Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/898117
52 / the tasting panel / november 2017 ON THE SILVER SCREEN B artender Erick Castro, Owner of Polite Provisions in San Diego and Co-Founder of the industry- focused marketing agency Simple Serve, has recently added "filmmaker" to his resume. With a passion for craft cocktails and the people behind them, Castro set out on a 4,600-mile road trip through the western U.S., visiting 11 cities in five weeks to document the cocktail trends and philosophies of many out-of-the-way places. The result is Bartender at Large, a high-spirited documentary that's already garnered accolades from the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards, Cinema New York City, the Cayman Islands International Film Festival, Vero Beach Wine + Film Festival, and the IndieFEST Film Awards. Castro shares a few thoughts about the project and what viewers can expect. What prompted you to make this film? Too often in this industry we don't hear about the cool things going on outside of the "big cities," so we decided to document all the amazing bartend- ers and bars on the front lines of the cocktail revolution. What stories did you feel weren't being told? There are so many cutting-edge and innovative cocktail bars, but because they don't typically have the resources to position themselves at the front of the national press, they tend to slip between the cracks. What bar trends do you see happening across the western U.S.? One thing that we found fascinating was how each city has its own identity and style. Naturally, local produce and culture play a huge role. I was surprised at just how large a role climate played. For instance, Phoenix was 112 degrees while we were there in October. Tropical and Collins-style cocktails were huge, as well as local spirits and bitters. What has been your greatest takeaway from this project? I went into this film with the idea that I would see some pretty cool things, but that they would be behind the major cities. Not only are many of these emerging cities much further along than I could have imagined, in some aspects they are leading the industry in what they have to offer. We could all learn a little something from them. Are there any plans to make a sequel that includes other off-the- beaten-path cities? A sequel is definitely happening. We can't talk about the details yet, but I can assure you that it will continue with much of the same feel of the first film, except on a much larger scale. Erik Castro visited 11 cities in five weeks while filming Bartender at Large. Drinking Destinations BARTENDER AT LARGE DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES SMALL-CITY COCKTAIL CULTURE by Amy C. Collins / photos by Gabe Fonseca Bartender and filmmaker Erick Castro and his wife and co-producer on Bartender at Large, Amelia Castanho. The pair embarked on a road trip through the western U.S. to document the cocktail trends and philosophies of many out-of-the-way places.