Interview: beverage director Aidan Demarest (First & Hope)

Bartender Los Angeles

Photo by Leo Rivas

INTERVIEW CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

If you’re not a mixologist, then what are you?

I’m a bartender. I hate to sound like a cliché, but I never considered myself a mixologist. I’m a bartender. Nowadays I’m an operator. I produce the show. I rarely am back there making drinks, and as I say to my guys, “I should be the worst bartender in the room.” I want to see my staff go forward. First of all, I could not be behind the bar and run the show. Marcos, all these guys, are 10 times better bartenders than me. When I’m behind the bar, that means there’s something wrong.

What’s your first cocktail memory?

Gin and tonics. My grandparents and all their cronies sat around and drank gin and tonics. That was really it, and eggnog for Christmas. I’m an Irish Catholic from Boston, so Irish whiskey and beer. Guinness and Jameson’s are pretty much standard fare, and in the summer, it was gin and tonic, because it was hot. And in the winter it was eggnog. That was really the only time I’d see my family making cocktails, and they worked on it. It was a big deal. They had this discussion about it. With gin, everybody had a favorite. I had an uncle who loved Tanqueray. And my grandparents had a lot of gear. Like this bar had the ’50s gear, like the long leaf spoon. If a cocktail came out, or a pitcher of cocktails came out, it meant we had company.

What was your first cocktail related job?

Houlihan’s at Faneuil Hall in Boston.

Was there a turning point where you knew you wanted to work with cocktails for a living?

Yeah, five years ago. I was in Sundance promoting a film as an actor. I made a living as an actor for years. The short film did really well, it was a great moment, I got an agent. Well, a new agent. It’s what you do. I did a lot of events at the time, like I do now, but on a different level. I got hired by Jane magazine to do their celebrity bartender event. They brought in a bunch of actors from L.A. and New York who were all bartenders. It’s a great way to have someone pay for your trip. I did this magazine party, and it Parker Posey and all these Sundancey people. The most interesting and creative bartenders I worked with that night were all actors as well. It was the most fun that I had all week. It was really a pivotal moment. I had been very successful as an actor, but it was the only clear-cut job, and it was the most creative, intelligent work that I had done all week. I spent the rest of the week panhandling cards and hanging my hat out, and as a bartender, I got so much more respect. I came home thinking, this work [bartending], I’m good at it, and I’m begging for this work [acting].

What was the next step after that?

I took the GM job at Seven Grand…It was the first I stepped out from behind the bar. I took all the passion that I had for my craft and transferred it, and sought out other people with the same passion. It was a direct parallel.

Where did you go to school?

I went to UMASS-Boston, and then the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, out here in Pasadena.

For acting?

Yeah.

How do you think that helps you in your current job?

Bartenders are all actors. Especially improv actors. Every night is a different scenario. We’re all sort of dancing for our dollars. The give and take is required, even if you’re like Damian and you’re a grumpy bartender, there’s a performance to be had. You’re delivering a character, which is probably authentic and genuine. It’s not like everybody’s putting on a false front, but you definitely play your role. All bartenders do.

Would you say that you have any mentors?

Yeah, I do, actually. I really admire Chris Morris from Woodford Reserve, the master distiller over there.

How come?

Not because I want to be a distiller, but he’s a passionate spirits man. He is very intelligent and worldly and comes back to spirits with a scientific approach. He doesn’t have to be a honky tonk whiskey guy. Liquor doesn’t always have to have that party boy mentality. He’s jus a smart scientist back there creating a great product.

Anthony Dias Blue is another great guy. He has an innate understanding of the industry, and forgiveness for the industry and passion for the industry, which I try to have myself. I try not to take it too seriously, and yet I’m passionate about it.

What about behind the bar?

Damian Windsor is one of my favorites. Marcos. Those are my two. You know who else? Brian Miller, and he was one of my favorite bartenders I ever worked with. He’s also a very pragmatic scientist in his approach, with a forgiveness of the industry. It’s almost like the customers are a necessary evil. He loves his drinks so much that he almost doesn’t want to give it away. I’ve never seen somebody work like that. It’s fascinating to watch.

What will you be doing at First & Hope that will be different from other bars around town?

This project really excited me because first of all, it has an amazing sommelier and an amazing chef. It’s the first time that I worked as a barman on behalf of a team. I’m not the only creative in the room, and my team aren’t the only creatives in the room. There’s this amazing kitchen, but this place was a challenge to me because it’s entertainment, food, wine, cocktails, and I feel like as I journey through downtown – this is my fourth bar downtown – each one has been one step more. Each one has provided a full experience. If this one can fire on all cylinders, there’s a lot of room. There’s entertainment, a kitchen, a 32-pour Enomatic. This was a challenge for me to work within that framework and make that work, without just throwing a party inside the bar every night.

What was the approach for your and Marcos with the cocktail list?

It gets easier and easier every time, and it’s funny. It’s not because we don’t care; it’s because we’ve accumulated different go-tos, for spirits, for cocktails, for genres, for sourcing information. Everything I thought would happen when we went into consulting; it’s like a pop-up carnival. Having spent four years with the cream of the crop in L.A., I’m not unclear about who to go to for what. It’s shopping. That’s what I do. I shop for people and product.

The focus is going to be on champagne cocktails?

There are 11 champagne cocktails on the list. There’s a Brandy Alexander on the list, which is our signature cocktail. I used to constantly joke about that being the dead end cocktail in America.

What changed?

This room. It’s a 1948-1952 supper club. It’s period specific. Also, Marcos’ drink is off the charts. To me, taking something of an ugly duckling cocktail, and turning it into something brand new and fantastic. We did that with the mint julep and gin over at The Edison. That to me is the fun, turning people onto something they wouldn’t normally have thought of. Imagine a room full of Los Angeles cocktailers drinking Brandy Alexanders.

What makes this version work so well?

Just like the menu, which is a spin on classics, this menu will be two. We weren’t afraid to change it up. Now we have the classics down. I was ready to start screwing with them. What’s different about it? The ingredients. It’s lighter and less sweet and higher quality products, and higher quality Brandy. Obviously I’m using a Cognac instead of blue label Brandy. This one is fresh herbs and fresh cream and Cognac instead of blackout Brandy.

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

Champagne is great for cocktails at home, because a bottle of champagne immediately says celebration, no matter what it’s for. Even if it’s for brunch, it suddenly turns into something more. And it’s so easy to play with. Champagne Royale is just Chambord with a sugar cube and some champagne.

What would the recipe be?

The sugar cube soaked with Chambord, which would probably be a half-ounce of Chambord. Champagne with a lemon twist. I’d put a little fresh lemon juice in it to kick it up a little. That’s a standard crowd pleaser.

I know you’ve traveled quite a bit. What are some bars that you really enjoy drinking at?

I love the Florida Room in Miami. It’s a bar within a bar. It’s this great bar inside a club in the Delano. It’s a very Miami club with bottle service all around the room, and in back it’s this little gem with John and his crew making handcrafted cocktails. To me the essence of an experience. You go to the club to meet people and possibly get laid, but there’s an area where a smarter would drinker, or somebody with a decent palate wants to go find a cocktail. Not to take away from the Jack and Cokes on the dance floor, because I think those two worlds coexisting is a perfect scenario.

Anywhere else that you really enjoy?

I love Drink in Boston because I love their bartenders. They make some of the best drinks I’ve had in the country. I love Death & Co. in New York.

What stands out about Death & Co. to you?

It has this lack of pretension. Their cocktails are amazingly complex, but the room has this lack of pretension. It’s free and easy. The priority is again the experience, not the cocktail. They’re making these great cocktails, but they’re not resting their laurels on that. The waitresses are amazing, as well as the bartenders. The food is amazing. Alex Day and Brian, they just have it right. David Kaplan, he’s a great operator. I admire that. I don’t think any bar can exist on good drinks alone.

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

Still, it would probably be a Sazerac. It’s just a sweet, smooth hard hit of liquor, tasty. I would hope that it’s the most amazing Rye ever made, if it’s my last drink ever.

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Joshua Lurie

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

Blog Comments

Aidan,

Great write-up! Nice going on the article and business.

Regan
Santa Barbara

[…] was Aiden Demarest, who was the opening manager at Seven Grand, which was a very influential bar when it opened in […]

Great insight Aidan! I love hearing the contents of your head. I relate to those contents profoundly! I’m excited for the near future…

Hi Josh – this is a terrific post! Brought back a lot of memories for me. I managed a restaurant at 330 S. Hope in LA called Stepps on the Court in the ’80’s. It is the same space that now houses Nick & Stef’s. I have never seen a happy hour like the ones we had back then with hundreds of bankers, brokers, and advertising execs. We sold cases and cases of Corona Beer plus literally cases of Cristal every day at happy hour. We had seven bartenders working happy hour, with extra stations set up on the patio. Those were the days…until Black Monday in October of ’87.

Best wishes for great success to First & Hope.
LL

Lori Lynn,

Thanks for sharing that story. Sounds like the ’80s was another great time to be in downtown L.A. Hopefully First & Hope can help the revival continue.

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