How does someone become a top craft cocktail mixologist? Asking this question, and a few more below, we learn that Tucker St. John, the director of beverage at the popular Esther’s Kitchen in the Arts District, has a penchant for learning and teaching that began fewer than 10 years ago when he was obtaining his degree in history from Nevada State University.
“It was really by accident,” Tucker began. “My mother was a bartender. And I was dating a bartender who was making more money in her one job than I did in the three I held while attending school full time. While I was still in school, I looked into it. I simply walked into a bar looking to be a barback – that’s the person that is always in the background in most bars assisting in everything. When they asked me if I liked craft cocktails, I didn’t know what that meant back then.”
From there, Tucker got a job at his girlfriend’s bar, did what he called “independent study” and learned all about craft cocktails. His historical background led him to enjoy the research while learning from the bartenders around him. “But you got to do the work, develop the palate,” Tucker added. “I started at Esther’s Kitchen four years ago, and I’m still learning from my fellow bartenders.”
Another question Tucker could easily answer was why he loves bartending. “Everyone is money motivated,” he began with complete honesty. “But the reason I love the hospitality industry, is that I get to serve people and learn about them and connect with them. Especially with people locked to their phones these days – I’m right there in front of them. I’m also proud of what I can build with a bar. I love learning from other bartenders, as well as educating them on possibilities. I get to ‘scratch that itch’ of education I loved in college and have fun at the same time. It’s especially rewarding to educate other bartenders and move barbacks up to bartending.”
As far as the cocktail program at Esther’s Kitchen Tucker explained, “Our cocktail palate is more acidic and drier – so we craft unique ‘Esther’s Cocktails’ to go with the Italian food we serve. I like my customers to give something different a shot, and we will dump it if you don’t like it and find something new for you. I don’t have an ego in making cocktails.”
Recently Esther’s Kitchen moved from a 4,000 to a 10,000-square-foot-sized location, right across the alley from their original location. Even more recently they opened TreeHaus, a classic cocktail bar located above the restaurant. The space is dark and moody with a record player and Chesterfield leather couches. Think quintessential speakeasy vibes, but with full windows. “It feels like someone’s house party,” Tucker recalls one guest saying.
When you go to Esther's Kitchen, ask for this uniquely crafted "off menu" drink: Hallowed Ground. Tucker says this is one of the most interesting cocktails he’s crafted to date, and it always seems to be a success, no matter what the season is. Some people have even dipped their bread in it:
“Off Menu” Hallowed Ground
Garlic-infused, green chartreuse cocktail with gin, lemon, Cocchi Americano, and garnished with fresh shaved Parmesan cheese, black pepper, and basil oil.
Tucker will be showing his bartenders how to craft the Hallowed Ground. In the meantime, each bartender has their own cocktail assignments, as he challenges them to make a certain flavor profile with a specific kind of spirit. Then, as Tucker says, “They have ownership of it.”
I, for one, look forward to being on Tucker’s Hallowed Ground when I visit Esther’s Kitchen to order my Hallowed Ground.