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T H E T U L S A W O R L D ’ S E N T E R T A I N M E N T M A G A Z I N EVolume 5 | Number 41 | April 22, 2015

PAGE 12 WEEKEND� Tulsa�World�•�April�22,�2015

Clockwise from top left: Nico Albert from MixCo, Read Richards from Valkyrie, Breeze Waitkus from R Bar, Sydnee Partin from the Vault, Blak1740 and Jaime Jennings from Hodges Bend.

BY NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETONWorld�Scene�Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER SMITHWorld�Photographer

A top bartender perfects the art of lavor persuasion.

We asked six of Tulsa’s top bartenders what fuels their passion for the craft.

These men and women are the bartenders to watch.

The ultimate rush, they said, is making drinks that people don’t think they like — something they might even say they hate.

A white wine drinker may profess a hatred of red. A vodka tonic drinker may shudder at the mere mention of an Old Fashioned.

But for those truly dedicated to the craft, that means game on. Challenge accepted.

Because a well-crafted drink can over-come preconceptions.

And some lavors are worth acquiring.We introduced you to some of Tulsa’s

top bartenders previously, including Noah Bush of Hodges Bend, Tom Rush of Biga, Liz Pounds of Juniper, Aaron Post of Valkyrie, Josh Royal of R Bar & Grill and Ryan Stack of MixCo.

They helped us pick some new faces to feature, rising stars behind the bar, includ-ing some who are honored to strut their skills at upcoming events.

It’s not easy to narrow the ield, but Mark Perkins, venues director for The White Party, an upcoming fundraiser for Family & Children Services, said they picked the bartenders they wanted to fea-ture by thinking of great bars in Tulsa.

“We start the process in committee just sharing the places we like to go in Tulsa to enjoy a cocktail. Some of us have friends in the industry, so we ask those friends who they think does an exceptional job. We also solicit the opinions of former White Party honorees. Pretty soon, a target list of hon-orees kind of comes together efortlessly,” Perkins said. “Without exception, the venues and honorees agree to participate in a fun party for a good cause, and the attendees are treated to delicious cocktails by some of Tulsa’s inest.”

Here are six of Tulsa’s bartenders to watch:

FROM THE COVER tulsaweekend.com

SHAKING THINGS UPMeet Tulsa’s rising stars behind the bar

Tulsa World • April 22, 2015 WEEKEND PAGE 13

ault, Blake Engleman from Vintage

tulsaweekend.com

THINGS UP BLAKE ENGLEMANVintage 1740 wine bar, 1740 S. Boston Ave.

Blake Engleman has certainly earned the respect of his peers. Several of Tulsa’s top bartend-ers nominated him as a bartender to watch.

A little more than four years ago, he applied at Andolini’s to be a bartender, but he got the job as a waiter.

“A spot later opened up and they let me behind the bar,” Engleman said. “That’s all that I wanted to do.”

Driven by a desire to learn more about wine, Engleman eventually made his way to Vintage, where bartender and owner

Matt Sanders would prove to be the per-fect mentor.

“I like to introduce people to new wines or wines in general,” Engleman said.

“There is a wine for every single per-son out there. Some people might say, ‘I can’t drink white.’ Or, ‘I can’t drink red.’ I swear I can ind something that they will like about the other. It’s fun. Espe-cially when you get that ah-ha moment.”

Engleman also loves crafting cocktails at Vintage, where they will be ofering some “bright

and uplifting” cocktails for summer, he said.

SYDNEE PARTINThe Vault, 620 S. Cincinnati Ave.

While working as a server at The Vault, Sydnee Partin expressed an interest in be-ing a bartender. When a bartender didn’t show up to work one day, she got her chance.

“I immediately fell in love with it,” Partin said.

Her on-the-job training began, and Partin has developed skills during the past 2½ years to be called one of the top bartend-ers in Tulsa. She will be featured at The White Party in May, which is a major event at The Vault beneiting Family & Children’s Services.

“Before I started here, I never realized how fresh juices and making your own syr-ups and really paying attention to what you are doing behind the bar can really mean so much for a drink and for a guest and can re-ally change their views on liquors they did not like before.

“That is one of my favorite things to do is to get people to try things they don’t like, like tequila. People are scared of tequila. But if you mix it with fresh stuf and fresh juices and house-made ginger beer, they actually love it,” Partin said.

“Just getting people to try a craft cocktail when they are used to drinking a vodka tonic is the best.”

In addition to working, Partin is going to school to get her inance degree and said she hopes to own a restaurant of her own some day.

NICO ALBERTMixCo, Third and Denver Ave.

Nico Albert always wanted to be a bartender. But circumstances in the restaurant business and various job of-fers led to her being a chef.

She got her chance at one of the best bars in Tulsa a year ago.

“When I irst started in the restau-rant business, I was 17 and I was a host-ess. It was a tequila bar. Then I moved up to being a bar back. I was trying to be a bartender. That’s what I wanted to do. Then jobs were ofered and I kept moving further away from being a bartender and I wound up in the kitchen.

“It is nice inally to come back and do what I initially wanted to do,” said Albert, who will be competing in the upcoming Blank Canvas fundraiser for the Tulsa

nonproit Youth Services.

Asked what she’s into right now, Al-bert said that tequila will always be her roots, but she is also enjoying work-ing with mezcal in drinks.

“I just did an educational seminar on tequila, which has always been my favorite because I started working in a tequila bar. That is what I always go back to: tequila, speciically mezcal,” Albert said.

She said that mez-cal is trending and people will see more

of it on bar menus. For those unfamiliar with mezcal, she said it has a smoky taste similar to beef jerky, and it gains the taste when the agave hearts are roasted.

“It is an acquired taste, but I think that as bartenders we should present spirits that are unfamiliar and do it in a way that people ind a little more acceptable.”

PAGE 14 WEEKEND� Tulsa�World�•�April�22,�2015

READ RICHARDSValkyrie, 13 E. M.B. Brady St.

When Read Richards turned 21, he bought a bottle of whiskey. With friends, they sat down and took notes, discussing the lavor proiles of the liquor. And later, they would buy another bottle and do the same thing, and they eventually moved on to Bourbon and other spirits.

“I had never planned to be a bartender; it is something I con-sidered a hobby,” Richards said.

One day Richards came to Valkyrie and ordered an Old-Fashioned. The drink was so good it loored him.

“I kept coming back and com-ing back,” Richards said. “I was in there so much they said to bring your resume. You are here so much you might as well work here.”

He was hired and has been working there since 2012. Rich-

ards jumped into the profession with both feet, reading, research-ing and training with the experts, such as Valkyrie’s owner, Aaron Post.

His main objective?“For me, it is all about throwing

a party. When people come into your home, it is all about making them feel welcome,” Richards said.

But like most of the bartenders we spoke with, Richards relishes the challenge of swaying a cus-tomer’s opinion about a certain drink or liquor.

“They may come claiming they don’t like something, like whiskey, but then you make them a drink whiskey’s in and they love it be-cause you showcased the spirit in just the right way.

“It’s fun to open people’s minds to something they weren’t ready for. ”

JAIME JENNINGSHodges Bend, 823 E. Third St.

When it comes to crafting cocktails, Jaime Jennings loves introducing customers to the classics.

“It’s always fun to come up with something new and put your drink in their hands,” Jen-nings said. “But I also love intro-ducing someone to a 100-year-old drink. There’s a reason it has survived for that long.”

Jennings has been bartend-ing for ive years. He started as a hotel bellman at the Renais-sance Tulsa Hotel and eventually worked his way behind the bar, working at the White Owl before joining Hodges Bend at the re-quest of owner Noah Bush.

Bush has gained a reputation in Tulsa for mentoring and inspir-ing many aspiring bartenders in Tulsa.

“I always say that he has

forgotten more than I know,” Jennings said. “He takes his art and profession very seriously. He has given us knowledge, as well as the opportunity to learn.”

Yet Jennings is being humble because he has already made a name for himself among respect-ed cocktail artisans, in part, due to his work ethic and passion.

“I am an eiciency freak,” Jennings explained while saying a good bartender must balance making drinks, a fun environ-ment, while chatting with cus-tomers, getting the dishes done.

“It can be a taxing job, doing all that while making the customer feel welcome. But that’s all in a day’s work. Long shifts can be constant work.”

And I feel Hodges Bend is doing things on par with what everyone is doing regionally and nationally.”

FROM THE COVER tulsaweekend.com