The other day, Jessica Bennett asked her husband, Eric, if he could make a mixed drink with garlic in it. For some, that might sound like a dare. For Eric, it was simply the next creative problem to solve. He’s a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service and the mind behind Birmingham’s Continental Drift—someone who has built a career around flavor, balance, and making unexpected elements work together.
“She likes garlic, so why not?” he says. That evening, while working at Drift, Eric worked through how to make it feel intentional—keeping it playful and drinkable—then prepped the finished version at home for Jessica, who was delighted by the result.
Most nights, though, things are much simpler. “If it’s just us, it’s usually something like a Negroni,” Eric says. “When we have people over, I’ll do old-fashioneds and one drink that feels right for the occasion.”
Eric’s path into food and beverage began, like many others, out of necessity while he was in college. Within a few years, he realized it was more than a job. “I love flavors and food and beverage—the physical act of eating and drinking, and how we do it,” he says. “But the idea of service is a huge draw, too. Serving friends and family, serving regulars—people who come to see you—that interests me.”
That curiosity has taken him far beyond Birmingham, from cocktail competitions to national recognition, including a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! during the pandemic focused on making inventive drinks at home with whatever people had on hand.
At home, Jessica brings her own creative energy to the mix. A partner at ArchitectureWorks and member of the Board of Directors at Birmingham Land Bank, she remembers sketching floor plans as a teenager—tracing over house plans in magazines and reworking them on her own. “I had tracing paper, and I’d sketch what I thought was a better arrangement,” she says.
Though much of her professional work focuses on civic and commercial projects, Jessica is deeply invested in Birmingham’s neighborhoods. “Anyone involved with the Land Bank will tell you that blight and abandoned housing is a public health issue,” she says. “It’s not good mentally, and it’s not good economically. If we can help create real neighbors again, that’s a win. Our goal is homeownership in the city, and we’re working hard toward that.”
Their Norwood home reflects that sense of purpose—and the joyful presence of their seven-year-old son, Sam, whose opinions and artwork are visible throughout the house. Art supplies live within easy reach, and his drawings appear everywhere, from walls to windows. “Neighbors can see his artwork because it’s taped up in the windows,” Jessica says. “I love that he feels a sense of ownership here.”
For Eric and Jessica, Birmingham has always been home, which is why they continue to invest their creativity and energy in the city. “We’re pro Birmingham,” Jessica says. “This is the community we want to impact for good.”
Norwood Boulevardier
Eric created this cocktail for Jessica as an unexpected twist on a Boulevardier, named for their Norwood neighborhood.
Ingredients
0.75 oz bourbon
0.75 oz aged Jamaican rum
1 oz Campari
1 oz garlic-rosemary coconut cream
Shake all ingredients. For a heartier, more viscous drink, stir instead. Pour over a large cube in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with a lime twist.
Garlic-Rosemary Coconut Cream
Combine 300 grams coconut cream and 300 grams cane sugar in a pan, stirring until fully incorporated. Add three roasted garlic cloves and sauté gently until golden, adding a small amount of water as needed. Remove from heat and add the leaves from four sprigs of rosemary. Use an immersion blender to fully incorporate, then strain out solids.
Alternate method: Roast garlic, combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender until fully incorporated, then strain.