Episode 264 - World Class Aspirations

In this inspiring conversation with bartender Mike Vander Horn, some of the topics we discuss include: Mike's personal journey, from his humble origins as a "rum and diet" drinker, to the cocktail competitions that would ultimately lend him the authority to step behind the bar as the head bartender at the newly opened Queen Jayne's Lounge & Royal Drinkery in Somers Point, NJ. The different types of cocktail competitions that exist in today's world, ranging from the purely digital, to the lavish, "fly-you-into-a-big-city-to-compete" affairs put on by the world's largest brands. Then we walk through his journey at this year's Diageo World Class US event, where he competed against 29 of the best bartenders in the country without ever having bartended professionally. Of course, that leads logically to his latest project over at Queen Jayne's Lounge, which requires a thorough discourse on the drink culture in South Jersey, which is one of my favorite places, but it's a little difficult to understand unless you've spent a good deal of time there. Along the way, we cover the best resources for learning about and entering cocktail competitions, the daunting widowmaker of an event called "the speed round," how to pronounce Snoop Dogg's Gin, and much, much more. This episode is brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life. Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.