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From DallasVoice.com Profile Fantasy Bartenders guru Ruben Caballero offers suggestions on kicking up the winter party season
Today, the closest he comes to chemistry is figuring out how best to blend Midori, Malibu rum and pineapple juice into a signature drink for a customer. He couldn't be further from all the corporate paths available to him. And he couldn't be happier about it. "It's been an adventure for me. My mind's eye about business was always to figure out what Dallas needs and it sure isn't another Starbucks," he says. What it needed, apparently, was the hottest stable of bartenders in Texas. Caballero's journey from chemist to purveyor of beefcake tickles even him. While he was considering a grad program at UNT, he realized that his real passion was weightlifting. He'd been training since 15 and decided it was time to take his interest to the next level. After meeting with success in several competitions, he took a job at Gold's Gym as a personal trainer. Then the gym suddenly closed down its North Texas operations and Caballero was out of a job. Then one of his clients offered him work as a cater waiter. "He said I could do some catered events if I was interested; I was interested in paying my rent and eating," he says. For a while, he made a living dressed up in a tux, serving hors d'oeuvres at parties. "Then one day he called me up with this different request. He said "'There's no pressure at all you can say no but there are these two guys in North Dallas who are requesting a shirtless bartender by a pool," Caballero says. Although he had never tended bar before, he got a quick lesson in how to mix strong cosmopolitans, how to shake a drink and how to make three different kinds of martinis. After the event, the clients asked if there was any way they could get two bartenders next time. "That's when this light went off in my head," he says. That was two years, and now his company, Fantasy Bartenders, has more business than it knows what to do with. For a while, Caballero says, he was happy doing small events. Then DIFFA called and asked for eight bartenders. That really "forced me to go from small time to big time. I had only four guys who were really firm who worked with me." But he was able to staff the event and business has snowballed since. Caballero is constantly scouting potential employees. It's not as easy running his business as it might sound: Looking good is one thing, but having mixology experience and interpersonal skills are just as important. "You're really looking for someone with a personality who can talk to people, deal with them one on one," he says. "I had one guy who looked like the statue of David but had no personality. I couldn't have that." As important as how they feel about flashing some skin, Caballero says, is whether a candidate will be gay-friendly at gay events. His staff is comprised of a mix of gay and straight men, and he recently added 10 women to his lineup.
One good way to distinguish your holiday party, he advises, is to come up with a signature drink that everyone relates to you. (See sidebar.) "Some people just want to do cosmos or martinis," he says, but creating a unique drink raises the bar. Caballero relates a story about one client who had been a semi-finalist on the TV show "Star Search." Caballero blended Capt. Morgan's rum, Malibu rum and three juices and started calling it the "Star Search special." Lots of people started asking for it by name. (Be careful, though, not to design a drink that is too high-maintenance to prepare you don't want your bartenders spending too long on one drink.) Ambiance is vital to the success of a party, too. "I like cuddle weather it's nice it makes me feel a little more Christmas-y," he says. "I like to boil apples and cinnamon sticks and rosemary to make the air smell nice." Some clients holding events in their homes light fires in the hearths to make the setting warm. But of course one of the best ways he says it to staff your party well. One of the biggest mistakes he's seen is where hosts run out of ice or alcohol too soon, or don't have enough glassware (even plastic cups) to serve everyone. Deciding on a theme is the final step especially when Caballero and his crew are involved. "We always dress according to the themes of the parties we won't come in with the boring and the bland," he says. "We show up whether it's a conservative tux, Saturday night on the town look, bow tie and no shirt, swim trunks by the pool or Santa hats however you want it, that's the way they are gonna show up." To contact Fantasy Bartenders, e-mail Caballero at Rubenjc111@aol.com.
Having a signature drink can make your party memorable. We asked some restaurants and alcohol experts to offer up their favorite specialties. Abuela's Christmas Kiss. This hot drink, courtesy of Ciudad's acclaimed mixologist Leann Berry, if the perfect brew to warm your guests. Heat 4 oz. of fresh apple juice. Add 1-1/2 oz. Cazadores reposado tequila and 1 oz. of Liquor 43 vanilla liqueur. Garnish with a cinnamon stick in a clear glass. Pecan Pie Martini (pictured left). Dessert or alcoholic beverage? Consider it both! Available at Obar, 1602-B Main St. Combine 1/2 tsp. of pecan extract, 1/2 tsp. of brown sugar and 1/2 oz. of brandy in a shaker and stir with a spoon until sugar dissolves. Add 1.5 oz. of Chopin vodka and ice to shaker until about half filled. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with cinnamon stick.
Combine 1.5 oz. of vanilla vodka, 1 oz. of Bailey's Irish Cream, 1 oz. Half and Half and a splash of crème de menthe. Shake vigorously. Serve with a twist. Tezon Mistletoe. A champagne cocktail with a south-of-the-border kick. Mix 1 oz. of Tezon Blanco tequila, 1/2 oz. of triple sec and 1/2 oz. pomegranate juice. Fill with Mumm champagne. Snowdrift Martini. Hole up on a cold day with this sweet seasonal treat. Shake together 2 oz. of SKYY vanilla vodka, 2 oz. amaretto and 4 oz. sweet and sour mix in a shaker. Serve in a sugar-rimmed martini glass. Godiva Cranberry Martini (pictured right). If there are cranberries, it has to be Christmas. Available at Obar. Combine 1 oz. each of vodka, Godiva liqueur and cranberry juice. Shake for 10 seconds, pour into martini glass. Garnish with two frozen cranberries. This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, October 20, 2006. © Copyright by DallasVoice.com |
