Bartender Feature: Wesley & Rose at the Surf Hotel
Buena Vista is a popular Colorado destination for whitewater rafters and kayakers. It’s not uncommon to run into folks from Crested Butte during the river season or anytime we’re looking for a different climate.
Bobby Blaha, bartender at Wesley & Rose, the lobby bar at Surf Hotel.
Surf Hotel is less than a mile from downtown BV (as Coloradans call it) and overlooks Buena Vista Whitewater Park and a network of hiking trails along the river. The lobby bar, Wesley & Rose, serves Montanya Rum, and we’re pleased to introduce the Surf Hotel and bartender Bobby Blaha to you:
Name: Bobby Blaha
Title: Bartender
Bartending Experience: 2 years
Cocktails, Music & More
Wesley & Rose is the lobby bar of the Surf Hotel, located in Buena Vista. The hotel sits directly next to the Arkansas River, which creates one of the most unique venues (in my opinion) in the country. Additionally, the hotel also hosts weddings and concerts in its ballroom. Some of our concerts have included Leftover Salmon, Polish Ambassador, and Rising Appalachia. The restaurant serves house made pasta, pizza and bread alongside the freshest produce Colorado has to offer. However, even with all our amenities, my favorite part of the Surf Hotel is our bar. Daily fresh squeezed juice, a meticulously curated wine and beer list, and some of the best cocktails in the town really help set us apart from everyone else.
The Road to Bartending
I have worked on and off in the service industry for about 10 years. I have done everything from being a fry cook to dishwashing to managing. I am originally from Atlanta, and while I was living there, I worked for a craft beer bar/ gastropub called Butcher and Brew. B&B was really when I began wanting to become a bartender, but it didn't happen until I moved to Colorado. In April of 2018, I was hired as a manager at Wesley & Rose. It was my first management gig, and I was quite nervous. At the time, I had some bartending training and experience but nothing extensive. As we went through our first summer at the restaurant, I found myself helping more and more behind the bar. Eventually I transferred from managing the front of house to helping run the bar. Now all my time is spent bartending and I love it.
Location, Location, Location (& People)
Location, quality of ingredients, and our staff is what sets our bar program at Wesley & Rose apart from all the other bars in town, and even in the country. The town of Buena Vista (in my opinion) is one of the prettiest places in the entire United States. This small mountain town hosts a population of about 7,000 in the summer and roughly 3,000 in the winter. The restaurant is surrounded by 14,000 ft peaks and located right next to the Arkansas River. This creates one of the most unique places to experience our bar.
However, what really sets us apart is our quality of ingredients. All of our juices are fresh squeezed daily which we all know is the best way to make craft cocktails. Our beer, wine and spirits list honestly rivals anything you would find out in Vail, Aspen or Breckenridge. Don't even get me started on our food. All of our pasta, bread and pizza dough are made in house. Our produce is grown up the road here in town. Everything we do is fresh, and tastes amazing. Finally, the last thing that sets our bar program apart is our staff. We have an amazing group of BOH/FOH (back of house and front of house) employees who love what they do, but more importantly are good at what they do. Their attitudes and relentless work ethic are what makes our bar awesome.
When it comes to craft cocktails, I wish more people knew…
The only thing I wish more people knew was to be open and willing to try something new. Just because you may not like a certain liquor neat, does not mean you will not like a cocktail with that liquor in it. It's insane how complex and intricate cocktails have become, and with that complexity bartenders are able to make some pretty cool exciting and unique flavors. Be willing to try new things and experiment because if you do, I guarantee you will be blown away by how amazing some cocktails can be.
We Use Montanya Rum…
In everything. Montanya Platino is my well, so anytime anyone orders anything with our well rum ...boom, here is some Montanya. Additionally our new winter cocktail menu has a hot buttered rum with Montanya Oro, and a Winter Daiquiri with the Platino. I especially love to sell Montanya because a lot of our clientele are from out of the state and while they are in town, they want to experience all things Colorado. What is more Colorado than a rum made in the state??
A Recipe Using Montanya
BARTENDER ON ACID
1.5oz Kalani (or any good coconut rum)
.75oz Nardini Amora
.75oz Pineapple Juice
.25oz Montanya Oro
.25oz Green Chartruse
.25oz Lime
Combine all the ingredients into a shaker, fill with ice and shake. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with an umbrella for extra tiki happiness.
Most Memorable Cocktail Experience
My first egg-white whiskey sour. I really did not like drinking whiskey neat, it was too strong and intense for my palate. However, I was at a bar and a buddy ordered a whiskey sour. Suddenly a bartender grabbed an egg and cracked it and poured the white into the shaker. Once they shook and strained it, I was blown away with just how it looked. Then my buddy slid the drink over to me and let me try it. Holy crap, it was incredible. Now the whiskey sour is one of my favorite drinks. Just goes to show, do not be scared to try new things! (Editor’s note: At Montanya, we couldn’t agree more! Thanks Bobby!)
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