How To Give Back To Bartenders Impacted By The Pandemic

With heavy restrictions on bars and nightclubs, the last two years have been a tough go for those in the hospitality industry. That’s why Campari Group Canada has teamed up with Bartender Atlas to launch a Campari Stir Crazy initiative, calling on Canadians to support their local bartender community by purchasing cool, one-of-a-kind cocktail recipes created by bartenders across the country. We chatted with one participant, Tocador bartender Olivia Povarchook, about her unique recipe, and about her experience being a hospitality worker throughout the pandemic. —Noa Nichol

Hi Olivia! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.

I have worked as a bartender in Vancouver for the last eight years, working as a pastry cook before that. I’ve had the pleasure of working in some of the best bars in the city, including but not limited to Uva Wine & Cocktail Bar, Juniper, Chupito and Tocador. I’ve also made my presence known in the world of competitive bartending and have taken part in many competitions, the most recent being the Giffard West Cup in 2019, where I competed on the global stage representing Canada.

The past two years have been hard on the hospitality industry. What was working through the pandemic like for you?

The last two years have been filled with confusion, fear and constant obstacles. Restaurants and bars were one of the first industries to be shut down at the start of the pandemic, and have continued to navigate new restrictions as our numbers fluctuate. Businesses and brands like Campari have been very innovative and supportive. They’ve found ways to adjust their business to roll with the punches and the industry has really come together as a community, which has been incredible to watch. We’ve also seen so many iconic restaurants choose to close their doors, which has been devastating. I was lucky enough to return to my job as soon as bars were allowed to reopen in Vancouver, but it wasn’t going back to the job I had before. It was opening a completely different business with contact tracing, plastic dividers, and a lot less face time with our guests. It’s been, and continues to be, a rollercoaster of being happy to be at work doing what I love, but then guilt watching other restaurants not being as fortunate as to find stability with our new normal, and the ongoing fear of hoping we don’t get shut down again. Ultimately, I’m happy to see numbers and restrictions start to drop, but we all have some battle scars from the last two years.

As part of the Campari Stir Crazy campaign, you were asked to create a custom cocktail that, among many others, is now available for purchase. Can you share your submission or the inspiration behind it with us?

Campari Stir Crazy, now in it’s second run, has been such a welcome distraction! When Bartender Atlas and the Campari Group teamed up to get unemployed and underemployed bartenders using the creative part of their brains, you could feel the tangible excitement in the Canadian hospitality industry. We were grateful for the work, the support and we were excited to see what everyone was going to dream up. My cocktail is called Golden Hour, and is a low-ish-proof cocktail designed for sipping on sunny afternoons with friends, where the biggest worry is, “Who’s going to make the next round of cocktails?” If that speaks to you, you can actually buy the recipe on the Bartender Atlas website and make a Golden Hour for yourself! All proceeds from the sales of the recipes will go directly back into the pockets of participating bartenders and Campari has committed to matching total proceeds made from all cocktail recipe purchases. This matched donation will be split between all of us and truly does make a difference.

What’s the best part of your job, and are you looking forward to brighter days ahead?

There’s many things I love about my job. I’ve missed coming up with creative cocktails, especially on fun projects like Campari Stir Crazy. I love connecting with the people who sit at my bar, and knowing I’m making their day a little brighter. I’m so excited to get to a less stressful time, where the biggest concern is what cocktail you should order from me.

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