My guest on this episode is James Irvine, he’s the creative director of gin drinks for the Australian craft gin distillery, Four Pillars — it’s a unique role, one that is a brand ambassador role, but which also sees him as the lead for the Four Pillars Lab, the brand’s flagship bar in Surry Hills, where they’re making some very good drinks.

The way I see it, bartenders who build a lasting career tend to be of two types: you have those who love the ops side of the business, and you have those who love the creative side. Neither is better than the other, and you can’t have one without the other — of course you’ll find plenty of overlap between those sides of the business. 

James Irvine, as he talks about in this chat, definitely leads more to the creative side, and has managed to build a rewarding and exciting career that way, and he’s got some great advice.