Gina Barbachano is a Force to be reckoned with

©  Gina Barbachano

From a love of graphic design to co-owning one of the world’s best bars, Gina Barbachano is one of the industry’s brightest talents. She talks discovering a love of mezcal, devouring books and facing challenges face on.

In another life, Gina Barbachano might have been zoologist. Or a marine biologist. Maybe a vet. From a young age, Barbachano was an animal lover. “My dad always told me that I was really good with animals. One time my dog bit one of my tortoises, so I started giving it meds, looked after it, and saved it, but I knew I’d never have the heart to actually do this for a living.”

To say that Barbachano’s ascent to become one of the most recognisable industry professionals in Mexico (and beyond) has been a linear journey would be woefully misjudged. In fact, anyone who has met Barbachano will not be surprised that she also has a love of photography and graphic design – the latter of which was also a career path she considered going down: “We have a saying that you are ‘the girl of the pencil, or the Sharpie’. I always loved doing graphics, I love drawing.”

Instead, she went down the route of touristic business administration in Mexico’s Morelia, in Michoacan, where Barbachano is from, and embarked on a career in events production, working as an assistant producer for the Morelia En Boca food and wine festival. Internships in F&B businesses followed and after stints working front of house and in the kitchen (that weren’t conducive to her self-confessed clumsy nature) she finally went behind the bar – and the rest, as they say, is historia. “Something magic happened when I was behind the bar. My memory loss issues disappeared, my clumsiness reduced, I was more focused, less distracted. I really loved the way that made me feel… that’s the moment that I fell in love with the bars.”

These days, she travels the world representing the bar and showcasing her ‘working flair’ style of tending bar. It’s a term she isn’t 100% comfortable using: “I just love having fun. I just love doing quirky stuff with my hands, so it doesn't look dull or boring. But I'm still super clumsy…” When it comes to flavour, despite professing being a picky child, Barbachano’s palate now leans towards umami, salty and earthy notes. When it comes to cocktail style, classic, replicable formats are her jam.

And when it comes to spirits, Mexico’s spirits have played a role in Barbachano’s upbringing. “Growing up I was always more trapped to local spirits. I grew up in an area where they make charanda, which is kind of like an Agricole rhum and we would drink that a lot when growing up at parties… My dad always drinking tequila, so I kind of grew with that. When we were older, we would watch movies or TV and he served us a little bit of tequila, so it was a nice bonding moment for us, and made me familiar with those flavours.”

Mezcal, on the other hand, was a slower burn. “I didn’t like mezcal, but when I started working at a local restaurant, they were like, ‘OK, you’re working here, you need to try all of the mezcals.” Every day, Barbachano would try one or two and she came to realise that not all mezcals are smoky or had harsh flavours – she appreciated the range of varietals and the styles of flavours. “I fell in love with mezcal, and all the different flavours you can find in just the hands of the producer that makes it. It's still my favourite spirit.”

Facing the future

Barbachano’s star quality reached new heights last year, being nominated for International Bartender of the Year at TOTC’s Spirited Awards. But pursing this career has not been a completely unwavering task. “I have had to double think if this was the correct path for me, if I wanted to continue in this industry.” Despite not having too many bad experiences as a woman in the industry, she has had her fair share of sexism aimed at her.

“When you start going up, people question if you actually have talent, if you are not just sleeping around or things like that. I think that that's the one that hurt me the most. It's one of the hardest parts of being a female in this role, that people don't think that you work enough and that you are getting the attention just because you’re a woman or for sleeping around.”

Barbachano’s work ethic is undisputed and her constant drive for self-improvement is channelled through various mediums: the internet (TikTok videos) and books (“I’m a frikking bookworm”), that span cocktails, hospitality, improving leadership, losing your ego and more. As well as the essential reading for bartenders, she also looks slightly further afield for inspiration at cooking and food books that delve into the kitchen and flavour pairings.

Having spent time with Barbachano, her love for this industry and its camaraderie is glaringly obvious. Her drive wanting more is clear too and new challenges are what she hopes will push her in this industry for years to come. “I would love to learn more techniques in service, develop menus and learn how to apply new things to hospitality. I hope someday to open more places too, but always stay behind the bar and do things that make me feel creative. I hope I can still be part of this beautiful industry that I love.”