I'm finally into the swing of America again and the blues from the ending of an epic year are fading. I'm still living with Mom and Sis in Helena, MT and its great to be getting some quality family time in. I'm head bartender at a small bar and restaurant in downtown Helena called Cafe Artemis and Quarry Bar. Its Helena's first real cocktail bar and I've taken the liberty to introduce Helena to the fine cocktail. Its been going better than I expected and the place is getting busier every week; I'm kind of known in town now as the mixologist from New Zealand and I'm enjoying that positive energy. A few weeks back I was in a photo shoot with three beautiful girls for a commercial for the bar. It was neat to experience what it would be like to be a model even just for an hour or so.
I get to bartend with my sister and she's becoming quite a cocktail expert under my wing. Together, we threw a 1920's themed party at the bar and it was loads of fun: dressing up in suspenders, fedoras, and vests and making classic cocktails. The party was a success!
(Breein in a flapper dress and my sister, Susan in a Newsies getup)
Its great to provide something so unique, new and exciting to Helena like boutique cocktails. I've been improving as a mixologist, creating cocktails like the Spanish Honey Bee - a tequila based drink with fresh lemon juice, cilantro and honey. I've also infused scotch with dates and mixed it with lemon, orange marmalade, bitters, thyme, and Benedictine. I'm still also playing with vodka infusions such as basil and hot chili and lemongrass.
So, big news. Go get your copy of April 2008 Glamour Magazine because I'm on page 218!! How the hell did that happen you ask? Well, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time while walking around South Beach, Miami in mid December. I got interviewed by some girls for the magazine. I must have made a good impression with them because we ended up going out for drinks that night and had some great fun in Miami I was one of the select handful out of 40 guys picked for the article!
(April issue of Glamour. I'm on page 218)
They asked me about 4 questions with a tape recorder and took my photo as well. The question they published was "What would be the title of your memoir?" After my recent adventures abroad, I had to say "Escape Artist," which I guess appeals to my travelust and drive to break out of the norm and 'escape'. I think this also has to do with the way I changed my life in a drastic, or romantic and somewhat artistic way - going from one culture to another, and going from engineering to nightlife. Evidently Glamour liked the idea and I'm the first one on page 218, so check it out!
About a month ago, I got a call out of the blue from 42 Below (the NZ vodka I referenced in my previous posts about the cocktail competition in Queenstown) setting me up for an interview in San Francisco for a "Product Cultivator" position. Initially, I was reluctant to want to be a salesman, even for a vodka, but I'm keeping an open mind.
(www.42below.com)
So last Thursday I flew all the way to San Fran and back in one day (from MT this is a 20 hr feat!). In my 2.5 hrs actually in San Fran, I nailed the interview. These guys were so laid-back, open-minded, and just plain cool. One of them was actually a guy I met in NZ too. Basically what I got out of it was that they want to pay me to socialize while living in San Fran! That's right. schmooze for money. Sounds awesome and like a great chance to meet some cool, influential people in a great US city. They want to raise the awareness of 42 Below vodka in the communities of art, music, colleges, lounges, and nightlife. My job would have no set hours and my whole social life would be involved with just getting the word out about 42 Below. I'm expecting to hear if I got it in the next few weeks. It seems like such a unique opportunity in life how could you not try it out for a while? Plus, I'm already doing it for free here in Helena through my bar. I really do like 42 Below and after the wicked cocktail competition they put on, not to mention meeting the inventor and executive staff, I have a sound loyalty for the stuff.
In addition to this position, they also talked about offering me a potential position in mixology. Since Bacardi owns 42 Below, they might want me to be a professional mixologist, also in San Fran for one line of Bacardi products like Bombay Sapphire. It sounds equally awesome, as I'd be instructing people on the ideas behind mixing a winning cocktail as well as the history behind cocktails. Perfect. In the last year being absorbed in this stuff, I've managed to become quite knowledgeable on not only making drinks, but the history behind them and how spirits are made.
I guess I didn't realize how much of a social being I am. Traveling and being involved with the nightlife in a foreign country did two things to me. First, it helped me become more humanistic and able to connect with virtually anyone and just appreciate people more. I've realized a select few things that unite us as humans despite culture, age, race, attitude and outlook. Secondly, through this I've become so confident in my abilities to break into social circles and lead them, which always seemed hard for me in the past. I've always been a bit introverted, shy, and sometimes got frustrated with so many people around. I've become a much more laid-back and gregarious person; its just easier for me to connect and find a common ground with people, which is something I've felt personally I was afraid of before.
So for the moment, I'm still chasing around jobs in the alcohol world. I just find myself very free, creative, and happy. However, I've decided that engineering is still a part of me that will never die and eventually I will return to as my career. I just feel like I have to ride this wave I'm on for the moment before I reach the shore. I see the wave as your passion, your energy, a thrill, and hope. The beach symbolizes stability, family, your future and comfort.
So again, I encourage all of you to ride your waves when you can because you'll never know when you'll catch another one and the beach will always be there to catch you.
Peace.
Rob
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