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Who | Nick Kennedy
Where | Toronto, Canada
Current Bar | Civil Liberties
Past Bar(s) | Salt Wine Bar, Windsor Arms Hotel, Thuets Conviction Kitchen, Keg Minto Towers, Coquine
Favourite Spirit | Absinthe, If I had to choose a favourite child.
Favourite Juice | Acidified Orange Juice
Favourite Classic Cocktail | Old Pal
Favourite Part of the Job | The people, on both sides of the bar.
Favourite After Work Drink | Cider
Favourite at Home Drink | Orange Wine.
Favourite bar in the world | Dandelyan (London)
Best known for | Toronto’s Best Barback, letting guests get away with too much, asking too many questions.
Best story from behind the wood | The time making blue cheese olives changed my life.
This babe comes into the bar on a slow Tuesday. We have a serious stance of never asking guests out, asking for numbers or doing anything else that would make a guest feel potentially uncomfortable. Which is fine, because she’s on a date with a dude who looks like he was beaten to within an inch of his life with the tall, dark and handsome stick. She comes back the next week, she works in the bar industry, is an artist, and an all around great person. Fuck, I hate the policy, which I put in place myself. She comes back the week after that, maybe the policy is more of a do as I say, not as I do, kinda thing? Then the next week, the same week that we were closing down the charcuterie program and switch to an awesome cannery. She’s talking about how much she misses blue cheese stuffed olives, while I’m now quietly stuff olives with blue cheese under the wood. She has her birthday at the bar, looks like even more of a mega babe all night. She says I should check out her painting studio, leaves her number. I text her very politely, something about enjoying her patronage, I didn’t want to change the dynamic. I head to a friends birthday at a great local bar called Track and Field. I’m walking down the stairs to the front door, and she texts me. It’s her friends birthday as well, at Track and Field as well, and I should join them. I now look super creepy, but walk over less then a minute after receiving the text. We start chatting just like we normally have for the last two months. I offer to walk her home at the end of the night… We’ve now been dating for a little over a year, and its been the best year of my life. The policy still stands, but if you ask one of the team for blue cheese olives, and you get them, you’ll probably have an good idea of your chances.
What do you collect? Tie clips, wine openers, other peoples lighters; but I always lose them all.
What was the last photo that you took? Of myself waking up in bed, promising to finally fill out this form.
Where was your last vacation? Tales of the cocktail, if that counts. Spain and London if not.
Any claims to fame? I’m a really decent unlicensed plumber.
Belt or suspenders? Belt
Fernet or Cynar? Don’t make me choose.
New Orleans or New York City? Never been to NYC so NOLA wins by default.
Glass or Tin? Tin, of course, how is this still a thing?!?!
Are you available for freelance gigs? Yes
Find him: Instagram | Civil Liberties Insta
Media: Mixing With Nick Kennedy