Home Brewer since 1986
Distiller since 1990
Certified Mixologist 2016
MSF Ridercoach since 2006
When I am passionate about something, I go to great lengths to learn as much as possible about it. I learned distilling from a close relative at a relatively young age. This taught me about the brewing and fermenting processes that I would build on in the future. I had no idea that this would eventually become a passion of mine.
A few years later I would attempt to make beer. I started my journey as a home brewer. The first beer I made was from a kit. It started with a can of syrup that would be transformed into a beer. This was in the late 1980’s and no one knew about home brewing or craft beers. Many people would try the beers and expect it to taste like a commercial beer. You could see in their faces that they were not ready for what was soon to become the craft beer trend in the 1990’s to today. These same beers would be met with a much warmer reception today. I continued to brew beer for many years and it still brings pleasure today when I am doing it.
I decided I wanted to try to make the alcohol that I learned to make from a relative. This took me down the road of learning distillation. I started working with other distillers to make various alcohols. I also started making cocktails at this time. We would go to cocktail bars and try new concoctions. It became enjoyable to relax with a cocktail and enjoy the conversations that would happen. I decided I wanted to make these cocktails at home. There were not a lot of resources at the time, but I did manage to find a few books and recipes. Soon I was making my own recipes and creations. There is something to be said for the ability to make a well-balanced drink that has that wow factor. It was even more fun when you can do it at home.
This is what started the cocktail passion. Since these days I went on to get certified as a mixologist though A Bar Above Mixology Academy. I love making cocktails and I hope I can pass this passion to each person I come in contact with.