Bar Manager of NYC’s Tiki Chick, Linda Garcia credits her time as a barback as her greatest learning experience.
“I have never had one specific mentor in my life,” she says. “I feel that I am a sum of many parts just like my cocktails. I learned the most as a barback watching how and why each bartender did what they did. I observed each bartender’s personality and how they reacted to different situations, and I picked and chose from there how and who I wanted to be in my career.”
After completing her associates in Baking & Pastry Arts at Johnson & Wales University, Linda began a sommelier minor program, which required her to take mixology management. From there, her appreciation for bartending inspired her to compete at Twin River Casino’s Annual Bartending Competition which led to her first bar back opportunity at The Dorrance in Providence Rhode Island. “With bartending I get the fast pace of pastry service and the creative element of pairing different flavors and wine-based spirits which ties in my Sommelier experience,” she says.
She’s currently crafting tropical favorites at Tiki Chick, a fun, bright, tiki bar on the Upper West Side of NYC. “The bar is all pink with bright lights on the outside. On the inside we play 80s movies, and the bartenders wear floral aprons,” shares Linda. “The cocktails are served in fun shark mugs, pearl diver glasses, etc. Tiki Chick gives off tropical vibes all around especially with our frozen cocktails like our Piña Colada and Caipirinha.”
Linda’s go-to ingredient at the moment is sherry. “Fino and Manzanilla are like my salt and Amontillado and Oloroso are my pepper in cocktails. Fino adds a dry acidity and minerality along with amontillado and oloroso which add a layer of nuttiness and depth.”
For Linda, her food background always seems to play a role in her cocktail creation. “When I create a cocktail, I think about how I can transform an ingredient in liquid form. For example, I make an Old Fashioned inspired by butter pecan ice cream, I use a brown butter washed rum to represent the smooth richness of ice cream. Then I make a pecan brown sugar syrup, add chocolate bitters, saline, and a touch of oloroso Sherry to emphasize those nutty notes and dry out the cocktail a bit. I candied the leftover pecans from the syrup to use an edible garnish and add the crunch factor while further enhancing the aromatics of this Old Fashioned called Butter Me Up.”
CARNAVAL
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Roasted Yerba Mate-infused Leblon Cachaça
- 1/2 oz. Tito’s vodka
- 3/4 oz. pineapple acid
- 1/2 oz. kiwi juice
- 3/4 oz. cucumber Juice
- 1/2 oz. ginger syrup
Preparation: Shake with ice and double strain into ice filled pineapple mug. Top with 2 oz. club soda. Garnish with three pineapple leaves.
The post Get to Know Chilled 100 Bartender Linda Garcia appeared first on Chilled Magazine.
Source: Mixology News
