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Catching up with my sister from another mister @nami18 and reminiscing and thinking about our friends in the NY crew. Nami suggested we go to Gunshow and it was a great call! A fun restaurant in the ATL with a creative menu and cocktails! #gunshowatl #friendshipgoals #zogsports #lockitup #youlockitup #rule76 #noexcusesplaylikeachampion #firefly #flipcup #beerpong #kingscup #namihappyhours #newyork (at Gunshow) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmfnCF3upH6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Laser Engraving at this weekend's Gun Show in Atlanta. #gunshowatl #customlaserengraving #customyeticup (at Atlanta Expo Center South) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt9kTDkFetU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jl9oo11v3ewl
What an amazing experience tonight @GunshowATL for me and Christopher! The staff was amazing and the food was incredible. The Ramp Cheddar Biscuit, Elvis Ribs, and Banana Pudding...oh my! The service was top notch and we enjoyed the experience immensely! Each chef brought their creations to the table to show us and we said whether not we wanted to try them, and they were eight chefs working in the kitchen tonight. It was a super cool experience. We will definitely return on our next trip to Atlanta and I can’t wait to bring Evan!! And as a bonus I’ve been tweeting back-and-forth with Chef Kevin Gillespie’s mom all day! We had the banana pudding at her recommendation and it did not disappoint!!!#gunshowatl (at Gunshow)
Bartender Interview Series: Mercedes O'Brien
Mercedes is a great bartender responsible for the new spirits component of Gunshow. I went in to witness the unique way in which she offers cocktails and am excited to go back soon with a group of friends that are hungry for good food and excellent drinks. Check out the interview below!
Mercedes offers up a drink to guests, While Kevin Gillespie (Owner & Chef) looks on.
Where are you from and what brought you to Atlanta? A family in the military has lead me all over the U.S., but eventually my dad retired in Newnan, Ga and I came to Atlanta for school. My time spent in this city has been the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place. I consider Atlanta to be my home.
What do you love most about Atlanta? The exchange in cultures and diversity, especially when considering food. Conversations and preparations crossover from collards to kimchi to etouffee to curry, and I love it all.
What are you looking forward to most in 2014? I have a project in the works I’m particularly passionate about this year. It’s an organization for Atlanta Industry women to come together and be involved in a supportive community. My hope is to create a commonality between all of the talented ladies throughout our city for the industry we work so hard for and love.
How is the Gunshow bar program unique? I suppose the fact that there isn’t a “bar.” It’s just me, a cart, and my inspirations for the week. I roll up tableside, verbal all the drinks being offered, and make them fresh right there. Since there is no physical barrier like a bar, I get to be a part of a more interactive experience unique to Gunshow.
What time do you usually wake up in the morning? 8:30 if I’m being good and working out. 10 if I don’t have the heart to push my cat off my neck while she sleeps.
Who do you attribute having such awesome hair to? Lindsey Wiseman at Salon Modello. I’ve often times thought of ways to kidnap her if I ever move to another city, sorry Lindsey.
Do you see yourself as a Bartender or Mixologist? What differentiates the two? Bartender. It’s like the commiss and the chef; being a cook always learning versus wearing a title on your jacket. To me, mixologist is flowery and sterile. If bartender was a good enough title for every person before me in my profession, than it suits me just fine.
What was your introduction to cocktails? A best friend of mine worked at Leon’s years back. Exploring the menu there was a growing stage, I remember drinking cucumber coolers and moving to sazeracs.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? Any mentors along the way? I draw from a well of passions for inspirations, but the three biggest are cooking, classic movies, and classic cocktails. I’m a food magazine and silver screen junky. I’ll see a recipe using grilled citrus in a chicken dish and end up charring meyer lemons for a smokey Bee’s Knees variation. I will watch Casablanca and end up using moroccan spice syrup in a blood orange caipirinha.
Jerry Slater is a master of the drink, both classic and new. His sharing of knowledge from my time at H. Harper Station is what helped make me strong behind a bar.
What is one of your favorite cocktails made by someone else? I have three: A sazerac sour from Miles Macquarrie at Kimball House, a Jerry’s 50/50 at H. Harper Station, and an old fashioned made by my guy at home when I’m too tired to make anything.
What is one of your favorite cocktails made by you? A favorite of mine comes from my time at Harper, constructed after the tang and spice of a BBQ sauce.
Devil in a Woodpile: 1.5 oz Bulleit Rye, .75 Byrrh Grand Quinquina .5 Cherry Heering, .25Lemon 4 drops Bitter End Memphis BBQ Bitters.
Stir with ice and strain into chilled rocks glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Where are some of your favorite places for cocktails (local or not)? I’m lucky to be living in a city with stretches of places for great cocktails. I tend to keep it in the parts with Sound Table and H. Harper Station, but travel to Decatur for Kimball House, Pinewood, Leon’s, and Paper Plane. Anywhere I can get a vieux carre in the winter and a negroni in the summer, I’m a happy lady.
Arnaud's in New Orleans and MG Road in Asheville are memorable trips.
What is the most difficult cocktail ingredient to pronounce? Honestly, anything I haven’t seen before and I’m sure that will continue throughout my life. When you’re dealing with spirits spanning centuries old from all over the world, you’re bound to run into something new and phonetically challenging.
If given $100 and asked to buy all spirits/ingredients needed for a cocktail of your choosing, what would you purchase? For a martini variation of my dreams: Death’s Door Gin, Dolin Dry, and Green Chartreuse. To be enjoyed on a Blue Ridge cabin porch in the spring.
