Founder of Indie Bartender Company: DANIL NEVSKY

Danil Nevsky, a Russian-born but UK-raised globe trotter currently living in Barcelona, is the Founder of Indie Bartender. Danil, nominated among the Top 100 Most Influential in the Hospitality Industry & addressing himself as ‘The Independent Bartender’, has a diverse range of international experiences over 15 years in the hospitality industry.

Best known globally for the completed the ‘Vagabond Project’, 16 Months when he worked free full time in 11 different bars and 11 Countries. Ambitious, unfiltered & always interested in pushing the limits of the Hospitality industry, his main goal is to provide independent meaningful marketing solutions for spirit brands and empower the bartenders worldwide.

Learn more about Danil Nevsky, in the next interview:

TRL: What does the rum mean for you? What made you fall in love with rum and when did it happen?

The very first bar training I received from a brand ambassador was on Havana Club rum when I was living in Scotland. Having grown up in generally cold & rainy places the stories of beaches, sun & Piña Coladas were music to my ears. Rum was fun, authentic, revelrous & rebellious! It felt younger & more akin to my mindset as a young bartender at the time. I had always dreamed of going to a Rum Distillery or one of the main Rum producing islands in the Caribbean. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit Cuba & Puerto Rico on this journey.

The visit to Cuba was the first date that solidified my love for the spirit & my travels to Puerto Rico established that these are soul mates for life! The people behind Rum are always hospitable, welcoming, smiling & dancing. What more can you want?

I think the moment I had a Frozen Banana Daiquiri in La Floridita in Havana next to the statue of Ernest Hemingway was the ring on my finger.

TRL: Three essential characteristics that define the rum according to your perspective.

– A spirit that is part of local culture & community. Rum is so strongly intertwined as part of local culture more so than any spirit in many cultures. It is not just for getting drunk.

– It is a way of life.

– Down to Earth & real.

TRL: What is the most important contribution you have made to the rum industry?

I have no specific achievements I could be proud of that are comparable to the many greats of the Rum world. I am still at the beginning of my journey to contributing to the Rum world in a significant way.

That being said having spent years drinking, collecting Rum, visiting Distilleries & studying the history of the spirit I have always tried to educate the gospel of quality Rum & the many different aspects of it in places where such education is not available.

Being born in Russia & with family in Ukraine, these are the sorts of places in the world where massive Rum brands dominate & education is limited. I have used my capacity as much as I could to help change this fact & improve my knowledge of this varied & deep subject,

TRL: How did the Daiquiri Kombat Klub come about?

A bunch of friends after a guest shift in Madrid decided we would film ourselves making Daiquiris as fast as possible. We even had a normal citizen of the day as a placebo.

Naturally, absolute chaos ensued with broken glassware, ice everywhere & the need to re-clean the bar deep into the night.

All Daiquiris were consumed. So the cleaning was questionable, to say the least! The next few days when I sent the video over to Ron Colon HQ they thought it was so hilarious & fun that they decided to make it into a competition. A competition that emphasizes fun as opposed to choreographed speeches.

TRL: What is the biggest impact of this competition in times of Covid?

I think the key is simplicity & lack of the usual industry competition ‘standards’. Just like Rum it is a little more ‘rough & rumbles’ in style as opposed to slick & polished. During the COVID period, it was a pleasant break from the usual intense news cycle as well as the doom & gloom of social media.

Just like in a Daiquiri there has to be balanced in all things. This competition was that!

TRL: What is your favorite place for drinking rum?

I think it’s more about my favorite people. Different people end up attracting different types of Rum & are best in different places! If I want to dance & debate the right way to cook plantains it would be La Factoria in San Juan. If I want to sing & enjoy the evening wind it would the Malecón in Havana. If I want to kick back & just chill while people watching it would be Cafe La Trova in Miami. I guess the only thing consistent is the climate or the general geographical location!

TRL: Favorite drink + Recipe using RCS

This is a twist on a 90s UK classic called ‘The June Bug’ but modernized. It is Blended using a Hamilton Beach milkshake blender & is actively the best & worst cocktail ever created.

Name: Jitterbug

Ingredients:

– 30ml Midori

– 30ml Creme De Banane

– 30ml Amontillado

– 30ml Ron Colon Overproof

– 30ml Lemon Juice

– 15ml Real Coconut

– 15ml Real Pineapple

– Dash of Salt

– Dash of MSG

Method:

Add all ingredients, blend with around 100g crushed ice in a Hamilton Beach. Pour over crushed ice.

Garnish:

Mint Sprig, Toasted Coconut Flakes, Luminous Green Melon Ball.

TRL: Why is it important to educate the rum consumer?

Unlike many categories of spirit, rum is very versatile & varied. The sheer abundance of brands, types, stories & flavors is both a blessing & a curse. A lot of people try Rum & decided that this is the way ALL rum tastes like & as we know most of the first things you try aren’t quality.

I believe there is a Rum for everyone & the category allows this but I don’t believe there is another spirit that can claim the same. As a result, I think it is important to educate people on rum so they don’t jump to conclusions based on ‘this one time I tried this one type of rum’.

TRL: How does DKK educate the participants?

Before every event, we talk about the brand, the blend & the origins of the competition. We taste all of the products in the range & discuss the story of the production. Key elements such as it being a blend, the original blending location, what goes into it, the link to El Salvador & mindset of the rum.

All the answers to the previous questions were distilled into one event both in education, lifestyle & general vibe. This is better for educating young bartenders than a history lesson!

TRL: How can the rum or the industry contribute to improving the crisis in some countries?

Excellent question & one that is as hard to answer as ‘What is Rum?’ I think for many Rum brands the road starts at home. Many Rum producing countries have enough issues locally before they start trying to work out the issues of others.

I think due to the unique position of Rum being so based on culture the best way for it to spread or to help a crisis in some countries is for Rum producers to open their hearts & homes to the people from those countries.

So example a paid internship program at the distillery or production facility makes the rum available to people outside of the place. For many struggling this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel, learn new languages & be exposed to new cultures. How can you not fall in love with Rum after this?

TRL: Is the commitment to sustainable development the key to success for the permanence of the rum industry in the world? Why?

This can be linked to the previous question & answer. Rum’s roots are not exactly angelic & it is easy to slap a sustainability label on something or make a press release but it is the follow-up work that is important.

Sustainability has many different facets to it. From environmental to social to business. Any industry & company moving forward would need to bear all of this in mind to have permanent in the world.

The key is transparency & honesty. Some things you cannot control but work towards, some things take time, and some things are beyond your current ability. Playing a virtual signaling sustainability game is a waste of time & helps no one.

TRL: Who would like to meet in the rum industry? What would you say to him/her?

I would love to meet Joy Spence the master blender of Appleton Estate. I have long been a fan of her work &, to be honest, there is nothing I would specifically like to say. I would like to listen though. Listening is something I feel we’re forgetting how to do properly nowadays.

TRL: What are your next goals with the Daiquiri Kombat competition?

Ever since we launched the response has been HUGE! There’s been a lot of bartenders in many different countries around the world that was responded super positively about the entire challenge & want to take part. The key is to evolve with the community & make sure it’s a balanced give & take.

We want to come over to the US to do a few cities but I need to know where we have a community who would love to host us & ready to make Daiquiris as fast as possible. Sharing good rum with bartenders who care is the key! As for the rest of the logistics. We’ll figure that out later!

TRL: What makes this Competition so special for you?

Because it was born in a bar, not in a boardroom.

TRL: Why is the role of the bartender important in the rum industry?

A lot of the way people try my flavors & spirits is through bars & restaurants. Not everyone can travel to the Rum producing countries or has any interest to do so. Not every culture has a link with rum or the rum-producing nations. So as a result there needs to be a person to help guide them. The bartender is that guide.

TRL: What is your advice for new generations in the rum industry?

Rum is the only spirit category that understands your hunger to grow, get out there & show the world. Luckily you can try a lot of amazing rum MUCH cheaper than any other spirits of the same quality. Something that will change in the future!

Rum is the OG fun. Now go have some instead of sitting in bars at 2 am complaining about Manhattan specs…

TRL: How can people learn more about you? Website? Social media page?

You can find more information about my company & what I do on –

www.indiebartender.com  

On the website, I have guides, templates & education materials for bars, bartenders & brand ambassadors.

Most of my thoughts & everyday content are on my IG – https://www.instagram.com/cocktailman/  

On my IG you’ll find opinions, recipes & my general everyday whereabouts!