13 Jan The life of an entrepreneur bartender in the Okanagan. Picking up the pieces of 2020 and moving on.
by Harry Dosanj
Well, I think we can all agree that we are happy to see the end of 2020 and for a fresh start again. As an entrepreneur (Solopreneur), I can honestly say that the 2020 experience was a roller-coaster ride, involving many emotional highs and lows and many challenges throughout the year.
I created Bar Travelling Man back in 2015 to showcase my creative abilities as a bartender. I also wanted to support BC spirits with my locally inspired cocktails. I just needed to create a place where I can be Harry! Eventually, I started to bartend at events and became a bar service provider around the Okanagan.
2020 was my second full year as a bar service provider. The first four months of the year are usually slow around the Okanagan, but this year I got a wedding, a few cocktail classes and a consulting gig. This positive start to the year gave me self-belief and great confidence. I was excited about what the future could hold for me. And then, 2020 came.
The month of March wasn’t a great month for me as I lost my supervisor and lead bartender job along with ten wedding bookings because of fear of this unknown virus! Going into lockdown, losing my job and event bookings, I felt sorry for myself and completely lost. I had so many questions to answer as I have never experienced anything quite like this before.
Where do I go from here?
How do I pick myself up?
How do I make some money?
Luckily, I have surrounded myself with good humans, who are always there for me as I felt like the world was ending. My friends were there to help pick up the pieces and get me motivated.
By the end of Spring, I had a new game plan for 2020. The people were not allowed to come to us at our bars and restaurants, so I would take the drinks to them – Bar Travelling Man cocktail kits and syrups were born!
It is amazing how a bad experience can turn into something good for the future.
When June came, I got a new job that helped me pay my bills along with my new online merchant store. I picked up a few last-minute micro bookings in August. I was busy enough for the next two months, had plenty of work until the end of September. The bookings started to slow down by October but picked up again in November with five cocktail classes and two small Christmas parties.
Sadly, at the same time, more bad news turned up with the new Covid-19 rule changes with no more gatherings meant that I lost every booking that I worked hard for in Christmas. Oh man, What a roller-coaster year!
I created Bar Travelling Man to learn and grow as a person and as a business owner. This year, I got exactly that!
I am looking forward to 2021 with my online store with more products, brand new syrup packaging and stocking Bittered Sling Bitters. Hopefully, we can start having a life again and start social gatherings again soon.
Cocktail
The Antioxidant
1.50 oz | 45mL Tanqueray Ten Gin
0.50 oz | 15 mL Aperol
1.00 oz | 30 mL fresh blood orange juice
0.50 oz | 15 mL honey syrup
Three dashes of Bittered Sling Lem-Marrakech Bitters
Garnish lime zest, express oils over the drink & add orange wheel.
In a cocktail shaker, add the ingredients listed above except the garnish and add lots of ice to fill the shaker. Shake well until the shaker is nice and cold, around 15 seconds. Strain the cocktail into a nice, chilled coupe glass and garnish with an orange or lime wheel. Enjoy!