Behind every great bar is a bartender who knows how to mix more than just drinks. They blend personality, creativity and a dash of wisdom into every pour. From inventive cocktails that take days to perfect to simple classics served with care, these local talents bring their own style, favorite spirits, and philosophies to the craft. Meet the people shaking, stirring, and serving up some of Washtenaw County’s best bar experiences.
Samantha from DropTop Pizza
Three words to describe your bar:
Fun, energetic, friendly.
Your favorite ingredient?
Liquor.
If I weren’t a bartender, I would have been:
Working for a university.
The most important piece of bartender wisdom I ever received was:
Don’t take things personal and to have tough skin.
The spirit I reach for most in mixing cocktails is:
Tito’s Vodka.
What’s one trait you consider essential to your success:
Multitasking.
My drink of choice is:
Tequila.
Describe your most sophisticated cocktail recipe but oh so worth it:
I’m a margarita master, what other cocktail is worth it!
107 W Michigan Ave, Saline. 734-460-1345. droptoppizza.com.
Andrew Pulsinelli from The Last Word
Three words to describe your bar:
Comfortable, Genuine, Intricate.
Your favorite ingredient?
If I’m going to have a drink it’s going to have at least a little bit of sweet vermouth in it. It’s like what Robin is to The Batman, the perfect sidekick.
If I weren’t a bartender, I would have been:
I’m currently studying manufacturing and product design engineering at EMU, and have a keen interest in furniture and at-home appliances. Ideally I’d love to bridge my bartending knowledge and education into a career potentially designing bar equipment or finding a way to make a dishwasher not break every couple of months. If all else fails I’ve always wanted to be a kids soccer coach.
The most important piece of bartender wisdom I ever received was:
Last year at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans I had the opportunity to chat with Southern Teague, the beverage director at Amor y Amargo in New York. Before heading our separate ways I asked for some advice about being a young bartender. With what seemed almost instinctive he began telling me the classic allegory of the “Old Bull and the Young Bull”. To paraphrase Southern, he said in the hospitality industry young folk have the eagerness, energy and desire to do things differently but sometimes it can be advantageous to take a step back, slow your role and be patient. Since then I’ve attempted to embrace an air of calmness.
The spirit I reach for most in mixing cocktails is:
9 times out of 10 I find myself reaching for mezcal. Whether it be a one-off cocktail or something for a new menu I find it extremely versatile. It’s robust enough to showcase effortlessly in bitter, spirit-forward drinks while being delicate enough to play with light, citrusy drinks as well. It’s a spirit that offers something to like to just about any patron.
What’s one trait you consider essential to your success?
It’s taken quite some time to hone but I attribute a lot of my success to being even-tempered and never taking things too seriously. Inevitably things behind a bar will be stressful, but at the end of the night it’s about giving your guests the best hospitality possible and being genuine. I think being lighthearted is essential to this goal, and being an effective part of a team.
My drink of choice is:
It changes quite frequently but as of recently an Adonis has been my go to. It’s equal parts vermouth and sherry and I add a little bit of salt to give it a nice sweet and savory flavor.
Describe your most sophisticated cocktail recipe but oh so worth it:
A while back I was working on a drink for a menu that needed to invoke feelings of nostalgia. My mind quickly thought of summer and time spent huddled around an ice cream truck. I thought what better way to encapsulate this image than to make a melted popsicle inspired drink – more specifically those superhero popsicles with the funny gumball eyes. I settled on using tequila, cachaca, and melon liqueur as my base spirits and soon found the flavors were there but the texture wasn’t that of ice cream. To remedy this I milk-washed the cocktail and made a vanilla-lactic syrup that brought it exactly where it needed to be. It was my first time milk-washing a cocktail at that scale, but the trial and error resulted in a delicious drink I promptly named The Backyard Sour.
301 W Huron St, Ann Arbor. thelastword.com.
Dan Poulos from Alley Bar
Three words to describe your bar:
Unpretentious, familiar, and gritty.
Your favorite ingredient?
My favorite ingredient is dried tea leaves right now. The depth of flavor you can achieve with the different teas for infusions or syrups is unmatched.
The most important piece of bartender wisdom I ever received was:
The most important piece of bartender wisdom I ever received was that it is not about what they order, it is about the experience a guest has.
The spirit I reach for most in mixing cocktails is:
Tequila can be used in many different ways throughout the seasons. It can be light and summery or deep and warming in the colder months.
What’s one trait you consider essential to your success?
The one trait that is essential is consistency. Consistency in hospitality and consistency in quality.
My drink of choice is:
My go-to drink of choice is tequila on the rocks or neat.
Describe your most sophisticated cocktail recipe but oh so worth it:
I don’t know if it is the most sophisticated recipe, but the most intentional recipe is our House Old Fashioned. Starts with a bottle of Maker’s Mark that was blended at Maker’s by our team, a few dashes of house bitters, and a fresh demerara syrup served over a hand-cut clear ice cube.
112 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor. 734-662-8757. a2alleybar.com.
Giancarlo Aversa from Peridot
Three words to describe your bar:
Fun, fresh and upbeat. All of our offerings from the kitchen and behind the bar are meant to excite, and bring joy.
Your favorite ingredient?
People. It’s the people that make the bar a scene. If I had to choose a spirit I like mixing cocktails with Tequila.
If I weren’t a bartender, I would have been:
I originally came to Ann Arbor to study engineering at the university. So I suppose an engineer?
The most important piece of bartender wisdom I ever received was:
Sometimes slower is faster, if you make mistakes it takes time to correct them. But if I were to give advice I would add that you should correct your own mistakes in the moment, and always serve with honesty, integrity and care for the ones you are serving drinks to.
The spirit I reach for most in mixing cocktails is:
Rum? Tequila? Gin? Whisky? I try to work with it all. I probably reach for vodka the least, but I do respect that spirit as well.
What’s one trait you consider essential to your success?
I like a good challenge and solving problems is pure dopamine for me.
My drink of choice is:
Hanky Panky. Created by Ada Coleman, head bartender at the Savoy bar in London for 23 years.
Describe your most sophisticated cocktail recipe but oh so worth it:
A lot of the cocktails have multiple steps, some are more involved than others, we often infuse spirits with botanicals before using them in cocktails, like The Garnet and Heart’s Delight. Other times we fat wash the cocktail with yogurt to clarify it and soften the harshness of the alcohol, that’s Stange Magic. In The Nod we muddle cucumber and add drops of habanero tincture to bring herbaceousness and low heat. It also has a cantaloupe syrup that we prepare ahead of time. Our drinks are great at Peridot and they are crafted by the team. We can’t wait to serve them to you along with some of our tastiest dishes.
