Mixologists T
his years batch of bartenders to watch have more in common than a penchant for inventing and shaking up tasty cocktails. Theyre using fresh and often local ingredients, adding savory herbs to drinks, and making sure the execution of each cocktail is consistently stellar. These standout mixologists, some with impressive training under their belt, some the winners of national and international cocktail
10 Trendsetting
The Beverage Networks
text by
Camper english
photos by
Thomas mangieri
Photographed at the Donovan Pavilion in Vail, Colorado
challenges, are also quite influential, both introducing quality cocktails to the underserved areas of the country, as well as impressing jaded vacationers in Vegas and Aspen. They impact the community through bartenders guilds, banding together to influence the purchases of control state boards, and educating the public with classes and seminars. These men and women help elevate both the craft of mixology and the consumer palate simultaneously. Lets raise a glass to the class of 2008. n
ChArleS jOly
The Drawing Room at Le Passage, Chicago, Illinois
Whats the best part about being a bartender? The greatest flattery as a bartender is when someone reorders a drink. Do you use local ingredients in your cocktails? Farmers markets are coming up in a few weeks and Chef and I will be there every weekend. We have tons of local orchard fruits. What famous cocktail character would you like to have a drink with? Its funny because Ive thought about this. Dave Attell from Insomniac. Charles Bukowski. It would be fun to have a cocktail with him, and probably get into a bar fight afterwards. Id like to see where Antoine Peychaud came from. Can you imagine New Orleans in that era? It was such a melting pot.
Charles Joly, executive general manager at Chicago-based bar and restaurant group Three Headed Productions, is also chief mixologist for The Drawing Room at Le Passage, a culinary cocktail lounge where drinks are shaken tableside by one of only three bartenders. In the business for ten years, hes a graduate of the 12-week Southern Wine & Spirits Academy of Spirits and Fine Service in Chicago. Hes also been a finalist in competitions like Iron Bar Chef Chicago and the Shake It Up Competition at the Bar & Nightclub Show in Las Vegas this year.
What ingredients do you make in-house? A true maraschino cherry, not brandy or bourbon. Were making our grenadine from scratch. We use 100% fresh fruit juices or purees. I did a rock and rye infusion for the winter months, and I was making homemade marshmallows laced with Navan and Grand Marnier, and flaming them tableside with a torch.
What do you drink on your days off? It depends on where Im drinking because you need a bartender you can trust. I cant have cocktails in most bars I go to. So Ill go with a bourbon or rye on the rocks with a splash of water. But Im an equal opportunity imbiber.
PATrICIA rIChArDS
Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
more full flavors, whether its a raspberry vanilla mojito, or Ive done cucumbers with Plymouth gin and fresh dill as a highball. Cocktail and food pairing I think thats a place we can take it to in the future. if you could open your dream bar, what would it look like? For me, its not just about the cocktails. It would be a beautiful space, not too loud and obnoxious. The bar would have great food, as well as great cocktails. even the ice would have to be the best. What do you think is a design flaw of a lot of bars? lack of storage and not enough space; those are the two main ones. is there a cocktail ingredient that you wish existed? I am not happy with the blood orange situation. When blood oranges are in season its phenomenal, but I cant source an ingredient thats not available year round. Ive tried purees but theres no beating them fresh. For the Bar Show in las Vegas we had to use a local ingredient (in the cocktail competition) and finding a local ingredient to Vegas was a little bit challenging. Not much we can do with cactus.
Patricia Richards workload will double this December with the opening of the Wynn Hotels new tower, Encore. Shes the hotels beverage mixologist, overseeing training of bar staff, teaching a spirits education class to the butlers and cocktail servers, and developing recipes for all the hotels bars and restaurants. A 23-year industry veteran, shes been a finalist or winner in the Bacardi Martini Grand Prix, Tabascos Hottest Bartender contest, Travel + Leisures Bartending Challenge competition, and the Level Vodka competition at Caesars Palace.
What ingredients are you playing with now? Pomegranate was hot two years ago, then blueberries, then pears. lately its been elderflower and Ive been working with St. Germain. Whats next? Using fresh herbs and working with gin in new ways. Its such a vodka dominated industry, especially in Vegas. Im trying to have
10
3
G M IxOlO
Ch TO WAT
ISTS
MATT MArTINez
Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles, California
As the head bartender for the Beverly Hills Hotel, Matt Martinez oversees the cocktail program for both the Polo Lounge and Bar Nineteen12. Hes a relatively new two-year LA resident, having spent the previous 14 years at the Park Hyatt in San Francisco where he worked his way up to senior bartender. Martinez won the Travel + Leisure Bartending Challenge in Hawaii in 2007.
is there a current ingredient youre playing with? Im a big fan of Aperol these days. I love Aperol. are your edible cocktails (reported in The la Times) here to stay or just a novelty? Definitely a novelty. It was fun creating these things but at the end of the day Im not going to ask for a flight of edible cocktails. I think having a cocktail in a glass is the proper way to do it. Whats the most popular drink at your bars? Classic martinis. We sell a lot of martinis. Thats the old standby. is there a secret to being a good bartender? Caring about what youre putting out. A lot of people just sort of slap something together without caring about the actual craft. And, knowing that its respectable doing what were doing. Its really cool to watch these guys and gals coming up who take pride in creating a good and proper cocktail.
jereMy STrUNGIS
SM23, Morristown, New Jersey
Do you get to use any local ingredients in your drinks? We do like to use tomatoes. We have a signature roasted Mary. We use jersey tomatoes, and we slice them, sprinkle them with Cajun seasoning then blow them with blowtorches and puree them. What do you drink on your days off? Usually Ketel One or Belvedere and soda. Im a simple guy outside of the bar.
Jeremy Strungis is the head mixologist and bar manager of SM23 in Morristown, New Jersey. The cocktail lounge also mixes drinks for the two adjoining restaurants, and turns into a nightlife venue with DJs three nights a week. Mirroring the multi-use space, the drinks menu is divided into sections featuring fresh, pre-dinner, dining, radical, and aprs-dinner cocktails. In the past, Strungiss customers tended to order simple and sweet drinks. Today, he aims to take the bar program beyond easy drinks with eggs, elderflower, and a love of the blowtorch.
What ingredients are you playing with these days? Clove syrup, lemongrass, lychee, and red chili pepper. We also use cooling ingredients to counteract the heat of the chili, like cucumber. Whats your process of drink creation? We use ingredients that arent so normal honeysuckle extract, and different kinds of flowers for infusions I just did a Belvedere infusion with acai berry and kelp, which are very high in nutrients and antioxidants. Whats the most popular drink at your bar? The grilled pineapple and cracked pepper martini, which is peppercorn-infused Belvedere, fresh grilled pineapple, chamomile syrup, and lemon juice.
TeD KIlGOre
Monarch Restaurant, St. Louis, Missouri
customers say, youve ruined me, I cant go anywhere else for cocktails. Whats an underappreciated cocktail? Anything with gin. I often put it into peoples cocktails without telling them. Only about one out of every ten guests gets angry, but I think Im broadening peoples horizons. They always come back. Whats the most popular drink at your bar? The limoncello Mojito that I make with homemade limoncello. I even took it off the menu and I still sell more of it than anything else. And the pomegranate martini called the xanadu. I use hendricks gin, cassis, lime juice, and pomegranate, so its not your run-of-the-mill pomegranate martini. What are some words of advice youd give to new bartenders? Consistency. Measuring your ingredients. And just take the time to make the cocktail properly.
As the bar manager at Monarch Restaurant in St. Louis, Ted Kilgore is helping bring a fine cocktail revolution to the Midwest. He began bartending about ten years ago in Springfield, Missouri and has managed to stay connected with the larger cocktail scene by attending Gary Regans Cocktails in the Country, passing the B.A.R. (Beverage Alcohol Resource) program last May with their higher Bar Ready certification, and attending Tales of the Cocktail for the last two years.
are people in the midwest receptive to fine cocktails, but just havent had access to them? That is exactly it. There are people who are just going to drink vodka and red Bull. When someone requests a Manhattan your jiggers out and you measure your ingredients, stir it 30 seconds and carefully strain it off and slide it to them across the bar so they dont have to reach it all the extra things to make the best cocktail theyve ever had, they really notice it. The biggest problem I have is that
Do you see the better-cocktail trend spreading in st. louis? I see a lot of places that have great menus, but theyre out of the ingredients or the bartenders dont know how to make the drinks. The trend is definitely there, we just need to have consistent standards for methodology.
GINA CherSeVANI
Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Northern Virginia
Do you see vinegar as an up-and-coming ingredient? you know whats really crazy? Falernum goes awesome with sherry vinegar. If you make a Mai Tai with that, its a sick combination. is there a spirit that should be more popular? Im glad to see that rum is coming back with a vengeance. I really like the Goslings and Old New Orleans Amber. Whats a liquid ingredient you wish existed? Bacon! have you served politicians living in DC? I served Bill Clinton after his presidency. he ordered Grey Goose on the rocks.
Gina Chersevani garnered attention for creating the bar menu at Rasika, an Indian restaurant in Washington, DC. This spring she moved to the Neighborhood Restaurant Group in Virginia where she is resident mixologist. The group runs five venues in Virginia (Rustico, EatBar, Tallula, Vermillion, and Buzz Bakery) and is opening a new concept in DC this July. Chersevani has the lucky job of developing cocktails for all of them.
What are some of your latest creations? At eatBar some of the drinks are rimmed with house-made jerky. Theres a drink with duck cracklins. Things that you can physically eat as well as enjoy in a libation.
10
7
G ISTS M IxOlO h
C TO WAT
lANCe MAyheW
Beaker and Flask, Portland, Oregon
theres a demand for these products; its not just one bar asking for it. If we band together theyll realize they can sell it at 50 bars. Youre one of very few bartenders who blog. I wanted to use the blog as an exercise to write on a daily basis. A lot of cocktail blogs are not written by bartenders and so I think its important to have a bartenders perspective out there. And when I crash and burn Im not afraid to show that; we need to show that experimentation is key to eventually having success. Do you have any new ingredients that youre playing with? yes, I went to a Chinese apothecary recently, so Im doing a Chinese apothecary bitters, and its going to include some really wild things. But I really want to start playing with other Asian ingredients and start developing things around that. I want to do westernstyle cocktails with Asian ingredients.
Lance Mayhew, a bartender for fourteen years, recently left Meriwethers restaurant and is, like many other Portland residents, eagerly awaiting the summer opening of new cocktailcentric bar Beaker and Flask. In the meantime, Mayhew has been keeping busy as one of the founders and current president of the Oregon Bartenders Guild. He also writes the blog My Life on the Rocks ([Link] [Link]) to share his bartending trials and tribulations with a larger audience.
Whats the purpose of the oregon Bartenders guild? To elevate the craft in Oregon through education of the public, educating the bartenders, and providing opportunities for them to learn among themselves. And also, because were a control state, to increase the availability of specialty items that we cant get. so you want to influence the state board with your numbers? We provide a common voice so they realize
is there a spirit that you wish was more popular? Aquavit. Its really fun to mix with and as mixologists start exploring those flavors, there are going to be some interesting cocktails that come out of it. right now I think a lot of people havent been exposed to it. Do you get a chance to use local ingredients in your drinks? I use as many Northwestern products as I can. I really think theres a sense of place in the Northwest and I like to pair local spirit products with whats in season at the time. We have the best berries youve ever had in your life. We have great pears, apples, and these tiny little strawberries.
DeNIS COTe
39 Degrees Lounge, Aspen, Colorado
people hear about [the drinks] and want to come and try them. What do you like most about being a bartender? you have to love being with people and being surrounded by people. I meet so many great people bartending. It also allows me to be creative and develop new cocktails and get some attention from that. Its a great reward. Whats the most popular drink at the bar? The eden Mojito is quite popular (10 Cane rum, mint, basil, limes, ginger syrup, strawberry puree), and the Menage-a-Trois (Stoli Vanil, Van Gogh Double espresso, Baileys) has been a great seller as well. Its a coffee martini drink.
French Canadian ski bum Denis Cote, winner of the Aspen Cocktail Classics Best Martini prize in 2004, is lounge manager and head mixologist at 39 Degrees in the Sky Hotel. He manages to walk a fine line with his drink list, appealing to college-aged skiers palates with bright fruit ingredients, and also to sophisticated drinkers by using bitters.
What makes a good cocktail? Good ingredients. There are so many different drink styles, but what makes them good is nice fresh ingredients and nice spirits. is it possible to have progressive mixology in a tourist town? Oh yes, our place sets the tone for that. Were known for great cocktails and weve got a lot of attention from the press, so
10
9
G ISTS M IxOlO h
C TO WAT
erIC SIMPKINS
Trois, Atlanta, Georgia
Eric Simpkins, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, is head bartender/bar trainer at tri-level Atlanta restaurant Trois. He has twelve years of bartending experience, working at New Yorks esteemed Pegu Club and several Atlanta restaurants.
is there a difference between drinkers in new York and atlanta? I would say that the ones in New york are a little more receptive and open to [high-end mixology]. I had a lot more customers in New york who would come on a regular basis just to have serious cocktails. What are you playing with now? rye whiskey and gin are still two of my favorite things to play with, but Ive been working with a lot of different brandies lately; a lot of unaged brandies, a few piscos. What would make your job easier? If I had a large crowd willing to be patient and pay more. Its hard doing high-end cocktails because they take a long time, and because of the fresh ingredients, the costs are higher.
What drink would you love to never make again? A sour apple martini. Whats the most popular drink at your bar? The Trois Cocktail: Tanqueray gin cold-steeped with expensive japanese green tea and mint, fresh lemon juice, and egg white, shaken and strained into a cocktail glass and finished with atomized rose water on top and fresh lemon zest.
10
jON SANTer
Beretta, San Francisco, California
2001 with 5 members and now were up to about 80. you get to see the people you dont normally see because youre usually at work at the same time, and talk about whats going on in their bars. everybody gets to learn from everybody else. how does that affect the local cocktail quality? I think it elevates everybodys drinks. Its healthy competition. everybody needs to keep up. And there are some great people here, so keeping up is not that easy. is there consumer demand for cocktails and spirits courses like the bourbon class you teach at the Beverage academy? All my classes sell out. Theres a real demand for it out there. It follows logically with the Food Network and the celebrity chef thing. People are more concerned with what theyre eating and drinking and they want to know more about it. And its fun.
Jon Santer has spent time behind the bar at many of San Franciscos best drinking spots Range, Tres Agaves, Ozumo and was the lead bartender at Bourbon & Branch when it opened less than two years ago. These days he works at Beretta, a bar/restaurant committed to making simple drinks with artisanal and/or local spirits and no processed sugar sweetening agents. Hes also the San Francisco brand specialist for Martin Miller Gin, the president of the San Francisco chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG), and an instructor at the Beverage Academy.
What makes a good cocktail? Balance, first and foremost. Certain cocktails I like to be complex, and others I like how simple they are. I think the best cocktails have three ingredients. . What do you get out of the UsBg meetings? The thing I love most about the chapter is how it builds community. They started in
