Whether she’s doing a sold-out guest shift at Singapore’s Gibson Bar or working on a local fix for a missing cocktail ingredient at Pigeon in Mexico City, Kate Boushel commands the room. And when you see her do it in action, one thing is clear: She was born to do this.
The Montreal bartender and part-owner of Groupe Barroco crafts her drinks with knowledge, discipline and flair. Her gift for making people feel welcome and loved is what really sets her apart. It’s a talent that extends not just to her guests but also, increasingly, to global colleagues.
In the post-pandemic bar landscape, it’s not enough to make great drinks in your hometown. Bar teams have gone global, doing pop-ups at award-winning bars to make a splash internationally. In 2023, Boushel clocked nearly 90,000 kilometres flying to hot spots like Cartagena, London, Hong Kong and Paris — and still managed to oversee two busy Montreal bars (Atwater Cocktail Club and Milky Way) plus open a third, the dive bar–inspired Bon Délire.
It’s been, and continues to be, an absolute pleasure to be one of the faces that the industry outside of the country thinks of when they think of Canadian bars…”GROUPE BARROCO, MONTREAL KATE BOUSHEL
Air miles are one thing, but it’s harder to put a number on the hours spent hosting guests and leading legendary crawls for bar-industry visitors through Montreal, as an unofficial ambassador for Canada’s cocktail scene.
“It’s a lot of work, but I was doing that long before it was part of my job,” says Boushel, who credits her father, a former executive who also played unofficial tour guide to visiting colleagues, for her sense of hospitality.
Like a lot of industry folk, Boushel’s trying to find a sustainable work-life balance. So far, though, the madness of running a bar from five-plus time zones is worth it.
“It’s been, and continues to be, an absolute pleasure to be one of the faces that the industry outside of the country thinks of when they think of Canadian bars,” she says. “And I hope that it yields great results for all of our spaces. No matter where we are in the country.”
FAVOURITE DRINKING CITY
“Montreal. I’m proud of everything that we have here.”
BOOZE OF CHOICE
Fortified wine. “Sherry, vermouth, sweet, white or rosé, I just love it every way — neat, on the rocks, as a modifier or as the main player in a low-ABV [cocktail].”
FAVOURITE DRINK
Spanish Fizz.
FUN FACT
Boushel was a United Irish Societies Parade Princess (a.k.a. an “Irish Princess”) at the 2009 Montreal Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.
ANOTHER FUN FACT
Boushel’s mother was the first woman in Canada to be a moneymarket trader.
