Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sammi Katz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Sammi, thanks for joining us today. f you needed to find a key partner or facility – how did you find them, what was the process of striking a deal like and what would you do differently knowing what you know now?
Finding a person or people you trust when embarking on a new venture is one of the most important things. My creative partner, Olivia McGiff, is my rock. We met in college when we were in the same theater troupe, so our working relationship and friendship was built through collaboration and problem-solving. A few years after graduating, when Olivia and I both decided that our careers were not in theater, we wanted to find a way to continue to work together. By that time I was tending bar and inventing cocktails, and Olivia was making her name as an illustrator. She would be my best bar regular, and would often sit and taste-test through drinks with me, while also drawing them on receipt paper. We found our niche in creating fun, illustrated work about cocktails and spirits, starting with short-form articles and resulting in our first book, Cocktails in Color: A Spirited Guide to the Art and Joy of Drinkmaking. We’re working on our second illustrated cocktail book now. Trust is imperative in any partnership and I trust Olivia with everything. I trust her palate, I trust her vision, I trust she’ll tell me when something I’ve written is just not funny. Building trust like that takes time, but once you have it, hold onto it. It’s gold.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a cocktail writer and bartender based in Brooklyn, New York. I first got into bartending as a side hustle to support my acting career. Over time I realized that acting and theater wasn’t for me, but bartending and cocktails, and writing about them, sure was. My first foray into cocktail writing was starting my blog, A Girl’s Guide to Drinking Alone®, where I review bars for how awesome or awful they are for women to go to alone. I love cocktails and spirits for how they bring people together and are a celebration of flavor. A lot of times, the cocktail world can feel very serious and gatekeep-y, when the truth is, they’re for anyone to enjoy, no matter if you don’t know the difference between tequila and mezcal, or if you’ve been to 100 distilleries. My goal is to make cocktails feel accessible, approachable and FUN. I like focusing on flavor. I like to create delicious cocktails that you want to order or make again and again. I also aim to educate about spirits and cocktails in a way that’s not pretentious, like you’re just talking to a bartender friend, because that’s who I am!
One of my specialties in cocktail creation is themed menus, or inventing drinks that are inspired by other works of art. Whether that’s for a Jonas Brothers concert (yes, I made a drink for each brother, including a “bonus Jonas”) or a piece of poetry, I love being inspired by things outside the bar and bringing them in.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I’m a perfectionist and I always have been. In my writing, I’ve had to unlearn the idea of “perfection” and just trust my own instincts. When I was first working on Cocktails in Color, I hit a major roadblock in writing about the classics. There have been entire books written about the Old-Fashioned or the Martini, how on earth can I sum them up in one paragraph?! I was feeling major imposter syndrome, worried about getting things “right.” Until I realized — a Martini doesn’t care what I say about it. Also, I wasn’t writing a history book or an encyclopedia. What do I think about a Martini? No one else has my perspective or my taste buds. The personal stories or touches always ended up being more interesting.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
When I’m behind the bar, my favorite part is making a drink for someone and watching their eyes light up at the first taste. It’s such a special feeling, knowing you’re helping someone enjoy themselves, relax and chill out for a moment. I also love opening someone’s eyes to a new favorite cocktail. There was one time a guy came to my bar and asked for a Hennessy and cranberry. He was upset when I told him we didn’t have Hennessy OR cranberry juice, but I asked if he just wanted something fruity and refreshing with cognac. He said yes and I made him a Sidecar, a cognac sour with orange liqueur. He loved it and I told him he could go to any good cocktail bar and ask for a Sidecar. That’s such a small way to make a difference, but now that guy has a new, go-to classic cocktail and knowing what you want is always empowering.
Contact Info:
- Website: sammikatz.com / agirlsguidetodrinkingalone.com
- Instagram: @sammi.t.katz
- Other: https://bookshop.org/p/books/cocktails-in-color-a-spirited-guide-to-the-art-and-joy-of-drinkmaking-sammi-katz/18260647?ean=9781454944447
Image Credits
M. Cooper Creative