On Community
It is hard to feel any positivity, thanks to the global pandemic, especially when I write this from Toronto, a city that has had [so far] 276 lockdown days, second only to Los Angeles [293] for North America. Life is pretty bleak to say the least. Here, restaurants and bars have been closed for anything but takeout since November and realistically speaking, they will stay that way until after the long weekend in May. Life is bleak.
But throughout this year of so much uncertainty and newfound time off, there has been a few highlights: One of which is the growth of a sense of community. This pandemic has brought us together in ways that would not have happened had COVID-19 not existed. For World Bartender Day in February, we hosted an event on Zoom that had 30 bartenders from across Canada show up. In preparation for the event, cocktail kits were shipped and delivered and on that Zoom we made those drinks together. We got to meet new faces and we got to catch up with old ones. We got to introduce bartenders to others and for a few hours we got taken away from the dark reality of the times. It felt good. We have been connecting with more bartenders from outside our home city than ever. Thanks to this pandemic, those living in smaller cities and towns, who do not normally have access to brand activations and events, are suddenly included and this is leveling the playing field for great cocktail making. No longer do you need to live in New York City to be a bar star. You can also live in small town, Canada. We find this exciting. A world where everyone can be included and elevated. Where community can mean not just your local neighbourhood but the worldwide bartending one.
Bartender Atlas is a worldwide directory of bartenders. A website dedicated to the people behind the bars because we all know that they are the ones who make it a great experience. In addition to the website, Bartender Atlas organises, creates and facilitates events all over the world including Toronto Cocktail Conference which, in normal times, takes place every August.