Our two bartenders couldn’t contain themselves to just a picture in a magazine. Hear from them, in their own words, why they are the Absolut Tops in their neighborhood.

Click on a video to hear what they have to say.  Tell us who you think is the best!

 

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Congrats to February's winner, Sarah, for raking the most votes!

Click on a video to hear what they have to say.  Tell us who you think is the best!

 

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Christine Arismendi received the most votes in last year’s contest, making her the Absolut Top Bartender for 2011!

Now Christine and Absolut Vodka want to hear from YOU on who should be next in the Absolut Top Bartender battle for 2012!

Back Bay Bar’s Bartenders

Cast Your Vote on which Back Bay Bar’s Bartenders Should be featured in our February Battle!

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Join Suzi Ash at Battery Park’s highly anticipated New Years Eve Party! 

Check out the details!

 

 

NYE 2012 Celebration at Battery Park & Lounge is slated to be one of the most talked about events of the year featuring indoor and outdoor entertainment and a champagne toast.  It will be the most elegant, sophisticated and exclusive evening in Boston.

 

• 2 Live DJs spinning the hottest blend of hip hop, Top 40, Rock, 80’s and funk/soul
• Contemporary bar inside and the Winter Wonderland heated patio outside with an ICE BAR!
• VIP Access All Night
• Passed Hors d’oeurves from 9-10p
• Hosted Open bar from 10 – 1:30a
• Champagne and Cupcake toast at Midnight (Cupcakes provided by Cakeology, winner of Cupcake Wars)
• Midnight Munchies
• 9p – 2a, Dress to Impress
• $100 ticket per person
• Tickets available at nyeatbp2012.eventbrite.com or call 617-350-PARK (7275)

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Get to know our featured bartender for November, Michael Ray!

 

MICHAEL RAY & his ABSOLUT VANILLA CREAM PIE from FORUM

 

Michael's ABSOLUT VANILLA CREAM PIE Recipe:

2oz ABSOLUT VANILLA
.5oz of Vanilla Cinnamon Syrup
Spoon of Fresh Whipped Cream
Squeeze two lemon wedges
Shake with ice
Strain into a cinnamon-sugar rimmed glass
Garnish with grated Nutmeg and Lemon zest

A little about Michael...

- Michael has been bartending for almost 20 years most of which have been spent in Boston.

- Though he is a subject of the Queen of England he's been stateside for 20 plus years.  He loves Boston and feels it's a great place for business. 

- He was actually educated as an engineer and laid off.  Bartending is just different for him, new faces to meet, trends to catch, and cocktails to make. He says with him you'll get a good cocktail and a good conversation. He's not the guy who thinks he's in the top ten but what he does do is guest attention and hospitality. He want's to see you week in and week out.
 

Check out Michael's ABSOLUT VANILLA CREAM PIE at Forum for a great drink and a great conversation.
 

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Get to know our featured bartender for November, Arley Howard!

 

ARLEY HOWARD & his ABSOLUT SWEET POTATO MARTINI from TOP OF THE HUB

 

Arley's ABSOLUT SWEET POTATO MARTINI Recipe:

2 oz ABSOLUT VANILLA
2 oz Sweet Potato Puree
1 oz Cream
Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a dollop of fresh whipped cream & sprinkled with cinnamon.

A little about Arley...
 
- Arley has been bartending for 17 years, 7 of which he's spent with Top of the Hub.
 
- He started out banquet bartending for catering companies but found that scene to be much too controlled for his tastes. He likes walking into work knowing anything can happen.

- He knows how to roll with the punches and feels confident in his abilities to make anything work.

Stop by to try out his signiture ABSOLUT SWEET POTATO MARTINI, the possibilities are endless at Top of the Hub.

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for October, Svetlana Daneva!

 

SVETLANA & her ABSOLUT SKINNY RUBY from ROYALE

Svetlana's ABSOLUT SKINNY RUBY Recipe:

2oz ABSOLUT Ruby Red
1/2oz Triple Sec
Splash of Cranberry Juice
Shake it up and Top with Soda
Garnish with Fruit

A little about Svetlana...

- Svetlana has been bartending for 6 years; almost 3 years in America and 3 years in Bulgaria, where she's from.

- She loves the fast pace environment of bartending in the club and says there's no closing until the last person leaves.

- She enjoys the company of her customers and considers all of her regulars friends. One time one even brought her a really nice present; the job definitely has its perks.

Come visit Svetlana at Royale and try out her signature drink, ABSOLUT SKINNY RUBY.  She promises great service, a smile, and maybe even a wink.

 
- Svetlana has been bartending for 6 years; almost 3 years in America and 3 years in Bulgaria, where she's from.

- She loves the fast pace environment of bartending in the club and says there's no closing until the last person leaves.

- She enjoys the company of her customers and considers all  of her regulars friends. One time one even brought her a really nice present, the job definitely has its perks.

Come visit Svetlana at Royale and try out her signiture drink, ABSOLUT SKINNY RUBY.  She promises great service, a smile, and maybe even a wink.

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for October, Madeline Alvarez!

 

MADELINE & her ABSOLUT RED BOOTY from DISTRICT

Madeline's ABSOLUT RED BOOTY Recipe:

1oz ABSOLUT Ruby Red
3/4 Malibu
Splash Chambord
Splash of Grapefruit Juice
Splash of Pineapple Juice
Garnish with Lemon

A little about Madeline...

- Madeline has been bartending for 4 years working at various bars such as Underbar and Caprice.
 
- Her favorite part of bartending is getting to deal with people and being social, she also enjoys all the great music she gets to listen to on the job.

- She claims she never gets stumped on a drink request...except for the occasional out of towner who call drinks by different names.

Stop by Cure to listen to sweet beats and chat with Madeleine Alvarez.  Don't forget to check out her ABSOLUT RED BOOTY either.

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for September, Jocelyn Flores!

 

JOCELYN FLORES & her ABSOLUT MANGO TANGO MARTINI from DISTRICT

 

Jocelyn's ABSOLUT MANGO TANGO MARTINI Recipe:

ABSOLUT Mango
Fresh squeezed lime
Fresh mint
Splash of Orange Juice
Splash of Pineapple Juice
Topped with prosecco

A little about Jocelyn...

- Jocelyn has been bartending since she was 18 and has worked in Lawrence, Lynn, and Boston.
 
- She believes that bartending brings out her personality and loves the networking opportunities and learning new liquors.

- Her other signature drink? The Jocelyn Explosion with Malibu, watermelon pucker, dash of vodka, sprite, and cranberry juice.  The concoction came to her one day while she was at a cookout.

- You would have never guessed but Jocelyn is also a biologist!


Stop by District to try out her signiture ABSOLUT MANGO TANGO MARTINI and maybe grab a quick biology lesson while you're there.

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for September, Jacqui Berardi!

 

JACQUI BERARDI & her ABSOLUT SEDUCTION from CLINK

 

Jacqui's ABSOLUT SEDUCTION recipe:

1 egg white
1oz ABSOLUT Mango
1/2oz Drambuie
1/2oz apple brandy
1/2oz citrus zest simple
Sprinkle nutmeg

A little about Jacqui...

- Jacqui has been bartending for 10 years and though she was born and raised in Boston, she's lived in both Florence and Barcelona.

- Her favorite part of bartending is meeting new people every day.  She loves interacting with people and feels lucky to be in a field where she's able to do so frequently.  

- She got into bartending because she one day would like to open up her own restaurant and lounge.
 

Check out Jacqui's ABSOLUT SEDUCTION at Clink to have a good talk and a phenomenal drink!

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for August, Suzi Ash!

 

SUZI ASH & her SUZI SANGRINI from BATTERY PARK

 

Suzi's SUZI SANGRINI Recipe:

2oz Pinot Noir
1.25 oz Absolut Acai
1/4 oz peach schnapps
Tablesoon sugar in raw
5 blackberries, 5 blueberries muddled
Shaken hard. Serve in a martini glass.

A little about Suzi...

-  She previously worked at Game on and north shore hotels/restaurants

- Battery Park offered a more stable non seasonal, met tge crew rest is history

-  She loves meeting new people every single day. All the personalities.

-  Regulars yes. Not much difference because new faces become regulars. Sometime people dont want to talk but then they see your personalities and they like it and come back.

-  She's been stumped behind the bar:  Last night someone ordered a duck fart. Huh? Crown royal baileys and something...

- Reaction? Immediate reaction is to ask... Or just laugh

-  She has a great sense of humor, loves to laugh but can't tell a joke though.

- 5 years from now she'll be managing battery park. Haha. Being a GM.

-  When I'm not bartending you can find me...on the beach during the summer and when there's snow I go south.

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for August, Nicki Jakubowicz!

 

NICKI JAKUBOWICZ & her NICKNACATINI from SWEET CAROLINE'S

 

Nicki's NICKNACATINI Recipe:

2oz Absolut Acai
1oz Squeezed Lime Juice
1/2oz Agave Nectar
Sinker of Rasberry Liqueur

A little about Nicki...

- Bartender for 7 years. She started with bottle service at Saint, then she was a server at Sweet and a server at Cask n' flagon before finally getting behind the bar.

- Started bartending at Bradley's in West Palm Beach.  She and her boyfriend had moved to Florida for his job... Unfortunately she came back to Boston alone.  "I missed home. I missed my Red Sox.  People are a lot more real in Boston too, more straight forward".

- She is a Skier. A horseback rider. She's a Beach girl and she loves to work.

- When I'm not behind the bar you'll find me... at Bond. Well actually usually at The Place. I'm like 0 to Sixty. Dives to Clubs

- She bartends for the social aspect, meeting new people and the atmosphere.

- Have I ever bartended for a celebrity?... "I worked in the Hamptons. Celebs can sneak up on you. My Favorite person I served was Kristen Cavallari - she wanted tequila!"

Thanks to all my friends and future friends that will come to see me at Sweet Caroline's!

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for July, Andy Wesby!

 

ANDY WESBY & his ABSOLUT CARAMEL ORIENTATION from HARD ROCK CAFE

 

Andy's ABSOLUT CARAMEL ORIENTATION Recipe:

1oz ABSOLUT Orient Apple
1/2oz Amaretto
1/2oz butterscotch Schnapps
2oz Sour
A splash of cran
Shake over ice and garnish with cherry and apple ball

A little about Andy...

- Andy has been at the Boston Hard Rock Cafe for a year, but originally started bartending in Staten Island at 20 years old. At his first job, he told management he was highly experienced, and faked it with a lot of help from the internet.
 
- Andy says slow days at the bar give him a chance to reel the customers in and really talk with them, where as busy nights are just about serving as many drinks as possible.

- His other signature drink? The Red Marlow. It's a dessert cocktail and it's made of one part spiced rum, one part raspberry liqueur, and a splash of ginger ale. The drink got its name from a 'Boston Accent' incident: "A guy with a thick Boston Accent asked for a red Marlowe. I asked another bartender, but he didn't know what it was either. Nothing came up online, so, stumped I had to ask the guy, and he says 'you don't know a Red Merlot?!'" The customer got his Merlot, and Andy got inspired.

- Currently, he sings, plays the keys and rocks the harmonica in 2 two bands, the Echo Kings (find him at: Echokings.com) and a wedding band called Now & The Forevers (check it out: nowandtheforevers.com). Some Wedding showcase favorites: Big Poppa, Regulate and Sledgehammer. (Side note: he was previously a member of the Boston local band, Parker house and Theory, too!)

- Bartender or rock star? For now, both paths have their perks. "Some nights bartending, I'll make more than a week on the road." So for now, Andy's happy being broke and serving cocktails, but in ten years he hopes he'll have made it with the Echo Kings. Having just put out an album and shot a couple videos, they are certainly on their way.

See Andy perform behind the bar at the Hard Rock Cafe, at a show with the Echo Kings or even at your very own wedding, but be sure to annunciate your wine orders and try the ABSOLUT CARMEL ORIENTATION.
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Get to know our featured bartender for July, Tricia LaCount!

 

TRICIA LACOUNT & her WHERE'S THA ORIENT AT? from BLUE INC.

 

Tricia's WHERE'S THA ORIENT AT? Recipe:

2part ABSOLUT Orient Apple
1part ginger liqueur
1part Sour
1part white cranberry
Splash of Ginger Beer
Garnish with blue graffiti subway tiles (sliced red apple w/ blue food coloring)

A little about Tricia...

- Tricia has been bartending for nearly 13 years and all over too- Boston, New York City, Providence and Australia. If you ask her first employer, Camille's on Federal Hill, she was 18 when she started, but if you ask her, she'll tell you she lied (She was really 17! shhh).

- How she ended up bartending in Sydney, Australia? Well, she was working in NYC as a wine consultant and got an offer to go to Italy. Unfortunately, Tricia was unable to get a visa there, so she set off for Sydney, instead. But she still dreams of someday making Olive Oil in Italy, though.

- Tricia says her bartending experiences in Australia showed her that there is a much stronger cocktail focus in America, than Down Under; "American's are more adventurous, Aussies like Aussie beer and wine.... and no free pours at all in Sydney."

- What did he just order?! Despite working across the world the only drink that ever stumped her was Mulled Wine, the wintertime favorite: red wine, heated with spices, cloves, cinnamon and sugar.

- Tricia says she's had a lot of good nights bartending and that you never really can anticipate what will happen. One of her favorite memories though? When a Black Eyed Pea got sufficiently hammered at the hotel bar she was working at. The BEP member then went to her (big hint!) room, where she passed out, pant-less, while waiting for room service.

- Tricia says she likes working at Blue Inc, because it actually makes her excited to be a bartender every morning.

Tricia may not have lived in the Orient, or at least not yet, but the girl does know how to make a make a drink with it! Check her out at Blue Inc and let her dazzle you with her signature ‘ABSOLUT: WHERE'S THA ORIENT AT?,’ and more stories from her years of travel and bartending.

 

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Get to know our featured bartender for May, Danielle Benson!

 

DANIELLE BENSON & her ABSOLUT SUMMER BERRYDISE from PARADISE ROCK CLUB

 

Danielle's ABSOLUT SUMMER BERRYDISE Recipe:

2 parts ABSOLUT Raz
Add Lemonade and Ginger Ale
And a splash of Cranberry Cocktail

A little about Danielle...

- She's been a bartender for 4 years and previously worked as a cocktail waitress at the Avalon
 
- She enjoys the atmosphere at the Paradise than any former gig – her reasons? “Every night is a different night…. Tons of great music…. Better than a regular bar”
 
- Danielle loves working at the paradise because she gets to meet lots of new people and has a great time with her co-workers, “the girls I work with – we’re a family. We work together and go out together.” Plus, as a night owl, the hours are perfect for her.
 
- Her favorite music genres are Dance, Indie Rock or Hip Hop with a backing band. Being exposed to new bands is always exciting to her.
 
 - Who tips her best? Old, hardcore men give her the biggest tips – which she thinks can be attributed to her tattoos. Hippie concertgoers give her lots of tips, because “the music goes on so long, you double your money.”  And any guy who thinks her smile means she wants them, tends to dish out more money (these are usually from the 508 crowd coming in for hip hop shows, according to Danielle).
 
- Funny ‘on the job’ tale? A lady once exclaimed swore to her that she only drank Russian Vodka and then asked what the well was. When Danielle replied Nikoli, the woman exclaimed “thank god” and ordered a drink. That Vodka is from Kentucky- Danielle knew this.
 
- If she get’s stumped by a drink request, she just makes something up that she thinks the customer will like and has them give it a try.
 
- Danielle has a tattoo that says ”Let’s Do It” and artificial dimples, because she used to have her cheeks pierced

- Danielle says her drink is a representation of her, so if you’re a fan of sweet and tart, you’ll like our girl, Danielle, and her specialty drink, the ABSOLUT SUMMER BERRYDISE.

 

...And if you still haven't had enough of Danielle, check out her video!

 

 

 

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