The Power of a Good Team

Jeremy presenting his cocktail for the IBC

Long before bartending even entered my mind the biggest thing in my life was organized sports, more specifically ice hockey. Being part of a competitive sports team taught me many life lessons that have helped shape my life and I often reference them in my day to day travels. Through the years my grandfather was always my biggest fan and one of the things he used encourage was offseason training to stay sharp and ahead of the curve. He used to always say “if you play with better players they will make you better without you even knowing it” Every summer I would train and actively play in summer teams, but it wasn’t until I started playing with players of a higher calibre that I truly evolved as a player. They indirectly pushed me to be better by holding me accountable for my mistakes and making me strive to be at their high level. How this pertains to bartending you ask?

Recently I joined the BartenderOne team and had the opportunity to take part in the International Bartender Certification. The IBC program is unlike any other Mixology/cocktail program in the business. It has single-handedly re-motivated me and inspired me to take bartending to the next level.

Molecular Mixology in action baby!

Part of that inspiration has to do with the information and techniques that were presented to me but most of it had to do with the people who were presenting that information. From Rob Montgomery and his unrelenting passion for spirits and creativity, to Matt Jones and his perfect combination of approachability and wealth of knowledge, to Gavin MacMillan (founder of BartenderOne) and his intense desire to rid the world of foul cocktails and inspire a new generation of master mixologists, I was able to learn from and pick the brains and minds of the best in the industry! I have since become a valued member of the BartenderOne team and quickly realized that everyone in the company shares that desire to continuously learn and be the best.

Chalk that up to another thing old grandpappy was right about…. “if you play with better players, they will make you better without you even knowing it”. I know it now!

Jeremy Browes