When you first see Joseph Brooke behind the bar at Copa D’Oro in Santa Monica, you think that he is so damn handsome that he must have some unattractive quality to balance it out. Then he makes you a drink, and its spot on delicious. When he speaks to you, he is friendly, humble – an all around nice guy. “Wow,” you think. “Some guys actually DO have it all!”
The New York native, who happens to be an actor (his Target commercial is running now), jokes that he came to LA three and a half years ago to work on his tan but has finally accepted that “its just not going to happen.” The struggling artist was also drawn by love. He reminisces, “I met a lovely lady who was living in Hollywood [but she] dumped me after three months. Good times.” At TLM, all we can say is, “Was that b-tch retarded?”
Meanwhile, here in Los Angeles, Joe is doing us proud as he is the only local contender representing the home team in LXTV’s “On the Rocks” bartending competition show! (Think Top Chef but with bartenders.) The first episode airs on NBC, Saturday, November 7th at 1am, right after Saturday Night Live. There will only going to be three 30-minute episodes, all of which will be available for streaming off the same website directly after the airing. Watch the intro video and see Joe’s profile on the website for more info about that.
Ironically, Joe was cut from the casting process last year when the show held its first auditions. He said that he was “fairly bummed about it” because he knew it was a good fit. Not deterred, he auditioned again for Season Two. “I figured that was the time to pull out all the chocks and just go for it. Also, I offered heavy bribes.”
Simon Ford of Absolut Vodka (the shows main sponsor) spearheaded a series of challenges to test the bartenders’ skill sets and showcase their abilities. Joe says, “It should end up being a solid dose of entertainment, divided up into three, easy-to-digest portions.” The winner will get $100,000 and some fairly heavy bragging rights. Joe acknowledges that if he wins, it could provide a good amount of momentum and visibility that could be applied to any project or career path of his choosing, adding “Also, no more gambling debt!”
Joe won’t reveal details about the show or who the winner is (that was decided last week) but he refers to the experience as “the ride of a lifetime!” and we will be tuning in to see if Joe is the top dog. (Joe, we will be taking you out for a celebratory cocktail, if you win. Your treat, of course.)
Meanwhile, those wanting to get up-close and personal with Joe, before he catapults into superstar status, can visit him at Santa Monica’s Copa D’Oro, which was featured on The Liquid Muse’s video series. Joe describes Copa as “a london-style bar, attitude-wise, but what makes it uniquely Angeleno is the market-fresh cocktail list. We get all our produce locally, and figure out devilishly delicious drinks to throw them into. I don't think there's any other program in the city of LA that lets you come in, point at our fruits and/or vegetables, and have them subsequently end up in your cocktail glass. it's a great night out not only if you enjoy insanely fresh and balanced cocktails, but the crowd is all very open-minded and cool.” Joe is there Mondays (all-night happy hour!), Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
If I were you, I'd get down there before the paparazzi starts stalking the front door with flashing blubs and video cameras. I mean, you wouldn't want to wind up on reality TV, too, do you?