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What is it that inspires you about bartending?

I’ve always loved it. The interaction you have with other people. I love serving people. That’s why I’ve never minded waiting tables, ’cause that’s actually what I think I enjoy. I like giving people good service and a good time. That’s really, actually, the joy of the job. It’s not necessarily – when you work as a bartender, you tend to get a little bit more of an immediate respect from people, so you don’t have to go through a certain barrier with people. They’ll treat you as an equal pretty quickly, instead of treating you like a servant. So that’s the nice thing about bartending. You get pretty quickly on to a nice level with your customer. It’s easy to be on a personable level, quickly. So that’s a big part of it. Another part, I love working here because we make such fantastic drinks and everybody enjoys them so much. It’s another aspect of the joy. Not only am I getting you something as far as good service and a good time, I’m also giving you something you’re enjoying sensory wise as well.

What was the first drink that you got on to the menu?

The first on the menu was the Yama Blanca. That was a stirred tequila drink with spicy tequila, a little bit of Velvet Falernum, Bianco vermouth and a reposado tequila.

You have pumpkin butter that you’re using for a new cocktail?

Yeah, I have a lot of drinks on the next menu. As you do it, you get better at creating drinks. It becomes easier and easier, the more you do it, to understand what you’re trying to get towards, and what you can do to get to that point. You have an idea, you taste it and then you say, “Oh, I know what this needs,” instead of going through the process that can take a lot more. As you do it more and more, you become more perceptive to needs.

What’s the drink you’re using the pumpkin butter for, and what was your approach?

The pumpkin butter is a whiskey base. The Old Weller 107 goes really nice with it. It punches through. That whiskey comes through. It’s a nice high proof, but we did a wheated boubon, so it’s also nice and soft at the same time. It’s with a little bit of bitters, East India cherry and lemon juice, and the pumpkin butter, a little cinnamon on top, really appropriate for the season. It’s definitely for someone who likes pumpkin. It’s not overwhelmingly whiskey, but you still know it’s there. It’s nice.

What do you call it?

Vampire Blues. It’s a Neil Young song.

Do you have a first cocktail memory?

As far as creating cocktails?

From across the bar.

I drank at a pretty young age, because as a bartender at age 18, I was allowed to take a Styrofoam cup home, so I got to put whatever I wanted in the Styrofoam cup. That was my night-night drink. I always used to put all the sweetest things that you could possibly imagine, like a White Russian with crème de cacao, Godiva and all this stuff. It was just creamy, sweet disgustingness, which I would never drink now. From there, I moved on to drinking Manhattans. I used to drink Manhattans all the time before working here, and the guys used to give me a hard time as a waitress because at the end of the night, they’d say, “Hey, Jess, do you want a drink?” And I was like, “I’ll have a Manhattan.” “Really, you’re not going to try one of these other drinks we have?” “Yeah, I’ll try them, but I want a Manhattan.” I drank Manhattans all the time, but I rarely drink them now. Now when I come here, I’m always just wanting to try something that I haven’t really sat and had a whole drink of on the menu, because often, you take sips of things but never really sit down and have a whole one.

Did you become interested in cocktails or spirits first?

I was making cocktails behind bars in a way – but they were just like – okay I’m just trying to make this taste better than sometimes what I get. Even back then, I was often really concerned with having fresh juice, and once I learned how different it was, I never want to work anywhere that doesn’t have fresh juice. Those sorts of things came over time. Like I said, I’ve been doing it for so long, and the whole learning process that I’ve had come through has been baby steps. There was just as much an interest in spirits as it was in cocktails, back in the day. Now they’re interchangeable. I get so excited about new products that come out and get excited about old favorites when I get to have them again.

What’s a great cocktail for people to make at home and what’s the recipe?

There’s one drink that’s on the menu. It’s actually one of Joaquin’s, which is such an easy to make at home drink, and it’s fantastic. It’s the Kingston Negroni, and it’s only three spirits stirred, mixed. It’s Antica, Campari and Smith & Cross rum. So easy to make. You don’t have to get juice. You don’t have to have any bitters. And nothing is hard to find. Everything, you can get at your liquor store.

So it’s an ounce each of those three?

Exactly. Easy to pour out. I recommend that to my customers all the time. “I want to make something at home.” “Make this, no problem.”

Who are some other bartenders in town who you really respect, and how come?

I have some favorites that are probably more about personal. Eryn Reece is one of my all-time favorites. Rob Fuentevilla. Jim Kerns. Jeremy Ortell works out at Dram. The nicest guy you’d ever meet in your life.

Where do the first three people work?

Eryn and Rob both work at Mayahuel. Phil Ward, who started this place, he opened that. Eryn recently started working over there. She used to work at Lewis 649. That’s where I first met her. She’s worked at some other places as well. She worked at Rye when they first opened. She’s really happy over at Mayahuel. Rob opened up Mayahuel with Phil, so he was one of the first bartenders there. Jim, I always see him in passing here and there. It seems like we’ll work with each other for a minute. What a great guy. Jeremy, I worked with him at Dram regularly. I’d have to list Frank [Cisneros]. Frankie is great. There are so many people. So many.

Do you consider yourself a bartender or mixologist?

A bartender. A mixologist is one of those things. Everybody almost makes fun of it. Really, what it comes down to is the same set of things that any bartender is trying to do – if they want to be a bartender, we all have the same goals when it comes right down to it. We get to have – I feel like – a little more fun for ourselves as far as our playing. We’re really lucky. We get to play with whatever we want back here. In that respect, not every bar gets to do that. Not every bartender gets to create their own drinks for the menu. That’s not typical everywhere.

When you’re not at Death & Co., where do you like to drink and what do you like to drink?

I love Dutch Kills. They make fantastic drinks. I can really go in there and just be with the person I’m with and have a good conversation, and it’s really, really nice. It’s nice and quiet. It’s easy to get to from where I live. I live in Greenpoint, not far, so I just have to cross the Pulaski Bridge. Or I can jump on the G and get there as well. Also Dram, which I used to work at. I still love that bar. They make great cocktails. It’s a great neighborhood feel. Always walk in and know a bunch of people. It’s really home there. Those are my two neighborhood, close-by bars that I tend to frequent. And those are cocktail bars. If I’m not at a cocktail bar, then I just have something on the rocks, or a Negroni.

If you were only able to fill your glass with one more cocktail, what would be in it?

One more glass for the rest of my life? It would probably be a Manhattan, my first true love.

Who would make it?

I’ve got to say Phil Ward. Only because he’s made me more Manhattans than many other people, and he always makes a damn good Manhattan.

What’s the key to a great Manhattan?

It’s about the right amount of stirring. Some people like it a little sweeter. Some people like a certain type of whiskey in it, but when it comes right down to it, you know, it’s like that perfect moment when you get the nice cold glass, just the perfect amount of dilution, and I think that really makes the Manhattan.