Making Room by Gather
Hospitality. What do you think of when you hear that word?
For some it's old school 'stuffy' entertaining for others it's something to do with the hotel industry. One thing is for sure, as a culture we're not talking about it much.
Food * Design * Relationships have seemed to have taken a back seat to what our culture focuses on and values yet...we find ourselves in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. Something has to change, it's time to get back to our tables, and we're making room for it!
Making Room by Gather invites you into a new conversation on everyday hospitality. One that rewrites the way we approach opening your doors and filling your tables. Shifting the narrative from 'how does this make me look' to 'how does this make you feel' these buildable conversations aspire to inspire connection through everyday gathering.
Kayty's chic and a little quirky interview style will make you feel like you're sitting with a friend talking about how to grow in confidence as an everyday host. You can expect conversations from navigating challenging relationship dynamics to foundational cooking techniques and everything in between.
Whether you are a seasoned host or looking to develop new friendships and grow in your skills for the first time, there is a seat at the table. Join us weekly for new conversations with expert guests and with Kayty in her beloved Date with Kayt episodes. Continue the conversation @gatheritentionalliving
Making Room by Gather
Cocktails Refashioned & How-to Guide for Cocktail Newbies w/Alba Huerta
Uncover the vibrant world of bartending and hospitality with our esteemed guest, Alba, a celebrated bartender and educator recognized with a James Beard Award. Alba takes us on her exhilarating journey through the industry, sharing how her Mexican-American roots and bilingual upbringing shape her creative flair and passion for connection in crafting cocktails.
Her Houston-based bar, Julep, stands as a testament to cultural innovation, featuring an inclusive "cocktails by committee" approach that marries diverse traditions and flavors. This episode promises a deep dive into the intersection of culture and creativity, offering listeners a fresh perspective on the art of mixology.
Explore the essence of hospitality as Alba reveals the nuances of curating memorable experiences. We delve into the strategic development of a cocktail menu, highlighting how creativity and talent management play essential roles in fostering a supportive space for both staff and patrons. Alba shares insights on building a sense of belonging within the hospitality industry, emphasizing the importance of nurturing relationships and how these connections enhance success and happiness. Discover how the right environment can make a dining experience truly unforgettable, touching upon the unspoken elements that transform an ordinary visit into an extraordinary one.
Embark on a flavorful exploration as we discuss the intricacies of flavor profiles and how they shape the cocktail experience. From transforming simple ingredients into complex drink concepts to crafting non-alcoholic options, Alba guides us through the exciting world of cocktail experimentation.
For newcomers and seasoned aficionados alike, she offers valuable tips on menu navigation and the thoughtful progression of flavors, ensuring everyone feels at ease and adventurous in their exploration. We also touch on culinary innovations and the inspiration Alba draws from events and community gatherings, highlighting the continuous reinvention that keeps her work vibrant and engaging.
Buy a copy of Albas cocktail book here!
Learn more about Julep Here!
This Episode is Sponsored By:
Feast & Fettle get $25 off your first week of hand crafted, flavor packed meals delivered straight to your door so you can soak up the season with code GATHER25 at checkout
Watch our Youtube episodes here!
Hey everyone, welcome back to Making Room. I'm so glad to be here with you again this week. We are gearing up for the holiday season and that feels so wild to say. My heart and my mind are always still in summertime, but I want to dive in with with our new friend, alba today. As much as I love hospitality, as much as I host, goodness gracious I have next to no knowledge about bartending or anything in that world. So I'm excited to learn right alongside you, to start off as you go into this holiday season.
Speaker 1:Goodness, if you have kids, if you have a family, the holiday can feel so busy, so quick, and as much as you want to embrace it and be present, we always still have to eat right and we always want to feel good about what we eat. We want the flavors to still be there and feast and fettle Wants to come alongside you and make that possible. They want to give you meals delivered straight to your door, ready to eat, no prep required, just like you had a private chef straight to your door, ready to eat, no prep required, just like you had a private chef. So if you live in the Northeast and you are looking to get dinners, lunches, snacks, even lunches, to pack for your kids. You can have all of this delivered straight to your door with code gather at feastandfedalcom. Again, I don't recommend anything that we don't fully stand behind. All the flavors are there, the convenience is there. You don't need to look any further. Be sure to give them a try. The link is in the show notes.
Speaker 1:Well, let's talk about our friend Alba, if you don't follow her already, alba is a distinguished bartender, acclaimed author, charismatic host and bilingual cocktail educator. Hailing from Mexico and raised in Texas, alba embraces her proud Mexican-American heritage as a seasoned entrepreneur with a remarkable global focus At her celebrated Houston establishment, julep, alba has set a standard for excellence, earning the prestigious James Beard Award, which you guys know we love, for Outstanding Bar Program in 2022. Julep has also secured a spot on the 50 Best Bars North America list, ranking 46th that same year, which is an incredible accomplishment. Throughout its decade-long tenure, julep has consistently been named one of the top 5 bars in the US by Bon Appetit and earned recognition as one of the best bars in America by Esquire. All Goodness celebrating all of those things with you guys.
Speaker 1:Well, alba's talent and dedication has garnered widespread acclaim. Thrillist recognized her as one of the best bartenders in America. We're going to talk about that point specifically in this episode. Also named Bartender of the Year, the Houston Chronicle included her among their 50 most fascinating people. And Cherry Bomb. We all know that one honored her in their prestigious Cherry Bomb 100 list.
Speaker 1:In addition to her influential bar career, alba is an award-winning author of the cocktail book Julep, which I need to get my hands on I can't believe I don't have one for this episode today, but I'm going to get one which received an International Association of Culinary Professionals Award in 2019 for its exceptional contribution to the wine, beer and spirits category. Beyond her professional achievements, abba treasures her family, her parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, her beloved pets, max the dog and Missy the kitten, so sweet. In every endeavor, she continues to leave a mark, blending creativity, expertise and a deep-rooted passion for mixology and hospitality All things that I am so excited to dive into today. Well, let's not wait any longer and get into the conversation. Hi, I'm Katie, a hospitality educator and the host of Making Room by Gather podcast. I am set to see our communities get back to the table through hospitality, but it wasn't always this way. My husband and I moved to Thailand, and through it I experienced some loneliness, and with it I was given a choice to sit back and accept it or to do something about it, and for me, that meant two things that I needed the healing to learn how to accept an invitation and the confidence to know how to extend one. Through this process, I developed some of the richest and deepest relationships of my life.
Speaker 1:Through Making Room by Gather, you will hear conversations from myself and experts in the areas of food, design and relationships.
Speaker 1:You see there are countless things trying to keep us from the table, but can I tell you something? Take a seat, because you are ready, you are capable, you are a good host. I feel like once the fall hits, the holidays are basically here, and I feel like there's so many ways to prepare and to get our minds wrapped around the holiday season, and talk about mixed drinks and bartending is a great way to do that. I think it's an area that a lot of us can grow in, and so I'm looking forward to this conversation. I shared earlier in the intro that I have an embarrassing amount of knowledge about bartending, and so I'm going to look to you a lot in this episode to fill us in, but I want to learn more about your journey to here. I feel like you have a very niche career and niche background. You've gone a long way in the industry, so tell us what you want us to know about. What led you here.
Speaker 2:Hi. Well, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure to be here. I feel like.
Speaker 3:I feel so welcomed and like that beautiful introduction.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh wait, that's me, I like you know it's a career that's been since 1998. I can't do the math, because it's my life and it's been amazing. I feel like I really I love to hear like someone like you talk about it because it is niche, but to me it's my entire life and my entire being, and so I guess I don't think of it as a very unique and interesting place because I'm just like, as much as I am, a cocktail creator.
Speaker 2:I'm also a bar owner, and so I'm a small business owner, and that's a life of you know that's a life of excitement just as well. And figuring out how to, how to bootstrap and how to how to get up and going on some days, and but there's this beautiful creativity that feeds my work and you know there's this.
Speaker 3:I heard on a podcast that sometimes you have to do the things that you don't like to do to accomplish the dream that you have.
Speaker 2:And that's very real for people who are in the creative space, you know, because like, okay, I'm going to do all of these things because I have to get done, but the creativity really like, fuels the energy and it feels like your, your lens on on the world, you know.
Speaker 3:So, between those two spaces of interesting time, I'm curious, when did you start?
Speaker 1:when did your interest spark? I guess for bartending and kind of like creating in the alcohol space, I guess right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I feel very fortunate. I feel like when I tell my story I knew I always knew my belief, my belief in my, in my faith in my career.
Speaker 2:But I was bartending before cocktails had come back from the dead. I worked in bars where it was really about hospitality focus, and I loved the human connection before I loved anything else.
Speaker 3:So I tend to say like before, I was making cocktails, I was making friends.
Speaker 2:And it was my very first job that I ever had while I was at the University of Houston and I was like this is me kidding, I think I'm getting away with something I don't know. Like I think that you know, I felt and I still feel that way, which is amazing where I'm like is this really my job?
Speaker 3:Like okay, I'm not going to jinx it, like it's cool, I'm going to go with it, but there's that feeling of like wow, I can't believe all these amazing places, amazing people are part of my world. And then you get the call that the AC is broken.
Speaker 2:And then you're like, okay, got to go fix the AC. I'm going to think about this in a minute and this is great. Thank you, world. I'm very appreciative. Let me go see what I'm going to do about this. Let's go find out what the issue is. It could be something as small as a tiny battery that needs to get replaced, or the whole thing could have gone down. You never know. So there's a lot of gratitude and there's also a lot of self-acknowledgement in the process, but the very beginnings of it for me was so fun but also so fulfilling and so nourishing that I came from you know my background before I had my first bartending job.
Speaker 1:I talk to listeners a lot about how my Italian background influences my table culture, and your background is Mexican, american, right? Yes, yeah, and we haven't had many conversations surrounding that cultural background, that table culture on the show, and so I'm excited to hear more from you. How would you describe how your Mexican heritage shapes your career and, I guess, your experience with the table?
Speaker 3:I mean there's so many intricacies to that. I think one of the. The thing that comes to mind first is that I'm bilingual and when you're bilingual, your lens, you have a double lens on things. Like you see things in two ways, right. So it's added a lot of interesting names to my cocktails.
Speaker 3:It's also kind of made me do a deep dive into certain things that I normally wouldn't look at if I hadn't known this one thing about drinking culture, or this one thing about how we refer to, because everybody has a drinking culture, you know, and if you look at, and it's whether it's when you drink, how you drink, who you drink with, um, and the festivities revolving around that, and community, and so drinking culture, I, I'm, I kind of have two, and so because of that, it's really expanded my, uh, my perspective on cocktails and even the dining, or how to dine, when to dine, and that's, I think, the, the, the biggest, um, like the biggest quality of, I guess I would say of culture being culture forward, because I, you know, I am bilingual, like I live in a, in a city where we're multicultural, like we're always looking at other cultures and appreciating them to see, really, like, what kind of food do you have, like, what are you guys eating and what are you guys drinking? And what I love about that and maybe this is something that I appreciate from my staff as well is that I am very privileged to have a multicultural staff because I live in a multicultural city and because of that the drinks get really interesting. The drinks and the food cultures get really interesting. We love to when we do cocktail. We do cocktails by committee, which means that we bring the cocktails to the table and we say, hey, what do you think about this? And then you know they're stemmed in classics.
Speaker 3:So I'll say where did this idea of the composition of your drink come from? The elements are cultural, from that person, like, whatever your experience was growing up. People put drinks on the menu that are so beautiful because they come from the place that they really love, and if you put love on the table, other people know that.
Speaker 1:So let me clarify. So I come to Julep, which is where I would go right, that's the name of your restaurant or bar and you would come over to me and ask me about my background and then craft a drink.
Speaker 3:Oh no, the staff themselves. So we do a cocktail by committees. The staff makes a cocktail that is representative of themselves. Wow, and they're you know, they're, they're upbringing. So I've seen cocktails from all types of different people and personalities and cultures and that makes our cocktail program really well rounded. And that makes our cocktail program really well-rounded and it makes us think about like I didn't know that was the case for you know, like I didn't know that was a popular drink in Guatemala. Like I didn't know that was a popular drink and you know, wherever you're coming from. Like we welcome all of those perspectives and so I do that in the program because I've done that my whole life as a cocktail personality and I think about drinks in that way.
Speaker 1:There's a few thoughts that were coming to mind as you're saying that as a boss. I'm sure that makes your staff feel such a greater sense of belonging, having that permission to kind of like, be creative and have a piece of themselves, like their background, as a part of the bigger picture, right?
Speaker 3:Those are also like the perks of the job, right, like the fun parts, like those are like you should be proud of the things that we serve, like you should be excited about them. And I even know that if it was just my perspective on the menu, if it was just my dreams, like I find that kind of boring. I'm like, well, what are you guys doing, how are you guys developing and how can I be a part of that journey? But also, how can we learn from you and how can we bring this to the table for others? Wow, and so there's a great system of of respect and love and appreciation. But also like, how do we share this, whether the people through a delicious cocktail, and and also like this should be the fun part of the job, right.
Speaker 3:So, in the creative, like creativity isn't something that you can turn on and off. Creativity is a muscle that you exercise. Yeah, if we exercise that muscle, then we and you know our staff can vary from, from people who have been in the industry for a long time and those who haven't, and so, all of the all the perspectives are welcome, right, cause, we can. We can work you through a drink, like we can make a balanced drink, but the elements of, of, of that personality of that drink really can come from you. And how do we get, how do we get you to a place where you feel comfortable about those things and like wow, and so it doesn't feel contrived, it's very much like so, because that's how really cocktails at the base of them.
Speaker 3:It's like I saw this drink and then I thought it could have this or I could have that, and I thought about this flavor, because I ate at a restaurant and I combined these three ingredients because I love the way that they tasted in this place, and so and so, and so we're this constant sponge of absorbing information all day, because things and like how do we get all those things and process them and say, okay, well, this is what I think the name of this drink should be, because this song is really funny and this is how it ties into the drink. And this is what happened to me when I was a kid and when I was, you know, going through this thing and like I really thought this was cool when I went to this place and I was with my family and like place and I was with my family and like the journey is so important. The journey is just as important as the final product in the cocktail Wow.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness, you are onto something there. I mean all of a sudden, your background and accolades and everything it all makes sense, you know, because you're doing something so unique. I think that there is an element of I don't know if fear is the word or intimidation when it comes to exploring different table cultures. Right, because there's so much unknown, there's so much different, and you're making it safe, you know, you're making it comfortable. Yeah, that's beautiful, that's very rare.
Speaker 3:And I think too, because I've worked every position in the bar, you know, like I understand, um, I understand my employees from a perspective that I've been in those positions before um, that, like I know the job is on it's a very micro level. It's very, um, you know it's very repetitive, very, you know it's very repetitive, right, it can be. And what are the parts that are making it interesting and creative for you? And so providing a space where, if you want to be creative, you can be. If you want to join us to see what other people are doing and like if you want to learn through them, that's also welcome. Like no one's forced to put a drink on the menu, like the menus come out and but a lot of times the staff is very eager to put drinks on the menu because they have learned of the ways that other people make drinks and they're very much representative of them and the things that they want to give other people, and so it's very natural for them to do that.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm almost hearing kind of like behind what you're saying too. That's almost like a general hospitality model. Like you know, we we become comfortable in our own hospitality, in our own homes, doing things when people made us comfortable in the teaching process, right Like if, if we were raised by like a family that got stressed and yelled and all this stuff around hospitality, we're going to be unsettled, maybe insecure, nervous. But when someone really gives us the space to experiment, to, to explore, to try to test all of those things, it makes us it feels safer and that's that's really beautiful.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, I think this is, you know, also ties into your podcast. Like you do that as well, right? Like you provide a place where we can all remember, a place where we had an amazing dinner, we had an amazing cocktail. It's never just about the drink or the food, it's always about so many things, and so we process things so fast. We don't know how to explain it, but we're like it was magical and it was this and it was that, and so there's there's a lot of pieces that go into that that aren't just what's put on the table. It's like who's behind the scenes and who's who spent 12 hours raising this rib. Like who's doing that? Right, somebody with a lot of love and care did that. And why was it delicious? Because there was a lot of time spent on thinking about when you were going to have your first bite. And that should transcend to cocktails as well.
Speaker 3:Like we're working on a cocktail menu now, and you know we had like a hurricane in the summer and we're like you know, we're not we're. Everybody needs to get back on their feet or we'll be fine. The, the, we'll, we'll, we'll delay the, the, the menu, and what I've loved about that delay has been that our staff kept working on their drink and it just kept like evolving. And so I'm like, okay, you like, you like this, like you like this part right, like this is the part that we all like, where we're like. You know, I've had, I have someone on staff who started out with their drink, was like this initially, and then it's had I don't know, maybe 12, 15 iterations and now it's this really refined, beautiful drink, and she's come to that conclusion by continuing to spend time and energy and love on it and like, eventually we have to launch this menu because we'll run out of the season.
Speaker 3:Right, but the process is beautiful and so because of the process, it's all kind of worth it. The time and the energy and the AC breaking and the things, and so all the little things. It's like, eh, you know, but the process of how we get drinks to the table is really, really valuable to me as the bar owner, and I say this often and this goes for anybody in hospitality. This isn't just for people in the cocktail space or very interesting culinary spaces, this is for anybody that's managing a bar, managing any kind of service related, service related business. We are talent managers and how we manage those talents is really indicative of the final product. Wow, we can manage. Um, like, everybody has, everybody in the room has a talent.
Speaker 3:So how do we figure out where that, how that works? And some people are incredible at spreadsheets, some people are not. Some people are incredible at flavoring and some people are not, but they're really interested. And so there's still like this, very like, the appreciation for everybody's talent is really important, and then managing that talent is also just as important. Right, some people love the touches of going to talk to tables and, like, I just want to know everything about them, the touches of going to talk to tables and like I just want to know everything about them and it's like that's beautiful. So how do we work that into the program and how do we help others see and have eyes where they don't have them? And you do.
Speaker 1:The more you're talking. You just are so intentional with people, which I think is so rare in this industry. It's usually it could be I'm speaking generally, but a little bit cutthroat, it's tough. Oh, I just lost my train of thought, but I just got it back. I was wondering if you've ever been filmed.
Speaker 2:Has anyone ever come in and filmed your interaction with your staffs? No one, I wish somebody would.
Speaker 1:It's so cool, but also as you're talking, I'm like I want to see this play out. Oh, so does. Oh, my goodness, julia, you're on the call? No, I'm kidding, yeah.
Speaker 2:Somebody is welcome to joke and many people are welcome.
Speaker 3:I mean we get like interviews and things like that. But you're right, Like the integral parts are super interesting.
Speaker 1:And that's the very human part, that's the relationship piece, that's the connection, the belonging. Like I feel, like you are creating belonging through bartending, through your approach to bartending.
Speaker 3:I mean it can be cutthroat, but a lot of times you're really cutting your own throat If you're not looking at those things. You know, like the biggest value for us is our staff and how they can develop and feel good and come to work and be happy, and like that's such an immense value. And again, like I think about that too, it's like what is it that's really cutting throats here? Like what is it that's really making things hard here? And you can't look at someone and be like be creative and make good drinks, because that's weird, that's unnatural. And so the natural thing is to develop a system where that can happen is to support people when they are being creative, is to listen. When you're like we had a meeting yesterday and we had several of the team members be like okay, this and this is the part that I love, because now it's like okay, now you guys have the eyes that I want you to have on these drinks, um, and that are going to make people happier in the long run where they're like I don't know if the garnish on this is the right and I was like okay, tell me about it. And I was like tell me, tell me more, tell me more and it was a great meeting because I was like this is amazing, they love the drinks as much as I do. They're looking at them and saying you know, we can't serve this right now this way, but let's fix it.
Speaker 3:How do we fix it? What's the ingredient type change? Did we change something in production? Did we change something with our purveyor? Are we getting different guavas? Are they out of season? Are they a little bit more tart? Are they a little bit more tart? Are they a little bit more sweet? And I was like, yes, this is what success feels like when everybody's telling you the things that have to get fixed, because they have the same eyes on the program that you do. I felt successful. And then I also felt like I got to jump on this. I got to fix these things because my team is actually motivated to tell me these things. And we got to sort and I did that yesterday and I was like you know what? You got it. I want you guys to always feel like you can tell me these things and I love that you're doing this and you're right, let me get on these things and get them fixed. And we found the source of the problem, and I couldn't be happier about that.
Speaker 1:I keep jotting down, just like different words or thoughts that come to mind, and you have so much humility as a leader to be able to do that. It's just really beautiful what you've created. And I'm like okay, who do I know in the film industry? Cause I think this model really needs to be shown for two reasons like to other people in the industry, but also, I don't know, just to culture and the everyday host, because there is this rigidness that has entered the hospitality industry and it's making us scared of it and not want it and burnt out. But it doesn't have to be that way.
Speaker 1:And you know, I was hearing you talk about the development of drinks and I've done a little bit with food styling and cakes and charcuterie, and everyone's like oh, you're just a natural. I'm like no, no, no, like it took. There's a lot of years behind that. There's a lot of cakes that went straight in the trash. There's a lot of like, really hideous cakes that I've never taken pictures of. You know, and it is, it is a process, and the process is so much easier and so much more beautiful when there's people that allow space for it.
Speaker 2:And um, because we didn't think they were good enough for you, you know.
Speaker 3:But I love that. I think, um, I mean you talked about how, maybe in the drink space you weren't very comfortable yet, but you can start there. You can start with, like, what is it that? What are the things, what are the flavors that I love, what are the flavors that make me feel good? Right, and it doesn't have like, honestly, it doesn't have to be elaborate Like you can say I love cherries, right, I love cherries, I love that there's different cherries, I love that they have acidity and sweetness and I like the color and I like, I like the way they smell. And so there you go, you start now.
Speaker 3:Now you're developing what is it that you love about this flavor and how do you want to present that to others and how do you want to explore that and say, well, what? And then you know from there you have the beginnings of already thinking about how to put things in, look and form the difference between food and one of the. There's many differences, but one of the biggest differences between food and cocktails is that food starts out hot and it gets cold, and cocktails start out cold and they get hot. Hot and it gets cold, and cocktails start out cold and they get hot, and so you just have to think about the process of making things cold and diluted. And how do we keep those things? Because alcohol should be diluted. Alcohol at 40% alcohol by volume is very strong, right? So how does? Because if you put a spirit and a flavor together but the spirit is so overpowering that you can't actually taste it, then we failed at the delivery of that flavor because we didn't think about dilution, we didn't think about ice type, we didn't think about all these things.
Speaker 3:But you can start with a flavor and we can get you to a drink and then, once we get to the through the mechanics of the drink, then we're like what about the beauty of this drink? Where's your garnish? How does this drink? What is the visual aspect of this cocktail telling you? When I see this drink that's red and has a cherry on it, what is it telling you? It's red and has a cherry on it? Like what is it telling you? It's telling you that it's going to be delicious and it's going to be sultry and it's going to taste like, you know, cherries.
Speaker 3:And what, if you deliver a drink that you're like it looks like a cherry style drink. It looks like it's going to be, you know, a little tart, maybe a little sweet, and then you taste it and it's super bitter and you're like what happened, right? And so it's in the delivery and the expectations and the way that the visual drink is like visually going to tell someone, like, if I make a beautiful drink, everybody should be staring at it through the room, everybody. And when they get it, did they get all the things that they thought they were going to get?
Speaker 3:And are you proud of the cocktail that you made? Does it have all the elements that you like? And so we can get you to drink? If you just start with the things that you're going to, that's going to make you work on a drink for two months, right? You're like I really love Terry's and I'm going to figure it out because I love Terry so much. And you're going to see 20 iterations of because you have to know if you know the why, we can figure out the how.
Speaker 1:And so I would love for you just for a second. I mean, when I say I'm at the basics, I'm like, okay, this is like super embarrassing, I can't believe I'm even saying this. I've never even had a cocktail, that's okay, and you know why. Okay, so I, um, I'll get deep for a second and then pull away.
Speaker 1:So my my dad was an alcoholic. It was always hard liquor and so when I came around 21, I was scared of hard alcohol. The one thing he never drank was wine. And so when I started drinking, I drank wine and I was like, okay, I know what I like, I know my limit, this is kind of like my safe space. And then I was like, okay, I know, I don't have a problem, I definitely can explore. And I just had. So talk about fear and not having anyone to walk me through it. I never even knew what to order. So I would look at a menu and I'm like I don't want to spend that money. I don't even know what I like, you know. And so I've just been. I mean, believe me, I love my red wine, but I've just kind of like stayed there. So, um, I'm sure there are others listening maybe not many, but that are in the same camp as me, talk to us about like the very, very basics, like I guess you could take it at home or at a restaurant.
Speaker 3:Well, let's do. Where do you want to start, like, how to order a cocktail if you're a beginner, yeah, and I'll say too um, like, the cocktail doesn't have to be alcoholic Interesting, yeah. Non-alcoholic cocktails to me are more interesting because you have to in order to deliver an actual cocktail without alcohol. You have, you have production, you have things that you have to do for there to be density, for there to be flavor that isn't, doesn't just taste like a lemonade and so like there's a lot of elements of thought that go into a non-alcoholic cocktail. And then you can also explore flavors through the lens of of non-alcoholic drinks. But when you think about ordering, we tend to start with the way that we style the menu is that we'll list the cocktails at the top that are lighter. Let's say we'll list them by type. So we'll list them by spirit type vodka, gin, rum, tequila. The cocktails at the top are usually the lighter cocktails. Maybe they have soda, maybe they have a more sour profile. And then the cocktails towards the bottom tend to be more boozy, heavier, have more bold flavors. That can help really decipher someone in decision and say well, I feel like today a little rainy, I don't know, I've maybe feel like something a little boozy, to kind of, you know, feel a little like I need to be very introspective. How you feel has a lot to do with the cocktail that you're going to choose, and that's the beauty about cocktails as well, that you're like I don't know. Today I feel like it's super hot outside, like I want something tart, like give me a fresh squeeze, margarita, and I'm going to call it a day. I'm going to get some energy from that tequila. I'm going to go and do a bunch of fun things, which is why you know champagne drinkers and their celebratory it's bubbly, which is why you know champagne drinkers and their celebratory it's bubbly. Like there's always a feeling behind why you've gravitated towards that cocktail. And I think, knowing that first, where you're like how do you? And we'll ask people like, well, how do you feel? Like what is? What is going on? Are you guys celebrating? Are you guys? You know what has brought us together, you know, and then it's about flavor. Together, you know, and then it's about flavor because you can be, you know. That's where I think flavor can be polarizing, because some people can say I absolutely love this drink because it has passion fruit and I like champagne and vanilla, and these three things together came together in this drink and I absolutely love this combination of drinks. But passion fruit was the thing that drove me here.
Speaker 3:And then you look at let's say like if you wanted something bitter, right, you're like, I don't know, I had a big heavy meal. Maybe I want something with an Amaro and I need something to settle my stomach, because you know we want to, or I want to go to, I want to go to bed in an hour, so I need to have an old-fashioned. And that's where it starts. It starts with you, you know, and it should start with you, because cocktails are made for you. Otherwise, we'd just serve you highballs, we'd serve you vodka, sodas, gin and tonics. You know, we'd just serve you refreshing, diluted base spirit cocktails, which can be incredible as well.
Speaker 3:Um, like, my drink of choice, uh, for a very long time, was tequila soda. It's like I love tequila soda because tequila, to me, was so interesting. I picked different tequilas and tequila and I and I wanted it to be refreshing and I was like and I love, I love, I love Topo, chico and I love sodas and I, um, and and I would make all the cocktails that you wanted. But if you had to, if you asked me what was my drink, I was like I really want a tequila soda, because it's going to be a different tequila soda Every time. The tequila is so different every time.
Speaker 3:Nonetheless, um, like, I love champagne, like I love, like I like, if you, if you open a bottle of champagne in the room, I can smell it from a mile away. Like I'm like, oh, like, blanc de blancs, like it's, like that's, you know, and that's the, that's the thing that you gravitate towards. So flavor is probably the most like. How do you feel will put you in a place where you can choose the drink of style or the type of spirit, but flavor will really be what drives you to that, to that drink.
Speaker 3:Right, yeah, cause, and you're making these decisions so fast, like, you're making them so fast. You're reading a menu. You're like I don't like that. Okay, I love this, that sounds interesting. And then something catches your eye and you're like but what about this? Right, and it took you 10 seconds to read that. And you make those decisions so fast. But the intimidating factors, what's holding you back? So don't be intimidated. Know that cocktails are supposed to be special. They're supposed to be for you. Sometimes I go out and I'm like you know I'm going to try something different, because I eat the same thing every day at my favorite restaurant and if I order something different they'll be like, are you?
Speaker 2:okay, I don't know, I was just going to try something different, right? And if you?
Speaker 3:feel exploratory, if you feel like you're going to, you're like no, you know what? Today I got to try something else, because a margarita is not going to cut it, and which is why margarita always cuts it.
Speaker 1:So so for people that are like I want to explore, I want to explore the creativity of this, like I think there's a lot of people that listen that probably are like okay, I've dabbled with cooking, I've dabbled with baking. You know, I've taken your charcuterie classes. I want to keep, like, expanding. Is your book a good place to start for, kind of like an A to Z cocktail making?
Speaker 3:Yeah, the book is a really good way to start for exploring what your senses are for the cocktail right, where we show you from beginning to end this is how we thought of this drink. And then, all of a sudden, you're like what do I think about drinking and what do I think about drinks? And what flavors do I like? And what if I made that cherry bounce with peaches? Or I made it with a different fruit? And what would happen if I switched these two things around? And it could be really bad, it could be really good.
Speaker 3:And then there's a learning process, just like when you were, I was baking cakes and I didn't like them, and so they started again. And I started again and, um, and it's really like it should be fun, it should be, it shouldn't feel tasking. And if it does feel tasking, stick to what you know and stick to what you love, right, like you're. Ultimately, if you're going into a restaurant or you're going to a bar, like it's your dollar and you know you want to spend it where you're going, to get satisfaction. And um, the exploratory phase, whether you're doing it at home by yourself or you're doing it at at a place, like it's about the trust that you have in those people making your drinks and also in the trust that you have in knowing yourself. Like it might be um, that might be a little bit harder for people to see to say you know, maybe I do love or maybe I don't like apricot or like maybe.
Speaker 2:Like you know, I don't think.
Speaker 3:I do and um, but most of the time people are very certain of the things that they love or don't like.
Speaker 3:It's always the gray area where really interesting cocktails come about, because, um, I didn't know that I like quince until we paired it up with cinnamon and then we made it into, we used a pear brandy and I was like this is really good. And a lot of times there will be drinks on the menu that are supposed to be eye catching and different, and we know how people are going to feel about them, because we're like they're going to wonder why we put blue cheese in this and they're going to be like why? Right, but we know it's not for everyone. So we know how to talk to you about that drink. We're like look, it tastes like this, it's going to be like this, and if you're not certain, let's stick in the areas that you know.
Speaker 3:And then one day that person might come in and she's like give me that blue cheese drink, Cause today's the day that I feel like I got to try something different. And it's the trust and relationship over the course of time that they have in us. And then somebody might just come in and be like this drink is speaking to me because it's so weird and I love it and we're like, okay, like that's our audience, for, you know, it's a 1% audience for this drink and we accept that.
Speaker 3:We have so many other drinks that you're going to love. We have other drinks that feel more comfortable, but, um, but it's about you. Sorry, I went on a 10 minute rant. Are you kidding me?
Speaker 1:That's great. My mind is always in 10,000 directions and I don't know if it's like the entrepreneur in me, the creative, but I'm like we need to come and do a series on how to approach cocktails. I'm like let's do it. I want to go. I'm never in Houston, but there I think there are a lot of people that are intimidated of cocktail menus. And you break it down in such a beautiful way, like in a very realistic way for the everyday diner, for the everyday host. That makes me feel so much more comfortable approaching it.
Speaker 3:Well, I mean, we really don't want you to be intimidated, we want you to feel comfortable in the space. But I don't think drinks are, or shouldn't feel, intimidating. And if they do something about space telling you that or something about the words being used on that menu, like we can talk about menu development for hours and it's like where do you place this cocktail so people can see it? Where do you place this other drink? How do you price things? How do you? What does that look like?
Speaker 3:If the space is inviting, the menu is inviting, the staff is inviting, the cocktails are inviting, it's so many more things than just about the cocktail. The cocktail is the thing that you're like oh, I'm going to try that. Like, even after 10 years of being in Houston, I get excited when someone's like I haven't been there and I was like oh, my God, okay, when you come, let me know. And like I want to know how you feel about it, and I feel like there's just something really nice to say it's okay if you haven't been here, we hope to be here for you for a long time and when you're comfortable, you should come. Whether that's the cocktails, or that they live too far, or whatever that is, someone should still feel welcome, even if they haven't been here in the 10 years that we've been here. I shouldn't feel like, oh, you haven't been here in the 10 years that we've been here. You know they shouldn't.
Speaker 2:I shouldn't feel like, oh, you haven't been here all too bad. Like like that's not nice, that's not, that's also like not a that's not challenging for us as well.
Speaker 3:Right, like we keep constantly reinventing ourselves and challenging ourselves, like that's a great for for for continuing that to say there's still people who haven't come to see us in town. Of course, it's an enormous place. Houston's enormous. There's so many people here and we hope that when they do come, that they love it, that they enjoyed their time here and they felt that it was worth coming in from an hour away or wherever they're coming from, you know. So that's also super cool.
Speaker 1:Well, you are onto something beautiful, my friend, and I think a lot of people are probably checking flights, putting you into their Google maps, trying to make their way there, cause I think your approach is one that um is inviting and refreshing. In the industry, I think more success is to come. Well, let's do this. So we end each of our conversations with the same three questions, and I would love to hear your answers as well. The first one is something you have eaten recently and loved.
Speaker 3:Mexican cuisine has a lot of corn, right. So we put corn in the tortillas, we'll put corn in a guisado and we'll even eat corn in a cup with spices and a little chile mayonesa. So, like there's, we're consuming corn all the time. I had something called corn ribs from a Persian inspired restaurant and basically what they did is they took the corn and they shaved it, so it made like these curls. So when you're grabbing it, you're not grabbing the cob, you're grabbing the, the what they call the ribs, which is so smart, right.
Speaker 3:I was like, oh, the corn has ribs, I love it. Um, so first you got me on corn ribs, so you got me on the name, and then I was like all right, I got to try this corn rib and it's an appetizer, so the rest of the meal was phenomenal, by the way, but this was the thing on their Instagram that I was like that looks so cool, like it looks so cool and I love corn. So I got to go, I got to go, I got to go see him. And is that in?
Speaker 1:Houston. It is in Houston, yeah. So we come to Jewel Up and get a drink and then we go get corn ribs.
Speaker 3:Rumi's is the place they also have one in Georgia, I believe, but the one here. It was like I've heard about it from different friends and I was like, okay, well, we got to go. So the spices on the corn ribs were new to me. They were new to me, so it was this. It was this ingredient that is that is so familiar that it's part of my blood, right, like I'm so familiar with this ingredient. But the way they seasoned it and they like they like fried it and seasoned it, um, and I could just eat that every day.
Speaker 1:So good. I'm a big corn eater too. That sounds phenomenal.
Speaker 3:The seasoning was like vegetal and herbal and deep, and I was like I've never had these flavors on, like I've had spices, I've had citrus, you know a little, a little fat from the mayonnaise, but I've never had these flavors on corn. So not only were they new flavors to something familiar that I loved, but I was like and it looks beautiful, I love the way that you guys presented it. I was like I could eat this every day for the rest of my life.
Speaker 1:So good. Well, how about a gathering you attended that made you feel a strong sense of belonging? And, if you could pinpoint it, what it was that made you feel that way?
Speaker 3:Okay, that one's super easy, cause I just came from an event. Um, there's an event that happened in Aspen. Let's see how long has it been now? Two, maybe two weeks. It was the early part of um of the month, so it was the middle of August, I think in Aspen.
Speaker 3:And what Reisado is a um? It brings together many different Latinos from different parts of lives and of life in different parts of the world, of lives and of life in different parts of the world, and we put together a festival of different panels and film and music and food and it's just absolutely beautiful. And one of the things about being in the culinary space is that we often go to food and wine events and we do these. I do these events all of the time. That would have been my first festival where the intent and focus was around Latino issues and around entrepreneurial issues and things to have conversations with others who also have this bilingual lens and to meet other people who are doing similar things. And I got to meet someone who's now like I feel like she's my best friend. She owns a cocktail bar in San Miguel called Bekeb, and Bekeb does an artisanal Mexican focus on their ingredients and I'm like that's how I make drinks right, so I bring that to the table and she makes that as a part of her program in San Miguel and we discussed cocktails and drinks and people and fun, and it was amazing.
Speaker 3:Now we're going to figure out how to get together again, and so I made these amazing friends over the course of um of two days and like real deep connections, um, real true connections, and I really enjoyed meeting everyone there and being in a space where we were like, oh, how do you incorporate that into food? What are the things that you are, what are the things that you're doing right now that you currently love? What are the things that you want to work on? And it just helps you dream bigger. You know like that's. There's something beautiful about feeling like when you're in a space of love, anything's possible love, anything's possible Right. And so you're, you dream bigger, you think bigger, you act bigger. You, you have um your heart's in the right place and so, um, that was really moving for me and and it really helped pinpoint a lot of the, a lot of the goals that I have in the next few years, and I was like, oh, I have a mentor now that I found who has an incredible background in business administration and he worked for the small business administration and he wrote a book. We're throwing his book launch in the bar, and so there's just a lot of things that happened during that weekend that were magical and incredibly heartfelt.
Speaker 1:So grateful you had that.
Speaker 2:That's beautiful.
Speaker 1:That's really beautiful and that's what's available to us in community. That experience, goodness, okay. Well, last but certainly not least, totally different tone in a question, but something you've discovered lately that you think everyone should know about. It could be a Netflix show, an Amazon purchase, anything. These are always fun.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow, let me think I feel like I'm always discovering food places. I'm like, I feel like I'm always like, I'm always like discovering food places. Yeah, like that's always my like. I'm always like how do we you know what are? What is it that we're doing? Are we going to go eat there? So I feel like my discovery is always in in something not food related. Um, I feel like there's okay.
Speaker 3:So I haven't actually done this yet yet, but I have become intrigued by it and I have a group of friends who have a um, a consulting company, and they're incredible, and they were making these edible garnishes and and we started looking down the path of like they would print something on a garnish or they would print, you know, a logo on it. And I was like that's really cool, like usually the way that I garnish things that come from um, from what's in the drink. We we garnish with what's in the drink, and it opened up to a much larger conversation about cocktails. But there's this and I bought this pen on. They call it a pen, but it's actually like a hand printer and it's a hand printer that prints edible ink over a drink or over a cake or anything. You could print a little picture or a logo or something just like whatever you want it to say. And I haven't gotten it yet because I ordered it two days ago, so I think it's arriving today, but I feel like there's a power in words, there's a lot of power in words and then messaging, and I feel like I love the idea of being able to write something over a drink for someone, or writing over you know, whether we make a cake or something like that or over the foam of a cappuccino, and I'm like that could be a really nice way of making small like.
Speaker 3:You know, if I make a small, like when my mom comes to the bar, like if I make her something, like personalizing this little thing for her or doing something that's going to make her smile or make her laugh, or like make her feel really special, like there's something there, and I was like it's a tool that can really, for the people that I know and love, I can use, because I always create so many little things for them, right, like that's what I make for Christmas, that's what I make for, like I'll make, I'll make coquito eggnog. I make Christmas drinks for friends and family and I was like, well, there's this little thing that I could add to personalize a touch. And I was like, well, there's this little thing that I could add to personalize a touch, and it doesn't sound like much, but for someone who makes cocktails all the time, it's not really something I've ever utilized and I think that there's something really sweet about it and really awesome. We'll see how.
Speaker 3:And again, it's like the thought came from seeing my friends make their edible logos and I was like, oh, I guess that's something you could do on drinks. I'd never thought about doing that, cause when we garnish, we garnish in a very classic style and really what it leads to is this conversation about the modernization of cocktails. Right, and so really that's like the beginning and opening the door of, like, what is the modernization of cocktails? Look like they're not necessarily all stemmed in classics, even though they could be, and the way those drinks look is also very different and very elaborate. And I really like that conversation and I really like that space. It's like we're making little pearls in the bar, we're doing spherification, and so there's a very interesting step in that direction that I feel like I'm going to really enjoy.
Speaker 1:I am so excited. I hope you post about it so we can all follow. That'd be a really fun reel, oh my goodness. Well, this conversation was such a fun one, so different from other ones that we've done, and, I'm sure, leaving a lot of us ready for a drink, ready for a trip, ready to go get your book. Well, we will attach everything in the show notes links to the restaurants, links to socials, all of those things. But thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3:Thank, you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Well, guys, you know the drill we will see you next week.