“ W hen we u s e d Nik k a , h i s f a c i a l exp re ssio n l e t me k now we’d fo u n d w h at w e w ere l o o k in g fo r! ”
Head to Masters Lounge — a comfortable space inside the Westin Bear Mountain Resort & Spa with large windows overlooking the golf course greens — and there’s a good chance you’ll see Brian Villeneuve behind the wood-panelled bar, preparing a signature Old Fashioned for one of his regular guests.
Brian, who is originally from Nova Scotia, says he chose bartending for the lifestyle.
The Old Fashioned cocktail, which dates back to the pre-Prohibition years, has enjoyed a new wave of popularity thanks to the television series Mad Men. As the signature drink of the advertising executives on the show, it seemed to spark a reminder in viewers to revisit the drink at the bar.
His first jobs behind the bar were in New Zealand and Australia, where he grew an appreciation of the history of wine and alcohol.
Brian makes his Old Fashioned with Japanese Nikka grain whisky, a variation that came about with some experimentation. “One of my regulars would come in and ask me for a cocktail, but he’d never be specific about what he wanted,” the longtime bartender at the Masters Lounge recalls. “Eventually, he narrowed it down to an Old Fashioned and we began experimenting with different kinds of whiskies. When we used Nikka, his facial expression let me know we’d found what we were looking for!” Brian started making this style of Old Fashioned for his bosses and other regular customers, and before he knew it, the cocktail experienced a huge rise in popularity.
“I like to be social, but I also like my days off to fly fish, surf, golf, snowboard and go hunting,” he says.
“You get to work with people’s life’s work when you’re behind the bar. As bartenders we deal with whiskies and wines that are being poured into glasses 50 years after they were first made — drinks that their manufacturer never saw because they aged in a barrel for so long. To me, that’s kind of romantic.” Bartending at the Westin Bear Mountain is a treat for many reasons, he adds. “I get a view of the mountains all day, and it’s superb, but I also get to interact with a really good member base with many regulars that come in and add to my day. Finally, I get to work with super high standards of alcohol that include an amazing wine cellar and some very expensive McCallum whiskies.”
15 BEAR MOUNTAIN LIFE / SUMMER 2019
Brian Villeneuve with his signature Old Fashioned.