Drinks too?
Get ready for some classic and creative cocktail how to videos.
You may be asking how in the world do drinks fit into all of this. Well, some of you may know that while in college I found myself thrust into a situation where I had to learn very quickly how to tend bar. Honestly, this is how most of the jobs in my early life have panned out. For starters, there was the job as an afterschool care van driver, for which I learned how to drive and finally got my license about 3 weeks before I started working and immediately found myself driving a 15-passenger van full of screaming elementary school kids every day. Then there was the time I worked at a summer camp and was told that I would be one of the lifeguards on duty. I had two weeks to learn how to swim before I started lifeguard training. All of this is to say that when I decide to or am “voluntold” do anything, there is little that can keep me from jumping in head first. Though as a lifeguard I must caution you to never literally jump into anything head first.
So let’s get back to this bartending gig. One summer at college a good friend of mine asked if I wanted to wait tables at a local comedy club. The pay was terrible but a few of my other friends were going to be working there so I said, “why not”? Well, about a month or so into it, even more of my friends were working there and we were having a blast at work. The cooks would sneak us food in between sets. We got to meet so many famous comedians and sometimes ended up being part of the show. Then one day our bartender had a… let’s say disagreement with the owner and impulsively decided to quit. Well, guess who became the new bartender at the Cobblestone Comedy Club… yours truly. I had to quickly learn the most common drinks to make, thus beginning my love affair with mixology. After that, I worked at a few other dance clubs as a bartender and even took a bartending class.
Nowadays, my bartending skills are no longer used to pay the bills and are solely for entertaining family and friends. Hosting others is one of my favorite past times. I love nothing more than to introduce someone to a drink they have never had, have them try a craft beer they didn’t know existed, or to help them ease their way into the world of wine. As for me, I am always in the pursuit of the perfect drink for any occasion. I love the classics, but I also love to give them a twist, or to throw something entirely new together to create a unique concoction.
Come along with me on this journey as I share with you some tried and true recipes and some new creations for some of the most delicious drinks that you never knew you needed in your life.
