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FeedMixologist of the Year
Marc Piscotty
Our Winner: Sean Kenyon
Mixologist-Bar Manager, Steuben’s Food Service and Vesta Dipping Grill,
steubens.com and vestagrill.com
Roots:
Paterson, NJ
Bars:
Tanglewoods in Paramus, NJ; The Yellow Rose and Buffalo Billiards in Austin, TX; B-52 Billiards, Steuben’s Food Service, and Vesta Dipping Grill in Denver
Why He’s Our Winner:
While most people bartend to support some other love, this son and grandson of bar owners says it’s all he ever wanted to do. Kenyon, who dismissed his family’s attempts to dissuade him, is as talented as he is decisive. In addition to mixing remarkable drinks from his 126-spirit menu at Steuben’s, the “mad scientist,” as employees call him, will travel to Manhattan this month for the rigorous Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) program conducted by Dale DeGroff, a master mixologist who made a name for himself at New York’s Rainbow Room, and other cocktail greats. This one-week course and exam is to the cocktail world what the Master Sommelier program is to the wine world, and just as the heavyweights behind it emphasize the importance of classic cocktails, so too does Kenyon. He shares a belief that the Sazeracs and Vieux Carrés of the world should be part of every bartender’s repertoire. We love him not only for the sheer historical and technical knowledge that comes with this approach but also for open-heartedly sharing that knowledge with bartenders across the Front Range. Whether modest Kenyon would admit it or not, he’s helping to restore pre-Prohibition respect for the profession.
Favorite spirit:
Carpano Antica, a sweet Italian vermouth.
Number of vintage cocktail books he owns:
Thirty-two.
Part of the industry’s esteemed BAR program that’s daunting:
Blind-tasting 150 spirits, “I get nervous just talking about it.”
Project we might see from him:
Word-of-mouth speakeasy.
First cocktail he ever mixed:
Johnnie Walker Black, his dad’s favorite, and soda at age 12.
Mike Henderson
Bar Manager, TAG,
tag-restaurant.com
Roots:
Madison, WI
Bars:
Paul’s Club in Madison, WI; Horseshoe II in Breckenridge; Centro Latin Kitchen in Boulder; TAG in Denver
Why We Love Him:
Like many bartenders, Henderson fell into the business as a way to make money. As luck would have it, however, that first job was at a place called Paul’s Club, home at the time to cocktail wizard Jim Meehan. Meehan greatly inspired Henderson’s work with the Big Red F restaurant group in Boulder, as a brand manager for St-Germain, and now at TAG, which Henderson helped open this spring. We love him for creating one of Denver’s most promising new bar programs of the year.
Lessons from PDT’s Jim Meehan:
Measure ingredients, use fresh-squeezed citrus, and read cocktail books.
In his fridge:
Just two lemons, but “Campari,
Leopold’s gin, and Rittenhouse are on top of it.”
Drink that shows his East-Coast-meets-West-Coast style:
Business Thyme, with Dimmi liqueur and kiwi.
First cocktail he ever mixed:
Tanqueray and Sprite from McDonald’s at age 14.
Adam Hodak
Bartender, Osteria Marco
and Beverage Director, Bonanno Concepts,
osteriamarco.com
Roots:
Toledo, OH
Classrooms:
Wittenberg University
Bars:
McMurray’s Varsity Club in Springfield, OH; Osteria Marco in Denver
Why We Love Him:
The original focus of Osteria Marco’s bar was the Ryan Gaudin–developed wine program. An interesting thing happened soon after the restaurant opened, however. Inspired by the house-made ingredients coming out of the kitchen, Hodak and his fellow bartenders began fresh-pressing all their citrus juices; infusing spirits; and making their own bitters, tonic, and Amarone cherries. We love Hodak for reminding us that artisan cocktails are just as important as stellar wines.
Why he loved food as a kid:
The Lebanese and Middle Eastern influence in Toledo.
Jacqueline Bonanno’s most nerve-wracking interview question:
Whether or not they should include descriptions on Osteria Marco’s menu, “I’d never served food.”
Number of infusions he’s been a part of since opening:
Sixty.
First cocktail he ever mixed:
Long Island iced tea for New Year’s at age 18.
Anika Zappe
Mixologist, Root Down,
rootdowndenver.com
Roots:
Poughkeepsie, NY; Falmouth, MA; Marietta, GA; Irvine, CA; Evergreen, CO
Classrooms:
Metropolitan State College of Denver
Bars:
PS Lounge, 15th Street Tavern, Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, PS 1515 Restaurant Bar, The Pink Elephant Room, Jonesy’s EatBar, and Root Down in Denver
Why We Love Her:
Zappe first got into the business when she guest bartended at the PS Lounge for fun one night. She liked pouring vodka tonics so much that she asked for a job. For years, it was just a way to “support her rock-and-roll habit” (Zappe has been the singer and guitarist for Hemi Cuda for 13 years). This year, however, she followed her passion for infusing bourbon and muddling thyme and walked away from music to focus solely on cocktails. We love Zappe for being one of Denver’s best market-fresh mixologists.
What nights at nyc’s Milk & Honey and Stanton Social taught her:
That bartending could be mixology.
Drink she’s excited about:
The Casting Couch, using basil from her garden.
Bottle at the front of her liquor cabinet:
150th anniversary bottle of Grand Marnier, which she just opened for her 40th.
First cocktail she ever mixed:
Vermouth, vodka, bourbon, “whatever was in the liquor cabinet,” at age 12.
See Our Winners
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