Alexander TSIRYULSKY

My life behind my bar

Alexander Tsiryulsky

Do you have something in your life that makes you yourself? Something that you can't imagine being cut out of your life? Let me quote Nabokov for a little bit in a very rough and cruel way. Light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. It takes only a slight movement of lips and tongue to form a word "Bar". Imagine a fashionable restaurant with a classical music playing in the background. You can call it fancy. Every little detail in the interior fits its place. There are beautiful paintings on the walls, the fireplace quietly crackles. Sleek waiters fly around like feathers, bringing in more and more dishes of high kitchen. Well-dressed and well-perfumed ladies and gentlemen are pretentiously talking about their riches while carefully sipping on a glass of a classy red wine. Looks like some kind of a paradise for a snob, doesn't it? Let's leave it be, and let me take you to another place. The view drastically changes. Let your eyes and even ears get used to the change of scenery. Let it sink in, don't hurry up, or it might even hurt. Hell on earth greets you. The soft classical music is replaced by a hard rock. The paintings have now turned into the vivid writings on the walls. The interior that had once been moderate was knuckled down by the ferocity of different colours and became inferior. There are ladies and gentlemen too, but those of a kind that drink bottles of cheap beer one by one while screaming louder than human's ear can even bear without bleeding. They can easily punch you right in the face if you dare to take a look too close. I guess you'd like to transcend to a better place. Here it is. A pub that is filled with a friendly atmosphere. You are welcome here. The scent of tasty food and beer makes you feel like you can stay here forever or make a visit at least twice a week. Everything inside or outside seems suitable, not more or less. Feel free to join, they have a bonus card for their regular clients. But who is that person standing in the dim lights behind a bar in all of those scenes and many more places? Hello, it's me. I've been there standing with a smile or a grimace of disgust, whether it was fake or true. Don't let my facial expressions distract you - I enjoy being part of this. Let me introduce myself. I am Alexander. I've been working as a bartender since I was 18. How did I choose this specific job? Well, it was kind of an obvious choice for a young lad like me. I still remember the first day of probation and especially the eyes of my mentor when i looked at the menu and said, "Yeah, I know the most of these beverages, hire me

right now". That was the start of my career as a bartender. I don't regret any single day of being part of this. Bartending lies as a thick red line throughout my lifestyle. Besides some essential things that every bartender should learn, there are many positive side-effects. It helped me improve my cooking skills, mostly because mastery of mixing cocktails for each and every person goes pretty well along with creating some truly delicious dishes. As a plus, there certainly goes a close touch with fellow cooks. Nonetheless, I can't even imagine a proffesion with so much communication with various types of people. I've heard so many stories that they lie tight one on another in my head. Rpg games have an "experience" meter that defines the level of a concrete character. I feel like i've used a cheat to get a ton of this experience, much more than i've been meant to gain, taking into account that I am just 22 years old. There are negative things, of course. I've turned my affliction with alcohol into a better state, not bitter, but not everyone can handle that. And certainly sometimes I wish I had a little more time to myself and my close ones. During the summer I usually don't get enough sleep, but after all, it's not the speed that kills you; it's the sudden stop at the end. Bartender once - bartender forever, I guess.