Getting her start as "baby bartender" at Model Milk, 2022 Outstanding Young Alumna Madeleine MacDonald is setting the bar high within the hospitality industry with the creation of dynamic cocktail programs and winning national cocktail competitions.
Photos by Y KATE KÜNZ
It’s all about balance.
Madeleine MacDonald won’t hazard a guess at how many cocktails she created while working as beverage director for leading restaurants over the past nine years. But if her 50 notebooks of ideas and inspiration are any indication, it’s a lot. And the fact she’s participated in at least the same number of competitions - winning many of them - should tell you she’s pretty good at it. Today she brings those skills to every SAIT class she teaches.
Your big break?
I interned at Model Milk and got to be a “baby bartender” in a brand new venue that was pushing the boundaries in terms of cocktails and food. That’s where cocktails became my passion. I loved that it allowed me to be creative and combined my interest in cooking with my love of people.
The story behind your favourite cocktail?
Inspiration can come from anywhere - an ingredient or a dish your grandmother made – but it was a song in this case. One of our regular customers at Model Milk was obsessed with Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus and played it all the time. The cocktail this inspired me to create was my first to make it onto the menu and is still near and dear to my heart - Model Milk even brought it back for their 10th anniversary.
Your inspiration?
When you’ve been in an industry for a long time, it’s easy to get jaded and grouchy, but my students keep me inspired - they have such joy, interest and excitement. I teach students from all over the world with different backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures, and that creates a dynamic classroom. We share our stories - and favourite beverage products - and learn from each other’s experiences and mistakes.
On finding balance
Cocktails are all about balance - acidity, sweetness and bitterness - and about allowing each ingredient to shine. As much as restaurants compete with each other, we’re also connected. We take care of each other and balance each other out. But we can still do a lot to rethink aspects of our industry, to make it more equitable and to provide a better work/life balance. I’ve been given so many opportunities that I need to give back. It’s why I’ve loved helping to bring Speed Rack, a global bartending competition, to Alberta and working with the Bartenders Benevolent Fund, helping people in our industry get the funding needed to live through the pandemic and other emergencies.
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.