This is Justin Daigle, who's twenty-eight years old, lives in Montreal, and comes from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a small city on the South shore of Montreal. Justin loves cats. He has one of his own, a creature called Hennessy who resembles a miniature version of a panther and ate a bird alive during our interview, and adopted his best friend’s two cats since they all live together and form quite a lively household that’s for sure.
Creativity has always been a big part of Justin’s life. When he was a kid, he wanted to be an illustrator and he studied plastic arts. Growing up, he wanted to be a bartender. He understood that he was going to pursue a career in bartending when he got a glimpse of how creative and artistic the world of mixology could actually be. He has a very creative approach to bartending. He likes to think outside the box and push his own limits. Oh, and did I mention he also has a tattoo studio at his place?
He has now been working in the hospitality industry for 12 years and he definitely worked his way up. Being quite a naturally shy person, his path in this industry has led him to accept the fact that he was shy and helped him be more socially comfortable around people. He now shares his time with bartending and tattooing.
His favorite work moment was when he was accepted as a bartender at Atwater Cocktail Club. Even if he had done more than his fair share of support staff positions in the past, when he was asked to be part of the very first team of the now-iconic Montreal bar, he was also asked to start as a barback. He accepted and worked very hard to be quickly accepted as a bartender three months later. His advice to younger bartenders is to be humble. Keep in mind that there are many aspects of the job you cannot learn in bartending school and that sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward. Which he himself did and definitely succeeded at.
For his cocktail creation, click here !
A little bit more about Justin...
Three words that describe him best: small – dashing – difficult
His life motto: Carpe Diem.
Fun fact about him: he loves animés movies.
The most magical place he ever visited was Puerto Rico. He landed there shortly after a big hurricane and right after Trump was elected. He was expecting to face a rather sad ambiance given the circumstances. What he experienced was the opposite of what he expected and he found the Puerto Ricans particularly welcoming. Plus there are lots of cats there, so he was like in paradise.
What he loves most about his job: the creativity and interactions.
What he loves least about his job: drunk customers.
The biggest lesson his job taught him is to be patient.