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When did you know when you’d bartend for a living?

When I moved out here, I moved out with a couple friends, and we were all bartending, and my choice was either go back to school – I went to college and did a year of business – I was at the point where I either wanted to start my own business or go back to school and do something else. I ended up starting a company with two friends doing cocktail catering, that catered to private events and catered to the bar side of things. We did specialty garnishes and we were called Garnish Girls. That was the decision; we were going to try that out for a few years and see how that went. Then, from there, getting all the private events and gigs bartending, I just really embraced the whole cocktail culture and started learning about the history of drinks. It just really fit for me because if I’d gone back to school, I’d just study history and cultural anthropology and do more of theory. When I started studying about drinks and cocktails and the history of spirits and alcohol, I just kind of put two and two together. I wanted to live my life doing something I love. Why not continue to build a career on not just bartending, but also cocktail history and educating people and the history of drinks and stuff like that? I just kind of embraced it when I was in my mid 20’s and here I am.

I still want to do other things, own different businesses, and I want to travel the world doing cocktails, but I always see myself in the alcohol industry, whether or not I’m bartending, or opening a bar or creating a product or helping to build something in that industry.

Would you say that you have any mentors?

For sure. There are peoples that I look up to in the industry. One of the top ladies in the cocktail world, Charlotte Voisey, she’s a similar age to me, she has great gigs, she travels the world, she’s also really smart and talented and a great presenter. I definitely look up to her. I’ve had a chance to meet her a few times. She’s really someone that I aspire to have that type of career path.

Mentors, as far as close to me, my step dad taught me how to mix my first drink and he’s a really big part of my life. My family, even though I’m far away from them, I still find time to have that connection.

They’re still in Edmonton?

Yeah. I probably go there three times a year.

Is there any place you enjoy drinking in Edmonton?

My favorite place, that I always used to go, is Devlin’s. It’s this little cocktail lounge on White Ave. It’s changed so much in Edmonton since actually living there. When I go there now, it’s to be with my family, but I always try and go out to Devlin’s.

What was the latest cocktail you created for The Keefer Bar, and what was your inspiration?

I’m working on the summer list.

What are you thinking about?

Well, one of our most popular drinks is this one, the Dragonfly. We have a Rosemary Gimlet. Those have been on the menu since we opened. Those are our Keefer signature drinks. The one that I’m going to do for summer is a goji berry gimlet. Goji berries are Chinese berries, wolfberries, they call them, and they have really high antioxidant properties. So I’m infusing gin with goji berries, then it’s just fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Instead of just regular simple syrup, we’re using astragalus root and making it into a tea, then making it into a syrup. So just simple twists on classic cocktails to give it the Keefer influence. And those two ingredients are actually really good for you, to boost your immune system. It’s like a healthy gimlet.

Where and what do you like to drink when you’re not working here?

I always steer back to classic cocktails. My favorite drink is the Martinez, and that was the drink that really got me into drinking classic drinks. Just learning about the history of the martini and tracing it back to the Martinez. It’s delicious and spirit forward, but you can make it lighter as well. It’s one of my favorite drinks. When I’m drinking, I like to stick to Gastown, places like Diamond, Chambar or The Refinery. There’s a big bartending community within Vancouver. I wouldn’t say there’s a place I always go to. I’m always pretty much here.

I’m just coming from The Refinery. Lauren [Mote] says hi, by the way.

Awesome. I love Lauren. She’s great.

So it’s a pretty tight knit community?

Yeah.

Has that always been the case?

I moved here in 2002, and the whole cocktail scene was just starting to get a foothold. Over the last five years, everybody’s come together. We’ve started the Bartenders Association.

What’s a great cocktail for people to make at home?

The Martinez would be a little bit hard because we can’t get maraschino liqueur. You can only get it at specialty liquor stores. I would say the Martinez is really easy. All you need is sweet vermouth, gin, a little bit of maraschino liqueur and bitters. Stir it straight up.

Otherwise a gimlet’s a great drink to make at home. It’s super easy. It’s just gin, lime juice and simple syrup.

In what proportion?

I like to do two ounces of gin – you can do one and make it a little bit less strong – two ounces of gin, three-quarters lime juice and three-quarters simple syrup.

Do you have any favorite outdoor activities?

I love volleyball, and I want to try this year to play beach volleyball more. I’ve played baseball, volleyball, soccer, all throughout my life. I used to play in a co-ed soccer league up until a couple of years ago, and I had to quit because of consulting and stuff. One season, it was a tournament and I actually got head butted in the face by a guy and got a concussion. I’m really aggressive and very competitive. For my career – to get hurt – the day after that, I was supposed to be going to New York, I was hired to do a cocktail for an event and it was not good. I had a concussion and shouldn’t have been flying – I didn’t have a black eye or anything – but if I break my arm, if I break my nose, if I break my hand or wrist – it’s hard to take that time to heal myself. I do yoga now. It’s hard to get hurt in yoga unless you’re doing a handstand or something.

If you could only drink one more cocktail, what would be in the glass?

The worst question ever. One cocktail I could only ever drink, it would have to be the Martinez.

Who would make it? Not you.

Would they be alive or dead?

Well, it would be hard for them to make it if they were dead.

Well, maybe they came back to life.

Okay.

David Wondrich. He’s awesome. He’s a cocktail historian. I met him at Tales of the Cocktail and a couple other times. He’s awesome. If he could make me a Martinez, I’d be happy.