This is Jared Schmidt, from Vancouver, Account Manager for Barcardi.
Jared is 27 years old and is originally from a small-town North of Edmonton in Alberta. When he was younger, he worked as a life guard for a long time and decided to study music at Grant MacEwan University. Upon graduating, he worked as a recording engineer in various music studios for a while. And for the past seven years, hospitality has been his main career.
Jared first job in the industry was as a bartender at a place called Denizen Hall in Edmonton. He decided to start bartending because he really enjoyed going to bars while in university. It seemed like the “cool” thing to do and it was a pretty decent income while studying. Eventually, one of his friends took him out for some cocktails and that was the first time that he tasted well crafted, quality cocktails. Until then, he didn’t really know what good cocktails were supposed to taste like. After that, he got determined to become a better bartender and learn about cocktail bartending. Fast forward seven years later, Jared just spent the last couple of years crafting the cocktail menu as the bar manager at Anh and Chi and recently got offered the opportunity to join the Bacardi team as the Account Manager in BC.
Overall, working in hospitality as allowed him to live in Edmonton, Kelowna and then Vancouver, as well as to travel to various places across North America. He has found himself incredibly fortunate through his journey in hospitality and that has given him a lifelong appreciation for the industry.
For Jared's cocktail recipe, click here.