Colin Peter Field

The Path

Bartending at the level Colin Peter Field worked it is built on discipline, timing, and the ability to hold a room without forcing it. Born in Rugby, West Midlands, England, on 17 May 1961, he came up through training at Tresham College, Kettering and Ecole Ferrandi, where precision and finish were part of the brief. The shape of the career that followed was already there: a bar practice rooted in service, controlled movement, and close attention to detail. The bar at Hôtel Ritz Paris has been the main frame for that work. Field has served as head bartender at Hemingway Bar, Hôtel Ritz Paris since 1994, and that long tenure sits at the center of his profile. From 2012 to 2016, he also worked as consultant and event organiser at Hôtel Ritz Paris / Air France, extending the same standards into a broader hospitality setting. In each role, the emphasis stays on choreography, pace, and the polish expected in a room where every detail is seen.

The Work Today

Bartending, in Field’s own framing, is not only about mixing and pouring. “Good bartenders are animators, they are showmen!” he has said, and the line places performance inside the trade rather than outside it. It points to a practice where the server’s presence, timing, and gesture are part of the service itself, shaping the atmosphere as much as the drink. The drinks most closely linked with Field carry that same sense of identity. Serendipiti is the one he names most directly: “My most favorite drink in the whole wide world is called the Serendipity.” The choice of language is plain and telling. It marks a signature that matters not only as a recipe, but as a calling card within the bar culture he has worked in for decades.

Signature

Colin's signature dishes include Picasso Martini, Highland Cream, Serendipiti, Clean Dirty Martini, and Kate 76. These names point to a practice built on recognisable house style and a feel for how a cocktail reads on a list and in the glass. Each signature functions as part of the bartender’s working language: a repeatable expression of taste, timing, and the world around the bar that Field has helped define.

In Their Words “My most favorite drink in the whole wide world is called the Serendipity.” “Good bartenders are animators, they are showmen!” Taken together, the two lines describe a trade that depends on more than technique. They place personality, pace, and presentation inside the work, where hospitality becomes something active and deliberate.

Acclaim

Colin Peter Field has received Forbes — best bartender in the world (1997). Colin's honors include Best of the Best Bar in the World (2016), Best bartender in the world (1997), Silver Medal for France, Silver Medal for The Scott Cup France, Silver Medal for the Scott Cup for French Bartenders, and Silver Medal, Martini Grand Prix for Bartenders (world title). The recognition spans years and categories, and it reads as steady professional validation rather than a single peak. Taken together, the awards reflect a career marked by consistency at a high level and by work that has held its place in the trade.