THL: What are your other gigs and interests?

I am a classically-trained, and working, professional ballet dancer here in Denver. My day job involves rocking tights and twirling girls in tutus, but it's behind the bar at night that I get to be a super hero.

THL: What is something that best represents your personality?

This sums it up. We carry 6-7 different Fernets behind the bar, and Branca is probably my favorite.

THL: What is your bartending style?

When asked why I tend bar, I try to relay that I get to throw a dinner party for 50 of my closest friends every night. I get to play host and make someone's day a little bit better.

THL: How do you find inspiration for new cocktails and recipes?

I look to cocktail books for inspiration. Lately it has been a lot of Charles H. Baker not because his recipes are great, but because they require a lot of editing to become palatable. Craddock's Savoy will always have a place on my back bar.

THL: Besides bartending, what things do you do well?

I can fall asleep pretty much anytime and anywhere.

THL: Ever had any strange customer requests while bartending?

There's the odd 80's club shot with a dirty name that always makes me blush a little bit. It's weird to think over a time that I have learned to make a Martinez and a dirty panties shot at the same time.

THL: What is your favorite after-shift drink?

Beer and whiskey. Unless I'm exhausted, then it's probably just beer. If all the evening's creativity hasn't been wrung out of me, I'll mix a 50/50 with Reposado tequila and our house coffee toddy liquor.

THL: What is the one thing you can’t live without from your home liquor cabinet?

Most working bartender's and bar managers collect a fairly serious home bar comprised of a lot of samples. Mine has an entire shelf devoted to whiskey. Some of the really good things all I need is a small splash at the end of the night or even just to open the bottle and inhale the aroma.

THL: What is the most underrated cocktail?

A lot of classic cocktails have their champions, a lot has been written about Sazeracs, Manhattans, and proper Martinis. A well-made Cosmopolitan is a beautiful thing, wonderfully balanced and pleasing to the eye. Modern bartenders should want to make better Cosmopolitans. I don't necessarily like drinking them, but you really can't ask for a better gateway cocktail for the world of gin based sours and more complex cocktails.

THL: What is the test of a great bartender?

The night is slow, there's a deuce at the end of the bar lingering over a glass of wine and their dessert, the kitchen has been closed for an hour, and a new couple comes in for a nightcap. The bartender warmly welcomes them, pours them water, and answers their questions, gladly hosting and treating these guests as if in his own house. To go above and beyond in the name of hospitality is the sign and test of a great bartender.