Only after Jeremy had already sunk down a glass of mescal, did the owner of a local bar in Mexico, bring out his homebrew that had a wild rattlesnake fermenting in it, and it got crazier too. But for Jeremy (and his business partner Alex), this is all about taking the time to understand and learn the culture behind mescal, tequila and the locals that have been making it for generations.

Jeremy initially had goals to be a chef before his friend told him the terrible rate of pay and this immediately convinced him otherwise, so he had begun bartending on the side by his late teens. In his early twenties he worked over in Scotland and helped open up a bar in London for a year until Clover Moore (The mayor of Sydney) began changing the laws for small bar owners in Sydney to be able to open easier and be more profitably. When Jeremy found out, he came back to Australia and began working for the Swillhouse group as one of the first people to help open Shady Pines.

Soon after in 2012, Jeremy and Alex Dowd left Shady Pines and opened Tio’s Cerveceria, the tropical themed tiki bar that boasts delicious cocktails and a very uniquely fun vibe. After two years of having fun managing their own venue, they had to knuckle down after realising they were ‘...losing money all of the time.’
But this didn’t stop them from opening up their next venue called Cliff Dive, which used to go by the name ‘Rogues’ in late 70’s/early 80’s and Jeremy glosses over the wild stories attached to the venue.

After Cliff Dive and Tio’s continued to bustle big numbers, Jeremy and Alex began to stir up the idea for a vanity project. A place they could focus and funnel out the great Tequila and Mescal that motivated them to travel across the world for. But initially, their ideas were far from how Cantina Ok! Had turned out to be. But nonetheless, their passion project is now more successful than ever, having recently been placed as the 28th best bar in the world by the worlds 50 Best which is an incredible award to have.

It was an absolute gem to sit and chat with Jeremy about his career and personal experiences through the hospitality industry and even more so about his interest in Mescal. His humorous perspective on the wins and losses of the industry remind us all why it’s a good thing to support local hospitality venues.

I would like to note that Roots Podcast is proudly supported by the Australian Good Food Guide. A hospitality guide that started in 1977 and still continues to rate and support restaurants ever since.

Music by Charlie Fester.

Go and follow @roots_hospitality on instagram for the latest guest news and soundbite.

Ep. 22 Jeremy Blackmore (Cantina OK!, Tio's Cerveceria, Cliff Dive)

Roots Hospitality

Ep. 22 Jeremy Blackmore (Cantina OK!, Tio's Cerveceria, Cliff Dive)