When did you first become interested in mixology? (When was your first taste? How was the experience?)
I started bartending 12 years ago. I realized right away that I had a real interest in putting out a quality product; however, I didn't have much skill in doing so. It was a lot of blind hope and quite a few bad drinks at first. Trial and error was my motto back then. Thankfully, I was surrounded by quite a few older and more experienced bartenders who took me under their wings and showed me the ropes. From there, I started bugging the line cooks, sous chefs and anyone else in the kitchen for ingredients and ideas that they thought would work well in a drink. More trial and error ensued until I had a few recipes that worked out. Once I developed a couple decent cocktails, I was hooked.

What brought you into the drink business?
Initially, I entered the business with the hope make a decent salary, while still exploring my passions. However, over the years bartending has turned into something else all together. It is such a big part of my life at this point, there is absolutely no way I could every escape.

If you don't order a cocktail at a restaurant or bar, which beverage do you choose?
I'm a big fan of wine, and enjoy a very diverse selection; I don't know that I can pick one specific wine that I love above the rest. In the realm of beer, I am more than happy with a pint of Guinness; however when it comes to spirits I have more of an opinion. If I am looking to sip something straight, I find myself ordering tequila more than anything else. I love the Don Julio line, particularly the Repo, Añejo and 1942.

What's your least favorite drink?
I don't know that I can name a specific cocktail that I don't like. What I will say is that I don't like a cocktail that is unbalanced, something that is overly sweet or has a "swamp" of herbs throughout. Another thing that bothers me is poor execution of classic cocktails. It amazes me how often bartenders mess up one of my favorite drinks, the classic Caipirinhia. It is a very simple three-ingredient drink, yet surprisingly I've had many recently that have been very unbalanced. All it takes is 2 oz. Cabana Cachaça, 2 barspoons of sugar, 3/4 of a quartered lime, a little bit of love. Its not that hard!

What are your thoughts on recent trends within the industry?
I love that there are so many new spirits coming to the market, namely the Mescals, Piscos and Cachaças. In particular I love the Del Maguey Mescal line, Barsol Pisco and Cabana Cachaça, and it's really exciting to see all of the new creations that bartenders have been coming up with using these new liquids. Tiki is another one of my favorite styles of drink that seems to be making a resurgence. There will be a new Tiki inspired bar slated to open in New York this spring called Painkiller that will be a great place to check out this new trend. In general, I enjoy having fun and pushing boundaries, so I always love seeing creative minds at work when it comes to food and drink.

What is the first thing someone learning about mixology should know?
Balance. Learning to balance sweet and sour is one of the most important elements of mixology. Also, learning the seven classics— sour, sling, punch, milk punch, cobbler, highball and cocktail— is crucial. Mastering those will open up doors to countless variations.

What are your three best tips, tricks or techniques for cocktail fans?
Without getting too carried away — I don't want anyone burning their house down— a few of my favorites cocktail tricks/tips are flaming citrus zest over a cocktail, turning fruits and vegetables into drinking vessels and double straining cocktails made with herbs and spices with a fine mesh strainer.

To create a flaming citrus zest over a cocktail simply cut a quarter sized skin off of your desired citrus fruit, and holding the zest skin side away from you, squeeze your fingers together quickly while holding a lit match in your other hand. The oils will shoot out and flame over the drink, releasing an aromatic essence into the air and onto your drink.

To make a fun, drinking vessel, simply take a melon, vegetable or fruit, whichever is appropriate for your drink, and hollow it out.

When making a drink with herbs, spices, or ingredients that are clumpy and excessive, double strain your cocktail with fine mesh strainer to give the drink a little extra refinement. No one likes drinking a cocktail with ingredients that gets caught in your teeth or that you will end up chewing on!

What was the most difficult event you had to run?
I run the events for Contemporary Cocktails Inc., so I've been involved with many large events over the past four years. There have been a few that have tested me needless to say. One that jumps out in particular was an event for Hennessy Artistry. It was a 1,500-person event/concert, during which we served four custom fresh juice cocktails. My team and I batched cocktails on an incredibly large scale, and went through 40 cases of Hennessy (480 bottles/ 16,224 ounces!) and juiced 9 cases of lemons on site. I'm still trying to block that one out.

When you're mixing drinks, what ingredient to you find yourself using the most?
When mixing drinks, I find myself using Cabana Cachaça, Tequila and Gin the most. I love to use incorporate spices like chili, jalapeño and ginger to create a unique flavor.

What is the greatest challenge of bartending?
I personally find the hardest thing to do is to consistently have a positive attitude. I pride myself on always offering a smile and giving someone a quality interaction when I deal with them across the bar. We all have our up and down days, so giving someone a smile even when you're not feeling like it is an art. Almost anyone can remember drink recipes, but not everyone can consistently create a positive interaction with their guest.