From: South Burlington, Vermont
Pursuit: Bartender
Where did you go to school? What did you study?
I'm actually from Vermont but I went to Champlain College to study marketing before moving to Boston.
Apart from winning, what was your greatest takeaway from The Most Imaginative Bartender competition?
The connections you make both inside the Bombay family and the other bartenders you meet and compete against.
What is a typical day like for you?
Well... there isn't really a typical day. Since I'm a bartender, I wake essentially whenever I want, but usually I get up when my girlfriend does and we have coffee together. I spend the rest of my days that I tend the bar usually workshopping cocktail ideas for future projects. On days wen we both don't work, we spend the day together and go to bars and restaurants we love.
What's your definition of a cocktail?
Hmmm...I think the definition of a cocktail is the combining of ingredients both alcoholic and not to reach a harmonious balance in a beverage.
Can you recall a particularly elaborate cocktail? What's the process behind creating a masterpiece drink?
I do indeed remember coming up with the concept for Breakfast in Bombay, my winning MIB cocktail. I wouldn't call my cocktail a masterpiece, it is quite delicious, but honestly it is a culmination of work and presentation that made it so successful.
Top 3 cocktails, year-round?
50/50 Gin Martini, Daquiri and a well-crafted Old Fashioned.
What is your go-to drink?
A Daquiri, 9 times out of 10.
What do you find most challenging about your career?
Staying relevant --it's a constant challenge to keep improving not just my cocktails, but my position behind a bar. The idea of becoming more than just a bartender is always the goal.
How do you stay inspired?
Honestly, very random things inspire me; new dishes I taste, new ingredients, things I read --even random experiences in my life inspire me to create a cocktail.
You got to travel to London for The Most Imaginative Bartender finale. Where in the world do you look forward to visiting?
I really love Europe and I am a bit of a beer nerd, so going to Belgium is definitely on my list. However, I think the one place I really want to go is Japan. It seems like such an opposite style of Western society that I am incredibly intrigued to experience what it's like.
Words to live by?
"Never let a loss just be a loss, make sure you learn from them and turn them into wins in the long run."
Also, "Of course I can, I'm a bartender!"
Advise for up and coming creatives on setting themselves apart in their craft?
Honestly, if it's not your style don't do it. Trying to make something that isn't your style, and forcing yourself to anyways, is going to show in the end product. It's like the saying "just be yourself". If you are trying to be someone or something else, it's never going to work out as well as just doing what you're good at.
