Q. You’re about to start a new gig at Lynch’s No. 9 Park, a bar that played a big role in kick-starting the cocktail renaissance here.
A. No. 9, it’s the flagship as far as Drink is concerned. Working there is one of those opportunities you just can’t pass up, when you’re offered that sort of thing. As I understand it, without having worked there yet, it’s an amazingly strong foundation for people who work there to learn everything there is to know about beer, wine, cocktails, and the restaurant industry itself… . I think the reason I am going over there, the main pull for me, is looking to pull No. 9 out of the shadow of John Gertsen. As wonderful as he is, there needs to be a life beyond Gertsen. Which is funny because he created the entire system. Bar manager Ted Kilpatrick, an amazing bartender and hospitality professional, is looking for ways to reinvent and liven up the No. 9 bar, to kind of take the current cocktail program and expand it drastically. When people talk about No. 9 they talk about food, wine, service… . People have to be reminded there’s a great cocktail bar there.
Q. A lot of bars are presenting themselves as “craft cocktail’’ bars now. Is that just an empty catch phrase?
A. It’s definitely a catch phrase. People are saying the phrase craft cocktail bar as a way to get people in the door. While it might just be a marketing standpoint, I think it still sort of helps. Every little drop in the bucket helps. Even if they’re just squeezing lemons and otherwise using frozen lime juice, you get a foot in the door. Every bar that opens up that decides to use fresh citrus, even if it’s not the best bar in America, it’s a foot in the door for those of us who want to make something out of this cocktail scene.
Q. There’s a fine line between being a craft cocktail expert and still being a hospitality professional, right? Do you think some people leave one side out?
