Bartender of the Week

Xavier Tanqueray is currently on a gap year, studying International Politics and working at Rummers Bar. For the next seven days, the 23-year-old from Brest, France is our bartender of the week.

Rummers is an infamous pub in Aber, known for its chilled vibe and active live music scene; tucked away by the mariner it is the perfect spot for a pint or a glass of wine.

Xavier ready to pull those pints

After claiming this week’s title, Xavier told The Tab: “I just really like working here, it’s hard to explain, I get to listen to great music and interact with some brilliant costumers – both students and locals.

“Rummers is the best place in Aberystwyth because we have great live music, Vodka Tuesdays, rum Wednesdays and gin Thursdays! But our atmosphere is also brilliant, some nights it’s really chilled out but other nights, when we have great music, it can get really lively.

“We get lots of crazy and random stuff happening here, never nasty stuff, but you get students in fancy dress coming in which is always funny. I’ve gotten so used to it all that nothing really seems strange any more. That’s what’s great about Rummers – you can be yourself.”

The weirdest thing that has happened for Xavier was when some tourists visited Aber. He said: “We had some French tourists come one time, they were following a band who was performing here and came to Aberystwyth just to see them. That was really great and they were lovely to talk to.”

Doing what he does best

The band warms up for another night of music

Xavier’s party trick is being fluent in French, with a Welsh mother and French father he has his roots on both sides of the channel. “I’m about to speak both which some people find impressive, I’ve tried to learn other languages like German, but it didn’t end well.”

If you want to impress Xavier the next time he’s on the bar just remember to be polite: “The worst thing a costumer can do is stand at the bar and wave their money at me. If we’re busy I’ll just ignore them, but if you’re polite and nice then I’ll like you and probably subconsciously pour your drink faster.”