Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/807384
40 / the tasting panel / april 2017 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K "I f you're going to sell expensive drinks, it's not okay for the drink to just be good. The drink has to be excellent."—Erick Castro Erick Castro is living proof you can go home. Growing up in Southern California, Erick's bartending career began in San Diego during college. After making big waves at two of San Francisco's best cocktail bars, Bourbon & Branch and Rickshaw, Erick returned to San Diego in 2013 to open his own bar, Polite Provisions. In just three years, Polite Provisions has helped redefine the cocktail culture in San Diego, winning Best High Volume American Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2014 and following that with a nomination for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program in America in 2016. Erick has also recently launched an online bartender series, Bartender at Large, which chronicles the cocktail industry around the world. His most recent sojourn, a 27-day, 4,600-mile trip drinking and filming in cocktail bars around the Western United States, is now being released as a documentary under the same name. Here are some of Erick's thoughts about the current state of cocktail culture in America. Bob Bath: What's it like owning your own place versus working as the star bartender in a high-profile bar? Erick Castro: Most aspects of being behind the bar don't change all that much, but your perspective on the big picture definitely widens in scope. Major and minor issues that come up behind the scenes are no longer some- one else's problems to deal with; they are yours 100 percent. As a bartender, you tend to look at things as day to day, whereas as an owner, you are planning weeks, months and even years into the future. Any difference between San Diego cus- tomers and San Francisco customers? Several years ago, there was a big difference in the way that San Francisco and San Diego folks drank at craft cocktail bars, but nowadays they are both looking for the same things: new and creative ways to enjoy a tasty beverage. They both want killer craft beer options as well as cocktails, and they love to drink when the sun is still up. Proper day drinking is a venerated tradition in both cities. How much should a bartender know about craft beers? Wine? Non-alcoholic drinks? It's the bartender's job to know about everything that is served across the bar. If you are serving craft cock- tails, the emphasis on quality should carry across the entire program. I can't understand for the life of me why so many otherwise wonderful bars don't carry a better offering of beer and wine. You don't need a huge selection, but what you have should be every bit as good as your cocktails. Where is gin going in the cocktail world? In places like Western Europe and the U.K., gin has always been traditionally distilled locally and played a larger role than here in America. The future of gin overall is bright, particularly for domestic gins and the proliferation of so many micro-distilleries across the country, who are starting to make great product. How important is music in the bar? Sound and lighting in a bar is every bit as important as the drinks that are served. Both play key roles in setting the tone and atmosphere for a venue. In a dark bar with great tunes, I can have a whiskey on the rocks and thoroughly enjoy myself, but no matter how good a drink is, I won't be able to enjoy it if the bar is blaring bad Top 40 and lit up like a Walmart. What are two personal highlights from your documentary, Bartender at Large? One of the definite highlights of the documentary is going to Boise, Idaho. I ended up having some of the best cocktails and service that I have experienced during my travels. Boise is truly a gem for amazing food and bever- age, and the area itself is quite beautiful. Another highlight was eating some of the best tacos in my life at some ran- dom little taqueria located inside a gas station. It only goes to further remind you that many of the most memorable meals are not in high-brow restaurants, but just downright delicious food with damn good friends. by Bob Bath BARTENDER Q&A WITH . . . Erick Castro, PROPRIETOR, POLITE PROVISIONS, SAN DIEGO, CA ON OUR PANEL At his bar, Polite Provisions, Erick Castro has changed the way San Diego drinks. PHOTO: LYUDMILA ZOTOVA