In April this year, I am lucky enough to be visiting the sunshine state of Florida. I am over there for a month and I CANNOT wait, if Miami lives up to the famous song by Will Smith then, without doubt, I am in for the month of my life. All joking aside despite how it might sound I'm not going purely for a month-long holiday. I'm actually attending the 'International bartending course' with European Bartender School (Miami). Imagine anything and everything to do with bartending, cocktails, flair... the lot, the course covers everything you need to know in order to make a very confident start in the bartending industry.
At this point, you're probably asking why on earth I'm going halfway around the world to do a bartending course. A lot of people have told me, well you could do the exact same thing here in England and save yourself a load of money, or just get a job in a bar and I always reply, "well where's the fun in that." The idea behind the course is much more than simply learning about how to make cocktails and pour drinks correctly, it's about getting one step closer to fulfilling a dream of mine. I have the ambition of owning my own mobile bar, one that travels the world, attending all sorts of events and festivals and one that creates a unique experience for the customer. With this trip, I will learn the skills I need to set myself on the right path to achieving this as well as having an unbelievable time in a city I've never been to before.
So like I've mentioned before, working my way into the drinks industry has always been an ambition of mine, ever since I started taking an interest in Red Bull. I love the way they market their products through countless sporting events and adventures right across the globe. That has always instilled a passion for travel and adventure in me, hence why doing something in this industry that allows me to do both of these things sounds pretty ideal. My interest in cocktails started to grow, back when I was working at the Pig at Combe Hotel and Gardens in Honiton. Whilst I was there I worked in what was known as 'The Folly' It's a stunning little outdoor bar area with a wood oven for making flatbreads etc... On a summers day especially it's a pretty special place. Anyway, I used to try my hand at a little bit of everything when weren't busy, whether that be making a flatbread or experimenting with cocktail making! I used to love throwing a little bit of this in with a little bit of that and tasting the end result of my concoctions. Whilst I have to admit some of them were pretty damn awful, some of them actually turned out marginally above average. The bad did out whey the good, however, if they were designed to make the best facial expressions of disgust, well then they succeeded with flying colours.
So what's my favorite cocktail you might ask, a bit of a tough one actually I'm a massive fan of all the craziest, most theatrical drinks to look at but in terms of taste, for me, I'd always go with a simple Gin and Tonic. In my opinion on a summers day it doesn't get much better than sipping back on a good G&T, really enjoy Williams Chase Gin with Fever Tree Mediterranian tonic and a slice of Grapefruit but a Mojito and a Negroni come in a close second.
Anyway, with a bit of luck by the end of April, I'll be a confident flair bartender, able to make the likes of a Whisky Sour and an Irish Coffee on command. Not to mention I will have hopefully traveled the depths of Miami, the Everglades by jetboat and Seaplane tours are definitely on the list. I'll try and find somewhere to skydive again as well, I imagine it's a pretty unreal place to see from above. Might see if I can hire a motorbike whilst I'm out there too and really get some exploring done that way. Another thing I'd like to do is to go and see a baseball game or basketball for that matter. I've been to a baseball game once before and I have to say it was so so boring, only 1 point was scored in the entire game. It's for this reason, I'd like to give the baseball another chance. If anyone's been to Miami before and has any advice on where to go it would be much appreciated!
So I'm on the way to being one step closer to accomplishing one of my ambitions and with that,
Until next time,
Cheers.
