This is Bradley Horseman, from Calgary, bartender at Proof.
Brad is 33 years old and is originally from Saskatchewan. He was born in Saskatoon, moved to Regina to study Education at University, and has now been living in Calgary for almost a year.
Brad grew up in the hospitality industry. His mother owned and managed places from the time before he was born, stepped away from it to raise her two kids, and went back in the industry once they were old enough. When Brad was 10 years old, his mom hired a bartender that was like a 2000 raves kid and that was basically the coolest person a 10 years old could meet. From that moment on, Brad decided that he wanted to be a bartender.
Nevertheless, he started in the industry as a cook. He worked in kitchens from age seventeen to twenty-six. Until the day he walked into Ayden Kitchen and Bar, handed his resume to Christopher Cho, and was hired as a bartender for the first time. Little did he know that he would end up working for that group for the next half-decade. Christopher Cho became his mentor and taught him all the basics and more about bartending. Most importantly, he taught Brad to understand not only the classic cocktails but the subtleties of why things work together or not. When the company opened Avenue in Regina, they asked Brad to move there and help with the opening, which he did.
Then one day he came to Calgary for a hockey game. He had one too many drinks with his friends and spontaneously decided that night that he was going to move to this city. He went back to Regina, worked a last summer at Avenue, got a job lined up at Proof in early August, and moved to the city on August 28th. He has been working at Proof since then.
From being a restaurant kid, a cook, an aspiring teacher, and then a bartender, his path in hospitality led him exactly to where he wanted to be when he was only ten. Apart from being behind the wood at Proof, he tries to compete in as many competitions as possible. Brad is focused on being part of the community and firmly believes in being supportive of one another. He had the chance to have a great mentor, Christopher Cho, and believes that the best way to make our community grow is for people to pass on their knowledge and learn through each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
A little bit more about Brad...
The three words that describe him best: outgoing – eager – charming
One cocktail to bring on a desert island: A classic Daiquiri. 2:1:1 Bacardi Superior, fresh lime juice and simple syrup.
Something most people don’t know about him: He always wanted to write a fantasy novel.
The biggest lesson that his job taught him: When you’re overwhelmed, take a step back and look at the big picture, don’t just focus on the printer that is exploding and the 40 orders you have to do all at once. Just take a step back, breathe and collect yourself. And it can help in many other aspects of life. The ability to keep calm, breathe, just focus on what you can handle and handle it.
The biggest challenge he had to overcome professionally: A little bit of shyness, especially moving a new a bigger city like Calgary.