The Bartender Shuffle

It’s 10 o’clock—do you know where your favorite mixologist is right now?

A bartender isn’t just a bartender anymore. Some actually prefer to be called “bar chefs” (which seems appropriate, considering the increasing mise en place of cocktail ingredients). And just as SF foodies follow their favorite toques, today “boozies” dutifully follow their preferred mixologists. But the chase is complicated. Some top bartenders hold down as many as three gigs.

Take Marco Dionysos (one of the stalwarts of the city’s thriving mixology scene), who has worked at about 30 different places over the years: He once bartended simultaneously at Enrico’s, Vesuvio, the Bubble Lounge and Moose’s during one period and at Pesce and Tres Agaves during another.

Is it a bad-boyfriend type of commitment issue? According to Dionysos, it can get boring working at just one place. And the best money is usually not to be found where the bartender wants to work the most. “It’s strange,” he says, “but it’s almost always true that the better the cocktails, the worse the money is for bartenders. If you want to make money, you’re going to be slinging vodka tonics more than squeezing fresh juice for a Blackberry Bramble.” Because most good bartenders want it all, they do both.

Which means that their signature drinks are to be found in more than one venue—that is, you should be able to track said bartender down. I recommend calling ahead.

DOMINIC VENEGAS Where to look for him: Cantina and Bourbon & Branch Signature drink: 1794 (rye, Campari, sweet vermouth)	Thomas Waugh Where to look for him: Range and Alembic   Signature drink: Strange Brew (fresh pineapple, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Tanqueray 10, lemon juice, Racer 5 IPA)	Camber Lay Where to look for her: Frisson and Laïola   Signature drink: La Playa (tequila, orgeat syrup, lemon, spiced pecan vinegar, toasted-coconut-and- sea-salt rim)
Carlos Yturria Where to look for him: Rye and the Grand Pu Bah   Signature drink: the Flas (kiwi, cucumber, No. 209 Gin, lemon)	Marco Dionysos Where to look for him: Tres Agaves and Eastside West   Signature drink: Ginger Rogers (gin, lemon juice, mint, ginger beer, ginger syrup)	Jack Andrews Where to look for him: Elixir and Laszlo   Signature drink: Jack’s Ass (vodka, lime, Absolut Pepper)

 

A bartender isn’t just a bartender anymore. Some actually prefer to be called “bar chefs” (which seems appropriate, considering the increasing mise en place of cocktail ingredients). And just as SF foodies follow their favorite toques, today “boozies” dutifully follow their preferred mixologists. But the chase is complicated. Some top bartenders hold down as many as three gigs.

Take Marco Dionysos (one of the stalwarts of the city’s thriving mixology scene), who has worked at about 30 different places over the years: He once bartended simultaneously at Enrico’s, Vesuvio, the Bubble Lounge and Moose’s during one period and at Pesce and Tres Agaves during another.

Is it a bad-boyfriend type of commitment issue? According to Dionysos, it can get boring working at just one place. And the best money is usually not to be found where the bartender wants to work the most. “It’s strange,” he says, “but it’s almost always true that the better the cocktails, the worse the money is for bartenders. If you want to make money, you’re going to be slinging vodka tonics more than squeezing fresh juice for a Blackberry Bramble.” Because most good bartenders want it all, they do both.

Which means that their signature drinks are to be found in more than one venue—that is, you should be able to track said bartender down. I recommend calling ahead.

DOMINIC VENEGAS Where to look for him: Cantina and Bourbon & Branch Signature drink: 1794 (rye, Campari, sweet vermouth)	Thomas Waugh Where to look for him: Range and Alembic   Signature drink: Strange Brew (fresh pineapple, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Tanqueray 10, lemon juice, Racer 5 IPA)	Camber Lay Where to look for her: Frisson and Laïola   Signature drink: La Playa (tequila, orgeat syrup, lemon, spiced pecan vinegar, toasted-coconut-and- sea-salt rim)
Carlos Yturria Where to look for him: Rye and the Grand Pu Bah   Signature drink: the Flas (kiwi, cucumber, No. 209 Gin, lemon)	Marco Dionysos Where to look for him: Tres Agaves and Eastside West   Signature drink: Ginger Rogers (gin, lemon juice, mint, ginger beer, ginger syrup)	Jack Andrews Where to look for him: Elixir and Laszlo   Signature drink: Jack’s Ass (vodka, lime, Absolut Pepper)

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