This interview with Christine Bartender is the first article in our “Behind the Bar” series where we interview experienced Mixologists, Bartenders and Cocktail Makers. We find out how they started their career, who and what inspires them, and find valuable tips that we may be able to use in our own cocktail journey.
Introducing Christine Bartender
Get ready to dive into the inspiring and flavorful world of Christine Bartender, a mixologist with a passion for crafting cocktails and telling stories.
In this exclusive interview, Christine takes us on her journey from the vibrant city of Nizhny Novgorod to opening her own bar in Moscow, and eventually to the USA and sharing her cocktail creations with the world through social media.
We learn about the one thing Christine can’t do (hint, it has something to do with juggling shakes and bottles), how she navigated the challenges of COVID, and why it’s not a good idea to dry your wet pants over a live fire created by lighting a pool of whiskey!
Whether it’s her favorite “Old Fashioned” or the creative challenges of content creation, Christine reveals what drives her passion for mixology, her dreams for the future, and the memorable moments that have shaped her along the way. Read on for a glimpse into the life of a true cocktail artist!
Please follow Christine Bartender on Youtube, facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
Thanks for the interview Christine, and good luck with your dream of becoming the face of Jameson Whiskey! I think you will make a perfect ambassador for them.
Hey Christine, thanks for joining us! Let’s kick things off—where were you born and raised, and how did your background shape your love for cocktails?
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I was born and raised in Russia, in the beautiful city Nizhny Novgorod, 400 km from Moscow.
My cocktail story began when I was 19 years old. On a Friday evening, my friend and I went to a bar for a drink. I ordered a random cocktail from the list, tried it, and then asked the bartender to add a couple drops of orange bitter and a couple splashes of tonic. The taste turned out much better! My friend tried it and loved it. It turns out I had a knack for flavor combinations and the ability to improve cocktail recipes.
The couple sitting next to us overheard our conversation and asked for the same cocktail. As we were all discussing it, a man approached me and asked if I worked as a bartender. I told him I didn’t, I just know what I like. The man turned out to be the owner of the bar and, to my surprise, he offered me a job! At first I said no because I was studying at the time and felt that it would not fit with my schedule. Also, bartending is hard work and generally means working late nights. Then he offered me a position designing a new cocktail menu for the bar, something that I could fit into my study schedule. To this I said YES!
Did you teach yourself to make cocktails? or have you taken formal courses in mixology?
Well, it was a difficult time at the beginning of my career, I had to drink a lot 😊. But later, when I had finished designing the cocktail menu, I felt the time was right to accept the bartender position.
The owner of the bar taught me everything he knew about bartending, mixology and cocktail making, and I am very grateful to him for that. The only thing I couldn’t master was gracefully juggling bottles and shakers! I’m too clumsy for this and I don’t like it when so much glass is flying around me. Anyway, after about 10 broken bottles the owner finally accepted that I would never be any good at it.
What is your history as a cocktail maker? Do you work in a bar? If not, have you ever worked in a bar? Or has your passion and skill for cocktails been developed elsewhere?
My employer paid me very generously, much more than the rest of the staff, because I actually held two positions in the bar for the three years that I worked there. I was still responsible for updating the drinks menu regularly, plus my work as a bartender. I managed to save a huge amount of money.
I dropped out of university in my third year – I decided that career path wasn’t for me. On the positive side though, I gained a lot of experience in the bar industry and earned a lot of money in the process. I also acquired a best friend during this period who consequently became my business partner.
I noticed you share a lot of great content online—what inspired you to start making videos about cocktails?
After the three years I spent bartending, my best friend and I moved to Moscow. With all the cash I had earned working in the bar, we opened our own bar in the city center. It was very difficult! At first it didn’t even look like a bar. It was just a basement room that we put a lot of money and effort into to transform it into a bar.
Naturally, we didn’t have success for the first year as people just didn’t know the bar was there. We handed out cocktails and business cards on the street, and after a while people began to come to our bar. People loved my cocktails and finally we were making some money!
Then, COVID hit. These were terrible times for our business and we struggled just like other businesses did worldwide. We had to close down which was devastating. We didn’t give up though, and during quarantine we got creative. We held online FaceTime conferences with friends and drank cocktails. I also taught them a little bit about flavor combinations and cocktail ingredients. It was a fun time and this was something that I loved doing. My friends were really interested in it, and I felt useful.
Soon the quarantine ended, my friend (the co-owner of the bar), married a German (whom by the way she met in our bar), and moved to live in Germany. She sold me her part of the business for a little money. That’s how I became a fully-fledged bar owner. But it was difficult to restore its activity after the pandemic, people were still afraid of public places. Everything slowly got better and eventually the business became profitable again.
Then, the war with Ukraine begins. This event shocked the whole country and people began to flee the country in droves. Eventually I did the same and moved to the USA.
The move was difficult for me. I didn’t speak English so it was impossible to find a job in a bar. If I was going to be a success then I needed to learn English so that was my first priority. I really missed my job. My hands were constantly reaching for the cocktail shaker! I wanted to create, but I had no one to make cocktails for.
A lot of my friends and acquaintances had moved to different countries and I really missed the fun times we spent together. We tried the FaceTime cocktail sessions again, just like we had done during COVID. It was hard to make it work this time though due to everyone being in different time zones. That’s when someone suggested “What if you share your cocktail recipes with us on social networks and everyone “drinks” with you when it’s convenient for them, and we can chat at any time.”
At first I laughed off this idea. I was worried that no-one would watch my videos. I don’t see myself as charismatic and artistic. Why would anyone watch my videos?
I decided to try it anyway. What did I have to lose? Nothing. All my friends follow me on social media and support me anyway. Once I started posting the videos, the most surprising thing happened. Gradually, other people other than my friends began to subscribe to my work! It became a great hobby for me, and is something I love doing. It gives me great satisfaction that people enjoy the content I am producing. I know I am only at the beginning of the journey but I am really enjoying it.
Can you talk us through the process of creating content for your social media channels. How much time does it take? Do you do it all yourself or do you have a team helping you? Do you have a studio set up for filming, or is it more like setting up in your kitchen right before you start filming?
The process of my content looks something like this. I take several cocktail recipes, make them, try them, and then improve them to suit my taste. Once the recipes are finalized I am ready to film. I have a small corner in my house which I have set up as a bar. I also have the filming equipment set up here, ready to go. I then record the video, and get it ready to upload to social media.
Honestly, it’s been a difficult process to learn and a continual process to try and master this new skill. It’s a new field of study for me and I’m really trying to master it in as much detail as possible. After all, it is necessary to keep up with the times. I know my videos are not perfect. I don’t have a professional team of assistants, I do everything myself. Perhaps later I will train an assistant for myself, because this whole process takes a lot of time. I dive into everything in detail because I am responsible for what I show people. If I get an assistant, maybe I’ll have some free time again for my old hobby: cross-stitching. That sounds nice, doesn’t it?
If you could only make one cocktail for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Like any bartender, I’ve tried hundreds of cocktails, and in my case, thousands. And if you asked me which cocktail I would choose to make for the rest of my life, I would answer you “Old fashioned”, strong, rich and concise, an eternal classic, like a checkered suit from Chanel.
If you had to choose, what are your five go-to cocktail ingredients that you can’t live without?
My five go-to cocktail ingredients that I can’t live without are vodka or whiskey, citrus juice, club soda, any bitter (angostura probably) and Cointreau. It’s basic and classic.
What’s one cocktail trend you’re loving right now, and one you could do without?
Yes, I know now you can see a lot of cocktail trends on social media, but it’s still very difficult for me to take them seriously. Maybe later I’ll discover the world of trends, because everyone loves trends and this will help me expand my audience.
Do you have a favorite story or memory from behind the bar that you can share with us?
Here’s a funny story for you. There was a very nice couple sitting in our bar, they were drinking all evening. At some point, the girl unsuccessfully turned around and spilled a cocktail on the man’s pants. The dialogue between them was something like this: “Well, what are we going to do? How are we going to dry my pants?” The girl said, “Take off your pants.” The guy took it off, the girl ordered a bottle of whiskey, poured it on the bar counter, set it on fire and began drying his pants over a “live fire”. Of course, the man went home in his underpants.
Are there any other cocktail makers, mixologists and bartenders that inspire you? Why?
I would like to tell you a few words about the people who inspire me to create, for the most part I am inspired by Toby Cecchini, because it was he who created the modern and extremely popular version of the Cosmopolitan cocktail. Do you know how? I just improved the existing formula with lime and cranberry juice, and also used Cointreau instead of Triple Sec. It seems to me that I also like to improve existing recipes. By the way, the Cosmopolitan cocktail is one of my favorites. My friends and I like to have a cocktail with the latest gossip.
And another one of my inspirations is Dale DeGroff, truly “the King of Cocktails”. He is a connoisseur of classics as much as I am.
If you could collaborate with any mixologist or brand, who would it be and why?
I know that I am still far from high fame, but I would really like to become the face of the Irish whiskey brand Jameson. This is my favorite whiskey. I love its soft, unique taste.
Mixology is an art in itself, but what other forms of creativity do you like to explore in your downtime? Any other hobbies or interests?
Mixology is an art, and in my story, everything sounds like I’m limited to the creative process, But I’m not! I also really like machinery, sports cars, motorcycles and airplanes. I really want to learn how to fly an airplane and sail.
What are your dreams for the future—whether in the world of cocktails or beyond?
In the future, I would like to publish a book with my author’s recipes and my tips for novice bartenders. I feel have something to share with them. As DeGroff says, each drink should be a story, and that bartenders should use the drink to foster human connection.