#sipologistbartenderseries

A couple weekends back, during the Chattanooga Film Festival, I had a moment to step in to Easy Bistro and chat with Alex Jump. I met Alex last year at Portland Cocktail Week. She is so kind and full of positive energy. Her drinks are approached with thought and carefully arranged. If you find yourself in Chattanooga, make sure to visit Alex!

Where are you from and what brought you to Chattanooga? I was born in Charleston, South Carolina. We moved a few times when I was young & my dad was in the Navy, but when I was four my parents decided to put down roots here in Chattanooga. I spent some time away in college and swore I’d never come back, but here I am.

What do you love most about Chattanooga? There is so much development going on in Chattanooga right now. It’s awesome to have the opportunity to be a part of a family of industry professionals who are all growing and learning together. I love that Chattanooga has so many supportive and outgoing community members who want to participate in the up-and-coming food & beverage scene. This week the Scenic City Supper Club had its inaugural dinner, and it was amazing to see all of these people, most of whom were strangers, sit down at one large a 45-person table and eat some outstanding food together. Chattanooga is all about exploration and having fun, and I love that.

What are you looking forward to most in 2015? This week I was the guest bartender at the inaugural Scenic City Supper Club dinner, and I’m really looking forward to seeing more of these dinners happen in Chattanooga over the next year. Also I’m traveling to San Francisco in May for the first time, and to say I’m excited about that is an understatement. And, last but not least, I was selected to be a Camp Counselor at Camp Runamok in September and I’m thrilled! I can’t wait to meet my campers.  

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? I get up every day between 8 and 8:30. My boyfriend and I have two dogs, and it’s my job to take them out in the morning.

Describe your bartending path that led to Easy Bistro? After studying abroad in 2012, I returned home determined to get a job behind the bar. I eventually convinced the bar manager at a restaurant here in Chattanooga (it has since then closed) to teach me the basics. When he left, I took the opportunity to bartend at St. John’s and St. John’s Meeting Place. I stayed there for over a year, and that is where I learned how to bartend high volume, craft cocktails in a really difficult bar—there is a load-bearing column in the center of the bar, so when you’re mixing drinks you’re sandwiched between the well and a massive column. Basically every night turned into Dirty Dancing with servers and barbacks trying to slide/grind behind you to get to the rest of the bar. In turn, it taught me how to be a faster, more organized, and concentrated bartender. At the end of last year I decided I was ready for something new, and I joined the team at Easy Bistro. It’s funny though, because Easy Bistro is actually the first restaurant I ever worked in—they hired me to host when I was 19.

What is The Whiskey Women and how did it begin? The Whiskey Women are a group of likeminded, badass women who enjoy whiskey. That’s really the simplest way to explain it. They do events locally in Chattanooga, and hope to expand to other cities soon. I am a contributor for the site, so I write articles about whiskey and life. It’s the brainchild of Ashley Danford, and her goal was to connect and empower women throughout the world through their love of whiskey. In 2012 she got together with Laura Kelton, Trenna Sharp, and Melinda Taylor and they participated in & won the 48-hour Launch hosted by Co-Lab here in Chattanooga, and that’s how they originally lauched the site. Now The Whiskey Women has contributors from all across the country that share their thoughts, ideas, and cocktail recipes. Check out the site! (thewhiskeywomen.com)

What was your introduction to cocktails? About three years ago David and I started dating, and on our third date he took me to eat at Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta. We sat at the bar and Gabe Bowen made us cocktails throughout dinner. That was one of the first times that I really experienced great cocktails and had the opportunity to sit and chat with an awesome bartender. After that, we would come down to Atlanta to eat and drink around town at places like Holeman & Finch, LEONs Full Service, and Empire State South. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the craft.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way? I’m personally very drawn towards vegetal and herbaceous flavors. I think it works out well because I live in an area that is abundant in produce so I often have the opportunity to experiment with those products when messing around behind the bar. I’ve only been bartending full time for about two years now, and I still have so much to learn, so I get a lot of inspiration from books. There are so many people who have helped get me where I am today; it’s hard to not list them all. Casey Sullivan was the bar manager who took a chance on me and taught me how to bartend. He has been a huge influence on my technique, as well as my creative confidence. David, his sister Mary, and her boyfriend McLain have undoubtedly been the number one influencers on my palate and introducing me to new flavors not just with drinks, but with food as well. But the woman that taught me how to give great service, how to work efficiently, and how to anticipate guests’ needs before they need them is Victoria Love. She is undoubtedly my #1 inspiration when it comes to hospitality.  

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? Kellie Thorn’s cocktail at Empire State South called “Peruvian Pickup”. It’s made with Pisco, Green Chartreuse, St. George’s NOLA Coffee Liqueur, citrus, egg white, and bitters. It’s so good! One of those “why didn’t I think of that!” cocktails.  

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? Probably a drink I made last year called “Ramón Arnod” made with Blanco Tequila (Trianon Blanco works well), Dolin Dry Vermouth, and Cilantro-Infused St. Germain. It’s a drink inspired by a dessert I had at The Catbird Seat that included goat’s cheese, encapsulated St. Germain, and cilantro. I loved the flavors so much that I had to make a drink with them.

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails (local or not)? In Chattanooga definitely St. John’s and Two Ten Jack. I’m a huge fan of the bar at City House in Nashville, as well as The Patterson House. I can’t make a trip to Atlanta without visiting Kellie Thorn at Empire State South, and I also love Kimball House, Paper Plane, The Pinewood, & Leon’s Full Service all in Decatur. RiNo Yacht Club as well as William’s & Graham out in Denver. And while we’re at it, Death & Co. and Pouring Ribbons in New York really stood out last time I was there, but I can’t wait to get back soon to visit Up & Up, Holiday Cocktail Lounge, and Seamstress.

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? I personally have a hard time pronouncing a lot of different Scotches—Auchentoshan, for example.

I had the opportunity to meet Kirk a couple of weeks back at the Death & Co Book Tour visit. He was focused and polite, making drinks for the huge Monday crowd. In our conversation, he mentioned how he got into bartending, his travels and his involvement with Proof Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrup that a few of The Pinewood people collaborated on. Check out the interview below! 

You’re from Georgia originally. Have you lived elsewhere and what brought you back to Atlanta? I grew up in Snellville and moved to Decatur for college. I loved it so much that I ended up staying. Decatur is a blast - you have Farm Burger, Taqueria, Leon’s, Brick Store, Victory, Paper Plane, Kimball House, Iberian Pig, and Cakes and Ale all blocks away from one another. Plus so many more restaurants that are amazing. It’s hard to explain, these places feel like restaurant heavyweights, or like they should be so intimidating, but it always feels so small and friendly. Plus my friends and family are all throughout Georgia so it’d be hard to leave.

What do you love most about Atlanta? Well everything I just mentioned would apply here. So I’ll answer what my current Atlanta love is: Jarrett Stieber’s pop-up, Eat Me Speak Me, at Gato Café in Candler Park. Holy shit [ed. Can I say that? Because I mean that.]

Not only do you bartend, but you also teach. Tell us more about what inspired that. Is that what took you to Miami recently? I’ve been involved in competitive debate for 10+ years and debated in high school and college. I love arguments, argument structure, research, and plus I’m really competitive. It seemed natural to teach it after I graduated and I love coaching almost as much as I enjoyed competing. So, yes, I get to travel the country for debate tournaments and I was in Miami for that reason, enjoying the beach during part of the ice/freezing rain/whatever it was! What are you looking forward to most in 2015? I think I’m going to finally visit New York City in October. There are so many great bars that I want to go to. The Death & Co. takeover at the Pinewood a week ago gave me the motivation to finally plan a trip.

Otherwise I’m genuinely extremely excited about Proof. The reception has been awesome and I’m super eager to keep working and hopefully get Proof into more stores soon!

What is Proof and how did the idea come about? Proof is a line of cocktail syrups that make Old Fashioneds...  

(For the complete information on this topic, refer to our post on Proof Old Fashioned Cocktail Syrups)

Describe your bartending path that led to The Pinewood? Weirdly enough, I got my start thanks to a friend of mine who had come to parties I threw as an undergrad. His dad owned a nightclub and they needed some extra help over one summer so he gave them my name. It didn’t take me long to realize that I didn’t really enjoy nightclub bartending, and The Pinewood had just opened up down the street from me. I kept pestering them to give me a job as a barback. After about a year barbacking I started to get regular bartending shifts and for the last 2 years I’ve been bartending weekly at The Pinewood.

What was your introduction to cocktails? My college roommate and I tried to make fancy cocktails as undergraduates. They still consisted of pretty cheap liquor, but we got in the habit of doing everything else fresh (citrus juice, mint, other fruit, etc.). That was the start of it – once I realized that fresh was easy and tasted better than cheap beer, I was hooked.

As for my first fancy cocktails – they were at Leon’s in Decatur after a really grueling debate tournament I was working. I remember that it was a cognac and spiced pear drink served in a flute with some kind of sparkling wine. It blew my mind.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? I have so many favorites that it’s hard to say. Lately, and this is very similar to the answer below about my favorite places for cocktails, I had the Nilsson’s Daiquiri at Kimball House (Rum, lime leaf, coconut, absinthe). Not many ingredients but oh man it was delicious.

Another one I had was a drink by Jeff Banks at The Luminary called The Underwood. It was Jefferson’s Bourbon, smoked sugar, tobacco tincture, and peach bitters. It was a part of a House of Cards themed menu and that drink was also really great.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? I actually don’t think I’m great coming up with new drinks. I usually leave that to my coworker Matt Welch. That said, I was really proud of a cocktail I did for my friend’s wedding. It contained Blanco Tequila, Blanco Mezcal, Strega, Lemon, Simple, Cucumber, and several dashes of really spicy bitters on top. I thought it looked really nice in the glass and all the flavors worked really well together. I can’t wait until cucumbers are back in season so I can start making it again.

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails (local or not)? My favorite place for cocktails is Kimball House. The folks over there treat you so well and produce consistently amazing cocktails. I’m working my way through their absinthe menu right now, but generally I look for any excuse to go.

I also love visiting Jeff Banks at The Luminary (Graft before that). He does a lot of drinks with fresh, often herbal, sodas. They’re always well balanced and I haven’t had a bad drink from him yet.

As for out of Atlanta, I had an absolutely incredible experience at Billy Sunday in Chicago last year. They have an extensive list of amari and the bartender made me a very simple, stirred rum drink with El Dorado Rum, Petrus Boonekamp L’Amaro from the 1980’s (don’t worry - I also didn’t/still don’t know what it is), and Angostura Bitters. It was the perfect drink at the time and I can’t wait to go back.

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? If someone could tell me whether Nolet Gin is “No-LAY” or “No-LET” I’d be appreciative. I’ve also heard different pronunciations of Cynar. And while I’m at it, I don’t know if the “g” in Dolin Genepy is a soft or a hard g.

If given $100 and asked to buy all spirits/ingredients needed for a cocktail of your choosing, what would you purchase? Well I’m a little biased because I think grabbing a bottle of Elmer T Lee bourbon ($30) and a bottle of Proof Traditional ($20) would make an incredible Old Fashioned.

Last week I had the opportunity to stop in at Last Word. As per their website, they describe their space as one that serves handmade cocktails and simple, local ingredients prepared creatively and with Middle Eastern influences. While there, I met up with Cole Just, the bar manager and remarkably kind fellow with a true understanding of cocktails. Although the bar was busy with an event, he took care of his guest's needs and maintained a positive flow. I look forward to going back again very soon. Check out the interview below and be sure to give them a visit. 

Where are you from and what brought you to Atlanta? I am from the Greater New Orleans are – the North shore of Lake Pontchartrain, a little town called Hammond. I moved here with my father in 1996, as he had recently become remarried and wanted to further pursue his music and writing career.

What do you love most about Atlanta? It’s a larger city with a very hip neighborhood vibe with lots of focus on green space and trees. I also feel that we are on the cusp of really establishing ourselves as a top-notch food & beverage city.

What are you looking forward to most in 2015? Pushing boundaries in our craft and having fun working with bright, talented and eager people that want to elevate our industry and push to new standards.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? Usually depends on how late I got out of work the previous night – generally no later than 10:00, as I have a dog that is eagerly awaiting to get outside and do her business.

Describe your bartending path that led to Last Word? Prior to Last Word, I opened King + Duke and after about 6 mos. of just bartending, I began to write the cocktail list. I fell in love with the creative side of the business and committed to this industry. Whilst pursuing a degree in Philosophy from Georgia State University I worked at various spots all over Buckhead, bartending everywhere from Philippe’s a Bistro & Horseradish Grill to East Andrews & Tongue & Groove.

What was your introduction to cocktails? My first introduction to cocktails was probably similar to many other bartenders around Atlanta, which was at H&F in 2008. I remember one of my mentors, Matt Swickerath – Chef of Valenza, taking me there and saying, “This is what we need to be doing!” Still in school at the time, I was more focused on the likes of Aristotle and Kant than taking the time to employ a craft cocktail program. I always said, I appreciate the craft scene, but I don’t think I could ever have the time to meticulously craft these drinks at the volume of guests that we would do in such a short amount of time at Horseradish Grill. Now here we are 6 years later and its kind of become the standard – boy was I wrong!

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way? I draw inspiration from a host of different places but mostly from reading and studying other cultures – both historical and modern. Having studied Philosophy, my world view has shifted to interpret things through a lens of rationalism. I find myself feeling the need to justify my creative process, usually by means of historical or cultural relativism.

Mentors along the way include the aforementioned Matt Swickerath. We worked together at Philippe’s a Bistro back in 2000, 2001, & 2003. When I first started there, I didn’t really know the difference in Cabernet and Chardonnay and really had no clue about food. I guess I asked the right questions, cause Matty took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. I read Kevin Zraly’s, “Windows on the World” and embarked upon a bartending career where I always thought that it would only be a vehicle for me to get from point A, i.e. without a degree, to point B, i.e. with a degree.

I truly believed that I was going to go to law school and leave this world behind. I always had an affinity for the kitchen culture and cooking and repeatedly stated that I should be in the kitchen cooking. I just never wanted to make the sacrifice of making $8/hr working a line for 5 years waiting for an opportunity to grab Sous title. I wanted to create and write menus. Alas, the kitchen came to the bar so-to-speak and here we are today, prepping as long and working as many hours in the trenches as the kitchens that inspired me.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? One of my favorite cocktails right now is the New Tokyo at Kimball House. Honestly, I think its in a different incantation now than when I first had it – as I have been in ‘opening-mode’ here at Last Word and have found it difficult to get out and make my rounds, but I am certain that it is still equally delicious if not better than when I first had it.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? I really like our Death on the Nile, which marries two disparate ingredients together to make a nice harmony of root liqueur and absinthe.

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails? After having attended The Aviary in Chicago, I would say that it takes the cake as far as most memorable. While in Chicago, I also really enjoyed Longman & Eagle – just a cool, unpretentious vibe that welcomed all. I really dig Paper Plane and Kimball House in Decatur as well.

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? Old Overholt or as we call it, “Old Overpour” can be a bit of tongue twister when you are in a hurry.

Where are you from and what brought you to New Orleans? My Dad was in the Navy and so I’m not really from anywhere as we moved every 3years from one Navy Base to another. Though we were stationed twice in San Diego so that’s where I saysometimes, but mostly the West Coast. Imoved to New Orleans for a Graduate Program at UNO 10 years ago in Hotels andTourism.

What do you love most about New Orleans? I love the Culture and Music, the style of dress and fun food. Also I like drinking outside man, I couldn’t ever go back to having adult beverages on a leash again. What are you looking forward to most in 2014? I’m looking forward to World Cup 2014, and to bartend in Jakarta, Indonesia. Gonna be a fun year.

How did you get involved at French 75 and what was the process from when you began to where you are now? I got involved with the French 75 Bar by just regular bartending. I started in the kitchen 6 years before moving to the bar which is where I’ve been the last 16 years, the last 14 years being in restaurant Bars.

You make a pretty unique Sazerac. Walk me through the process for it and touch a little on the history of how that drink has been made consistently the same way for 35 years. Our Sazerac is very unconventional and yes, quite unique. We take a double old fashioned glass from a freezer and pour ¾ oz of Herbsaint into and rinse the glass with it. When discarding we don’t dump all of it out, leaving close to a third of an oz in the bottom of the glass. Then we dash 5 to 6 Peychauds bitters into the glass, and a quarter oz of simple syrup…2 oz Old Overholt Rye and a splash of water from our soda gun. We give the cocktail a slight stir with a cocktail spoon, break lemon peel over the Sazerac and drop the peel in.

It’s close to a scafa cocktail, which is a non-diluted cocktail name from England. So, our Sazerac is the least diluted Sazerac you’ll get anywhere, and the most continuously made Sazerac possibly in the world. Bobby Oakes taught me the Sazerac he was making at Arnauds 15 years before I started 10 years ago, and so that makes 25 years. I don’t believe an establishment in the world can claim to have made the same exact Sazerac for a longer period of time. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything, I’m quite positive there are fantastic Sazeracs all over the country and world…it’s just important to me, really, and something I’m proud to continue while I’m still at the helm of the French 75 Bar.

Are you involved with any other bar programs or collaborations? I’m a member of the New Orleans USBG Chapter, but that’s about it. I did work the Tales of the Cocktail C.A.P program of which I’m proud of, from its inception in ’08 until last year. That’s a pretty dope Collaboration.

Are you traveling anywhere this year that you’d like to share? I just got back from New York for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. I worked with Hennessy at a sexy little bar in Alphabet City, Evelyn Drinkery. I think I’ll be in Brazil, Indonesia, Kentucky and Cuba this year. Pretty dope.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? I try and get up by 10am daily but it never works out that way.

Do you see yourself as a Bartender or Mixologist? What differentiates the two? Bartender. Mixologist was a word used to try and dissect the differences between types of bartenders: dive bar, club, cocktail forward, etc. I’m not so anti, I will just never use the word Mixologist really.

What was your introduction to cocktails? My introduction to cocktails was Brueller’s Cocktail Guide when starting at Duck News Café in Duck, N.C. in ’98, and then again at the French 75 bar 10 years ago when moving to New Orleans. Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way? My mentors along the way are Bobby Oakes and Chris McMillian. I now draw inspiration from my colleagues across the globe, amazing community of bartenders I’m lucky to be a part of. What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? The Angostura Phosphate by Paul Gustings at Broussards is my favourite cocktail by someone else.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? The Bourbon Saint Martin is probably my favourite drink I’m enjoying now, after work when I get home. Bourbon, Averna, Aperol. 2-1-1, on ice…then upstairs to check who’s talkin’ trash on bookface :)

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails? Bar High Five in Tokyo, Shangai La Hotel, 3 Monkeys, Origin, Wyndam the 4th and Butler Bar in Hong Kong, Chiyanasa and Belka Bar in Moscow, Maison Premiere in Brooklyn, Evelyn Drinkery in Manhattan, Cane and Table in Nola, Eastern Standard and Drink in Boston, One Flew South on Atlanta layovers

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? Byrrh is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce because I loathe pronouncing it correctly- Beer. I just don’t want to call it “beer”. It’s BYRRH!!

While in New Orleans, I had to pleasure to drop in on Abigail Gullo and have a couple of drinks. She's such a kind and fun bartender with immense talent and knowledge. Have a look at her interview below and make sure you go see her at Sobou.

Where are you from and what brought you to New Orleans? My Childhood was slightly nomadic up and down the EastCoast. Buffalo, Atlanta, Long Island,Hudson Valley, Virginia, even Dublin, Ireland for a spell. But when I left school I moved to NYC and spent most of my life there. New York before 9/11 was a vibrant city made up of passionate communities with strong traditions. I see the same in New Orleans, so naturally I always felt at home here. The history of hospitality and fine dining with classic cocktails cemented the move once I decided to become a bartender 5 years ago.

What do you love most about New Orleans? I love most a sense of celebration in every moment of life. And this region is wholly unique and has its own traditions that are fiercely protected..good cocktails being one of them! Life can be challenging, but living in New Orleans you celebrate every moment of a life well lived. Look at our funerals! We even celebrate beyond!

What are you looking forward to most in 2014? My birthday always falls during Tales of the Cocktail, so I feel like 10,000 of my closest friends from around the world help me celebrate.

How did you get involved at SoBou and what was the process like for becoming the bar Chef? I had been coming to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail for many years, first as an enthusiast and then as a professional bartender. Every year I would go early and stay a little later, falling in love with the city of New Orleans. I happen to be working in Brooklyn at a New Orleans vibe restaurant (Fort Defiance) and my boss St John Frizell encouraged me to go for the Bar Chef ad I saw on Craigslist. St John lived in New Orleans for many years and knew my style of bartending would flourish in here in a way that New York City just didn’t seem to appreciate. Learning the art of hospitality from the Commander’s Palace family just seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. I remember my first interview with Ti Martin. I was so nervous and was on my way to a Boardwalk Empire themed gala. Dressed as a flapper with all my tattoos showing I thought, “Well, this is me so I hope they like it” Thank goodness they did!!

Walk me through the process for coming up with and executing the Charbonneau Way. Us bartending nerds often covet hard to find ingredients, such as vermouths or bitters or even rums only found in other countries. Such was the case with Suze, a bitter gentian apéritif that you always asked a friend visiting france to bring back for you. I loved the bright bitter flavor and decided to use it in a drink that celebrated my mom’s side of the family and our French Canadian heritage. My mom and my grandpa traced our roots all the way back to the first Charbonneau to leave France in the 17th century, so it had to have a little Suze in it. Rye whiskey, natch being my favorite spirit and the favorite grain of those Canadians. Maple syrup because that is what my family made from the maple trees on our mountain up in the Catskills. Our sugar house, where we make the maple syrup, is on a road called Charbonneau Way. So many Charbonneaus built their log cabins on this road they changed the name of the road! Fresh thyme because that grows all along our valley floor. And Absinthe rinse to pay homage to where I am now as a “Tardy Cajun”, as my friend from Lafayette calls me. The lemon juice just ties it all together (can’t completely forget my Sicilian side, I guess). This drink has been on many menus. It is surprisingly approachable for the novice drinker, but sufficiently complex for a more nerdy cocktailian. The greatest compliment I ever got about the Charbonneau Way was from Chris Thile of the Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek. He is a cocktail enthusiast and friends with the guys from Milk & Honey. He called the Charbonneau Way my Penicillin. That means a lot to me.

Are you involved with any other bar programs or collaborations? I like to guest bartend and have been back to New York to do some special events at The Beagle and Fort Defiance, but I have totally focused on SoBou since we opened two years ago. Plus...nobody has asked. 

Are you traveling anywhere this year that you’d like to share? I try to take a work educational trip every year. In the past it has been to distilleries in Ireland, Oaxaca, Kentucky and Scotland. This year I am traveling to Spain to learn more about Sherry.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? I am usually up by 9:30. I like to go to the gym and get a little normal life in before I head to the bar. I know that sounds early for a bartender, but I was a teacher for 15 years and that is very late. It was a huge perk in my new career that I could sleep past 7am.

You see yourself as a Bar Chef. How would you define that and what separates that title from a Bartender or Mixologist? A bartender has great social skills and anticipates the needs of both his guests and his bar. He is speedy, efficient, jovial and is truly gifted in the art of hospitality. A Mixologist is proud of her cocktail history and family tree. She is knowledgeable in hundreds of classic cocktails and has the ability to create new ones based on the request of a guest. She spends hours prepping a well-curated bar and creates homemade ingredients to enhance the guest’s cocktail experience. A Bar Chef is both these things combined with the added element of working a a restaurant where the food is as important as the cocktails, and vice versa. A Bar Chef must pair the cocktails well with the food and work with the kitchen to create seasonal fresh cocktails. And while a Chef is now expected to come out and interact with the guests, (some of them even have open kitchens) a Bar Chef is always on display and expected to interact with the guests like both a Bartender and a Mixologist. I say I am the Ginger Rogers of the Restaurant. I do everything they do, but backwards and in heels.

What was your introduction to cocktails? I am the oldest of three children. But right in the middle of a whopping 42 grandchildren. I am used to taking care of the 2nd platoon of grandkids, as my beloved Grandfather Vincent called them. To get my Gramps attention was a challenge to say the least so at the age of 9, when I found out his favorite cocktail was a Manhattan, I set to becoming his own personal bartender. I would save the placemats from Diners that had awesome pictures of exotic classic drinks like the Pink Lady, the Rob Roy and the Mai Tai. When I turned of legal drinking age, I was disappointed to find out that bars didn’t really make these drinks anymore, and the ingredients were hard to find. That put my bartending career to rest…for the moment. I continued to play the amateur bartender at home and where ever I went. When I lived in Dublin for 1999-2001, I had cocktail salons in my apartment introducing all my Irish friends to Manhattans, Martini’s and Cosmos. I had my mother ship me whiskey soaked cherries from the States as even maraschino cherries were hard to find there. My travels throughout Europe did however introduce me to a wider range of spirits than we had in the USA. I found more bitters, Cuban Rum and so much Scotch just a Penny flight away on Ryan Air!

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way When I returned to NYC in 2001, I found a cocktail revolution happening and started haunting the bars of Julie Reiner and Audrey Saunders. The mustaches and vests were fine, but I actively sought out female bartenders to talk about hospitality and cocktails. Seeing Erin Williams behind the bar at Pegu and Katie over at Taylor was very exciting. But how to break into this club? I entered a few cocktail contests and did well, however, it was clear that I needed more time behind an actual bar. My palette was well developed and I could create a good cocktail, but I needed to be in the heat of it and learn the other aspects of working in hospitality and I needed to actually be better versed in the classics. Back to my roots! I started picking up shifts on the weekend at my then boyfriend’s restaurant, first as a brunch server and then moving behind the bar. I started Trivia nights and entertained non-cocktail drinking Brooklynites in dive bars. I worked at the Heidelberg on the Upper East Side and learned how to properly pour a German beer while looking cute in a dirndl. I joined the USBG, kept up going to press events and posting on my cocktail blog, RyeGirl. I would pick up a few shifts here and there, but was always starting from the bottom and never was going towards the cocktail program I wanted to be at. I also saw younger, cuter bartenders getting better shifts and making more money. I had 24 year old managers throw me shade and tell my bosses I had a bad attitude when I tried to improve conditions behind the bar. It was so demoralizing at times, but it also made me strive to be better, smile through it and prove my worth as a bartender with mad skills.

Finally, someone took a chance on me. Clif Travers was bar managing a new spot in Williamsburg with cocktails by the Tippling Brothers. Clif took me under his wing and taught me our to set of a craft cocktail bar. The bar was impeccable. His advice and guidance was invaluable. I got an opportunity at Fort Defiance. I started, once again, at the bottom and worked brutal grueling brunch shifts. In such a small cocktail bar, the chances of moving beyond brunch seemed slim, even as I started winning national USBG contests at Tales of the Cocktail! My break came at the expense of someone else’s literal break…my poor friend Scott was run over by a car on his way to work. I filled in on some of his evening shifts and finally got a chance to shine and show my stuff. Working in Red Hook was a joy, but after a few years, I had a thirst to learn more. St John was House of Pegu, in the cocktail family tree. I had an opportunity for another branch when I got to work with Dan and Matt at The Beagle. Once again, given one slow shift a week, I worked to prove my worth and soaked up like a sponge the new style, House of Sasha.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? St John Frizell makes a killer Vieux Carre. He serves it up with a twist. The way I like it.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? Besides the Charbonneau Way, I am quite fond of the Micheal Collins and the Charlie Hustle. Those drinks have two of my favorite spirits, scotch and Irish whiskey, and mix them with unexpected results, refreshing light cocktails. If i have a cocktail tell, like a poker tell, it is that I use alternate sweeteners like homemade syrups, agave, honey, maple, steens, etc.. And I use fresh herbs. Rosemary, Thyme and lavender being my favorites.

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails? Fort Defiance, Attaboy and the Dead Rabbit in NYC. French 75, Cane & Table and Bacchanal in New Orleans.

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? For me and my speech impediment, Angostura. That is why I just call it Ango.

While in Portland for Portland Cocktail Week, I had the opportunity to wander around to some cocktail bars. Thankfully, I found my way into Pépé Le Moko where I was able to try a couple of cocktails by bartender Daniel Parker Guidry. Through a rapid recharge of my phone and an hour or so of time, I was able to snap a few photos of Daniel doing his thing. Take a look at the interview below and make sure to give him a visit soon. 

Where are you from and what brought you to Portland? I was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. It’s a college town near the southern end of the Willamette Valley two hours south of Portland. As a kid, I rarely visited Portland, so it wasn’t until college that I got to know more about the city. I had transferred to George Fox University to study philosophy and my girlfriend, Chelsea, was studying art. We would travel to Portland to see shows, visit the museum, and eat at various dives. At the time, everything in Portland seemed like a dive. It was great. We had it in our head that we might move here after College to find work, but we weren’t sure how to make it happen. I had friends who had moved to Portland, and they would tell us about how hard it was to find work without connections.  Long story short, we moved back to Eugene in 2006. We planned to work for a year, reconsider our goals, and potentially transfer to the University of Oregon, but that year the financial crisis hit and we failed to secure decent jobs. Things were looking pretty bleak in Eugene, so it was really fortunate for us when Chelsea was offered a job letterpress printing in Portland. We moved that summer to work and finish our studies at GFU.

What do you love most about Portland? I love Portland’s craft culture. My mother and father were big influences on my respect for working with your hands. Craft has always been important in Oregon, and it really bloomed in Portland. Even during the economic crisis, Portland was exciting because there was this a strong Do-It-Yourself approach and a serious interest in creativity. The economy was shit, but people were working hard to make something out of it. The craft movement brought industries together and really gave Portland a sense of culture. 

What are you looking forward to most in 2015?  Personal jet packs. Really it’s getting through the first year at Pépé and seeing what the world has in store. Opening a new bar is hard work, and I really appreciate the team work and focus we all share, especially Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Sami Gaston’s work (Pépé’s management team). We’ve started off with a bang, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? When my dog decides to bite the shit out of my head. This is usually around 9am. On nights when I close Pépé, I don’t get home until about 4-5am, so I occasionally sleep through her biting, barking and jumping until roughly 11am. I like taking naps or looking exhausted.

Describe your bartending path that led to Pépé Le Moko. I had server experience, but there weren’t many jobs available in Portland, so I kind of started over on my career path. I got a job working maintenance out of college at McMenamin’s Kennedy School (a small hotel that rewrote what it looks like to be a hotel). I transferred to catering as a way to get into Small Bars at the Kennedy School. I knew that if I was going to continue in the industry, I wanted to bartend. I started bartending various catering events at the Kennedy School. I poured lots of beer, wine, gin and tonics, and I’d make a few old fashioned, lemon drops etc... After a few years, I transferred to small bars. It was great experience because the Kennedy school has six bars that have their own energy and service style. The drinks and product are the same but your role as a bartender can be unique from one bar to the next, so you can see what style works best for you. It’s hard work bartending there, but you can learn a bunch about how to flourish in a frenetic and mildly hostile environment. 

After just six years at the K-hole, I was hired at a cajun/creole joint with a serious oyster program called The Parish. My last names Guidry, so I think they took me on for my cajun ancestry. It was just opening, so other than some stand-bys from their first restaurant Ethan and Tobias (the owners) wanted the bartenders to work as a team to build the program. Just after a year we were a small team of three bartenders responsible for the entire program, so I spent a bunch of time researching how to build a menu from classic cocktail recipes to innovative drinks. It was really fun work and helped me think more broadly about what it means to be a bartender.

At the Parish, I had some more exposure and made more friends in the industry including Freddy Tincher (bartender at Clyde Commons). Just short of a year ago, he introduced me to Jeff after telling me about Pépé le Moko.  We sat down to talk about the details and short of a year ago just before opening they offered me a position.

What was your introduction to cocktails? Hell, I don’t know. Like what was the first cocktail I drank or when did I start learning about cocktails? I mean my mom comes from a family of good Douglas County tee-totalers, so we didn’t drink much. I do remember my dad letting my sister try a margarita at a Mexican restaurant, but hard alcohol was mostly anecdotal story’s about family drunks, distant scottish relatives with distilleries, and how gross whiskey tasted. 

Honestly, I kind of avoided alcohol until I was twenty-one. The thing to know though is that outside of PDX, Oregon consumes more beer and wine than hard alcohol. So even by legal age, I spent my early twenties drinking through Pinot Noir and IPA. I didn’t really get into cocktails until I moved to Portland.

The first cocktail I got drunk as hell off of was a Black Opal. My friend’s sister bought me a couple rounds for my twenty-first. It was at a bar in Eugene on the west side called The Wetlands. The bartender free poured the ingredients over ice and by the time he was finished it was full of a third a pint of ice and two thirds booze. 

When I moved to Portland, I started reading about cocktails. I lucked out because I knew how to research, so I found some sites online (including Jeff’s blog), and they all recommended “The Joy of Mixology” by Gaz Regan. I started working my way through it. The first drink--besides highballs and white russians--that I learned to make was a whiskey sour.  It probably sucked, but from there I hit the ground running. 

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way In the industry, Holly and Matt Kinne. They were my first bosses, and their work ethic has always stuck with me. They own McKinlay Vineyards, a winery, where Matt has been making Pinot Noir since 1987. Some time in 2001, Holly opened up a little bistro cafe. I started working there in 2003. Initially, it was a sandwich/deli counter by day, but they expanded in 2004 and we started serving dinner at night. We were all novices and every day seemed near catastrophic. Chelsea also worked there as an on call server for dinners. I had default seniority at the time because I had been there the longest. We were all kids with alcohol, so Matt and Holly had a hell of a time keeping us focused. Holly sold the restaurant in 2006, which explains, in part, why we moved back to Eugene that year. I worked my ass off for the Kinne’s because it made me happy. They taught me that there is no substitute for hard work, humility, and kindness. 

It seems like most cocktail bars avoid drinks like the Long Island Iced Tea. What led to having that drink on the menu? It’s a modernist approach to craft cocktails where form follows function and the function of bartending is hospitality..... That’s an architecture reference for Jeff. Really, Jeff saw a gap in the craft cocktail scene. A bunch of studious nerds were nose deep in Jerry Thomas’s mustache wax, but connecting their knowledge to guests often times came with a sermon. Don’t get me wrong, I get stuck in books too, and all the research has really benefited the craft movement. It’s just hospitality is about people and education is only part of the equation. Another part is having fun and indulging yourself. This is where the L.I.T. gets involved.

The L.I.T is king cocktail of a drinking culture “craft” bartenders profess to hate. I’d crossed paths with some geeked out cats who refused to make them because they thought that it was an inherently bad drink. I never put much thought into it because I even thought it was an inherently bad drink, but as Pépé’s shown it’s not. I think that was the source of opportunity. Craft methods could be applied to ‘bad’ drinks, like Amaretto Sours, to make them good.  So to match form to function, he started improving on guilty pleasure drinks because they’re fun and about indulging yourself to make drinking in a craft bar fun and our overall purpose hospitality. 

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? I like it when my wife makes me an old fashioned at home because she’s great. It’s also one of the few drinks she knows how to make which is perfect. It’d be horrible if I came home after a night of making cocktails, and she was like “check out this new tequila, strawberry shrub and mole bitters drink I’ve been working on.” I’m sure it would be delicious, but I just want to relax with something simple and classic.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you?  I had a Creole Daiquiri by Chris Hannah at the French 75 bar. I loved it so much I really wanted to try my hand at something similar. I came up with my own variation based on my travels in New Orleans. Everywhere I went in Nola people were making hibiscus drinks, so I made this Creole Dram at the Parish. I was pretty proud of it. I even sized it with albumen (an old clarifying technique with egg whites). The base was Bacardi 8 and lime, and the sweet was the Creole dram. I blended a mixture of house made Creole Shrubb (spiced orange liqueur), allspice dram, and hibiscus demerara syrup. It was a deceptively simple drink with lots of aromatic flavors. The dram was also really good in Toddy’s.

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails (local or not)?  I’ve never been disappointed at Radar in North Portland. They have an american tapas menu with a clean approach to a bar. I usually start with an old fashioned, Negroni, or a simple cocktail off their list, a glass of wine with dinner, and Fernet and a little stout back for dessert. It’s amazing. Otherwise, I’m a fan of Interurban, Rum club, and Tear Drop, and Jordan Felix’s work at Multnomah Whiskey Library is great.  Back home in Eugene, Izakaya Meiji is a cool joint to get a cocktail or sip on some Whiskey. It’s a rad little liquor refuge in a town of beer drinkers.

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? Orgeat. It’s not difficult to pronounce. It’s just everyone has an opinion and some folks act snooty as shit about it. I studied linguistics for a brief period, so I’ll be damned to prescribe a proper pronunciation, and I can surmise a reason why we have variation, but hell--get over it. 

While in Portland for Portland Cocktail Week, I decided to go out a few evenings to meet some bartenders and check out the best cocktail bars. One night, I found myself wandering into Kask, a rightfully appreciated and well-respected bar near Downtown Portland. There I met Jason Pollard, and over the course of a cocktail or two, we discussed a few things about Portland, his moving back to Texas, and what he and his family are doing next. Check out the interview below and make sure to visit him at The Usual if ever near Fort Worth, Texas. 

Where are you from and what brought you to Portland? I'm from Fort Worth, Texas. My wife's company is based in Portland, and when she got the opportunity to transfer up here, we jumped at the opportunity.

What do you love most about Portland? That's tough. The first thing you notice is the scenery. It's absolutely gorgeous everywhere you look. But I think what I came to love the most was the level of professionalism within the bartending community. If you want to make a career out of bartending, Portland has your back.

What are you looking forward to most in 2015? I'm really just looking forward to continuing this adventure. I just moved back to Texas, and there are some cool things on the horizon.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? Well, I have a three year old daughter, so she makes sure I'm up by 8:30 at the latest. Before, I would wake up between noon and 1:00. . . those days are over though. What's interesting is, on days when my wife does let me sleep in, I feel like I miss out on so much of my day that I end up getting up anyway.

Describe your bartending path that led to Kask. I started working in restaurants when I was 17, and the bartender was always the coolest person on the staff. I wanted to be that. The whole story is pretty mundane, and cliché. I did the corporate, chain restaurant bartending for a while, but it wasn't until my good friend Jack McNally took me to New Orleans (in 2006 just after the storm) and got me a proper Sazerac, that I realized there was more out there, and that I wanted to be a part of it. I started reading what I could, and spending time at The Usual in Fort Worth. Once I finally convinced the guys at The Usual to give me a shot, I turned a fill-in position into a full time gig. I like to tell people, and I'm only slightly exaggerating, that I spend $200 that first week on Amazon, just on cocktail books. I assumed moving to Portland that I would just be able to find a job at the coolest cocktail bar, and keep doing what I was doing in Fort Worth. It didn't work that way. I worked a couple places, met some really cool people, and learned a lot about the way people drink here. Kask was one of the first bars I visited as a customer, and walking in was like being home. I knew it was the bar where I wanted to work. After no less than 4 interviews, and 2 stages, I finally got my shot.

You’re moving back to Texas. What’s next for you?  I'll be back at The Usual in some capacity. I'm excited to jump back into the Texas cocktail scene, but I'm going to be laying low for a little while, and getting some things in order first.

What was your introduction to cocktails? The great Jack McNally was a bartender in New Orleans before Katrina. He evacuated back home to Fort Worth just before things got bad. In 2006, he wanted to go check things out, and I wanted to hang out in New Orleans. He showed me all his old haunts, and at one place ordered me a Sazerac. It changed my life. Sugar, Rye, Bitters, Absinthe. I'd never had anything like it.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way? I try and keep it simple, and draw inspiration from ingredients, whether it's a spirit that's new to the market, or the first pears of fall. No one so far has taught me as much as Brad Hensarling at The Usual, his thinking, his recipes, are the base of everything I know.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? I really love the Stiff Upper Lip by Kyle Sanders (Multnomah Whiskey Library). It's Ransom's new Dry Gin, Dolin Blanc, Green Chartreuse, and Campari. It hits all the right notes. The Ransom Dry shines, but there's depth and complexity, with just a little sweetness.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? I'm not super prolific when it comes to creating new cocktails, so my favorite of my own cocktails tends to be the one cocktail I'm obsessing over, and tweaking, currently. Right now, that's a drink called the Good Christian. It features this awesome Spiced Pear Gastrique I made with Bartlett Pears, Champagne Vinegar, Clove, Cardamom, and Anise. The cocktail itself is: 

1 oz. El Dorado 5 yr. .5 oz. Calvados .5 oz. Spiced Pear Gastrique .5 oz. Lemon Juice

Shaken, and topped with 1 oz. of Sparkling Wine

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails (local or not)? I don't get to go out for cocktails much, but I love Pepe le Moko, Halle Pele, and of course Rum Club (though I’m usually there for a beer and a shot) in Portland. And before I left, Scat Jazz Lounge in Fort Worth was always a great getaway. It's in a basement in downtown Fort Worth, it's dark, there's always really great music there, and, at least before I left, you could still smoke in there. It's really a throwback to the Rat Pack days in all the right ways.

Alexander Wept: bulleit rye, cherry heering, amaro abano, laphroaig 10 year, bitters, smoked cherry bark

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? I always worry that I'm not pronouncing Byrrh correctly (though I'm pretty sure I am). And, I'm never quite sure what to do with the "a" is Mezcal, in Spanish it's always short and soft, but I feel a bit like one of those newscasters that adopts a Spanish accent only for Spanish words when I say it that way. Most Americans I've run into hit it a bit harder.

I've been looking forward to sharing this interview with Feizal Valli of The Collins in Birmingham, AL. Valli is an expert when it comes to mixing drinks, but even more, he's great at figuring out the type of drinker he's mixing the drinks for. At The Collins, there are no cocktail menus. You simply tell him what you want, or what you're in the mood for, or even a flavor that you enjoy and he'll create something masterfully. Recently voted one of the 100 best bars in the south by Southern Living, The Collins celebrates it's 1-year birthday today, September 20th. Go in, have a drink, and enjoy the vibe. 

Where are you from and what brought you to Birmingham? i’m from a couple of places. i moved to buffalo, new york when i was five, grew up there, then went to college in canada and then moved to new orleans for about 9 years. after that i moved to cape town, south africa and opened my own bar, three years later i moved back to new orleans just in time to get hit by hurricane katrina which brought me to birmingham where i knew a few folks.

What do you love most about Birmingham? probably the people. from day one i’ve felt like i’ve lived here all my life. everyone's easy to know and everyones eager to get to know a new person, which is vital for my profession.

What are you looking forward to most in 2014? for me it's all about the collins right now. its our first year and that’s the most important year in a bar's life. guiding it through that first look that people get at it, figuring out how to evolve it, how to keep it fresh.

What time do you usually wake up in the morning? usually about 9. i’ve never understood people who sleep in until its time to go to work. theres a million things to do.

You’re also an artist. how did you approach the design and aesthetic of The Collins? all the pieces are works that i’ve been working on in one form or another, the planes, the periodic table, for a long time. there's a number of ideas at the bar that are meant to be participatory on the part of the customer, but here's the problem: that's fine in the context of a gallery, at a bar it's a different animal. like the messages on the mirrors in the bathrooms. when it said "you are living a lie and you know it", the girls scratched it off every night. it was a great statement and it engaged the customer and that they destroyed it nightly is kinda what i wanted but in the end its not practical to make art that gets destroyed every night. theres one large piece i have that invites the viewer to engage a "success/failure" meter by moving parts of it. the trick is how do i get people to not destroy it.

Describe your bartending path that led to The Collins. like a lot of bartenders its been a zig zag. my first job was as a bartender on bourbon street at a strip club called temptations. i lied of course about my experience but faked it and by the next year i was managing it and another of their nightclubs, a hectic all night drug den/dance club for for years. after that it was a jazz club serving underage kids and jazz junkies and then off to south africa to open my own bar, a totally illegal dive on the main drag of capetown where i operated outside the law thanks to a small kickback to the local nigerian mob. three years later i was back in the states working for emeril in the quarter, 8 months after that i was working for frank stitt and then floated around a little bit learning from the big restaurateurs in town, dupont, reis, hastings until andrew collins came calling.

You don’t have a cocktail menu. Walk us through how a customer may order a drink its any of a number of ways but mostly its about the base spirit, it's nature (sweet, tart, bitter etc) and then on to other modifiers like cucumber, mint, ginger, fruit, etc. we even encourage people to use descriptions like fabulous and aggressive. i made one cocktail based on putin invading the crimea

What was your introduction to cocktails? probably emerils, 2005. the ramos gin fizz, sazeracs. all tourist friendly but classics nonetheless

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way? i feel like too many bartenders are approaching their cocktails from what they want to say. i’m more interested in what my customers have to say, and i try to help them articulate it through the drink i’m making for them. my inspiration is from the people who sit at my bar. that’s why i get to know them in order to make their drink. i always say "figure out the drinker and you'll figure out the drink".

as far as mentors id have to say angel negrin. i learn something new from him everyday. he's been indispensible.

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? keep your nose clean, by josh schaff. tequila, ginger, cocchi, celery bitters, salt

What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? probably the sex panther. an old fashioned variation the adds cynar and blackstrap rum.

Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails (local or not) locally, carrigans for eric bennetts cocktails. in new orleans, everything at bar tonique. i like a good dive too so in atlanta i never miss a chance to drink at the clermont

What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? cynar is a tough one. falernum always trips me up too. chincona is a pain. oh, and cachaca.