Celebrating World Bartender Day
World Bartender Day has its roots in the ‘The Perfect Blend’, a competition that brought bartenders together from Australia and New Zealand, celebrating their passion and creative flair.
It’s World Bartender Day. Did you know that bartenders have been around since the 1400’s, especially in Europe where they were primarily known as innkeepers? These innkeepers served ale and often brewed their own liquor. A talent so old yet so new as bartending has evolved from just serving and making ale to mixology and the perfect balance on a combination of drinks. World Bartender Day has its roots in the ‘The Perfect Blend’, a competition that brought bartenders together from Australia and New Zealand, celebrating their passion and creative flair.
Bartenders and their creative flair have been sorely missed, largely due to the current world pandemic. With bars and restaurants remaining closed for a significant period of time, we have missed socialising and enjoying drinking different cocktails; and while we wait to get back to normal, we believe it is a great time to support mobile bartenders and bar staff for all their hard work in client satisfaction and appreciate the dedication to their craft.
To celebrate the day, we are taking a look at mobile bartenders within the UK and some of the most famous bartenders around the world.
UK Local Mobile Bars
Popup Pub
Based in Ireland and founded in 2015, Popuppub provides customers with a fantastic experience of having their own inflatable Irish pub. Whatever the occasion, Popuppub provides the best deals and service to give you an amazing experience! But that’s not all, something great for the kids and adults with heaps of fun are their inflatable obstacle courses and bouncy castles.
The Suffolk Horsebox Bar
8th September 2018 was the beginning of the journey for The Suffolk Horsebox Bar, from being a basic horsebox to then be transformed into this beautiful rustic mobile bar within 6 months. Providing you with 2 hatchets to serve your drinks from a wide variety of gins and other spirits, not to mention bottled beers and champagne! Their mobile bar is available to hire in the areas of Suffolk and Essex.
Nickynoo, Quirky Mobile Bar
For those that are planning a small event like engagement or gathering with a few friends or looking to do larger scale events like weddings, but still want to make it a night to remember, Nickynoo Mobile bar is perfect for you. Providing you with vintage products such as suitcases that operate delicious spirits with over 24 different types of gin, beer, cider, lager, wine, fizz and a list of popular cocktails to try out! Their service is available within the North East such as Sunderland, County Durham, Newcastle and Northumberland.
Famous Bartenders Across The World
JOSEPH HAWKINS
Hawkins moved to London 7+ years ago and started his career at Japanese restaurants, having developed an interest in the Japanese culture and their whisky. He started as a junior bartender at Sexy Fish and is currently Sexy Fish’s head bartender.
When Joseph has time off from working hard at the bar, he spends his time reading fantasy and science fiction books. But other than reading, he enjoys spending time with his friends or visiting different cocktail bars with his colleagues.
Joseph’s favourite alcoholic drink is Japanese whisky but the best one he has tried is called Kawasaki 1976.
DALE DEGROFF
“Dale Degroff, an American bartender who is also known as the King of Cocktail has written his own book called ‘The Craft of the Cocktail’. This has helped influence the entire hospitality industry. Degroff is also the founding president of ‘The Museum of American Cocktail’ which is now part of the National Food & Beverage Institute based in New Orleans.
He has created many cocktails that made him the icon he is today; such as Irish Coffee, a combination of whiskey, coffee and cream; the Bloody bull, similar to a bloody mary but with the addition of beef broth and tabasco sauce for a kick! And lastly, the Whiskey smash, a combination of white sugar, whiskey mint julep and smashed up lemon.
NATASHA MESA
Natasha Mesa is based in Portland, Oregon. She’s currently a bar manager and head bartendress at Deadshot PDX. She started her career working at the Cocktail Apprentice Program with the Tales of Cocktail. Since completing her apprenticeship, her passion has been not only to show her talent in making cocktails — but to help women or any bartender to achieve their goals of joining the ranks behind the bar.
Natasha likes to test other bartenders and according to an interview with BartenderBusiness, her first order is a daiquiri and it tells how the rest of her night of drinks orders will follow. Mesa has a love for a sour, with any variation but she typically goes with whiskey or Mezcal. But if she has been given a bad daiquiri, she orders a neat peaty scotch or wine.
PATRICK WILLIAMS
Patrick Williams — beverage directors to one of Detroit’s hottest new spots, called Punch Bowl Social. Daily Detroit has interviewed Williams about his experience at Punch Bowl Social. In November 2012, Patrick opened up his new bar after hearing about a punch bowl opportunity back in 2011. His proudest moment is creating a cocktail called ‘Same thing we do every night pinky’, which includes a local produce, the McClary Brothers Apple Pie Shrub and short’s soft parade, a rye fruit ale.
Patrick finds it quite difficult to pick his favourite drink. But whenever he’s asked, he always goes for Sazerac as it’s what he drank while celebrating his engagement.
JUYOUNG KANG
Juyoung has become an industry icon by working her way up in the world of mixology. Her career started in Philadelphia, before moving to LA, where she worked at luxury resorts. Kang has done some volunteer work in her life, taking the time to mentor aspiring industry professionals and also participating in the Tales of Cocktail Apprenticeship Program.
According to Eater Las Vegas, Kang likes to challenge the bartenders that she knows very well to provide her with a drink they’ve been working on, she refers to herself as a bartender choice kind of person. Preferring her drinks a little booze forward and bittersweet.
We hope you’ve learnt something about World Bartender Day! Maybe it might inspire you to appreciate the bartending profession a little bit more or create some amazing cocktails for yourself and your friends. Do you know any great bartenders at your local bar? Give them a shout out to show your appreciation. Comment below and chat with us via social media!
See you next week.
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