This is Bosko Turakovic, from Vancouver, bartender at Shameful Tiki Room.
Bokso is 30 years old and is originally from Brampton, Ontario. He grew up mostly in Brampton and lived in Toronto before he decided to move to Vancouver a few years ago. Bosko speaks English and Serbian, has a little brother and an older sister, and has a dog called Sita. When Bosko was about 20 years old, he had a plan to open a marijuana café. He was advised by his aunt to get into a trade instead so that when he would want to open his own place he would have the money for it. So Bosko went to school for Heating and Air conditioning. And somewhere along the path, he found his way back to hospitality.
Bosko started working in nightclubs in Toronto, while he was finishing his HVAC program. After graduating, he kept working in clubs while he was starting to work in his trade, but eventually, his passion for the hospitality industry got the best of him and he dedicated himself full time to working in bars. One day, he took part in an Italian restaurant opening where he met Joao Machado, who would soon become his mentor. Bosko learned how to build a menu and design a bar before he learned how to shake a drink. Yes, you read that right. Being the amazing person that he is, he seized every opportunity to learn that presented itself and eventually became very knowledgeable in his field. One thing led to another, and after some time Bosko met Alana Nogueda and Jay Meyers from Shameful Tiki in Toronto and decided to join the team. He worked there for a while before he decided to go travel for a bit. He went to Shanghai, then to Australia, and flew back to Canada in Vancouver. He worked at a few bars in the city before joining the Shameful Tiki Room team on the West Coast.
Apart from bartending, Bosko is very knowledgeable in marijuana and is working towards creating a marijuana company business plan. He is also quite gifted at electrical and woodworking. But most and foremost, he is a truly hospitable and extremely funny character that makes him pretty much the ideal type for hosting guests at a bar. Sitting in front of him, watching him work, and being entertained by his many stories was one of the best nights we had on our whole Cocktail Roads trip across the country and we are extremely happy to share his story with you today. If you don’t know him, make sure to check him out and follow his projects. We sure look forward to sitting at his bar again, hopefully with a bottle of sherry or two.
For Bosko's cocktail recipe, click here.
A little bit more about Bosko...
The three words that describe him best: little – tattooed – monster
One cocktail to bring on a desert island: Saturn.
The biggest lesson that working in hospitality taught him: Not to take things to seriously but still be professional.
The book that inspired him most: The Giver, by Lois Lowry.
His life motto: Just get it.