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Hotel Babylon
Starts Thursday 19 January at 9.00pm on 91Èȱ¬ ONE
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Martin Marquez plays Gino Primirola, Head Barman
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Having owned his own fish and chip shop, worked as fitness instructor and then a barman in a top London hotel before becoming a professional actor, one would be forgiven for thinking that all the bases were covered for Martin Marquez and that he would require little or no research to play Gino.
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But no, Martin still spent considerable time learning the art of 'flaring' from a professional cocktail barman and practised for two weeks in order to be able to toss the cocktail shaker around the Hotel Babylon bar.
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"The production arranged for someone from one of London's top cocktail bars to come round to teach me flaring and other aspects of the showmanship of cocktail-making. We set up a table in my back garden and just got on with it," he laughs.
"There was considerable spillage but it was great fun."
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As well as learning from the professionals, Martin also spent time at the Landmark and Soho Hotels talking to the barmen, and managed to squeeze in a cocktail course in East London before filming began - which he thoroughly enjoyed.
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"Unfortunately, in the end I didn't need to do so much of the demo stuff – I think it was in a few scenes but still, I have now got a useful party skill and I did find it useful to know the bases of the cocktails written into the scripts."
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In actual fact, he was advised by the barmen at both the Landmark and Soho Hotels that flaring is not a feature of a luxury hotel bar for two reasons.
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"Firstly it causes a lot of spillage," he says, "and secondly, it takes up a lot of time and time is money to a 5-star barman."
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Instead, he was advised that it was enough to simply look as though he could toss the bottle in the air by handling them and pouring confidently.
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Martin sought inspiration from various real life bartenders at some of London's top establishments.
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"Initially, Gino was to be Italian but I do a comedy show with my brother John and in that I play a few different Spanish characters and I just feel, and have been told, that I can make a character like that funny.
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"Gino is very straight and has an aversion to gay men which, without being too general, in my experience is more akin to Spanish culture than Italian.
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"Gino is very much a stereotype who thinks he is sexy," says Martin, "but I wanted to make him a layered character, primarily a comic character but, as with anyone, there are always other sides and it is that history that informs how I play him."
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Martin and his brother John are known as The Brothers Marquez and have performed their much-acclaimed comedy theatre show at Edinburgh and regularly at the Soho Theatre in London.
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The show has been adapted for television and is currently in development with an independent company in London. Ìý
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