DrinkedIn Trends

Name:E. Carter Wilsford

Establishment:Analogue

About the Bartender: E. Carter Wilsford was born and raised in Central Texas, near San Marcos and Austin. He has always worked in the food and beverage industries and loved it. Three years working in kitchens and grocery retail followed by three years in spirits retail helped E. Carter Wilsford to acquire a fairly unique set of skills and knowledge for working behind the bar. He previously bartended at Freedmen’s, Hopfields and Peche in Austin. This highly skilled bartender and self-proclaimed whiskey geek moved to NYC a year ago to further challenge himself, and he says the experience has been pretty fantastic so far.

Astute readers will recognize E. Carter Wilsford from the dark and black cocktail feature we published last week. Read on to learn more about our October 2016 Bartender of the Month.

Why did you become a bartender?

Name: Laura Bellucci

Establishment:SoBou

About the Bartender:Laura Bellucci grew up in Massachusetts. Born to a colorful Italian gynecologist with roots in Long Island and a sweet, Midwestern pastor's daughter, her upbringing was a lively mixture of marinara sauce, excited yelling, and sneaking out of church early. Her grandmother, father, and mother all had a powerful influence in her love of the culinary world, teaching her every recipe in their lexicon as soon as she was tall enough to stand on a step stool.

Laura graduated Emerson College in 2011, but favored the fast-paced, kinetic world of the service industry over internships in her field. She stuck around Flash’s, but finally grew fed up with the gritty gray soup of New England winter. After a 50-day road trip to 15 different cities, she chose the inspiration and wonder she had discovered in the city of New Orleans.

She started working at Victory bar, crafting drinks with an equal focus on balanced recipes and fresh ingredients and learning to tailor each drink to the imbiber’s tastes. Later, she joined the Booty's Street Food team, exploring international ingredients to surprise and intrigue the palate. She was then offered a bar management position at Apolline, where she directed a bar program based on excellent service and elegant libations, served up beside some of Magazine Street's best reviewed food in an intimate, fine dining atmosphere. Still craving the boisterous character of a “downtown,” she sought out SoBou, and her adventures in the French Quarter truly began. She has come to roost at this quirky, modern Creole saloon, exploring and experimenting in an environment that fosters sophisticated yet unpretentious creativity.

Establishment:Spoon and Stable

About the Bartender: Nathaniel was raised in South Minneapolis. He graduated college with a degree in communications and pre-law. At first, Nathaniel entered the service industry so he could support his love art: making it, curating it, and writing about it. His focus on art was eventually replaced by a passion for cocktails and a drive to become the best bartender he could be. Nathaniel is now not only an excellent bartender, he's also a force to be reckoned with at cocktail and bartending contests. Most recently, he won the Copper & Kings MIXT&PE Cocktail Competition.

"Bartending is not a temporary job like it was a decade or so ago, it's a legitimate career that is rewarding and worthwhile. Treat it with the respect and professionalism it deserves," says Nathaniel about the profession.

Why did you become a bartender?

For a long time my service industry job was just a means to support my art making, curating and arts writing. Coincidentally, I lost the fire for making art right when I started caring about cocktails...basically I stopped reading art books and spending all my free time researching contemporary art, and started reading cocktail books and being the best bartender I could.

“Nathaniel’s cocktail was balanced and inventive showing a lot of thought and knowledge of mixology,” said Copper & Kings national brand ambassador Chris Wilkins. “He melded three of our products together for a drink that truly rocks.”

His winning cocktail recipe for the “Little Red Corvette” includes:

In a shaker tin, combine apple brandy, vermouth, lime juice, grenadine and apple bitters. Add ice and shake. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with apple slice.

Combine in shaker tin, add ice, shake. Pour into chilled cocktail glass.

To make rosé vermouth: Steep 1 pound fresh, hulled strawberries in 2½ cups of Copper & Kings Immature Brandy for two days. Strain. Caramelize 3 cups of sugar and cool. Add strawberry steeped brandy and heat. Cool. In a second pot, combine 3 cups of Spanish garnacha rosé wine with fresh rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme with ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, dried wormwood, gentian and powdered ginger. Boil for 10 minutes and cool. Add one cup ruby port. Combine with strawberry brandy mixture and add orange zest. Strain.

Louisville, KY - Minneapolis bartender Nathaniel Smith of Spoon and Stable is the winner of the Copper & Kings MIXT&PE Cocktail Competition. The national search challenged mixologists to create an American brandy cocktail inspired by a song of their choice. Smith’s selection of “Little Red Corvette” by beloved Minnesota musician Prince won over the judging panel and earned him a trip to Louisville, Ky. to visit the Copper & Kings American brandy distillery and attend the Forecastle Music Festival last weekend. Smith was one of 11 finalists from around the U.S. including bartenders from Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wisconsin and Washington D.C.

“Nathaniel’s cocktail was balanced and inventive showing a lot of thought and knowledge of mixology,” said Copper & Kings national brand ambassador Chris Wilkins. “He melded three of our products together for a drink that truly rocks.”

His winning cocktail recipe for the “Little Red Corvette” includes:

Directions: In a shaker tin, combine apple brandy, vermouth, lime juice, grenadine and apple bitters. Add ice and shake. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with apple slice.

To make rosé vermouth: Steep 1 pound fresh, hulled strawberries in 2½ cups of Copper & Kings Immature Brandy for two days. Strain. Caramelize 3 cups of sugar and cool. Add strawberry steeped brandy and heat. Cool. In a second pot, combine 3 cups of Spanish garnacha rosé wine with fresh rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme with ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, dried wormwood, gentian and powdered ginger. Boil for 10 minutes and cool. Add one cup ruby port. Combine with strawberry brandy mixture and add orange zest. Strain.

Name: Joy Perrine

Establishment:Equus & Jack's Lounge

Recent Gigs: Anyone who knows Kentucky whiskey knows the name Joy Perrine. For those of you who are not bourbon aficionados, Joy is a bourbon legend. In fact, she co-wrote The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book with Susan Reigler. Joy is also a legend amongst bartenders. She started tending bar in the ‘60s when women bartenders were scarce. Joy entering the world of bartending was truly groundbreaking, and she helped pave the way for more women to get behind the stick.

There probably isn’t anything Joy doesn’t know about bourbon, and she won’t hesitate to make a cocktail out of premium bourbon. That may make some so-called bourbon experts cringe but we find it refreshing that Joy is willing to be the bad girl of bourbon. Fifty-plus years behind the bar has taught Joy a lot, including technique, speed, making innovative cocktails with just a few ingredients, and the 7 cocktails every bartender should know: Manhattan, Mint Julep, Whiskey Sour, Margarita, Daiquiri, Martini, and Rum Punch. Be on the lookout for The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book: Volume 2 which will be released either September of this year or March 2017.

Why did you become a bartender?

Here’s how it works:

Bartenders upload a photo of themselves with their perfectly poured Warsteiner (preferably poured into Warsteiner’s signature tulip glass) to www.perfectpouroff.com. Photos can be serious or silly, but they must demonstrate mastery of Warsteiner’s four-step Perfect Pour ritual. To watch, visit: https://www.perfectpouroff.com/watch-perfect-pour/.

Once bartenders have submitted their perfect pour, fans can vote online for their favorite through July 17. The three bartenders who receive the most votes, among other criteria, will be invited to compete in a live Perfect Pour-Off event in Las Vegas. The champion will win an all-expense paid, week-long trip for two to Germany.

Each time a fan votes, he or she will be entered into the Perfect Pour Sweepstakes for a chance to win one of three all-expense paid trips for two to the live Perfect Pour-Off event.

Official contest rules are available at www.perfectpouroff.com. 

Name: Kris Henry

Establishment:Siena Tavern

Recent Gigs: At 28, Kris Henry is one of the lead bartenders at Fabio Viviani’s Italian eatery in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. When he was 19 Henry moved to Chicago from Syracuse, N.Y.  to attend DePaul University. Following graduation he tried the 9 to 5 p.m. job for five months, but was unhappy because he was held to a certain amount of vacation days and was not able to travel as much as he liked. This is when Henry discovered bartending.  

Now a five-year veteran, Henry slings cocktails at one of the busiest restaurants in Chicago. Henry worked at many different types of restaurants and bars, including a sports bar, music venue, nightclub and fine dining restaurants. 

During his time off he enjoys the summers on his motorcycle, going camping and hiking, CrossFit fitness, and taking time to travel during the rough Chicago winters. Henry has visited 15 different countries and plans on adding to the list in the years to come.

Name: Casey Sparks

Establishment: 365 Tokyo

Recent Gigs: Casey was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, to parents from the UK And USA. When he was 5 years old his family emigrated to New Zealand, and Casey lived there for the next 17 years. He got his first taste of the hospitality industry a little after turning 18 when he became a doorman for a local nightclub. Shortly thereafter, Casey stepped behind the bar and discovered his passion.

By age 23 he had been ranked as one of the top 10 bartenders in New Zealand in the Diageo World Class and Beefeater MIXLDN competitions. After achieving those accolades Casey decided it was time for a change. Casey arrived in Las Vegas on August 31, 2015 and he’s been living it and loving it ever since. His current gig, 365 Tokyo, is a 10-seat members-only bar on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street, the heart of downtown Las Vegas. The small bar has a fantastic view of DTLV, a mysterious entrance, and a sexy vibe. If you find the idea an exclusive Las Vegas speakeasy membership appealing, please text (702) 302-2021.

Why did you become a bartender?