I am in awe at Spike TV’s show Bar Rescue. I love the concept and the way Jon Taffer comes in and totally transforms a bar from hag to swag! I have watched several episodes and noticed that Jon was not the only catapult at rescuing a bar. A “mixologist consultant” was needed to spice things up. I had an opportunity to chat with 2013’s Bar Rescue cast member, mixologist Russell Davis.
Russell moved to Austin, Texas at the age of 18 to study Theatre & Dance at The University of Texas. To pay for his education, he became a bartender; little did he know it would become his passion. He says, “I wanted to be cool to either make more money or meet chicks. I thought I was Mr. Hot Shot. But I really had no plan on what I was going to do with this. I got an opportunity to become a mixologist at an up and coming bar. I fell in love with this culinary aspect and technique of mixology. A light came on every time I was standing in a specific bar. I realized you can do so many things with cocktails.” He received his first finalist nomination for “Bartender of the Year” in 2010.
“It was because of this that Russell, a BarSmarts Advanced bartender, was recruited by Future Bars, Inc. for bartender/mixologist positions at the elite speakeasy Bourbon & Branch and the fast paced Rickhouse in San Francisco, the latter of which won, during Davis’s tenure, the prestigious honor of High Volume Cocktail Bar of the Year at the 2011 international bar convention and awards, Tales of the Cocktail. Nightclub & Bar Magazine’s 2012 Bartender of the Year, Russell Davis, continues to seize international attention for his work as a professional bartender/mixologist.”
In 2013 he was noticed and became a cast member of Spike TV’s Bar Rescue.
Russell is a consultant, and has been for a while. He used to get paid to do some undercover work to check out his friends bars and see how he can help; so sitting in a car with Jon Taffer was nothing new to him. “I try and stay away from watching the show. A lot of people get wrapped up in it. You know what you feel when you’re there, but when you watch it it’s different.”
When I asked him if it is hard teaching people how to make a bar work, he responded, “The hardest thing is… you cant change a person. I have a pretty good rhythm to how I do it. Without the right people and without the right foundation, well, that is what makes it hard.”
After starring on Bar Rescue, he left mixology and became a full time consultant. “It opened up a lot of projects for me. It became impossible to be a bartender again. Its hard to be that same person.”
He is currently acting as an advisory board member for Drink Careers 101, which aims to educate college students on the drinking industry being a foundation for many successful and lucrative career paths. “The two most popular style of drinks are making drinks and serving drinks.” After speaking with Russell, I never realized there was such a huge difference in stirring and shaking drinks. I just enjoy drinking drinks.
Russell believes that bartenders, and others in the service industry can lead a healthy, active lifestyle while being positive and giving members of society. He completed his first Olympic distance triathlon in South Maui and raised over $5,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s cancer research. He is an active member of the Northern California chapter of the United States Bartender’s Guild, and also has done work with the Bartender Relief Fund.
Russell loves to play guitar and dance. “Russell plans to continue to make his mark on the bar industry: inspiring the next generation of bartenders and bridging the gap between the high volume nightclub bartender, the showman, and the mixologist. His passion not only lies in captivating audiences with his various techniques used in his innovative and creative cocktails, bar programs, and style, but also in the art of being a true bartender.”
Currently he is in Costa Rica in The Rain Forrest and NOT having a fruity cocktail; he has been backpacking through Central America. When he is not on TV he is traveling the world, looking for that next project or that next drink!
You can find Russell Davis here:
Rebecca Berman TV 