Cocktail culture is thriving in large part due to a passionate contingent of exceptional bartenders and mixologists. This feature places a spotlight on the craftspeople behind the bar, and not just the structure itself. Bartender Joy Richard works at Tremont 647 in Boston.

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

A bartender. The time I spend creating cocktails is because I enjoy
the creative process and love to share what I’ve made with my
friends/colleagues.

How did you become interested in tending bar?

I have worked in restaurants since I was 15, and waited tables for years before trying my hand behind the bar. When I was 19 I worked at this little dive restaurant/bar in the Hamptons (yes, they do indeed have some dives there!) and one slow night they thought it would be fun to toss me behind the bar to mix up a few cocktails for the regulars. I fell in love with it immediately. It’s this instant gratification that you get from concocting a drink, putting it in front of your guest, and watching their immediate reaction, which in my case, thankfully, was completely positive.

I mixed up a couple Old Fashioned cocktails, a Grasshopper, a few CC & Gingers, and a Cutty Sark Rob Roy that night, and everyone gave me amazingly kind feedback. It was several years before I had the opportunity to get back behind the bar, but when I did, I really enjoyed tweaking cocktails, trying my hand at creating drinks to meet the tastes of my patrons, and my own personal tastes as well. I fell in love with fresh juices and what they offered in brightness and acidity to cocktail. I began to research more about the classics, while trying to meet the contemporary tastes of my guests.

What’s your first cocktail memory?

Probably learning to make my first cocktail, an Old Fashioned. I loved how there was a process to it, rather than just pouring some gin and tonic over a bunch of ice cubes and tossing a lime in it.

What’s your current favorite spirit or liquor?

Rye, for sure. I’m a big fan of whiskey, and I love the versatility of Rye. It mixes well with so many other spirits and juices.

Which cocktail is past its prime?

Either the Cosmopolitan or the Mojito. I’ve made so many of those two drinks over the last 12 years, and am finally seeing their popularity taper off.

What’s the cocktail of the future?

I don’t know if I can confidently pinpoint what the cocktail of the future will be, but can say that I am encouraged by the direction cocktails are going. I definitely see an increasing amount of adventurous bar patrons interested in branching off from their usual vodka drinks to sample cocktails made with spirits like Gin and Whiskey. I am a member of LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails) who are a classic cocktail society “dedicated to the breeding, raising and releasing of endangered cocktails into the wild”. We present an “Endangered” cocktail each month to our blog followers and those on our email list, with the hope that we are helping to revive a classic cocktail that has been all but forgotten.

Describe one of your original cocktails. What’s it called and what was your approach?

I have been playing around with making my own syrups, and fresh juices lately, so I’ve come up with a few interesting recipes that I like quite a bit. My favorite is the Nobody’s Darling cocktail that I won with, in the Hendrick’s Beantown Bartender battle last year.

I started with Hendricks Gin. From there, I wanted to work with Angelica root so I concocted an angelica infused honey syrup. I was interested in using Yellow Chartreuse because it possesses both notes of honey, and the bitter herbal quality found in angelica root, which I felt it would help emphasize those flavors. I needed cut some of the sweetness so I added fresh lemon juice, and felt the salty and bright quality of fresh celery juice would add the layer of complexity I was looking for.

Nobody’s Darling

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add:

2 oz Hendrick’s Gin
.5 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 oz Angelica Root infused Honey
.75 oz fresh celery juice
.5 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Do you have a cocktail mentor, and what did they teach you?

I don’t really have a cocktail mentor, but I definitely look up to many of the mixologists and cocktail historians in the field.

Outside of your bar, what’s your favorite bar in town and why?

The Independent in Union Square, Somerville. Completely unpretentious with a great bartender, Evan, behind the stick. He’s always experimenting, always nice, and always pours a great cocktail.

Who’s another bartender/mixologist you respect and why?

John Gertsen of Drink in Boston. Always kind and humble and knows his shit. And of course, always pours a great drink.

If you had a bar of your own, what would you call it?

Bitter Bar. I am a huge fan of bitters and bitter liqueurs. Actually, I’m trying to open my own bar right now, so don’t steal my name!

What’s the best simple cocktail for people to make at home, and what’s the recipe?

It’s not for everyone, but I think the Negroni (or the 1794) is such a
great simple cocktail. Just 3 ingredients, stir instead of shaking, and no need to squeeze any juice.