TASTE_Fall2023

I get inspiration from pretty much anywhere… I’ll build an entire cocktail in my head and then go in and make the elements balance out.

HOW DID YOU END UP WORKING AT LAOWAI AND BAGHEERA?

DO YOU HAVE ANY MENTORS? For sure. Alex Black, a former bar star, was a big part of my bartending training. Rhett Williams, also a former bar star, has been a huge part of my career. Rhett has such a repertoire of knowledge and bartending history— the chemistry, alchemy and balance of a cocktail. When I was designing cocktails for Laowai, he would walk me through the best way to get the most flavour from all the components. They were both tremendous at overseeing me, and always supportive. WHAT INSPIRES YOU WHEN IT COMES TO COCKTAILS? I get inspiration from pretty much anywhere: a book, a scene in a movie, a poem. I’ll build an entire cocktail in my head and then go in and make the elements balance out. It’s uncommon, but it works for me.

Laowai sort of fell into my lap. A friend of mine was friends with Alex Black, co‑owner of Laowai, and referred me. I walked into this dumpling shop in Chinatown, Blnd Tger, where Laowai was still being assembled inside, behind a freezer door. There were broken mirrors, and workers were coming in and out. Alex talked me through the program. I was the youngest employee at the time by 10 to 12 years. Despite my limited experience, they took me in, and it worked out nicely. After two or three months working at Laowai, Alex’s business partner, Lewis Hart, approached me to help open Bagheera. I initially thought no—a management role sounded very involved—but he saw something in me he liked, the way I worked a room, so I said yes. Bagheera went from a literal hole in the wall with wires hanging everywhere and no plumbing to this fully functional bar in nine months.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO BARTENDING? I worked at [the now closed] Blackbird Public House. One New Year’s Eve, three people called in sick, so I started bartending—I just went in and took over a bar. I didn’t have any formal training, but I threw myself into the deep end—I’ll admit it was unorthodox. I also worked at Clough Club in Gastown and GRNHSE at the Refinery on Granville Street, where I was asked by the general manager to redesign the cocktail menu.

ingredient in Butter-Washed Blackberry Tea

DISARONNO ORIGINALE AMARETTO

MARQUIS DE VILLARD VSOP BRANDY France $29.99 14944 This French brandy is balanced and smooth, offering butterscotch, dark chocolate, baked apple and toasted oak flavours with the slightest hint of maple sugar and sweet spice on the finish.

GRAND MARNIER CORDON ROUGE France $48.49 1784 The iconic Grand Marnier is created from 51 percent fine French cognac and 49 percent distilled orange liqueur. Anticipate orange marmalade, hazelnut and toffee on a silky, full-bodied palate.

Italy $29.99 2253 Like biting into an almond croissant, this Italian liqueur is renowned for its flavours of crème brûlée, sugared almond and candied apricot with wafts of vanilla and orange zest aromas.

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