RAPHAEL REYES
Fresh from the start is how Raphael Reyes describes his cocktail career. From his very first job behind the bar in a restaurant in New Jersey where the most popular drinks were Latin cocktails mojitos and caipirinhas, Reyes worked alongside former Patria (NYC) employees who had brought their fresh juice philosophy with them. It was here that he was introduced to the basics of fine dining and a fresh juice approach to making the restaurant's most popular drinks.
Reyes took his grounding in a fresh ingredient program with him to his next job at one of New Jersey's most prestigious steakhouses and indoctrinated his co-workers there about the benefits of fresh juice as he in turn learned more about the way efficiency and speed plays a role in a high volume bar. This ongoing exposure led Reyes to further exploration of the hospitality business and as his professional career took off and he managed a number of bars in Hoboken he also began teaching at the National Bartender School. But it wasn't all a one sided school experience for Reyes; he insisted on taking in as much information as he was giving out and began taking classes at the Sommelier Society of America and seeking out opportunities to participate in seminars led by cocktail innovators like Tony Abou-Ganim and Dale Degroff. Supplementing his classroom learning was important too and Reyes read every cocktail book and hospitality industry book he could get his hands on and joined The Liquid Chef, Junior Merino's Liquid Team he absorb knowledge from his great talents and work with him as a bartender at special events all over New York City.
Once in the New York scene Reyes got to work with some great bartenders with a variety of styles who came from the city's top bars like Pegu, PDT, Freemans, Little Branch, Apotheke and more. Though each had their own style they all shared Reye's passion for drinks and fresh ingredients and he got a great view from the classics to the contemporary cocktails which have influenced his present style.
Currently at work at Yerba Buena Perry, a Latin fusion restaurant in which cocktails play a big role. At the restaurant he takes advantage of the produce that the kitchen uses and tries to keep it seasonal when creating a cocktail menu. He taps into ingredients like green peppers, corn, tomato, basil, berries, vegetables, kumquats, herbs and more, and homemade syrups and bitters are regularly a part of the menu. Reyes has taken the sum total of his experience and puts it all together behind the bar. He borrows some from the old school and some from the new school, some things from great chefs and pastry chefs he's known and even delves a bit into the molecular mixology realm. He's thankful for the people he's met along the way as he says, "I had the chance to work with some great operators in the city who always push me to create and use to bring us new ingredients to play with." This, and his enthusiasm about creating your next cocktail, is what makes Reyes a success. And someone you'll want behind your bar
.