E4; Private conversation with Vibe Cabrera - Pioneering the art form of cocktails and bartending.

This is Private Culture - Private conversations about all things Culture. 

In this episode of Private Culture, host Ingrid Paskell is back in New York City. She sits down with the charismatic cocktail artist, Vibe Cabrera. 

Recording on the streets of Bushwick, outside Saint Michel Café, they explore the world of bartending and how it truly is an art-form; from inventing the drink itself, to hosting and mood setting the evening for the “audience”. 

This conversation offers a behind-the-scenes peek into the world of cocktail-culture, letting us know what goes on behind the counter.

There is a lot of laughter, personal stories and some genuine insight offered along the way, as Vibe generously shares from his unique perspective. Vibe thinks like an artist, and applies the same level of creativity and invention to the bar-space and cocktail-creation, which ruffles feather, as not everyone is ready for a disruptor.  

The conversation dances between topics such as; pioneering ways, not comprising yourself, thinking outside the box and seizing opportunities as they present themselves - some more or less obvious. 

Vibe is Dominican, grew up in Miami and moved to NYC. 

He has a vast CV, having bartended in some of the most renowned speakeasies in Manhattan, as well as creating the first none-alcoholic speakeasy ever in NYC. 

Now he is sharing his wisdom about bars and cocktails all around NYC on his YouTube show; The Vibe check with Vibe Cabrera. 

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Follow Vibe Cabrera : 

Instagram :      https://www.instagram.com/vibeimbibe/

Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/@VibeImbibeShow 

Café Saint Micheal :  https://www.instagram.com/saintmichelnyc/

Follow Ingrid Paskell: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingrid.paskell/

Follow Private Culture : 

Instagramm: https://www.instagram.com/private__culture/

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Credits :

Host: Ingrid Paskell

Guest: Vibe Cabrera 

Creative Director: Simon Søby 

Sound Design & Edit: Carsten Sherpa, Simon Søby 

Music: Giordano Léon Makholm

Art Work: Peter Westh

Producer: Ingrid Paskell, Simon Søby

Presented by: North Node

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Transcript

Welcome To Private Culture

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Hello, this is Private Culture Podcast by North Node. Private conversations about all things culture. We explore creativity, culture, and connection through authentic dialogue with all kinds of cultural architects and disruptors, bridging the personal and the professional, giving you a glimpse into creative worlds that you might not have access to or even thought about otherwise. So here's the episode. Let's go. This week, Meeps and I are back in New York, and we swapped out Mia's lush, beautiful green garden on the upper west side for a sidewalk in a noisy street in Bushwick in a wonderful cafe. And we're hanging out with Vibe, who is a cocktail artist. If you haven't heard about that term before, don't be alarmed. We will get into it in the episode. And he is such a natural-born entertainer. I had such an easy time recording this episode. Um he's just yeah. Vibe, you're incredible. And we had a lot of fun. We hung out a few times prior to recording the episode as well. I was lucky enough that he took me around a couple speakeasies and cocktail bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn as well, actually. Um so that was a lot of fun. Um and some incredible like cocktails. Wow, just I didn't know cocktails could taste like that, you know. So yeah, Vibe has a lot of stuff going on. He has the the Vibe Check with Vibe Cabrera show on YouTube. I encourage you to check it out. And he also does a lot of stuff on his Instagram, so yeah, just listen to the episode and stay tuned for all his cool cocktail artist projects.

Bushwick Setting And Cafe Lore

SPEAKER_04 2:17

Whenever I do interviews, I wanted to talk together before I started my writer going forward.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

I think that's cute. Okay, so Okay, let's start now. Okay, let's start at least start now. Okay, so um where uh where are we right now?

SPEAKER_04 2:38

So we are in Brooklyn, New York, Bushwick specifically. Uh that's the neighborhood I live in. We are recording this episode in front of uh my favorite local uh coffee shop, St. Michelle, uh owned by these really cool people, this couple, uh Benny. Who's also an artist. He's an artist himself. Um you might know him for uh he he's famous for these cookies that he makes for celebrities and puts their faces on them. Um there's definitely a Bad Bunny one that's gone very viral that he made uh with that success. He opened this coffee shop and he brings that energy here, and every barista that works here is awesome. They're really talented and they're very friendly.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

She's so nice, the one who's in there. Now, what's her name?

SPEAKER_04 3:26

Her name is Crystal. She she she's great because she's kind of new here and she fit right in. It feels like she's been here forever. Um, I just started drinking coffee last year, so I've always been a latte guy. Yes. Um I I'm weird. Get ready for this video. Get ready for this episode. I'm very weird. I definitely do whatever I want to do. I don't follow.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

You're a bartender, but you only just started drinking coffee last year. Correct.

SPEAKER_04 3:48

Um just last year, and that's because I not even an espresso martini? No. What? I don't think I've ever actually I don't think I've ever had a full espresso martini myself. You know, I've made a lot of espresso martinis. I don't think I've ever drank a full espresso martini. I've definitely tasted them. I don't think I've had a full one. Um but to finish my shout-out to Crystal, um she figured out that, well, at least talking to her, I figured out that like lattes sometimes have too much milk in them for me. Yeah, like I like a little bit of the taste of coffee, right? Especially since I'm like the volume being like a real life for it. And um she suggested a cappuccino and I had her make it. I like it a lot. So if she's behind the bar, uh I guess it's good. I say the behind the bar, I'm such a bartender. If she's baristing, what's the proper terminology for that? Behind the counter. Behind the counter. Um Crystal makes my cappuccinos. Everybody else gets to make my lattes because I don't trust them yet.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

I get that.

SPEAKER_04 4:49

Um It's like finding a good hairstylist or barber. Like you trust them with your haircut, anybody else is like, you can clean me up, but you can't do the thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

But also a good bartender, like not to kind of bring us back to the point. No, bring it back to the butt um no, but uh, yeah, so we're here and this is it's a really nice spot. It's a really cool. I think I'm gonna shoot some video inside as well just to kind of capture some of the vibe, because it's like this is a definitely like a very cute, a very local spot.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

Absolutely. I walk here from my place.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

But also just like the um like all this story about the the because they also do a library. Can you please tell us?

SPEAKER_04 5:33

Oh yeah, yeah, sure. So so a little bit about the coffee shop just to paint a picture. Um, there's a lot of art everywhere. Yeah, um, they have they have like a a late 90s, early 2000s, like small TV with the VCR attached to it, and they'll play like vintage movies or TV shows. Like you the other morning I came in here and they were playing Sailor Moon episodes in that little screen, yeah. And then there's like comic books and books all over the place, art, magazine, really cool, you know, a lot of cool stuff. It's it's it's a great place, and um, there's a rack of magazines uh because this place is a library, you can come in and read whatever. Um, but the owners own those books and magazines, and somebody came in and stole the magazine with Sade on the cover. And if you're a Sade fan, you know that you don't just take someone's Sade memorabilia. That's that's a sin.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

And also because she's so goddessed. Yeah, but also just like you know, it's like oh yeah, she's not she's not outside like that. It's it's scarce. Like the art that she's left is precious. And she's not somebody who just appears for the sake of appearing.

SPEAKER_04 6:41

There is a rumor that she's gonna do a tour again. I don't know how true that is. If that's the case, take all my money.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Why did you hear that?

SPEAKER_04 6:46

Internet, so it could be fake. It could be fake.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Okay, anyway, back to the back to the story.

SPEAKER_04 6:50

So, anyways, so um Benny was like, hey, he noticed that the the magazine cover was missing, like the Sade magazine cover, because he has it in front. He's gonna show off the queen, right? And it's missing. He went through the cameras and found that some young lady took the magazine. Um, and he went on a public witch hunt to get his magazine back. Like he didn't want to sue a press charge or anything, even put him on blast. He just wanted his magazine back. And the neighborhood who loves this place so much, uh, they they went to work and got it back, like so much that like her friends were embarrassed and DM'd, you know, the owners here and told them, hey, yeah, that's so-and-so. She does this, she's the worst. Um, we'll get it back for you. And sure enough, they got it back. Here's the kicker. Uh, when uh when he opened said package, because she wasn't gonna drop it off, she mailed it in. Uh, he opened the package, sure enough, the magazine was there intact, but there was a second magazine. She's she didn't take one, she took two magazines. So I hope she heals.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

God bless. God bless. I hope we hope you heal. No, but uh, but yeah, this is a great spot. But how long have you been in New York

Leaving Miami And Starting Over

SPEAKER_01 8:03

for?

SPEAKER_04 8:03

Uh I've been in this area for about 11 years now.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 8:08

11 years now, specifically in Bushwick for five years. Five years is last August. Nice. Whenever you decided to drop this, it was last August.

unknown 8:17

Five years ago.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

It might be like in a year, knowing me. It's like it could be like 2025. We'll see. Yes. We'll see. But um okay, so and um uh yeah. I also um Is is the construction distracting you? No, no, no, that wasn't it. That wasn't it. It was just because it's like I just I just remembered that it's like when we because the the the start of this episode was so chaotic, I just remembered this like I forgot to say your name. Obviously the intro is gonna air before the intro is gonna air before the and I always record the intro after the episode for like practical reasons, but of course, but yeah, so I just wanted to say that this is vibe, and we're in New York in Bushwick at his favorite cafe. And we might edit this. No, we're not gonna edit this.

SPEAKER_04 9:09

No, I think you should leave it in.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

I think it's fun. It's like that's a thing. It's like it's just it's just a it's a conversational podcast. It's a private conversation that we're having that just happens to be recorded and released for mass consumption. So, but um, but no, but where were you before this?

SPEAKER_04 9:27

Uh before New York.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:29

So I grew up in Miami. Okay. Um, I was there how I don't remember how young. Definitely single digits. Uh I don't know, three, four, five, six, somewhere around there. I was very young. Um, I grew up there, and I thought I was gonna be there my whole life. And the universe, God, whatever you believe in, said nah. So it made it very hard for me to stay there. Ended up moving north about 11 years ago, and I hit the reset button on life, and it's probably the best thing that ever happened to me because I didn't know I was unhappy in Miami.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

No.

SPEAKER_04 10:04

Miami's not for everyone. Like, people love Miami because of what they see in movies and TV, but Miami's a great, beautiful city. Um, but it's a tough place to live in if you're not swimming in money.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:17

Um, but America, you know?

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Yeah. Yeah. And what is it that you say you said something really cool? Miami is a oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:28

Yeah. Uh okay. I'm gonna say this on camera. I don't say this on camera, but I'm gonna say it on camera for you. Um I can also say it.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

No, I'll I'll say it.

SPEAKER_04 10:35

I'll say it. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm gonna own it. I'm gonna own it. So people always ask me why I leave Miami, and I I say it's not the place, it's it's the people. And I say this with love, but Miami is a sunny place for shady people. And don't hate me. You know it's true. Look in the mirror.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

Yeah. But um, yeah, and then but you were you bartending in Miami?

Early Jobs Radio Baseball Sephora

SPEAKER_04 11:00

I was not. So uh my background, I've done a lot of things, but my background, uh right out of high school, I worked at a radio station. Um, my favorite radio station actually growing up. Uh I listened to them a lot as a kid. Um because when you don't have money, you're not, you know, you don't have the latest video games or staying up late watching cable.

unknown 11:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:24

I had the radio, so I listened to the radio falling asleep every day. And out of high school I got to work for them. I did six years with them, and that was cool. Um, but radio doesn't really pay like I used to, so I got out of that. And I tried a bunch of things. I worked in retail, I worked for Major League Baseball.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:42

Uh which for the Miami Marlins when they made you were super into baseball. Yes, I'm Dominican. That's kind of like it's it's a thing. It it's funny because like I'm not really that into sports now, but growing up, baseball was my life. Like, I knew everyone's stats, I knew where they went to school, I know where they've been traded, I know if they won any awards, and then like I coached Little League for like a hot minute. Um I played a bit myself. Uh you know, I wanted to be a sports announcer, mainly for baseball, and that never happened. But uh I think I I fell out of love with radio and sports all in general. Like, I don't know. I just kept evolving and then it just didn't fit I guess the man I wanted to be, which sounds weird because there's nothing wrong with sports. I just kind of changed my focus to other things.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Yeah. But like you said, like sometimes you hid you your life kind of comes to a reset, and it's not necessarily that there's anything wrong with what was before. It's just it's done.

SPEAKER_03 12:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

It's done. And then it's time for something else. But what made you then fall in love with bartending? Because that's like Okay, that's like a very different world. I mean, there's some overlaps, obviously. Like had you maybe gone into banking, it would have been a bigger, bigger jump. But still, it's an image necessarily an an obvious turn, I think, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_04 13:11

I never see myself as a banker. Sorry, you just threw that in my head, I was just like, ugh. Um, so I kind of did not hear what you said. I was just like, ugh, bar it that sounded like a boring job. I'm sorry, what did you say?

SPEAKER_01 13:22

No, I was like, how did you fall in love with bartenders? Because to me, it's not like it's not an obvious kind of trajectory from where you were coming from with Miami, and also like Miami is full of bars and so much nightlife. So if you were gonna like pursue that dream, Miami would have been an obvious place for it, I feel like.

SPEAKER_04 13:41

Right, but I was a different person. Let's start off with that. So, like, even the way I looked at things. So, um, before I started bartending, um, I was struggling to figure out what to do as far as work-wise. Even getting a job was hard because all my connects were down in Miami. I had nobody up north. Um, and I was on a phone with a friend, and um I was telling her, like, you know, it's it's so hard, I can't even get a rejection email. Like, I I spent the whole day applying and you know, dropping off resumes, and I couldn't get it, I couldn't get anybody to even look at it. And she had me on speaker, and her father, I guess, heard, or maybe she told him he's like, Oh, so-and-so is struggling. And he suggested that I should get into bartending because I'm good at talking to people. And I was just like, Oh, you just you just mentioned it, and I was just like, my Miami mentality at the time, because I hadn't shaken that off yet. I was like, ugh, bartending. I worked in radio station. Like, I'm not gonna bartend, that's beneath me. So I always like I got I kind of just put that one away and I did other things. I worked in retail, which obviously isn't better than bartending. Uh I worked at a Sephora, believe it or not.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 14:48

Yeah, see how they see how she lit up? Women love when I bring up that I worked at Sephora.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

I'm not even a Sephora girl, but I'm everybody has a little Sephora girl in them. No, I just I respect it. It would be to me, it's like it's like it's like it's it's like you saying, Oh, I worked at a lingerie store.

SPEAKER_04 15:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

It's like well, it can be very when you're when you're shopping for your stuff.

SPEAKER_04 15:10

I might question if the dude's a creep or not with that, but um hi, hello, hi, hi, just the locals passing by. Um so yeah, Sephora was interesting. I got into that. Um, and it was it was interesting being the only straight guy working there. Uh a lot happened there, but it it's it's they they chewed me, they chewed me up and spit me out. Okay, um, even though I killed in sales there, and um the guest service thing definitely I I got to flex that muscle there uh because I gave you know an experience that nobody else literally could do there. I'm like, I'm the straight guy who's gonna be honest with you, so I'm gonna make sure you look good on the way out. And people love that experience. So, like people would find out when my schedule was. Like, people knew my schedule before I did, really. And these girls would just tell them, I'm just like, yo, that's not safe. What if I had stalkers? Um actually, real quick, I know you asked about bartending, but hold on, hold on. I just remember this. So there was this one one regular there who like where was this? Where in New York was this? This was actually in Jersey City. Oh. So across across the old pond. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

And um I only uh Okay, now I'm putting myself out there as like somebody who is very blonde, but I was literally it is what day it is two days ago that I that I found out that New Jersey is its own state.

SPEAKER_03 16:42

Wait, what? Can you say that out loud? So so so they can hear you across the street so construction guys can hear what you say?

SPEAKER_01 16:49

New Jersey is not in New York state.

SPEAKER_04 16:52

Hey, you know what? I'm sure there's some Americans without the same thing, so you're off the hook.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

Thank you. Yeah, thank you. I forgot. I was like, why don't they build a bridge? I was like, why don't they build a bridge to Germany? I was like, what?

SPEAKER_04 17:05

Oh, build to Germany would be cool.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Well, all from Denmark, you know, like gotta, you know, oh I see.

SPEAKER_04 17:09

Oh, that's what you meant. I thought you meant from New York. I'm like, I take that trip. It'd be a long ass trip, but I take it.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Um, so so I had this guest. She was a regular, right?

SPEAKER_04 17:19

And obviously, my whole thing was like, I'm the straight guy that made everyone feel comfortable. Like, I'd be honest with them. I wouldn't say I flirt it, but you know when you're nice, that's just kind of like a natural thing. You are also kind of naturally a bit flirty. I don't I don't think so. Okay, I'll take your word from it. I'll take your word from it.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

Not in not not not in not that you're like not in not in a creepy way or like too much. I hope not. Just just yeah. There's another there's a vibe.

SPEAKER_04 17:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

You have a vibe. Alright. Anyway, okay, go ahead. I'll take it. I'll take it.

SPEAKER_04 17:48

Go. Um I like the way you smile when you did that. Anyways, uh, so I I I was just being really nice to her. I I just doing my thing, and at one point, she was by Sh Yeah, I guess it's not important what she looked like. That's not nice. So we're just gonna not mention the way she looked like. But uh she was on an in an aisle looking at something, and I was gonna walk by that aisle, and she looked at me and smiled, and I smiled back, but I kept walking. Oh Brooklyn. I love it. So I passed by her and she kind of walked backwards and uh grabbed my package. Yeah. Uh I was like, what the f Wait, can I curse on this? Yeah, of course. Okay. I was like, what the fuck? Especially since like I'm being a nice guy. Like, for the first time, I was like, that's the first time I've ever been grabbed like that.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

But that's that's aggressive. Yeah, and mind you, it was the middle place. It was the middle of the day, too.

SPEAKER_04 18:49

It wasn't even like late night. I think the sun was still out outside. Like it was it was crazy. So I so she grabbed me, right? And I was like, what the like honestly, I was clearly unhappy. So I go to my general manager and I was like, yo, that lady just grabbed my thing. And I'll never forget her reaction. She looked at me and started chuckling. She started like holding in a laugh, she was laughing at me, and I was like, Oh, cool, that's the situation here. And for the first time, I understood what ladies went through. Yeah, it wasn't a good feeling. I'm like, damn, this is my boss laughing at me. I just got my whole thing grabbed by a stranger, and yeah. Yeah, so, anyways, I'm not at Sephora anymore. Um I had a couple other odd jobs, and um, it was

First Bar Work And Finding Mentors

SPEAKER_04 19:37

a struggle. Like, I couldn't figure out what to do. I was staying in my great uncle's basement, and it wasn't like the greatest. From my own apartment in Miami to a basement, you know, in New Jersey, like I didn't want to be there. You don't go from Miami to New Jersey and love life. Sorry, Jersey. Even though I defend Jersey now after being there for a while, uh, I think it's a great place. Uh, but it's not where I wanted to be, and I took up bartending because I figured, okay, I'll make some quick money while they figure out my next move. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

And is that a common thing in the industry that a lot of people like get into it because of that, and then they end up like loving it?

SPEAKER_04 20:16

That's what happened to me, totally. So people get into I okay, so I I say this all the time. Um nobody grows up wanting to be a bartender, so everyone has a unique story as to how they fell into it. Interesting. Like, and no one no one's no one's in high school saying, yeah, after uni, I'm gonna go bartend and just do that. I would like that to be the case, but that's not where we are right now with the art form. So um going back to me, I got into it just to make some quick money, and I'm like, well, I'm a good talker, like my friend's dad said. And I was like, all right, I'll try it now. I had to, you know, kill my ego and tried it. And it was interesting because I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but neither did my co-workers at the time. So it was a lot of ego and stuff. But uh, where was this bar?

SPEAKER_01 21:03

When was the first one?

SPEAKER_04 21:04

So actually, I started my bar career in Newark, New Jersey, which was it's let's be honest, it's not the nicest neighborhood. I mean it's not terrible, but it's it's up and coming, as I say, but it's like Newark, New Jersey has a reputation.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

It yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

And it's a reputation that I can tell you is like we've even heard of it in Copenhagen.

SPEAKER_04 21:26

Newark's reputation major to Copenhagen?

SPEAKER_01 21:29

Yes, it's it's Damn. Yeah, yeah. Damn. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:34

Okay, Newark.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:35

Poppin'. And you didn't know that they're that that the state that they're in is their own. Okay. No. Um so needless to say, it like I wasn't gonna choose like a hood bar or neighborhood bar or anything like that, just because like I didn't want to deal with the locals on that level. So she's you know, it's intimidating bartending, especially when we don't have any experience. So I worked at a at a fancy hotel, I won't say their name. Because I didn't have a great time working there. But I worked at a fancy hotel there. And it didn't take long for me to become quote unquote the best bartender there. And to me, that was a problem because I knew I was very green at the time. And for me to learn, I can't be the best bartender. I always like want to be better. And the only way to be better is to be around people who are better than you, right?

SPEAKER_02 22:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:26

So when it hit me, I can't remember the moment. Wow, construction's being real loud right now.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

Sorry. No, it's all good. So the place needed help. I'm the one who insisted on being outside. Because this You wanted real life Brooklyn. It's all it is. Yeah, but it was also just like so nice, and like I don't I they weren't like they were playing music inside. I don't want to like ask them to take it down because I think that can be more like copyright stuff. Yeah, well, that probably too, but mainly also just like that I think that's more distracting. Because then suddenly you have like a song and then you start listening to the lyrics, and then you're suddenly like you're completely gone.

SPEAKER_04 23:03

I am ADHD like that. I would start singing the song of my head. So um so back to bartending. So the moment that I fell in love with bartending, or at least got really interested, um the hotel needed help getting their bar program together, so they hired a consulting company. Um I remember their name. I don't know if they're still around, but I believe they were called Blackwood. And they brought this bartender from New York, a mixologist, if you will, and he came in. I remember he had this big beard. He was Dominican too. His name is Juan. Uh, and he wore hats too. Uh smaller version than mine, kind of like that Jason Moraz style hat. Okay, okay. Uh, original Bruno Mars style hat, if you remember. Um, but he was really cool, man. Uh, he did have a lisp, but he was a cool guy, and he had the skills that I wanted. I watched him bartend, I was just like, that. I need to learn how to do that, especially since we were next to each other at the bar. And again, prior to him coming here, I became the best bartender there, which wasn't a flex because everyone sucked there. Uh so I wasn't that good, but I was the best bartender at the time before he showed up. Nobody wanted to come to my side of the bar, they all wanted to go to his, and it was obvious that that's where the show was. And I'm like, I gotta get good so I can have my own show. Um, and it wasn't an ego thing, it's just like I like entertaining people. So I would start asking him questions and he would teach me a thing here or there, but um gatekeeping was a big thing.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Okay. Um but he did gatekeeping in in what way?

SPEAKER_04 24:35

Like he didn't want to reveal his secrets, he didn't want to like I don't even know what secrets they are because somebody taught it to him, but that happens a lot in our industry, especially the generation before mine. Um, they they had it rough coming up, so they don't want to make it easy for the next people. I think that hurts the growth of the industry, but I'm one man. Um But I took what I can from him and I appreciate my time with him. Uh it was cool because he did tell me about Sorry. Oh you're good. Uh he did tell me about this documentary called uh I believe it's called Hey Bartender, Hey There Bartender. Um And it really changed the way I look at bartending as a whole. Uh it highlighted a couple bars around the country, but mainly this bar here in New York called Employees Only. And it was just a whole culture around. It still exists, it still exists, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Wow, where where is it? Where is it located in New York?

SPEAKER_04 25:29

I believe somewhere in lower Manhattan. I'm terrible with direction. I always GPS everything. I'm the worst, even though I've been here for over a decade now. Um, yeah, I'm I told you guys it was special. So the place is still there. Um, but they had such a really cool culture, and I wanted to be like a part of something like that or that place itself. So uh though that guy didn't teach me that much because of gatekeeping, I did get hungry to be a better bartender and just be part of that culture. Like I wanted to work at a fancy cocktail bar and be known as that cool bartender because he just gave me a taste of that. Like I had no idea how cool this industry can be, and I wanted to be a player in that, right? So as the years went on, it just got better and better, and I didn't last very long at bars because I kept growing and I felt like I would plateau on these bars. Yeah, and as my skills went up, so did my love for it.

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Um often a good sign that you're in the right place.

SPEAKER_04 26:28

I would go to a new place and I'd be the greenest bartender there, and you know, you get a little bullying and a little this and that, people don't trust you, but you have to fight and earn for those good shifts and to be able to get, you know, to get off of service and be like the point at the bar, which is my favorite spot. Um point is like you don't like there's usually two stations at a bar or like multiple spots. There's the first point, which is the front of the bar, is like it's usually the best bartender that's there, in my opinion. It's the first per bartend you see on the way in and the last bartend you see on the way out. They're the ones that usually greet you when you come in and out.

SPEAKER_02 27:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:03

That's that tends to be, in my opinion, the strongest bartender. And I love that because you talk to the people and you create for them and you just set the vibe.

SPEAKER_02 27:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:10

Uh pun intended. Um, and uh I wanted to be that guy, so I kept working

Speakeasy Lessons Flavor And Ratios

SPEAKER_04 27:17

on that. Uh shout out to the 18th room, uh, one of my favorite bars that I've worked at. Uh that was the first speakeasy I worked at. They're no longer around, but they're in Chelsea. They were in Chelsea, they were part of the Bathtub Gin kind of.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:28

We went I took you there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So uh the 18th room was a speakeasy next to the speakeasy that was super popular, Bathtub Gin. We were the lesser-known one, but we were doing really cool stuff there. Um, that's when I really learned how to flavor prof like like understand flavors and ratios and um get creative and stuff. Like that program was so cool because the employees made the menu and they changed it seasonally.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 27:57

And so four times a year we changed the new menu, and each bartender got assigned a spirit and we had seasonal ingredients.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 28:06

So we could only use these seasonal ingredients, but we can't like let's say pomegranate is one. If somebody claims that you can't touch pomegranate anymore, so like there's a number of things.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_04 28:17

And it was really cool because you also like you got to collaborate with your co-workers to make sure you weren't you doing the same thing, the same style of cocktails, so there's still variety, but also you had to get cool with the chef because the chef was using these same seasonal ingredients for their menu.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Oh, okay. I got to get rid of creative.

SPEAKER_04 28:34

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 28:35

Okay, and can you give an example of like one one time like a spirit that you got assigned and like the stuff that you I remember my first one.

SPEAKER_04 28:42

Uh so I brought a pomegranate because um still very green at this point, but you know, the confidence is there in being able to talk to people, but there's just so much information and knowledge uh within the cocktail world. Um so I'm learning as I go. And I got assigned whiskeys, which was a great start for me. And um I chose a scotch just because I at the time I was more on I knew more about bourbons and stuff because old fashioned is my favorite cocktail.

SPEAKER_00 29:10

Okay, oh good.

SPEAKER_04 29:11

Yeah. Um that was my first intro cocktail where I was just like, this is a grown-up drink. It was like old fashioned, hell yeah. I'm growing sexy. Anyways, so I got assigned whiskey, and the seasonal ingredients were all over the place, but I saw pomegranate for some reason. I was like, oh, I like pomegranate, so I reached over there, not knowing how hard it is to work with it. Uh this bar, this bar, uh, we were proud of how sustainable we were. So, like, we used everything. Part of the program, seasonal ingredients. We all use the same ingredients, so it's not a bunch of a waste of food and things, right? Yeah, so when you choose an ingredient, you have to use as many parts of it as possible without and and like minimize the waste. So I got the pomegranate, we got the juice, we got the seeds, the pulp, and the skin, and I had to figure out how to use all of it in a cocktail. In a cocktail. Um, so that is so cool. Yeah, and it wasn't easy, um, but I figured something out over time. I made a pomegranate shrub with the juice and the pulp. Um, but I didn't know what to do with the skins, and that's when I actually started researching ingredients for the first time. Something I do normally now, but it got with the ball rolling on that. I researched pomegranates, and I was just like, Well, I'm kind of a health nut. Is there any benefits to this? And I saw that in that's so loud. Um in like Indian cultures, they use pomegranates and they make pomegranate tea, and it's like they use the uh skin and dehydrate to make a powder and then rub it on their face. And I'm like, that explains their great skin. So I was like, is this stuff edible? I looked it up, it had a lot of vitamins and things like that. So I dehydrated it, grinded it down to a powder, and used it as like a powder garnish on the top of the cocktail. So I had because I knew I was gonna do that, I had to make the cocktail a sour, like a fluffier cocktail. So it was uh reddish pink, and then it was fluffy. Fluffy is funny. So it's like fluffy and then on top of the fluffy.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Yeah, but like with the egg white or like like fluff or yes, like with an egg white, right?

SPEAKER_04 31:18

Crap. But I didn't use egg whites because as a vegan I wanted to stay true to myself, so I was using chickpea brine to make a vegan alternative to do that. There's other things you can do now, but at the time that's what I did, and it was delicious. It was called the morning glory fizz. Okay. No, no, sorry, the morning glory fizz was the original cocktail that I inspired it off of. This is the morning after fizz, which everyone made fun of because they were like, Yeah, see, that's I I wanted that reaction, so that's why I called it the morning after fizz. Which is kind of ironic because not to go a little dark, but the cocktail was kind of red. Yeah, I know. It's not great. I have fun. So, anyways, uh, I was very proud of that cocktail. I still have the menu that I have. Our menus are printed on newspapers to keep the old speakeasy thing going, uh, pre-prohibition stuff. So I still have that menu, and I'm very proud of it because I got my first cocktail on there with my name on it, and that I wanted more of that, and I just kept doing that as I went on by you know bars to bars, um, and then eventually the pandemic hit, and that's when everything changed for me because I didn't want to just be a bartender, I had time to look within.

Pandemic Reset Private Bartending Path

SPEAKER_04 32:27

Um, the world stopped spinning as we know, but also your industry was full halt, completely stop, and yeah, and we didn't know if we were gonna get back to things, so I remember the conversation was on will bartending ever be a thing because we can't even like be in the same room with people now. So I was like, shoot, there's DJs doing like live streams, right? But I can't live stream as a bartender, right? I can't like how how do I do that? There was people, you know, selling like to go cocktails, making deliveries, but I'm just like, that's not really legal, and that sounds annoying. Like, that's not that's just selling cocktails, that's not bartending. So I didn't know what I was gonna do.

SPEAKER_01 33:08

That's a big difference because again, it's like bartending is way more about the whole experience of talking to it for me.

SPEAKER_04 33:16

It's all about experience. All the other things just lead up to like are part of, should I say, the experience. Being able to make a cocktail fast, being able to talk to people, um, presentation flavor, all that is to add to the experience. The experience is the whole show. That's the thing. That's the reason people come out, they want an experience. Um, so I couldn't do that as a bart as a bartender during the pandemic. So um I was in a relationship that ended, you know, statistically, a lot of relationships didn't make it through the pandemic. I was a casualty of that. Um my mom, we weren't in each other's bubble because I was living in Brooklyn and she wasn't at the time. Well, she never lived in Brooklyn, but she, you know, she was elsewhere in another state. So I couldn't put my energy into a relationship, into my mom, I couldn't into my job because obviously we weren't working. So for the first time, I was putting energy into myself. And I realized a lot of things. Like one, I wasn't loving myself enough, so that just started a whole journey, but um I started a private bartending business.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

Okay, okay, explain what that is.

SPEAKER_04 34:26

So I wanted to continue doing what I was doing, and I had some clients from when I bartended in Jersey, uh, not in Newark, uh, somewhere else, another town called Summit. Uh it's a it's a it's a more expensive neighborhood. Yeah. They have country club and stuff. There was a time where I bartended at a country club. Um, after Newark, I bartended at this country club, and those people were upset when I left because people with money don't like change. So they got my contact information, and um what am I asking if I would bartend their birthday? And I said, yeah. I didn't even price myself outright. I was like, yeah, I'll do it for a hundred bucks. Bartenders, please don't ever, ever just take a hundred dollars for anything you do. That's way underselling yourself. But um people started to ask me for to bartend their events more and more because it was, you know, it's just an experience, and I'm bringing it to their private homes. Uh so I started thinking about how I can elevate that experience and still scratch my itch on creating cocktails and having that experience. So I try to bring as much as what I did at the 18th room to these private events, and that opened up a whole new door of what people want. I started realizing people really want these experiences, they want elevated cocktails, they want the camaraderie, they want the conversation, they want a presentation, they want to feel special.

SPEAKER_03 35:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:43

So what's it? Oh. Hi. Hi. Thank you, Crystal. She's the one who makes my uh Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

I pre-ordered this. I was like, before you close the machine, can I please have?

SPEAKER_04 35:56

They're the best here, they really are. That's an experience. So people listening.

SPEAKER_01 35:59

I just I just got a very special delivery coffee out here. So yeah. No, sorry, continue.

SPEAKER_04 36:06

The private So I started doing that and I went pretty hard at that. I was like, this is what I'll do. I'll work for myself. Like it feels great. I had freedom. I felt like a human being for the first time. Like I didn't have I've always had jobs. If you grew up with me, you know that I've always had multiple jobs, and I've always missed out on things because I had to work all the time. Uh like I said, I didn't come for money. Excuse me. Uh, but I worked hard at that and I would drive around the tri-state area. I had clients in Jersey and New York, um, Connecticut. I would drive all over the tri-state area, and I was doing well for myself, but I quickly realized that I plateaued and I wasn't gonna make it bigger. I was like, I don't want to be the guy who known who having for having a mobile bartending business. So I kind of gave that up. Like I was just kind of tired of going to people's homes, and it's just saying, you know, it's like I feel like I was on a a merry-go-round, and it's I kept saying the same things. I was just like, I want more out of life. Um, so I know that I would like I started posting things on social media, some cocktails, uh, euphoria, the show on HBO was like a big, kind of big artist awakening

Euphoria Cocktails Content Confidence Shift

SPEAKER_04 37:16

for me. I mean the show itself is really artistic, the way it's shot, colors, music, the insane story, and all that. Um, and I was somewhat religiously watching that show, especially when season two came out, and uh it was very popular, and you know, obviously, lockdown was still kind of a thing, so I I started posting cocktails inspired by the show. Uh, there was this woman I dated, this artistic woman. Uh, my muse are always uh weird artistic women. Uh, y'all are definitely my type. So I was dating one, and we were watching Euphoria, and we were hyped about it. That was like the most popular thing. And she was she is a big TikTok girl, and she sent me a TikTok make like of somebody making a quote unquote euphoria-inspired cocktail, and there was like edible glitter. Um, it wasn't really done well, it was very DIY. You can tell the person's never worked at a bar, but she sent me this and I was like, Oh, that's cool, and she's like, No, it's not do better. I was like, Oh, thank god, I taught you something. Um, the cocktail was it wasn't great. I was like, I could do better. So to impress her, I wanted to come up with a much better version, an elevator version of a Euphoria-inspired cocktail, and I couldn't come up with one, so I came up with five for like the main girls of the show, and I kind of just based each cocktail off of how I felt their aesthetic and personality was, and that blew up. I remember that got really popular. It's like the first time I ever had anyone give a shit about what I was posting on Instagram. Uh kinda? Not I wouldn't say viral because I had a few hundred followers, but like the followers that I got were really into it. I got a lot of engagement, I'll say.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

Okay, okay. Um, and do you remember any of the cocktails? Like, could you give an example?

SPEAKER_04 39:00

Absolutely. Um so And why?

SPEAKER_01 39:04

Explain why.

SPEAKER_04 39:05

So the first cocktail I posted, um I didn't really figure out yet the theme yet. Like I just wanted to like aesthetically, like I remember uh Zendaya's character, Rue, uh always wore like like dark reds. Like if you watched the show, you notice that uh each girl kind of had a color that was always attached to them. Oh like Cassie had like light blue.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

Um pink. I just remember in that pink suit. Like a very bright, like right, but she had like those correctly blue, yeah, definitely blue, definitely.

SPEAKER_04 39:39

And then um Hunter Schaefer's character, what was that one? Uh um I forgot her name. Jules, Jules, Jules. So Jules had all these like cotton candy style, like bubblegum colors, like she had that kind of aesthetic, right? So for their cocktail, I made a uh Raymond's gin fizz, but I made it cotton candy flavored. I used actual cotton candy, um, and I made another fizzy cocktail, like with the egg white, and I had this edible pink glitter in there, and that was probably my favorite one. I I chose like I got I did this whole lighting thing. Like I was at the time I was scared to be in front of a camera, so it was just my hands, but like I would choose the music, and I would just try to like get a scene from the show where they wore an outfit that had these colors or the colors on the shot like that I'm inspired to make and the song that was attached to it. So I just kind of like try to recreate a scene or an energy from the show, yeah, and I'd make it in the cocktails. Uh so that one was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 40:44

And when did you start getting comfortable being in front of a camera?

SPEAKER_04 40:48

Oh, that came way later. Um and why?

SPEAKER_01 40:51

Why was that a thing that you kind of discovered that you wanted to like develop?

SPEAKER_04 40:56

I got asked to make content, which was so flattering because like I didn't at the time I didn't see myself as somebody who can, you know.

SPEAKER_01 41:04

Who asked you?

SPEAKER_04 41:05

Um, this was the edible glitter company that I used for that I found. Yeah. So this is why I say if you got just do it, you never know what doors open.

SPEAKER_01 41:16

So I I found this edible. From the Euphoria cocktail inspired Wow, okay, the company called uh Brew Glitter.

SPEAKER_04 41:23

Okay, and I only found them because of that TikTok that was with the bad cocktail. They used that, so I was like, I'll do that better, I'll use that better. So uh I tagged them. I always tag whoever you use and things, and they love the cocktails so much that they wanted me to do something for the spring, and by then I got some confidence in me, and uh I sh I was in front of the camera. I also wanted to like match my colors with the energies, and I chose songs, and like my whole thing is like I try to hit you with as many scents as possible with my cocktail videos because you can't taste the cocktail, so I want you to feel it somehow. Oh, that's I want you to read like okay, that looks good, that's pretty, that look sounds delicious when you read the ingredients and like what inspired me to do that, but also like how I'm dressed, the tempo of it, the the the setting of it, the music. The music to me is very important. Yeah um so at that point after the euphoria stuff I got confident and I just wanted to be in front of the camera, and um, yeah, that's where I went from there, and it just kept growing, and now I'm now I love being in front of the camera. I'm so comfortable right now.

SPEAKER_01 42:28

Yeah, but uh um what okay, so but in terms of if we dial back to just like pandemic times, yes, because I know that there was something else that happened during the pandemic that a lot happened actually. You you got really busy because you also did the the first um non-alcoholic in New York, which I think is so cool, yeah, it's so different, and like thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 42:57

Um at the time, man, the emotions that went through that. So that actually happened after the pandemic, like things will open up again.

SPEAKER_01 43:03

Um there's a connection to the pandemic.

Rethinking Alcohol Dry Cocktail Language

SPEAKER_01 43:06

Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_04 43:06

So um, what you're talking about is I opened NYC's first fully non-alcoholic speakeasy. There was already a non-alcoholic bar, but I was doing the first fully non-alcoholic speakeasy with elevated non-alcoholic cocktails, right? Um, notice I don't use the word mocktail because I thought it would be disrespectful to what I was doing, so I coined the phrase dry cocktail from the vernacular. I like to call them dry cocktails. Um to me, they're just cocktails, but I understand there has to be a separation between alcoholic and non-alcoholic. And to me, saying non-alcoholic or zero proof or even mocktail, those are all like really negative words. And the last thing I want to do is mock an adult who wants a cocktail without alcohol. So I refuse to call it a mocktail.

SPEAKER_01 43:50

And also, I feel like this is something that is like obviously Copenhagen or Denmark and Norway as well, I would say, but definitely Danes are like known for having. A really heavy drinking culture. Yes. So and not like necessarily like not heavy and like a you know, kind of like I feel like the French and Italian, like the and and like the you know, the Mediterranean. It's all about it's all about wine, you know what? And there it's like it's like uh you know, I remember I was speaking to this Spanish guy in Copenhagen recently, and I just said, What do you miss most about you know Barcelona? And he was like, I just miss going into like any place and being able to put to pick out a really good bottle of wine for like 10 euros. And in my head, I was like, but we have good wine in Copenhagen. I was like, oh no, but it's like when you live in those countries, there's just a different culture for it altogether. So it's like it's they they just grow up with like the taste palettes and understanding like how it's made and all this stuff, and like in a way that we like we just don't. But in Denmark, we have a strong drinking culture. We're obviously very big on beer. Um it's beer with it. But I feel like in snaps, you know, which is very kind of the classical Danish thing, but but honestly, I just feel like wait, like like like snaps, like peach snaps and peppermint schnaps? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So like snaps, yeah. Anyway, um, you know. Uh anyway.

SPEAKER_04 45:12

I know Apple B, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:14

Of course you're a bartender. This is your this is your thing.

SPEAKER_04 45:17

I'm an American bartender.

SPEAKER_01 45:18

Yeah. But um, but I feel like here is like, especially since weed has been so legalized so many places, people don't drink in the same way. Or like, at least like it's just it's just very different. I've just noticed a lot that it's like, oh there's still definitely drinkers out there.

SPEAKER_04 45:35

There trust me, there's still people who drink a lot. Or just casually drink on a regular, but there's more people realizing that there's options.

SPEAKER_01 45:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:46

Um, I'm one of them. I don't really drink alcohol at much at all anymore. Like, if I do, like I wouldn't say I'm sober, uh, and the pandemic did a lot for that. I there was a time where I thought I was fully sober, uh, but shout out cannabis. I can't quit your baby. Um, I'll still taste alcohol uh for educational purposes, and I will have like a legit occasional one, like if it's a good occasion, right? Yeah, um, but even then I probably don't think.

SPEAKER_01 46:16

Is that like then oh, wedding, uh, new year's, birthday, or is it like, oh, I'm at this really cool bar and I wanna I wanna try this other art cock bartender artist's creation?

SPEAKER_04 46:33

Yes, and it still just depends. So like everything you said, yes, but even depends. So like I won't do it at just anyone's wedding. It has to be someone who like really matters to me's wedding. I'll like I'll have a drink with them, right? Okay or I go to a cocktail bar that I'm like I see their cocktail program, I'm just like inspired by it. I go, I gotta what you put those flavors together, and that I gotta taste that. I gotta see that, right? Um, but I won't do it just to have a cocktail, like I I no longer enjoy the way alcohol makes me feel.

SPEAKER_01 47:02

Oh, interesting, right?

SPEAKER_04 47:03

And it it's never too bad, honestly. I just don't like the feeling. Um my name is Vibe, it just feels low vibes, um, and I don't wanna you know shit on anybody who drinks because like everyone is different, so I don't think that I'm better than anybody. It's just I listen to my body and it's not the greatest for me, so I I honor that. But I don't think it's necessarily bad.

SPEAKER_01 47:24

Yes, there's bad things, like we all know alcohol has ruined a lot of lives, but it's also brought a lot of positivity, so it's just but how do you then feel about like kind of you are making somebody else feel that way and you don't enjoy that feeling yourself? Do you feel like that's hypercritical?

SPEAKER_04 47:41

I had that dilemma for a while, but it changed the way I bartended. I missed your cut people the fuck off. I you're done. If I think you've had enough, I won't push it because I want people to have a good time and I want them to have the best version of it. Like the truth is that alcohol is a drug, it's a poison. It's just one that could be used for good and it could be used for evil. So I think my I feel like my responsibility as the wizard bartender that I am, um, the magical being that I choose to be, that it's my responsibility to give you the best version of that because I feel alcohol is not respected as much as it should be. Compared to a lot of things. That's a different car. We'll put a pin on that. Yeah, but that's a different thing. We'll definitely gotta talk about that. Um but for me, it's I care about the person who's allowing me to make them a a cocktail, a drink. It's lit literally, a literally it's literally a drug. Uh it's a poison, like I said. I mean, you have too much of it, bad things will happen. So if you're trusting me, oh a perfect stranger, to make you something, I want to make the best version of it, and I want to kind of to a certain extent kind of guide you through that.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

Nice.

SPEAKER_04 49:02

To me, it is a spiritual thing. I mean, it's they're called spirits for a reason. I don't think people think about that.

SPEAKER_01 49:06

No, but no, it's it's true, but that's also why you have that whole thing of like, oh, you know, when you get drunk, that's when the truth comes out. They say that, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 49:13

The inhibitions are different, right? Uh those walls come down and like your true self is when you're drunk. Uh I believe that to a certain extent. I don't fully believe that.

SPEAKER_01 49:23

I don't know if I fully believe that.

SPEAKER_04 49:24

I think your demons come out. I think whatever you don't work on comes out.

SPEAKER_01 49:28

I also think that some people can and I can definitely also feel like I feel that a little bit for myself as well. That sometimes I think I can get a bit more courageous and and a bit more ballsy. Yes. Like definitely a bit more sassy, but um uh but uh but but I can definitely feel like there are certain things where where I can feel a bit more invincible, and I think especially when it comes to uh like romance and kind of like that type of stuff, I I can definitely feel like I get more I get a little bit more ballsy in a way.

SPEAKER_02 50:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:07

And um and also because I think it's also the fact that it's like if I'm a little bit tipsy, you know, it's like I'm on that buzz, and then it just doesn't feel like even if I get rejected, or even if like doesn't go to plan, then don't give me that look.

SPEAKER_04 50:25

I'm just anyway trying to see how many times you've been rejected.

SPEAKER_01 50:32

Well, it's not happened very often, but um not surprised.

SPEAKER_04 50:37

But or it just feels like Guys, I got her blushing on her own show.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

Anyway, um I'm a professional. Yeah, yeah, but but anyway, but then it it just it doesn't feel like I'm gonna get hurt. Like that's the thing. It's like but then I also I will say this that is like when I was younger, oh my god. I've like the worst fights that I used to have with my ex was definitely when it we were out and I had too much to drink, and it was like it was and it just felt then it just felt like a like a um what's um levine like uh oh uh like uh the the the the the snow that keeps Oh it's snowballs. Yes, but but like but like the thing that's dangerous when when the snow in the mountains an avalanche an avalanche, exactly. Levine, yeah, sorry. Avalanche. Um avalanche. Then it just feels like an avalanche, it's like you can't turn it, you know? It's like no matter what. Oh, it's what it's like. It's almost like I can just watch myself, you know, kind of okay, you flip the switch, now you're mad, you're angry, and there is no amount of excuses or you know begging, pleading, whatever that's gonna be able to stop this from completely just the floodgates open, it's wrecking the night, you know? Yeah, exactly. And that I've definitely grown out of, and I'm really happy about that. So that's that's growth. It is, it is, but but yeah.

SPEAKER_04 52:02

So that's the thing with alcohol. Um, going back to what you said about how your confidence and how ballsy you are in like romance and dating and stuff. So it's the thing about alcohol. Alcohol does the trick, right? Yeah, but too much alcohol ruins it. But have you been? Wow, that rhymed. You heard that?

SPEAKER_01 52:21

Anyways, um But you must have seen that as well when you're bartending, like you're like a first date or something, and then you can just see that it's like, oh, now she's at that. She's enjoying herself now. She's she's really feeling herself.

SPEAKER_04 52:33

So or he is right. So knowing that, especially as a bartender who has been around so many people, and I I can confidently say this, I can read people's energy. I've been doing it for a long time, it's kind of how I got my name. Um, you could tell if somebody's nervous, you could tell somebody's confident, you could tell the dynamic just by how they interact or how they order or how they talk to you, or whatever, just by the way they sit down, just facial fixtures, whatever. So, something I like to do, and only if the energy permits it, um, I kind of like wingman and kind of like give them an experience and cater to them and kind of give like this concierge experience, kind of like a private chef would. Okay. But as a bartender, even though we're serving to everybody, I would come and just like check on them, kind of give them little conversation things that's like little talking points. Uh, there was this couple literally just last week, they had their first date, and I was very busy this day, but they were sitting in front of my station, and I was banging out drinks because I was doing service, uh, service bar, and um as I'm making these drinks, I'm like, man, that date's going pretty well in front of me. But like they hit a wall with a conversation, and they were talking about like a TV share or whatever, and the guy brought up something and didn't remember the name, and I knew the answer, so I just go, Oh, you're talking about this, and I just went back to work, and they're like, Oh my god, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then like that kind of loosened them up, and they kept talking, and then little by little they would like invite me more to the conversation, so I kind of touch and go. And they were so cute, the chemistry was through the roof, and it's like little things like that that make me love what I do because like anyone can be the fastest bartender, anyone can make the coolest drink. But can you give people an experience that they'll remember? Yeah, you know, um, it was it was adorable because at some point they took turns to go to the restroom. So, like the lady went to the restroom and the guy stayed behind you was like, dude, you're the best wing man, thank you so much. How do you think it's going? I'm like, dude, she's so into you, like it's so obvious. And then he was like, You sure? I was like, Yeah, dude, you're killing, you're killing it. And then eventually she comes back, he goes to the restroom, and then she's like, Do you think he likes me? Oh is it going well? And I'm just like, You guys are so freaking adorable. And it's like, it's like, oh, and thank you for helping us with the conversation. Like, it was weird for a while, but like, like, I just really wanted to like, and I was just like, Yeah, it's super cute. And I just kind of got to play Cupid for a second while doing what I love to do. It was a win-win. Uh, but alcohol, right? Going back to that, it does the trick, but it also ruins it. Going back to what your situation was, is the truth is that most human beings we're all insecure, whether you want a minute or not, right? It's just a normal thing, and some people handle their insecurities better than others. Alcohol kind of shuts your insecurities up. Yeah. Until it brings them back, depending how far you take it, right? So that's why I feel like my job, and it sucks that it's on me, but if I can help it, I can. I care about people being an empath. I try to kind of find the happy balance of they're drinking alcohol and having a good time and not taking it too far and ruining the night for themselves. Um, I don't think it's my job, but I think it's in I think I have some somewhat of a responsibility to kind of do what I can to better

Non Alcoholic Speakeasy Hard Lessons

SPEAKER_04 55:42

that.

SPEAKER_01 55:42

But that's really cool. Okay, so um before we go to like the the questionnaire, I just wanna uh go back to the whole thing with um the because obviously this podcast, like the the overall, you know, is about culture, and now we've spoken about multiple facets of bartending culture um and different ways that it gets into it. But how would you say that it's like what is the culture and how would you like to change it? Okay.

SPEAKER_04 56:15

Now so um the culture, the bar culture you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 56:22

Yeah, both in terms of like I'm thinking maybe more from like you as because you're the first bartender that I've met who've called themselves an artist.

SPEAKER_03 56:30

I see.

SPEAKER_01 56:31

So it's like we've spoken a little bit about like obviously there are certain things with like how the the audience, let's just call them that, um, um, you know, how they they're just responding to what goes on on stage, to use that analogy. Yeah. So obviously, like if you're putting on a great show, they're gonna respond to that. And like you said, with when you worked at the bar hotel bar back in Newark, you could notice as like, oh, they all want to go to that guy because he gives them a show, you know. So then obviously then there's a different drinking culture around him than there is around your station.

SPEAKER_02 57:07

Right.

SPEAKER_01 57:08

And so so I'm not talking so much about like what the audience is doing because there and like just like you said, for example, with when you opened the first non-alcoholic um Speakeasy Speakies. Oh, we didn't really finish getting to that because I'm not sure. No, no, no, but but um but you know, so like when you when you did that, um, then obviously then the audience is there because there were people coming and enjoying themselves and getting like thinking that it was a cool thing. So and then they were obviously not coming to kind of have their insecurities be silenced and then and lose.

SPEAKER_04 57:43

Yeah, that was such a social experiment. Um I'm gonna answer your question about the culture, but uh the non-alcoholic bar, if I may, real quick.

SPEAKER_01 57:51

No, no, let's get let's do the non-alcoholic bar and then end on that note because that is really cool. So, why did it s how did it come about and the social experiment of it all?

SPEAKER_04 58:00

So the pandemic happened. I am now home. I'm learning to love myself. And no relationship, no girlfriend, mom's not around, so I am pouring my own energy for the first time into myself and not to anyone else or anything, right? And I noticed that everyone during the pandemic is drinking a lot. It was like the cool thing. It's like, ah, it's 2 p.m. I'm on my third drink. Like people were bragging about it, and I was just like, ah, that's a slippery slope. I don't want to do that. And as a bartender, I have so much, so many alcohols in my place, right? Like I have a bookshelf full of spirits. Um it could have been very easy for me to just drink every day because I had access to it, right? And I chose to not drink alcohol.

SPEAKER_01 58:43

And you can also actually make delicious stuff, it's not just like correct opening another. Right.

SPEAKER_04 58:48

I'm not just I'm not just chugging whiskey straight out the bottle. I was making cocktails, but or I could have made cocktails, but I didn't want to do that. I wanted to take the time to give myself more love, eat cleaner, work out, mental health, healing, blah blah blah, all that. So I stopped drinking alcohol. And how that happened was um people a lot of people would come into my DMs and Instagram and ask me how to make a cocktail. I knew they weren't gonna make it, but I gave in away, I've given away so many recipes during the pandemic that it became annoying to me that people were just like asking me for recipes that I know they weren't gonna make and drink it. Every post was not every post, but a lot of posts were about people drinking. I was just like, I'm not gonna do this. Marijuana became legal here in New York. So I was just like, you know what? I can confidently now smoke weed. Mind you, I didn't really do it a lot growing up in Miami. I didn't want to get in trouble. Like I was a good kid. A lot of my friends did, and I I tried it a few times in Miami, but like I didn't really get into it until the pandemic. So late bloomer in that aspect, right? So I wasn't doing it to be cool or party, I was just doing it to feel good and relaxed. Something you would do if you drank alcohol, right? I just didn't want that energy anymore, so I had to find something else to kind of like relax me, make me feel more confident. Kind of the things you were talking about on dating, right? When drinking. So marijuana became legal, and I because I'm late, I didn't know how to I still till today I still don't know how to roll a joint properly. I was buying cones and that was just like a lot of work. So I started using my bartender brain because I'm like, how do I get this feeling without all that damn work to like roll my joints and stuff? So I used my bartender brain and started making tinctures. Um tinctures. So I would infuse the cannabis into liquid form, like kind of make it into liquid form. Um using like grain spirits and use drops of it, put in a dropper, and use drops of it and put it in drinks. Um, but because I didn't want to get crossfaded, I don't want to mix alcohol with the cannabis, I would make non-alcoholic drinks, but I would infuse them with cannabis. And I would love that feeling. It was great, it was positive. Like all the negatives of alcohol went away, and now I had positives. For example, I ate great, I wasn't throwing up, I slept phenomenal, I didn't have a hangover, I woke up feeling relaxed. Um I don't know if this is a podcast that, but like sex was better because I my blood flow was a lot better, you know? Yeah, um, like every you know, you've heard the term whiskey dick? Yeah. Okay. So cannabis cured whiskey dick. And as a man who loves the ladies, I didn't want that. Whiskey dick. So I was like, wow, I felt like I found this magical thing. Mind you, everyone knows about cannabis, but like the way I was using it, most people don't think to be using it instead of drinking it, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:42

Way nicer, it's way more social as well.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:44

It's way more social. Like, that's what I do when I go out now. Like, I'll have now it's it's it's a beautiful thing. I love seeing this. I have these ready-to-drink cans with like five or ten milligrams in them, and you can see how you know you can drink them, and they I buy them at the corner store. Really? And I go to events, and I'm drinking one of those, and I'm just kind of like riding a nice wave where I'm not too high, but I'm just like social and open. All those things you were talking about drinking alcohol. Wow. But so yeah, I stopped drinking alcohol because I was doing the cannabis thing, but I can't be high all the time. And whenever I would drink alcohol after that, my body hated it because I already loved this new thing I was doing to it. Um, so that's the reason I stopped drinking alcohol. Like I didn't have a dark past. I was lucky enough to not hit rock bottom. I never had a drinking problem. I think I threw up three times in my entire life from alcohol.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:28

But when when what what back to the back to the non-alcoholic space? Back to the non non-alcoholic space.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:35

Yes. So what happened was I'm at an event, um a 10 to 1 event. It's a rum company uh that my friend works for. I'm at an event and I meet this guy. Um, this gentleman is the owner of a popular bar that got shut down. During the pandemic. During the pandemic, it got shut down. Well, that's the thing. So um I found out after working with him, because he he he has his bar and he lost his liquor license. Yeah. So he was struggling, and I saw a man in need, and I was just like, so I do this non-alcoholic thing I'm obsessed with now. Can I do it at your spot since you don't have a liquor license right now? And we got in business, and I was able to do that, and it was great. Um, but I found out later why he lost his liquor license, it's because he was throwing parties illegally during the pandemic. So it's shut down. People were supposed to be home, and he would have these parties at his bar and he got caught. It's in the papers, um, and he lost his liquor license. So while while he was in court fighting to get his liquor license back, I took the opportunity because he had no business really going for him. He had a coffee shop that he tried to make, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't a St. Michelle's type of coffee shop. No. Um, so I got the opportunity to do that, and it was great. It was very hard because he didn't really care about it. Um, so I was doing everything by myself, but I met some great people. I got my name out there as far as someone who is quote unquote a face for the non-alcoholic movement here in New York. I'm still benefiting from that. Um, I'm doing a lot of cool things because of that. Bless you. Um, I met some great people. I met um my apprentice, Brenda. Shout out, Brenda. Hi, Brenda, I love you, girl. Uh, there, she doesn't drink alcohol. Bless you. Ooh. Um, and I made some great connections. It was very hard. The business had a lot of peaks and valleys, and I definitely went through a depression and I didn't make money in that.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:31

But but it's a great learning experience.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:33

I loved every part of that. Yeah, I learned so much from that. Um I learned I learned that anybody I work with who wants to use my brain and my personality and my skills, I learned about contracts and how important those are. Oh, oh, that I went over there just like cool, let's do it, friends. And I shook his hand and I hugged him and I said, Let's go into business, and that doesn't mean anything. Um so I got burned a couple times because you know, I I passionately get into things, and you know, I get as an artist, you get these passions and then you just kind of just wanted to make it work, so you just put all your energy into that. We're like, Yeah, we'll figure out everything else later, and they take advantage of you. So I've learned to do contracts now. Um, but if I didn't have the non-alcoholic bar, uh Fat Tiger was the name of the place, um, I wouldn't have learned these lessons. So I appreciate those bads so I can be better at my goods.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:26

Yeah, it's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:28

Yeah.

Why Bartenders Deserve More Respect

SPEAKER_01 1:05:29

Okay, and so as a as an artist, as a bartender artist, um what would you like, how would you like to kind of how do you view the craft? Okay, so and how would you like it to, again, how would you like to change the culture?

SPEAKER_04 1:05:48

Okay, so a lot of people love their bartender. Oh, I need a drink, or it's been a long week. Or, you know, people just love their bartender for the whole experience that we give them. We love them, but we don't respect them. Why do I say that? When people get too drunk, they no longer show love for their bartender if they don't get exactly what they want. Um we create a whole vibe.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:17

Is it also because it's like it's look it's like a job like you said in the beginning, like it's kind of looked down upon like you were drunk in the beginning, like I'm not like I work with it. We get paid in tips.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:25

Like how does anyone respect a job that is just in tips? Yeah, that's you know what I mean? Um there's no guaranteed money, and and if you're talking about that little minimum wage that we get, it's not great. And the American culture, you know, there's as far as tipping goes, there's I see both sides of it. I think everyone's wrong. I gotta figure something else out. But um, in order for that to happen, we have to elevate ourselves as bartenders, and then people need to see what that is. What do you mean by that? Creating cocktails that are unique, are balanced, taste great, have different flavor profiles, presentation's good, but then you also do it with a good attitude. You entertain the people, you help out on a date, you make people laugh, you talk about certain things, you just make people feel comfortable, make them feel, make them feel seen, make them feel like they matter when they go there, then they'll make you feel like you matter. I've gotten a lot of love from people that I've given love back to, you know, and it's not everybody, but I get a lot of love. I have strangers telling me things that have made me happy cry. You know, and it's just like, dude, I make drinks, and you felt so compelled to make me feel that way. That's beautiful. So um I want to turn this industry, or I would like to see this industry turn into more of a positive, like this whole get fucked up, get drunk, or so-and-so got messed up, or like even the safety of people, like a lot of women have gone through a lot of ugly things around culture with alcohol. Like there's been a lot, I don't want to see that anymore.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:50

Um you almost want to kind of make it turn into a positive. Yeah, like kind of, I just feel like it kind of almost make it a little bit more um almost like a little bit more ritualistic. Absolutely, you know, and a bit more that it's like it's not it's not about um the whole fucked up, like getting fucked up. It's it's about yeah, it's like you kind of go there to have it's a ceremonial almost, you know?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:17

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:18

And um and I feel responsible as and there's something elevated about something that's ceremonial ceremonial? Ceremonial yeah, kind of like a shaman and yeah, exactly, but you know, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:32

I want people so here's the thing I don't want people to stop drinking alcohol because I do believe extremes are bad. Um I want people to learn to love themselves and have a better relationship with alcohol. And if I can help by changing the culture and the way people look at cocktails and spirits as as a whole, or just the cocktail ex like the the the the night out experience, because it's not just about alcohol, it's so look at it as like art, as instead of just like a means to get means to an end, yes, because they want to get fucked.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:01

That part. And it's like, oh, I don't hate it, I'll drink it. As a form of entertainment. Actually, like oh, as okay, as a form of entertainment. Correct. And some interactive entertainment, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:09:10

Interactive entertainment, okay, cool. Yeah, it's like you come in feeling one thing, and by the time you leave, you feel better about yourself in life, and maybe you learned something, maybe you love yourself more, or maybe you got inspired for something, or maybe you realize that that bar you go to regularly is not the vibe anymore because what this bartender is doing here, what this bar is doing, it feeds me more spiritually.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:32

Yeah, okay, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:34

And on a that's on a smaller scale, right? On a bigger scale, um, I think what I'm doing, what a lot of bartenders here in New York are doing, is so valuable and so important to just human cultural. Culture. Now I'm having trouble speaking English. Um culturally, like we are in everyone's life. Especially now that there's non-alcoholic stuff, so like we are in everyone's lives. People drink alcohol, they don't drink alcohol, but they come out to to have a good time, to socialize and vibe, right? And we're such an important part of that, right? Um, because if bartenders all suck, it's a different energy, or if bartenders are not there, it's a different energy.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:18

Or if they just don't love what they're doing and they don't really suck.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:23

Sorry, you have if you don't love it, make space for the ones who want to do it. There's a lot of good bartenders who can't get jobs because people who don't like their jobs are holding up spots, but that's a different argument. Um I just want people to love themselves and I want people to respect and value what we do because look at chefs, for example. Chefs right now are killing it. They have their own channel, the Food Network, that's for them. Um, they're celebrity chefs all the time. People know a lot of celebrity chefs' names, their personalities, the way they dress, whatever they've done, and majority of people have never tasted a dish from them, but they know who they are, and I think that's cool. Uminary classes to learn how to cook properly so when they're on camera, they could do it legit. Look at the show The Bear. Yeah, beautiful industry show.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:19

I mean that show is partly in Copenhagen as well.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:22

Yes, yeah, yeah, totally. Chicago and Copenhagen, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:26

I actually mee's kind of bumped into Jeremy Allen White once in Copenhagen. She like Really? No, but it was like I was walking and I think I was like on the phone. I can't remember, but suddenly it's like meeps was like, you know, we were like taking up the whole entire sidewalk.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:43

Because in this in Copenhagen, the sidewalks are this compared to Oh, because you're not as a Doberman. Like, oh no, no. But uh, but uh but yeah, here in New York it's so wide. But but yeah, we uh we were like walking and suddenly like some you know you know when some because she she just suddenly took like a hard left, you know, and just like and so her lead obviously went across and then somebody was about to cross, you know, like yeah, they were about to walk me in that moment and he was trying to trying to trip, yeah. Trying to trip Jimmy. Well, he just like super quick just went like, whoo! And I was like, Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That's awesome. And then yeah, it was and then it was how'd he respond to that?

SPEAKER_04 1:12:20

Was he nice about it?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:21

Oh yeah, he he was like, he was like, Oh no, it's fine. He was he was nice, but he was also he was walking with somebody else. Okay, so they you know, so they were also like they were distracted and busy talking to each other. I was distracted, busy talking on the phone. Meeps obviously smelled something, so she just went like, oh, I'ma stop here, you know, and take up the whole thing.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:41

So everybody was in work mode except for me.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:43

Yeah, so everybody was like, you know, kind of so it it was it was very nice, but it just went really quickly and it was more like a practical kind of you know, like, oh I'm so sorry. It's okay, it was not okay, bye.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:52

You know, a little human experience, yeah, a little human moment.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:55

But it was it was kind of funny.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:57

Yeah, back to the show. This is important. That's really cool. Thank you for that for that side, that was side story. That was that was lovely.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:03

Um his eyes are very blue in person. I was just gonna say there.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:08

I get it, I get it. I understand. Even with the the with the little mouth thing, I get it. He's he's he's a handsome guy, he makes that thing work. Um there's that morty mouth from Rick and Morty. You know about that?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:20

Okay, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:22

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:23

Live action, Rick and Morty with Jeremy on the way.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:26

Go.

unknown 1:13:26

Go.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:26

Idiot Juice Real guys. Um, so Chef Point. So the show is beautiful, it's lovely, but even when they got to the point, and you know, seasons later where they have their fancy high-end restaurant, there's still no bar. There's no bartender, they have no bar program. And it's like interesting. The hell, dude. What about us? Fun fact most of the money's made at a bar, not behind the kitchen, guys. And it's not me, that's not me shitting on chefs because I love and respect everything they've done. They deserve everything that's happening for them. Yeah, but we're chop liver next to them, they they they have a salary, there's no tips for them. They don't even have to be nice to people.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:07

No, no, they don't. They make a menu and then they delegate and then they get all the respect.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:12

And we as bartenders, we have to talk to people. We have to we're we're we're on stage, as you said. Yeah, you know, the bar's definitely a hundred percent a stage. Um, and if your show sucks, it's gonna reflect the energy and your and your bills, you know, your money. Um back to the show, like I love to see the culinary world blowing up, but it's like a big part of this industry is the bar, and people still bring up Tom Cruise and cocktail to me, and that fucking movie sucks. Holy shit, I can't stand that movie. That's not even bartending, that's flare bartending. And you're making these shitty, fruity, sugary, very unbalanced cocktails from the 90s, and it's like you gotta wait 20 minutes to get a cocktail because this dude is still flipping some shit and playing with fire. And I play with fire, I do some flippy shit, but not like that. Like I do it practically because I do it for the art. Like, I only the flare stuff that I do is practical for the cocktail. If it doesn't need to be part of the cocktail, I'm probably not gonna do it. But okay. So I real quick, sorry, just to end my thought is I want to see the art form of cocktail more mainstream. Yeah, I have a background in radio, I'm comfortable in front of a camera now. Um, I'm in front of people every day, strangers, so I'm not shy. I want to talk to people because I see that I entertain people and doing it with my art form and somewhat heal myself and other people through this versus the issues that this brings. Alcohol brings a lot of issues. I want to use that same poison and turn it to the damn antidote. And I think we're I know bartending, the art form of bartending is so entertaining. People, how do I know this? People come to my bar and they're so entertained. Wouldn't it be cool if they're on TV now and actors now learn to bartend for real? And real bartenders. I know some amazing cocktail artists, great people. We don't have a lot of opportunities past a certain point.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:12

No, no, I get that.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:13

I want that to change. I want to also have more opportunities because we are the we're the coolest motherfuckers in the industry.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:18

Yeah, I I agree. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. Okay, we're gonna go to the questionnaire.

Lightning Round Personal Favorites And Fears

SPEAKER_01 1:16:24

So, uh, what's your favorite curse word?

SPEAKER_04 1:16:27

Ooh. Okay, I have two. Um, for two different reasons. Can I have two?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:33

Yeah, of course. Okay, go for it.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:35

So the first one is a classic fuck. A good time fuck is good. Like, I don't even like to say it that much, but like there's times where like a good fuck just either makes you laugh or like you just feel you're like, yeah, that's passion. They're like fuck or like uh ah fuck out of nowhere. You know, like it could be comedic or compassionate, right? Or you can kind of read the energy of like, hey, things are bad. That fuck sounded aggressive.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:55

Okay, and the other one?

SPEAKER_04 1:16:57

The other one, I don't like to say it. I don't like saying the word. Why? I don't like saying the word.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:01

Why is it your favorite if you don't like to say it?

SPEAKER_04 1:17:04

Because that word, that four-letter word carries so much energy, and they love to say this like in Australia. That's a C word. I know exactly what it is. And I don't I don't think Americans should say it, but when you have that accent and you're just like, ah, this cont, that's so good. I love that. I love the way that sounds and just use it casually. But I feel like that's for them. I I I don't even feel right doing that right now. That's that's not a good word. I respect women, but it's different over there, and I love that.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:31

And what sound or noise do you love?

SPEAKER_04 1:17:34

Ooh, okay. Um the PG ones, I can say. So I like the sound of going back to bartending, uh, when someone has a really good shake, you can hear that in the whole across the bar. Like when someone really knows how to shake a cocktail and it's rhythm rhythmically and it just hits the ear the right way. See? Sexy. Yeah, that's sexy. That's sexy. And then right after that, the sound they do when they clap the shaker tins to release the pressure and just that's nice. That's it's so good. I love when I hit it. I don't always get it, but when I do, I I almost want to be like, you know, like I flex my arm against it because I just feel so good, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:18:21

Okay, and what sound or noise do you hate?

SPEAKER_04 1:18:24

Where do I start? Okay, so I don't like when No, sorry. No, go ahead. No, no, no go, go, go. You don't like, you don't like so I don't like like when people high pitch their S's like this, you know, I can't even do it right, but like there's some people who like stretch their S's and it sounds so high pitched, it just hits a ear in a weird way. I'm just like can you it's guys I've ADHD and that that like the audible like I love music so sounds to me is very important. Like I I I don't have like synesthesia with like I can see colors, but I feel like I can hear colors, which is really weird, or like feel colors. Um I don't know how true that is, but it's just the way my mind feels it works. But like there's certain sounds that just I hate that sound. Okay. Um the other sound is not so much a sound, but like when I hear, usually people have a tone, but when like self-deprecating people, like they was like, Oh, I'm such a dumb bitch, or like I'm so fucking stupid. Like, there's an audible level just people just hating on themselves and just being negative, there's a certain tone that they say that in, and I don't like hearing that. I'm like, love yourself, you're great, damn it. You know?

SPEAKER_01 1:19:38

Okay, and um that's a weird answer. If a okay, so your home is burning and you can only save one physical object, what is that?

SPEAKER_04 1:19:55

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:58

Just the first thing that comes into the mind, like doesn't have you're not doesn't have to think that um honestly this sounds super materialistic.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:06

Um because I have a lot of things that I value, but I try not to hold on to things, like attach myself to things, because I I used to have that problem where I used to like hoard and like keep things that were sentimental to me, especially as I didn't come from money. So like I'm okay with letting things go. So it would probably be something like my laptop because I need to continue my life and make money so I can buy a new place. So like that's for a different reason, not because like I value it in a sense like it's important to me, but it's important to me because I can continue my life, it's practical. Okay, but like my artwork and like clothes and like things I kept they can go, I guess. I love you though.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:37

And uh, what turns you on well you gotta be specific.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:43

Turns me on like romantically, sexually, artistically. It's completely up to you how you interpret that question. Okay. So what turns me on is love and positivity in like all aspects of it, right? So if somebody loves what they do, it doesn't matter what it is. You can be a housekeeper, like someone who cleans homes, but you are having a good time, and when you're done, it's noticed what you do, and it's just like wow, you love what you do. That inspires me. Like, I love that. That turns me on. Okay, but also just happy, positive, nice people who are like living life to their fullest, not part of a system, I guess. Okay. Okay, okay. Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, just people who are like loving life.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:29

And uh, what turns you off?

SPEAKER_04 1:21:33

The opposite of that. Like people who are just self-the self-like, people who hate themselves, yeah, people who don't know that they're under spells in a way, kind of like I'm not good enough, or I'm supposed to take shit from a boss who just shits on my whole existence, like my life doesn't matter, or my job is to do this, and that's the purpose of my life. I'm like, if that fulfills you, great, but like most people are not fulfilled that way, and I just want people to love themselves. Life is not forever.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:00

And um what okay, what is the most irrational fear that you have ever had or still have?

SPEAKER_04 1:22:14

So I have this thing with heights, okay, which is funny because I'm 6'2, right? Um I don't have a problem being up high up on things. You know they say don't look down? Yeah. When I look down, because I'm too curious not to, if I can see the ground, my mind instantly goes to I'm gonna fall over and splat. And I'm just gonna die. Like I one slip up, I'm dead. And my mind will vividly picture the whole process. Okay. So anytime I'm high up, if I look down and I'm gonna look down because I can't help it, I guess I could, but too curious. I look down and I just irrationally am jumping, and just yeah, life is done like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:56

Have you ever been scared to actually jump? Because I know that that's like a thing with people who are scared of heights, is that they will like jump.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:05

Um, I haven't pushed that yet. I haven't jumped off a cliff into a body of water. I haven't skydived, skydoved, um, I haven't done any bungee jumping. Like, I I I I think I don't need to prove that point. Okay. You know what I'm saying? There's other things I'm brave about. I'm like, that's one I can I get maybe one day. I don't know. I don't it's not high up on the priorities.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:24

No, I get that. Okay, what is um what is your favorite compliment to receive? Ooh.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:34

Okay. I just discovered how much I like this compliment because it just happened the other day. Going back to uh me having you know great experiences and connecting with guests that come to the bar, uh, I met this young lady from Georgia who was in town, and her and her friends, she was kind of third-wheeling, but it didn't feel like that. She was really cute, so I was flirting with her. Um but not in a creepy way, subtly. Anyways, we connected and then because I knew she had a great time, they all had a good time. I just kind of like I asked her if she, hey, if you guys want to, you can leave a review on Google and throw my name in there. And I did that mainly for my manager because it makes them look good when they're getting good reviews from the staff, right? And my bosses who don't love someone who thinks they're a performer as a bartender, not every manager loves that. Um it kind of gets them off my back when the most important people, which is the guests, are having such a great experience that they go out of their way to write a positive review and say that I'm a big reason for that, right? So, what somebody said was I had this great experience, vibe was my bartender. Um vibe, if you're reading this, you're an amazing person, and I hope you go far. And that was really I actually teared up. Yeah, yeah, wow. This is someone I just met. I spent maybe at most a half an hour, an hour and a half to two hours with this person, and they felt compelled to publicly tell me this in a form maybe I would read or maybe I wouldn't, but like they left me a message. I never had I've had a lot of positive reviews, but I never had anyone personally make sure or like send me a message through there and do it in a public way like that. Um, it was really cool because I'm very polarizing in my industry because I want to change things for the better, and people don't like change or scared of change or whatever, and they don't know that I do this with love. It's for them as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:33

Uh yeah, if do do people view the people that maybe aren't your fans? Do they kind of feel like you're a bit of a diva because you have that whole artist, performer?

SPEAKER_04 1:25:43

And they also think that I think Yeah, they think that I think I'm better than them, and I'm like, no, just loving myself hard and I'll and I and I want to better everything. A lot of people do think that I'm full of myself.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:54

Um, they think I don't know that, but I'm gonna still continue to show you love because I'm gonna give you time to catch up to what I'm about. I'm gonna give you the grace.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:05

Nice. Okay, and um that kind of actually ironically answers the next question, which is what is the what is the biggest misconception people have about you?

SPEAKER_04 1:26:16

I'll give you another one to give you something else. Um, it's mainly that one, honestly. People really think I'm full of it and that I think I'm better than everybody. Um I'm not. I'm just someone who pushes my own insecurities out of my way and move. I I move with I learned to move with love and not fear.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:37

But you're also not scared to to stand for something. You're not scared. Because I'm moving with love and not fear. Yeah. And what you're standing for is some is not the mainstream in that world. Totally. And the way that you view yourself and the care like the the how you take on that job title and that role is very different from most of your colleagues and peers. Totally.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:05

So uh a lot of innovators were called crazy. Yeah. You know, pioneers are always are always the biggest obstacle they go through is people's perception of them as they like, who does this guy think he is doing something else different? I'm like, someone with the vision.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:21

You know, and they they believe themselves so much that they want to see it into fruition.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:27

And somebody has to go first. Somebody has to be first. What people sometimes forget.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:31

And usually the first person doesn't get it and it like doesn't get to reap all the benefits of it, and I know that, and that that's that's not gonna stop me. I want a better life for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:43

Okay, and then the last question if heaven exists, what what were you about to do?

SPEAKER_04 1:27:50

Nothing, I was just kinda peeking over your nose.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:52

Oh, okay. Uh if heaven exists, what uh if and if there is a god. Um, if God exists, what does that energy say when you arrive at heaven at the pearly gates?

SPEAKER_04 1:28:13

So when I show up, what I think is gonna happen is like whoever's there to receive me, God, St. Peter, whoever it is that's there to receive me, they're gonna be like, dude, what the fuck? What a show! That was crazy, man. Because my life has been a lot, so I talk a lot about there's a lot I don't tell people that I've been through. Um, and I don't know, maybe one day I'll share every fucking detail about it. Um, but I've been entertained with my life so many ups and downs, and so many different versions of myself as I evolve. But like I'd watch my show.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:55

That's cool. That's good.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:56

I know that this is another reason why people think I'm full of myself, but I'm just like, no, I mean, like, I wouldn't choose this, but apparently I feel spiritually that I did choose this.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:04

And like, even the struggles that I've gone through that I'm currently going through, that I will go through, were all chosen for a reason. I try to find, always try to find what the lesson or the opportunity growth or whatever the heck it is that the universe, God, whatever you believe in, is trying to tell me at the time. I always try to find it. They don't always feel good, but there's something there. I always believe there's something to find.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:25

Cool. Okay, and so what is uh what is next up

The Vibe And Imbibe Show Plans

SPEAKER_01 1:29:29

for you? Like what what's in store for the future? So what's happening?

SPEAKER_04 1:29:33

Um You know that I love what I do, call myself a cocktail artist, which you know, I gotta prove that I'm an artist, not just by being a bartender, right? How do I push the envelope? By doing it myself. Um, I I've learned that waiting for the industry to catch up to us and give us the opportunities, um, I feel like it's gonna happen eventually, but I feel like it's taking too long. So I myself started a talk show. Um started off as a podcast, but then I realized it's more talk show than podcast. So I'm the host, but um, it's not just about me as the host, it's me the host who's also the bartender. Um, and I bring that culture to the mainstream, right? Why is culture such a hard word for me to say in this interview? Culture.

SPEAKER_03 1:30:28

Culture.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:28

Anyways, um the the talk show is I'm interviewing people over cocktails and bringing people into the art form of bartending and making it more mainstream because people today still don't know how to order cocktails properly or don't know how to act when they go to bars or don't know what goes into uh making a cocktail together or what goes together, what makes it like if you wanna, you know. One of my favorite things, one of my favorite myths that I'm going to blow up as much as possible. One of the biggest lies in the history is that skinny margaritas. They're not there's no such thing as a skinny margarita. Those don't exist. Okay. That's something a reality star made up, and y'all just followed suit. There's no such thing as a skinny margarita.

SPEAKER_01 1:31:14

But what um But anyways, yes. Yeah, okay, and so the talk show. That's that's happening.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:19

I teach people how to make classic cocktails from somebody who has been doing it at a high level at the cocktail capital of the world, which is New York City. Um, so I've been doing it over 10 years. Uh so I teach how to make classic cocktail every episode. Then I have guests come in, I serve the exact same cocktail to the guest, and we go off to sit on the couch where the microphones are at, and then we start the interview, but there's also cocktails happening, and we dive into what they're doing, we dive into cocktail culture. Culture. What is with that word culture? Um you have to practice it. We talk about we talk about cocktails, what they like to drink. Um, I get a I get a lot of bartenders on the show, and I kind of highlight them. Not kind of, I absolutely highlight them, and people learn more about them and understand that they're not just a bartender, they're a whole amazing person.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:05

And you pick you pick uh bartenders from New York City so that you know these are people who work at bars with that you can visit and like not just New York.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:16

I mean, I'm starting with New York, obviously, because I'm here, but uh bartenders all over who I think understand kind of what being a cocktail artist is and how important that is.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:27

So if you're somebody who's like a cocktail artist in Copenhagen and and like we should bring your show to Copenhagen, um I plan on trying, yeah. Yeah. So where how do they get in touch with you? What's your what's what's the name of the show? What's the name of the show? So the show, what it's like.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:44

Gotcha. So the show is called The Bibe and Bible Show. Um if you don't know what imbibe means, which is a second word, or the third word, should I say, the vibe and vibe show, if you don't know what imbibe means, I M B-I-B-E. It's an old-timey English word, which um a lot of people who do know it think it just means to drink alcohol. It doesn't necessarily mean to drink alcohol, it just means to take in liquid. So you're drinking.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:08

Okay, it means I thought it meant intoxicated, but no, it just means to take in liquid.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:11

Imbibe just means to take in liquid, but the definition itself has multiple definitions. So it means to take in liquid, it also means to take it in energy, it also means to take in knowledge. So if you're in a classroom and then and you have your professor teaching a class, you're imbibing on the knowledge that the professor's giving you. If you're at a concert and you're being moved by Adele's amazing voice and lyrics, and you're like, what an amazing experience! You're imbibing on the energy from her music. All that means to imbibe, and as a bartender, whose name is Vibe, I set the vibe while we imbibe. We're drinking, we're laughing, we're learning.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:48

That's the name of both, that's both your Insta.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:50

My Instagram, yes, it's Vibe and Vibe.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:52

And the show.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:53

And the show is the Vibe and Vibe Show. Um, and my name is Vibe Cabrera. Um Yeah, it's not out yet. Probably out by the time you pull this out. Um I recorded, I recorded an episode.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:07

Sure.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:08

I mean, or we could start preheating the oven and people getting excited about it, and I'll put it out when it's ready. I don't want to force it either because I do have to pay for it. It is very expensive. And while I'm in a much better place financially than was my childhood and growing up, um, I'm still not there where I can just throw money at things, but soon come, soon come.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:26

Um that's impressive that you're doing it like thank you by yourself. More important to support.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:33

More important to support.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:34

Thank you. But I'm actually not doing it by myself.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:35

I have to shout out, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:37

So um there are some people who believe in me and my whole concept and my project and just my whole mindset on moving the cocktail culture cocktail culture forward. Jesus' word. I'm gonna write it down like 30 times tonight. I'm doing homework. Um, they believe in me and like the way things are going and the way the way I want things to move, and they want to be a part of it. And I'm I have no problem with people, you know, coming on for the ride because it takes a village. I can't do it by myself. No, so I have partnered up with this amazing director, um Will uh Wilson Mbavanga. He's from Angola, and uh this man is is an award-winning director, he's done a lot of films, he's worked in big projects. Um he lives here in Brooklyn and Williamsburg, and he's always respected what I've done. I actually met him while bartending at the non-alcoholic bar. Oh, really? We got introduced through a mutual friend, and uh, we've been cool ever since. Um he's my director and he brought his team, his amazing team, uh Anders, who does the uh audio engineering. He's a great guy, this quirky, adorable guy. Uh, who actually uh he made the soundtrack to my show. Uh I wanted like this kind of like jazzy, upbeat, kind of triumphant feeling song. Um, and he made it for me. I I love the song. I didn't I didn't I'll be honest, I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me, and I I love it now, and I catch myself like jamming onto it. Um the producer is actually uh Wilson's wife, Judith, who just had a baby. They just had their first baby. Nice. Um, so I guess me not having my money to get to shoot the show right now is kind of good timing because they're doing that right now. And um it's a great team, and I love working with them. Um, and I also partnered up with uh this company called the Daily Poor. Um, they're a media company who's made like I gotta stop saying like who's made uh a YouTube channel very popular, it's called Law and Crime. They have like over 7 million subscribers. Uh so it was it is a channel, a YouTube channel where they do uh court cases and they talk in depth about court cases and they live stream court cases and things like that. They recently sold and now they're moving more into alcohol and the my whole industry. So it's an opportunity. Like our yeah, so our our interests line up, they they see that it's growing and they want to be involved in that. So they're doing alcoholic stuff, non-alcoholic stuff, and even cannabis stuff, and that's like literally me. I do alcohol, non-alcohol, and cannabis things, my because they understand that what I understand, I want to be good at serving everyone and giving everyone an experience and elevating that because that is entertaining.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:22

They understand the culture, so they're giving me an opportunity. So I'm I'm partnering up with them, they're gonna be distributing and I'm gonna be doing some smaller shows with them on the side to help build all of that up and build the channel.

SPEAKER_00 1:37:32

That's really cool.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:33

Yeah, I'm very lucky um in that aspect.

Final Thanks Shoutouts And Credits

SPEAKER_04 1:37:36

Thank you for coming.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:37

Thank you for doing this. Are we done? I think we are.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:41

So I just want to point that um MEEP. Meeps. Meeps. Is Meeps with an S? Yeah. I love that. So Meeps started out way over there. And now I think she's asleep on me.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:54

She is.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:54

It's adorable. She is. I've been chosen.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:57

Yeah, you have.

SPEAKER_04 1:37:58

Love that.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:59

You have. You have. And it's also the first time you two met.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:02

This is the first time Meeps and I have met.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:06

Do I have the good vibes? Do I pass a vibe check?

SPEAKER_01 1:38:08

Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna end all of nice. Okay, why don't we follow this too? Thank you so much for listening and thank you so much, Vibe, for recording this episode with me and taking the time to hang out. Um, yeah. Again, check out his YouTube show, The Vibe, The Vibe Check with Vibe Cabrera, and his Instagram links in the bio. And um, thank you for bearing with us with the whole noise, but the construction, the background. Um, it was really really, really, really sweet. One of the construction guys came up to us after we were done recording, because he was just so curious about like, what are you guys doing? Like, did did you, you know, did we make a lot of noise? Like, I'm so sorry. And yeah. I think he followed me on Instagram, so if you're listening to this, because you were very curious about listening to the podcast when it came out and I told you about it. So, shout out to you. That was a very sweet moment. Thank you so much. Yeah. See you next week. It's done now. Thanks for listening. Thanks to Gio for playing my piano so beautifully while I made his dinner. He's awesome. Go check out his jazz band, Office Park, and the Duo Cosmo Club. Artwork used for the logo is by artist Peter West. The painting is called Lemon and currently hangs in my living room. This would not have been possible without Simon for his emotional support, his world class opinions, and overall art direction slash vibes. My name is Ingrid Pascal. This is the Private Culture Podcast produced by North Node. And um, until next time. Bye.