A TOAST HEARD AROUND THE WORLD

Towering hospitality impresario, internationally celebrated bartender extraordinaire, and all-around firecracker Beckaly Franks gets autobiographical about her life, times and drinks in this month's Guest Shift.

- BECKALY FRANKS

BEFORE WE DUST OFF the archives and I go around sharing my experiences with you, I think it best we get to know each other a bit. I was born on the island of Maui, in Hawaii, but was raised in a small city in Idaho called Pocatello. It has, or at least did have, a population of only 50,000 people and though it boasts some stunning Rocky Mountain realness, it was a pretty awkward place for a person like me to grow up. So I moved - ciao, bye.

At the age of 19 I migrated to Portland, to the evergreen state of Oregon, where "Keep Portland Weird", is literally the motto. Where half-shaved heads, unicorn-coloured hair and carabiners, flannel shirts, craft cocktails, artisanal salts, pinot noir, brew pubs, pinball, and metal bars all have their place to shine. Portland is the home court of Nike (yes, that Nike), and the likes of culture-creating juggernauts Wieden+Kennedy. PDX practically invented the hipster, and I was there in the prime of it all.

I was based in Portland for 11 genuinely radical years. Not only are many of my close friends and my family still there but it is just an amazing place! RIP CITY BABY! And yes, I made my money by dancing on top of bars until I was able to weasel my way into the famed restaurant and bar Clyde Common and work with a world-renowned team helmed by Jeffrey Morgenthaler. And yes, during my time there, I was the first woman to win a global cocktail competition at the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup in 2012 (please note: I was part of a team and I believe my girl Kate Gerwin is the first woman to win a global competition solo in 2014). And yes, I also almost got fired from Clyde Common a couple times.

I put in the hard yards in everything I do but I am still a wild child, y'all.