Monika Berg

Because, you know, one of the most useful qualities of anyone that wants to be successful in bars or in making drinks or in working in hospitality is

is the ability to have empathy and compassion.

So before creativity and kind of mixology, there's that kind of human side to things.

So it's like we have to see people at their worst, but we are also very privileged to see people at their best.

And hopefully the latter kind of makes up for the former.

But if you want to be successful in working in bars, you have to be able to absorb all of that and just be able to take the last kind of breath at the end of the night and shake it off and wake up tomorrow and start again.

Because I think anyone that has survived more than a few decades in the hospitality industry like us, I mean, we've seen most things.

Well, I will say that I almost ended my career as a bartender before I even started.

Oh, no.

When I was 20, when I was working in an events company in Norway.

And I had to cut off the owner of this company that had hired the space for the evening.

And I mean, it didn't start at the best place because he just walked into the bar, threw his card in my face and said, as long as you don't say anything and give me what I want, we'll be great.

And I was like, okay, fine.

I'll take that.

And then at the end of the night, he tried to order a round of a vodka and a mixer.

And I said, I'm sorry, but I can only serve you one drink at a time because that's the law in Norway.

And he was like, are you stupid?

And I said, no, I don't think so.

But I'm still trying to just abide by the law.

And then he jumped over the bar, grabbed the bottle of another spirit and throw it at my face.