Gerber Group’s Corporate Beverage Manager and all-around spirits, wine, and cocktail maestro Moses Laboy comes from a long and exciting hospitality and beverage background.
Timeout NY recently named Moses one of the TOP FIVE mixologists in NYC. He knows what makes a good cocktail great. We asked Moses to share his best advice on becoming a better bartender and how to make memorable cocktails.
Tell us about being named one of the best bartenders in NYC.
I have spent my career building and innovating some of the top bar programs in NYC with the top chefs. To be recognized for years of hard work by not only my clients but my peers is incredible. It has allowed me to continue doing what I love, broaden my connections within the industry and celebrate next to an amazingly talented group of professionals.
How does a bartender earn this title?
Years of dedication and constantly pushing yourself to continue to learn and grow. Listen to the people around you. There is knowledge and experience in all facets of the hospitality industry. Everyone from the chef in the kitchen to the dishwasher have skillsets that lend to broadening your continued growth. Of course, becoming a Certified Court of Masters Sommelier helped!
What should new-to-the-game bartenders know if they want to reach this status?
Start as a barback. Learn everything about the classics. They are the backbone of any creation you will ever come up with. Taste everything on your back bar and then taste everything in the chefs walk-in. Do this over and over again. Develop your style of jiggering, shaking and overall bar mannerism behind the stick and then go out and start competing!
Any tricks of the trade they should absolutely learn?
Look to mentors. There’s a lot to learn simply through conversing with peers who have years of experience. Read everything that you get your hands on involving cocktails and wine. Wine teaches you a lot about flavor. Get out there and travel! You will be amazed how at how much you learn from simply observing others working the craft.
What makes a good bartender great?
Confidence, energy, and a killer smile.
What are your top 5 go-to spirits and why?
Agave aka tequila and mezcal: This category of enjoyable elixir is complex and enriched with ancient culture.
American whiskey: Bourbon and Rye whiskey. It can only be made in America and its history is as rich and complex as the country it comes from.
Rum: It’s the Wild West of the spirits world. There are no rules to govern it and the category simply does what it wants. Rock & Roll on steroids!
Cognac: Americas first love before being overtaken by gin and then vodka. Cognac/brandy has a rich history in American cocktail culture.
Amaro: Though fairly new to the American market/pallet, it has gained a cult like fan base with brands like Nonino, Fernet, Cynar and Montenegro.
What are your top cocktail ingredients and why?
Playing with different sweetening components are very important to me in cocktails as sugar intake becomes more important to the average citizen. Granulated, cane, brown and monk fruit sugar have all played vital parts of my sweetening ingredient process in cocktails.
Spicy peppers infused into sweeteners aka simple syrup. Jalapeño cooked into a simple syrup. Adds spice and complexity to an otherwise basic cocktail.
Bitters: Whether adding aromatic, flavoring or fruit enhanced bitters to your cocktail. Bitters can do no wrong! Bitters are the salt used by top chefs to a bartender. If you’re not familiar, go pick-up a bottle of Angostura bitter or Peychaud’s and get in the know! Thank me later.
Incorporating quality spirits into you cocktail is the backbone of the experience. Taste everything you’re working with and know the history. Explore the kitchen and get creative.
What cocktail creation are you most proud of and why?
I’ve been very proud of incorporating vegetables and such into cocktails. From repurposed candied jalapeños to juiced whole zucchinis, producing a lively, delicious green juice. Resulting in the Wazowski cocktail.
Wazowski
Ingredients:
- 2 oz London Dry Gin
- 1 1/2 oz Fresh Pressed Zucchini Water
- 1 oz St.Germain
- 1/2 oz Fresh Lemon
- cucumber roll on pick (for garnish)
Preparation: Shake ingredients in tin with ice. Strain into Nick and Nora glass.
Anything else you’d like to share with bartenders?
Bartending is a craft it’s a passion. If this is you’re calling, be true and passionate. Bartending has taken me from the streets of Spanish Harlem NYC to traveling the globe and beyond. Bartending can be a lifetime profession if you embrace it and grow. It is more than simply working behind a bar if you engage.
Bartend, grow, aspire for more and be hungry! No matter thick or thin. Only you can stifle you.
Moses Laboy has been featured on Food Network’s Chopped, Beyond the Bar, and Hey Bartender (to name a few) and was the operational and creative mind behind some of New York City’s most beloved hotspots like Gotham Bar & Grill and Red Rooster. He achieved the Court of Master Sommeliers (Level 2 sommelier) and is B.A.R. (beverage alcohol resource) certified.
The post Cocktail Maestro Moses Laboy on Superior Bartending appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
