As a bartender, I frequently deal with guests who have misconceptions about the cocktails I make. People tend to drink beverages with little or no flavour other than the lime that is squeezed into their lowball. It is a little beyond me why someone might want to drink something that tastes like nothing, but my own pre-conceptions aside, everyone is entitled to drink what they want. Far be it for me to tell you what you like! Give me a chance and I will certainly show you my version of a well balanced creative cocktail, and if you dont like it, I will buy it for you and you can go back to your vodka soda.
I have recently purchased a house with my fiancé, in one of my most unfavoured places, Oshawa, Ontario. Commonly known as ”the SHWA”, “the SHWIGGEDY”, I had my own misconceptions that had always had a sour taste in my mouth about this place, that was until I recently met my new neighbor Missy. She welcomed us to the neighborhood with a bottle of gin from her late husband. “I can’t stand the stuff”, she said with a scrunched up face. That was my cue to show her what a wonderful backbone a good Gin could be in a cocktail that was lovingly mixed. I had never tried this particular bottle, but I played with it a little and when I was happy with a new gin cocktail that worked with this particular spirit, I decided to invite Missy over for a to taste it. I proceeded to mix her up a cocktail that was adapted from a bartender I met years earlier, but worked particularly well with this Gin.
No.209 gin, Pimms No. 1, Rubicon guava juice, cloudy apple juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup & some bruised mint. Finished off with some caramelized Angostura Bitter figs. Needless to say, she had never tasted anything like it and I think I am her new best friend! Just as I had a misconception of the place I now call home & she had a similar misconception of gin. I was reminded of the dangers of passing judgement on something before you have really given it a chance, because sometimes all it takes is the right individual to show you how it really is, or how great it can be! They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. As it turns out, I love to teach people about mixology and bartending and while there is a quiet cocktail culture out here in Durham, I think I shall be the pioneer & unleash some phenomenal cocktails on the taste buds of the SHWIGGEDEZE!. The cocktail was called Gone Native, think I’ll change it to what I am now proud to be….Oshawa Native. From out east, may your vessel never be empty, keep mixing
Jeremy!
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One of the most important decisions a Bartenderone student faces after graduation is what type of venue to apply to. One of the first questions we ask all of our students at the beginning of the Masterclass is “what type of venue do you want to work at?”. On average our students are in their mid 20’s and their instinctive answer is they want to work at a nightclub. The glaring appeal of working at a nightclub is that it will be little hours, little work, and lots of tips! In some cases this may be but it is unlikely that you will immediately fall “ass backwards” into a lucrative club bartending job! That being said, there are many profitable and sought after clubbartending positions in the industry, you just got to find them! I have worked in clubs for over 5 years and very much enjoy my time working at them, but it is important to expand your mind and your options when choosing a type of venue to work at.
One of the most humbling and beneficial experiences I have had as a bartenderwas my time working at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. At the time I had been actively bartending for three years, and heading out to Alberta, was very confident with my skill set behind the bar. I quickly learned that my “nightclub only” experience had only prepared me for a small fraction of what the hospitality industry had to offer. I was hired as a bartender at a lounge with a 500 person capacity, not intimidating at first glance, but very deceiving as I soon found out! As the junior bartender on staff I was put on service bar to learn the ins and outs of the menu and the Fairmont style service. The menu consisted of 35 cocktails and martinis unique to the hotel so it was like starting from scratch with regards to recipe knowledge. That coupled with the fact that the lounge did not stagger reservations meant that at any given time I could have 500 people walk into the lounge at the same time……translation 500 drinks at once! And not just drinks, labour intensive cocktails and martinis! Being thrust into this type of bartending setting forced me to really hone the speed, recipe execution, and techniques that I had been introduced to during my time in the Bartenderone Masterclass and Finishing School. Stepping out of my nightclub “comfort zone” and into a challenging hotel venue setting allowed me to become a much more well rounded bartender. As a result new doors in the industry were opened for me and I have never looked back. I currently work as a bartender at a nightclub, instructor/mixologist with Bartenderone, bartender at the Air Canada Centre, and Performance Mixologist (flair bartender) with the Movers n Shakers special event team! Expand your horizons, try a little bit of everything, and challenge yourself and then and only then will you truly evolve as a bartender!
JB