How long have you been employed at the Soho House Group?

I started almost a year ago when I came in for the opening of the Miami property as head bartender.

Where do you get most of your inspiration throughout your career?

A lot of it comes from the guests who are at the bar. I try to be intuitive of what they want to experience or are looking for: whether it’s a cocktail with a different spirit or something with a lot of fruit. Or maybe they’re just looking to be entertained and have a great drink. Either way, I definitely get my inspiration from the guests.

Did you have anyone who was influential on you when you were starting out?

I began in Arizona working for hotel groups as more of a career bartender. At the Mondrian in Scottsdale, Arizona, I worked for a gentleman named John Christie who was the head bartender. He had very innovative ideas about cocktails, using different, unique ingredients. I didn’t really understand it while I was there but he definitely gave me a solid base and fired my interest. Then when I moved to Miami I worked with a guy called Angelo Viera who really stepped it up for me, showing me different ways of using different kinds of ice and classic cocktails using different ingredients. The Soho Group just pushed it even more.

What is your favourite ingredient/spirit to work with?

I go on binging moments. Sometimes I love working with different vermouths and then for three or four months I’ll want to work with different kinds of bitters. As far as spirits go, I really enjoy working with whiskey: it can be used in so many different variations of classic cocktails and is much more versatile than people think it is.

What can you not live without behind the bar?

A tip jar!

What is your most memorable drink/place to drink?

Recently I made a cocktail for Mark DeKuyper the owner of the Dutch distillery, who is a big name in the drink industry. He had just come out with a new spirit called Mandarine Napoleon so I created a cocktail for him called Cocoa Napoleon –

1oz Coconut Milk
1 ¼ oz Mandarine Napoleon liquor
¾ oz Lime juice
¾ oz Spiced sugar cane syrup
4 to 5 mint leafs, hand clapped
Give it a light shake and serve in a snifter strained over crushed ice.
He loved it; he sent it over to Amsterdam so I guess a lot of the bartenders have been mixing it up there.

What are your strengths as a head bartender?

Creativity in the cocktails and menus I create. I like to experiment with what the new trends are and make them even more different. Then I try to pass that on to my staff.

What do you like doing outside of work?

I love eating – it’s a huge problem! I love to go and find new restaurants to eat at in Miami, especially new places for brunch. I’m a big foodie.

What is your preferred cocktail/drink to make?

I really enjoy making an Old Fashioned. It’s a classic: pre-prohibition, simple but significant. There are only four ingredients in it but the way they are put together along with the presentation, and taste, make it great.

What’s the secret to getting served quickly at the bar?

I prefer the guests that are quieter and who make eye contact. My biggest pet peeve is with the people who just keep screaming and screaming; I usually skip them until they stop.