Bartender Thomas Paessler keeps things old school. He rocks a major mustache, refers to girlfriends as “paramours,” and kicks back to ’40s on 4 on Sirius XM Radio. He also is ready to bring the holiday cheer to your next soirée. “I started Good Bartenders two summers ago, and I will create a custom menu for an event. I tend to stick to classics or create drinks inspired by classics,” he says. “I offer the experience of going to a nice cocktail bar in your living room.” Paessler recommends booking at least two weeks out. Pre-party, he’ll check out the space, plan the menu, tell you what alcohol to buy and how much, and advise on glassware and number of bartenders you need. Rates are $75 an hour per bartender and include the consultation. Cheers! [email protected]
All That Glass
Thomas’ Tip:
A drink is only as good as its worst ingredient. So if you want a good drink, buy good alcohol. When it comes to glasses, I love coupes. Get some of those, some great Old Fashioned glasses, and tall glasses, and you’re set.
Essential Barware
Champagne coupes
Old Fashioned glasses
Martini glasses
Red wine glasses
White wine glasses
Brandy snifter
Pictured
1. Red wine glass, $30 for two/Napa Home 2. Vintage glasses, $15 for set of six/Nest 3. Guy brandy snifter, $5/Crate & Barrel 4. Camille white wine glass, $15/Crate & Barrel 5. Camille Champagne coupe glass, $11/Crate & Barrel 6. Milagro Collection glass, $18/Ceylon et Cie 7. Vintage Old Fashioned glass, $48 for eight/Lula B’s 8. Cameo wine glass, $10/Crate & Barrel 9. Hand-blown glass with raised design, $99 for set of six/Coco & Dash 10. Mint julep cup, $20/Sur La Table 11. Sempre glasses, $50-70/Vintage Living 12. Poe martini glass, $1,518 for set of six/Bernadette Schaeffler 13. Broughton Double Old Fashioned glass, $95/Ralph Lauren
Liquid Courage
Thomas’ Tip:
The way I recommend people build their bars is to find a drink they like. Find the recipe for that drink, then buy everything you need to make it. Make it four times. Adjust it to your taste, and invite some friends to try it. The next week, pick a new drink, a new liquor, and a new liqueur. If you build your bar this way, you’ll never have a bottle in your bar that you don’t know how to make at least one drink with, and nothing gathers dust untouched.
If you simply must have it all right now, I would say these are the things to have on hand: a good 100-percent agave tequila, whiskey (at least one bourbon or rye), gin (Tanqueray is my go-to), vodka (most people don’t sniff at Tito’s), brandy (I prefer cognac), Cointreau (it’s a must for a brandy sidecar or Chelsea sidecar), and bitters (Angostura bitters to start and later Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6 and Peychaud’s Bitters).
Legit Libations
Vodka
Bourbon
Brandy
Gin
Rum
Scotch
Tequila
Whiskey
Mix It Up
Tonic
Club soda
Fresh simple syrup
Ginger beer
Grenadine
Angostura bitters
Pictured
1. Bols Genever gin, $34 2. Herradura Tequila Anejo, $56 3. Laphroaig Quarter Cask Single Malt Whisky, $57 4. Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, $27 5. Absolut Elyx Vodka, $50 6. 10 Cane Rum, $25 7. Leopold Raffin Cognac, $44 8. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, $38 9. Cointreau, $22 10. Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, $6.50 11. Jack Rudy Small Batch Grenadine, $18 12. Scrappy’s Bitters, $25 13. Q Tonic Water, $8 14. Fever-Tree Ginger Beer, $8 15. Orb copper jigger, $10/Crate & Barrel 16. Hammered copper bowl, $7/Sur La Table 17. Chambord Liqueur, $21 18. Kelly Wearstler Precision bottle opener, $250/Forty Five Ten 19. Mini Montgomery cocktail set, $295/Ralph Lauren 20. Aerin round match striker, $195/Neiman Marcus 21. Lappas silver-plate tray with horn handles, $375/Coco & Dash 22. Silver bowl, $5/West Elm 23. Guest towel, $45/Coco & Dash
All alcohol is from Goody Goody; mixers are from Sur La Table; Mille millions wallcovering by Élitis is available to the trade at Donghia.
Tool Shed
Thomas’ Tip:
You don’t have to have the fanciest tools to get the job done well. That being said, sometimes the fancy tools make the job easier—and more classy looking! You need a good measuring device; good drinks come from precisely balanced recipes. A shaker, because there’s no substitute for shaking a drink. A bar spoon, because some drinks need to be stirred and shaking won’t do. A strainer to keep ice, pulp, and the like from getting in your drink. Make sure you have a good paring or utility knife for cutting fruit for juices or garnishes. And if you’re not doing a party for a zillion people, a hand juicer is best for getting the fresh juice you need for great drinks.
Tools of the Trade
Paring knife
Jigger
Bottle opener
Ice bucket
Strainer
Cutting board
Bar spoon
Juicer
Good ice
Pictured
1. Kyla tray with brass handles, $525/Mecox 2. Lappas silver-plate cocktail shaker, $450/Coco & Dash 3. Freeze ice cube tray, $11/Z Gallerie 4. Twisted copper spoon, $13/Sur La Table 5. Orb cocktail whisk, $8/Crate & Barrel 6. Strainer, $10/Sur La Table 7. Olive wood paddle board, $39/West Elm 8. Kuhn Rikon paring knife, $10/Sur La Table 9. Zester, $9/Sur La Table 10. Lappas silver-plate double jigger, $195/Coco & Dash 11. Kelly Wearstler bejeweled bottle opener, $350/Forty Five Ten 12. Brass Uncle Sam corkscrew, $98/Jonathan Adler 13. Tom Dixon Gem tealight holder in gold, $25/TenOverSix 14. Cocktail picks, $7 for set of six/Crate & Barrel 15. W&P ice pick, $20/Williams-Sonoma
