Interview: bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez (Dutch Kills + Painkiller)

Bartender New York City

Photo courtesy of Giuseppe Gonzalez

Giuseppe Gonzalez is a second-generation barman who built his reputation at New York City bars like Clover Club and Flatiron Lounge. He helped put Long Island City on the cocktail map with Dutch Kills. Now he and partner Richard Boccato are opening a new rum bar called Painkiller on the Lower East Side. He took a short break from construction to participate in the Radio Room, a prestigious guest bartending series at The Edison. Leading up to the event, Gonzalez discussed his background, approach and plans for Painkiller.

Do you consider yourself a bartender or mixologist? What’s the difference?

Bartender. There is dignity in that word. My father was a bartender. If I had called him a mixologist, he would have looked at me like I was stupid. However, I can understand the need for there to be differentiation. The difference is quite simple. Bartenders are at bars. Sometimes in the role of actually making drinks or sometime just supervising the floor. Mixologists are not. I am a bartender. You can find me at a bar.

How did you become so interested in cocktails?

It was part of the family business so I can’t really cover the scope of how much that influenced me. I guess I felt it was the next step I had to take when I decided to make bartending my career. I got tired of making bad drinks and wasn’t going to do that anymore. At the time, I was working in Boston and I entered my first cocktail competition. It was for Plymouth Gin. I won and got a free trip to London. I got to see bartenders making amazing drinks and bars that had only existed in my imagination. I thought I was good and after coming back I was humbled. I knew that I had to work a lot harder and step my game up. I had to treat what I did as a craft.

What’s your first cocktail memory?

That’s a funny question. My first memory in a bar is with my father. My aunt was hysterical crying because my uncle hadn’t come home that night and called the family looking for him. My mom and my dad went over to her house to console my aunt over her worry. My dad was stuck with me and knew exactly where he was. We take a trip to bar somewhere in the Bronx. My uncle, who had one too many, decided to argue with my father about the merits of coming home to his wife that evening. My dad presented a great counter-argument by kicking his ass. We were asked to leave. My uncle was drinking Cuba Libres. I was five. My aunt and uncle are no longer married.

My first cocktail memory was not as memorable. I went to a restaurant with my girlfriend and her father. It was a fancy place full of pretentiousness. Because of my youth and desire to make a good impression, I was nervous. I honestly didn’t want to look like some hick kid who grew up on a farm (which is exactly what I was). I ordered a Negroni, my dad’s favorite drink. I thought I would be cool and sophisticated. I took a sip and realized that day there was a difference between a man’s drink and a boy’s drink. I was 18. In drinking years, I was maybe still in the womb.

Do you have any cocktail mentors? If so, who are they?

My dad.

I have a deep respect for Audrey Saunders. She has this ability to just see connections in drinks and in people that I hope to mirror one day. The drinks that have come out of her bars are modern classics. Her opinion matters a lot to me. I use the word “exceptional” rarely. She is a very “exceptional” individual.

Sasha Petraske. Obviously… The man has an imagination and is not afraid to take chances. He inspires people to work hard, smart and treats his bartenders like craftsmen. His bars are, in my opinion, the best in the world. The drinks are flawless. His help with “Painkiller” has been immeasurable.

Dale DeGroff brought dignity back to bartending. A true gentlemen. I don’t think there is a bartender making cocktails that can say that he was not influenced by him.

Who are some other bartenders or mixologists who you respect?

Its a long list. I luckily work with or know people who are incredibly talented.

Richard Boccato is the bartender I most respect. I have never worked with anyone who is as committed to making the best drink possible and providing a model atmosphere of trust and professionalism. It also doesn’t hurt that he is my best friend.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler, he’s just the kind of bartender you always want to be around.

Karin Stanley from Dutch Kills is making some amazing drinks. We have put her Cradle of Life on the menu for Painkiller. Her Wonka Fizz is pretty much my new favorite rum drink this year. She is always my favorite person to work with and maybe the most talented.

Joseph Schwartz of Little Branch is an amazing owner to see work. He makes it look way too easy.

When I was in San Francisco, Eric Adkins from Heaven’s Dog was an incredible host and I sincerely didn’t want to leave the bar. Everything about that experience was awesome.

What are some other bars that you enjoy drinking at?

Rudy’s in Hell’s Kitchen quite simply because nothing beats cold beer and free hot dogs. Little Branch in the West Village. Camaradas in Spanish Harlem for perfect pints of Guinness. Its also down the block from my apartment. Death and Co. and Yerba Buena in the East Village.

Why do you think rum is experiencing a renaissance?

It’s long overdue. I really can’t explain it. I have always been a rum aficionado. Its good to see that people are beginning to take in different rums and seeing the diversity within the category.

What differentiates Painkiller from other rum bars?

Me and Richard both have roots in New York and on the Islands. Myself from the South Bronx and Puerto Rico; Richard from Brooklyn and St. Lucia. We have always treated island drinks with the same reverence as an Old Fashioned or a Martini. When we looked at the space in LES/Chinatown, we knew we wanted to look at cocktails differently and take what we have learned to develop something new. Tiki/Island drinks, when made properly (fresh juice, measured ingredients, amazing spirits) are amazing. It was a natural progression for both of us

We have always observed that it was quite common to hear devout tikiphiles declare their fondness for the culture as it provides them with an “escape” from the doldrums of everyday life. It is with this same sense of “escapism” in mind that we cull our cocktail menu and bar. We always fondly recollect when people were able to run wild in the streets of our fair city four decades ago creating their own unique and remarkable subculture within a larger pre-existing entity. These weren’t always good people… but they were good to us. New York was scary but exciting and had the reputation of being the place you had to be.

Painkiller is an attempt to establish a unique brand of NYC tiki, plain and simple. We are going to be doing some cool innovative stuff. People know that Me and Richard aren’t afraid to take a labor intensive approach if the result means we will have the best possible cocktail. Most importantly, we want people to remember that Manhattan is the greatest island on Earth. We do not want to provide an escape from where you are… We want to remind you that you are where you want to be.

What’s a great simple rum cocktail recipe for people to make at home?

The Painkiller’s Painkiller.

1 1/2 oz. Dark Rum
1 1/2 oz. fresh pineapple juice
3/4 oz. cream of coconut
Muddle 2 orange wedges.

Dry Shake. Pour into crushed ice filled snifter. Grate fresh nutmeg. Garnish with Pineapple stick.

If you could only drink one more cocktail, what would it be?

151 Pina Colada. If its my last one, I want it to be memorable (and strong). 🙂

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Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

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