A ripe mixologist knows how to make a long ton of different drink and is as effective as they are polite . What separates a good bartender from a great barman is n’t just being able to make a killer cocktail ( although that is very significant ) ; it ’s the weird ability to make you experience like this isyour Browning automatic rifle ; and that you ’ll go thirsty without one of their creation .
Charleston has a number of stellar bartenders who gibe this verbal description – Megan Deschaine of492 , Jayce McConnell ofEdmund ’s Oast , Craig Nelson ofProof , Kyle DeGolyer ofPoogan ’s Smokehouse– so picking one as bartender of the yr in the Holy City is no well-fixed task . After a spate of deliberate thoughtfulness ( and more than a few cocktails ) , we experience like we finally found The One , and it ’s Teddy Nixon .
TNix is the brain behind the beverages atBar Mash , part of The Indigo Road restaurant group . Although he ’s only been in Charleston since 2013 , he ’s already left his mark in a big way . He started his Charleston bartending calling atEdmund ’s Oast , training under Jayce McConnell before getting to be the Browning automatic rifle lead-in at Bar Mash . Although he learn a fate throughout his 15 years in the food & drinkable manufacture , Teddy is a mostly self - learn barman , a fact that ’s surprising and telling given his success .
Sydney Gallimore/Thrillist
Making the love child of a dive and a cocktail bar
When create the vibration and menu forBar Mash , Teddy wanted a low - key , divey flavour , but with upscale drinks and food , and a strong accent on whisky . alike to the way he describes himself ( “ I wish to be fancy , but I can also get a little weird ” ) , Bar Mash is a seat where you may get an artisan jello snapshot , a $ 12 cocktail , or an ice - cold Coors Banquet ( Teddy ’s favourite beer ) on draught .
When hiring his bar stave for Mash , Teddy really wanted to debar a common customer job of a varied experience bet on who ’s manning the bar .
“ I diddle ice hockey growing up in Massachusetts , and to me , a bar faculty is just like a ice hockey squad , ” he articulate . “ Every person behind the bar fill a certain position so that it runs smoothly and systematically no matter who ’s knead that night . ”
Courtesy of Teddy Nixon
Battle of the bartenders
Teddy really knew he was doin’ it right after the Iron Mixology competition at theCharleston Wine + Food Festival .
The first round ’s secret ingredient was Drambuie Scotch , the second round was clavus , and the last round required using chocolate . In the final round of golf , Teddy competed against local barkeep ( and champion ) Steven Huddleston ofThe Spectator , Sam Gabrielli ofProof , and Iouli Burroughs ofFish , before being named the 2016 Iron Mixologist , his crowning achievement to date .
Cocktail improv and atmosphere
Many barman find working the legal profession to be part of a routine , where the job is to dole out drinks as speedily as potential before turning to the next client . Teddy , on the other mitt , prefers to take his meter .
“ Ad - libbing is my favorite affair to do . I jazz when multitude come in and have no idea what they want . Just give me a couple of smack and I get to mess around behind the bar . ” After all , that ’s where the best cocktails come from . For Teddy , “ it ’s a win - win ; the client get something unique that fits their needs and I get to play around with different flavors that I might not use otherwise . ”
But being able to make the utter cocktail for his customer is only one part of his job . The other is creating an atmosphere that people want to return to again and again . “ Every nighttime you ’re trying to project a party and make mass have fun , ” Teddy say . “ you’re able to teach someone how to make a good cocktail , but you ca n’t teach someone to make people want to pay heed out with them . You ’ve either get that caliber or you do n’t . ”
Courtesy of Teddy Nixon
Part of thatje ne sais quoismay be the city itself . Teddy said he feels at habitation in the Holy City . “ Charleston is the first time that I ’ve set up a corner . ”
For Teddy and many others in the modern food & beverage industry , being a bartender or food - armed service pro is no longer just a side fizgig or something they do while waiting for something good to come along . If you take it seriously , you could make it a profession , especially in this city .
“ This is my career and I love it , ” Teddy tell .
