London.

Now at Bar Bota, Andrei’s wide-ranging interests — mixology and seasonality, music and theatre, art and crafts — find vibrant expression through his role as Bar Manager. “The bar is a stage, and every night is a performance,” he says, emphasizing the importance of curating all aspects of the guest experience.

Supported by Andrei’s adept leadership, the team delivers a botanically inspired drinking journey, rooted in the traditions of Osaka and infused with a joyful sense of discovery. The frequently updated cocktail list celebrates the region’s abundant botanicals and cultural heritage, reimagining classic Japanese cocktails with a modern twist. While Bar Bota is indisputably luxurious, it is also lively, approachable and fun — an apt reflection of Andrei’s (and Osaka’s!) warm and welcoming energy.

During his leisure time, Andrei enjoys exploring the legendary food and beverage scene of the city, with a particular interest in traditional Japanese spirits. His go-to cocktail? “A margarita is great for getting a sense of the bar, while a shaken dirty martini on ice is my litmus test for true hospitality.”