LIFE IS A COCKTAIL - By deecee, the mad mixologist. It,s been a long and good international journey in search of knowledge & self-embetterment in the hospitality industry that finally brought me to Bali in 2011. I started as a cocktail bartender in a cafe-by-day cocktail-bar-by-night in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the year 2000. My work ethic to always do the best I could and do more than was expected of me was one that took me to work & live in many of the world,s hotspots such as: Ibiza, Barcelona, Florianopolis, Amsterdam, Milan, Monte-Carlo, Athens, Shanghai, Berlin, New York, and Bali. It was the Brasilian fresh-fruit juice culture that changed my style of bartending from alcohol-based cocktails to fruit-based cocktails. I began to experienment with mixing & muddling fruits, learning which fruits go well together, and testing my findings on an eager public. I found that people loved to see someone working harder for their drink & loved the final product when made with fresh ingredients more than if it was produced with bottled or pre-prepared juices. After a while, I wanted to go further, so I started producing drinks with vegetables, spices and herbs. I then studied the properties of these ingredients and was excited to discover that nature offers us so many benefits to our health and well-being. Water became the next topic of my studies and again I was amazed to discover a whole world of wonderful information, which led me to interest in ice and ice production. So, my next projects will be include an herbal-growing farm and the production of crystal-clear ice-blocks for drinks. Some bartending advice I can offer, could be good life advice as well, because after all is said and done, if you care about what you do, put a little time, effort & love into what you do, pay attention to detail, mix things up for variety, be professional, keep things clean and organized, people do notice the difference and appreciate both the drink and you all the more. For me, life is a cocktail!