{"id":39591,"date":"2017-04-19T17:06:53","date_gmt":"2017-04-20T00:06:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/withjoy.com\/blog\/?p=39591"},"modified":"2024-04-08T09:38:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T16:38:07","slug":"wedding-cocktails-an-interview-with-the-apartment-bartender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/withjoy.com\/blog\/wedding-cocktails-an-interview-with-the-apartment-bartender\/","title":{"rendered":"Wedding Cocktails: An Interview with the Apartment Bartender"},"content":{"rendered":"

We were lucky enough to snag some time with Elliott, the Apartment Bartender<\/a>, in between his features over at places like Buzzfeed<\/a>, Chowhound<\/a>, The Kitchn<\/a>, and Express<\/a>. He’s a home (errr, apartment) cocktail enthusiast with a passion for crafting, styling, and photographing drinks. If you check out his site (or drool over his Instagram feed<\/a>),  you\u2019ll find home bartending How Tos, awesome cocktail recipes, and a little bit of his life and travels here and there.<\/p>\n

We asked Elliot about his favorite drinks, must-have tools for the home bartender, and how to craft the perfect signature cocktail for your wedding.<\/p>\n

Elliott, you’re the Apartment Bartender. What does that mean? (And how did you get started?)<\/h2>\n

Apartment Bartender is just a name I used starting out, and it stuck. It stuck because it’s true. I’ve never worked in the industry as a bartender, everything I know is self taught through home bartending. A couple years ago I was stuck in the vodka soda phase, and wanted something different, but I didn’t know what. I randomly took a craft cocktails 101 class with my buddy in NYC, and the rest was history. I developed such a huge passion for making drinks, and it stuck. I like to say the way a chef views food is the way I look at booze.<\/p>\n

I believe there’s a right cocktail for every situation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I eventually started taking photos of my cocktails and blogging about my drink recipes, and home bartending how to’s and it took off. I’ve been creating content for Apartment Bartender full time for the past 6 months, and I love it. It all really started from a passion for a well crafted drink, and what it does for building community and fostering camaraderie amongst people.<\/p>\n

What’s your go-to cocktail?<\/h2>\n

My go-to cocktail is an Old Fashioned. It’s spirit forward, and simple to make. It’s a perfect cocktail year round, and easy to create different variations of it. You can never go wrong with a well crafted old fashioned.<\/p>\n

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It’s been a long week. Productive, but long. I also think I’m having @roccothepug withdrawals. Missed him too much this week lol Anyways, what kind of shenanigans do y’all have planned this weekend?! . Chai Spiced Old Fashioned 2 oz bourbon | 1\/4 oz chai syrup | Dash of chocolate bitters | Stir. Strain. Garnish with an orange twist . PC: @tiffanyegbert<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by Elliott Clark | Apt. Bartender (@apartment_bartender) on

What’s one cocktail that doesn’t get enough respect?<\/h2>\n

I don’t know that I can pin point one specific cocktail that doesn’t get enough respect.<\/p>\n

I believe there’s a right cocktail for every situation. Feeling classy? Drink a manhattan or a martini. At a club and feeling tired? Drink a vodka rebull.<\/p>\n

If I can rephrase the question to focus on a particular spirit, I’d say vodka doesn’t get enough respect. It does when it comes to being one of, if not the, most consumed spirit in the world. However, in the cocktail community it’s regarded as a “boring” spirit to mix with because it’s flavorless, colorless, and odorless. I really like vodka though, and it definitely has a place. It’s a versatile spirit, and a lot of brands are creating more high quality vodka that deserves more respect that it receives. In addition, a lot of spirits like scotch and rum and whiskey are being used in unique ways. It’s fun to see the different spirits being used in unique ways nowadays.<\/p>\n

What are the five things every self-respecting apartment bartender needs?<\/h2>\n

I can’t speak for bartender’s in the industry, but I can speak on behalf of home (or apartment) bartenders. I think every self-respecting home bartender needs a good set of bar tools, a decent home bar stocked with a variety of spirits, liqueurs and bitters, a collection of 5-7 cocktail recipes memorized, some cocktail books to expand their knowledge base, and friends to mix for because drinking alone is never as fun.<\/p>\n