When did you first become interested in mixology? When was your first taste?
My first taste of any alcohol from what I remember was wine and Sambuca as a little boy with my Dad. That and the old taste of Schafer Beer!

What brought you into the drink business?
I was a bus boy years ago in high school and college and watched bartenders making all the cocktails. I liked that and the interaction I saw between the bartender and guests.

If you don't order a cocktail at a restaurant or bar, which beverage do you choose?
When not having a cocktail I will usually have a 'hopped' up beer like a good IPA or Pale Ale. I like something with a lot of power and flavor. If I'm going to a restaurant for dinner I'll have wine— I love to start with sparkling then go from there.

What's your least favorite drink?
Crazy shots like Prairie Fire etc. As for everyday cocktails, I've never liked whiskey and soda drinks...they just aren't for me.

What's your best mixology/drinking memory? What was the occasion?
With the first job I mentioned above as a bus boy. I watched the bartenders for years and always asked them questions about spirits. One New Year's Eve the bartender (who was friends with owner) went out for a few cocktails during the day. Of course he never made it back in, so I jumped behind the bar with a packed house on New Year's Eve and threw everything I had into it. It rocked and I was hooked. At that moment I also realized that it is not brain surgery and had fun with the guests being creative!

In your opinion, which country, other than the U.S., makes the best wine? Why?
Tough one. France and Italy are so fantastic. The wines amazing and the various varietals are wonderful. France has the big names in Champagne, Burgundy, Alsace and Bordeaux; but for me the wines of Italy are so varied due to the land itself that I'd have to say Italy.

What are your thoughts on recent trends within the industry?
There is a lot of returning to classic cocktails. Side Cars, basic martinis with slight flavors, highball cocktails.

What is the first thing someone learning about mixology should know?
The classics: get a good book on history of cocktails. All drinks today are some variation of a classic, and all the flavored martinis come from that simple base of the gin or vodka martini. Juice based sweet drinks come from the old days of sweet Old Fashions, but now we use mixers in them.

What are some of your favorite food and drink pairings?
Wines as a compliment to a dish: Grenache with steak au poivre, Zinfandel with a pepper-crusted rack of lamb, Brunello di Montalcino with a wild boar ragu and pappardelle...and of course a cheese burger with a beer!

Do you think any rules should be adhered to when pairing?
No strict ones in my opinion but I think you should use the pairing as a compliment to the dish the same way you would do salt or pepper.

What booze should no home be without?
Good stuff- don't be cheap! Ketel One Vodka, Hendricks Gin, Bombay Sapphire Gin, different rums (Bacardi, Mt Gay, Goslings or Myers), Sauza Tres generations Tequila, Herradura Anejo, a nice ruby port, Knob Creek Bourbon, a good cognac, Frapin and a few classics browns (Seagrams VO, Crown Royal).