Stories
Victor Alvarez Hernandez
My Story
Your limitation is only your imagination
- Nationality: Spanish
- Occupation: Supervisor and Head Mixologist
- Workplace: Brick Lane, Cork, Ireland
- Favorite Cocktail: Pinha Colada
- Favorite Spirit: Scotch Rum
What inspired you to become a bartender:
My friends and I had the “great” idea of opening a bar when we were young, just for a laugh and to see how it goes. That project went really wrong. As young as we were and without any experience, we lost a lot of money in the beginning and at the same time, realizing it would be our passion. In the end, four out of the six of us that opened the bar became professional bartenders and a DJ. After some years we took more and more time and effort to improve our bar and to determine what the clients wanted. Without any experience, we started to walk in this industry without any advice while learning from our mistakes, there were a lot. I think that situation made me become the bartender I am today. I’m always looking for perfection and contact with the customer, as well as never stopping to innovate and create new cocktails, events, and trying to make every customer happy, giving them the chance to learn something new about the industry.
Tell me about your bartending journey and how you got to where you are now:
I started with that small bar with my friend for a couple of years, after realising it was my passion and all of us leaving our home town, I worked in different bar-restaurants and nightclubs in Spain, until a few years ago I came to Ireland to have new experiences and I fell in love with the country.
What stamp would you like to leave on the industry:
I’d love to change people’s minds about bartending and this industry, to make people realise this is an unbelievable job that lets people’s creativity fly and you can also find so much professionalism and dedication.
Can you explain your personal process for creating a cocktail:
To be honest, I don’t really have a process. The majority of the time the cocktail just comes to my mind on my way to work or even while dreaming, but if I think about a process, I try to come up with a theme every time (for a full cocktail menu or an event) and I try to create something according to the theme. I try to match the main spirits first with the theme and then work the rest of the ingredients from there.
What is the most important part of what you do and what does it mean to you:
My goal when I’m working is being able to make my customers happy and make them know we (the staff) care about them. A smile from a customer that was angry or sad, or a compliment for a cocktail well done is the best goal you can achieve as a bartender. Also, if one of my cocktails can live forever or make me famous it’s always welcomed.
What do you think will be the future of the F&B industry:
It’s hard to say in these times, it looks like nightlife, as we used to know it, came to an end, but the pubs, bars, restaurants and the cocktail world are coming back really strong. People rather go for a few cocktails with their friends than just going out to get pissed, it’s an interesting and exciting road that now comes into the cocktail world.
Anything that would you like to add?
I just want to say to all bartenders around the world: love your job, love what you do, you are the link between people relationships and socialisation, be proud of that.
Most bizarre client request:
I don’t even know what to say, it’s been too many. Once a lady asked for a coffee and me not being able to make it (the coffee machine was broken), she ordered a double jagger red bull instead (that was at 12 noon). Another person asked me specifically for the lemons that went off so she could bring them home for her fish… no questions asked.
