Fab Mixologists & Bartenders

Pedro Barriga | @pedro_dabid

Photo courtesy @nhauforever.

As a consultant, LA-based bartender and a self-proclaimed “renaissance man” with an inimitable charm that certainly honors that title, Pedro Barriga is making the technique of bartending his own—even in a town as saturated as the “City of Angels.”

Best part of working in California’s mixology scene? The best part of working in Cali’s bar scene has been the spectrums of bars that exist. We have it all in Cali—from the smoker’s dive bar that has a boilermaker menu to the fine dining bar in pursuit of the next Michelin star—but all of these pirates commune at the city’s local watering hole “where everyone knows your name.” We have it all in California!

Your go-to drink to make and why? My “to-go drink” was a flask of mezcal, but my go-to drink—either a Sazerac or a Ramos Gin Fizz, because both of them have a great story and lead to a memory that usually sticks. Bartenders are librarians with a shit ton of information if they are dedicated.

Best advice to an aspiring bartender or mixologist? Learn to be comfortable with the chaos—start bar-backing at a high-paced dive (little bit of class, lots of dive) and you will learn to respect what bartenders do. Be mindful of your ego, learn what “going back to zero” means and use it for: body, mind, and spirit. 

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