We’re proud to present the top 50 nominees in Time Out New York’s Best Bartender 2015 contest, after a vigorous first round that saw nearly 30,000 votes cast. These elite drink-slingers ply their trade everywhere from dive bars and beer bars to rooftop bars and romantic bars, but one thing unites them (besides alcohol): They all need your support once again. You only have until March 24 to vote on this round, so find your favorite below and make sure to return on April 15 to see who made it into the top 10.
New York’s Best Bartender 2015: The top 50 by bar
Look through the list below and vote for your favorite New York bartender
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Vote for the best bartenders by bar: A–B
The Bar Room
Bartender: Danny Neff
Been a bartender for: 4 years
Signature drink: The Ransom Buck
The best thing about being a bartender is: Being in a position to interact with new people and having the power to brighten their day.
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Bean Post Pub
Bartender: Anthony LoPorto
Been a bartender for: 20 years
Signature drink: The New Old Fashioned
The best thing about being a bartender is: Connecting with the neighborhood and its people—whether it’s cheering someone up or cheering someone on.
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Bartender: Tammy Kopko
Been a bartender for: 21 years
Signature drink: Piece of Ass
The best thing about being a bartender is: I love talking with cool people, the lonely or confused helping them escape from life. The beaten down PAs or entitled assholes can go to AppleBees (I dont love them).
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Brother Jimmy’s
Bartender: Tracey Mellon
Been a bartender for: 6 years
Signature drink: Gin cocktail with St.Germain, pineapple and lemonade
The best thing about being a bartender is: Honestly, I love brightening people's day. So many people get caught up in the negativity of life and I do want I can to make my customers smile, be happy and get messy wasted!
Bartender: Drew Zechman
Been a bartender for: 17 years
Signature drink: Smokin’ Apple
The best thing about being a bartender is: After whippin’ up bespoke cocktails; having my regulars come back and say what a fabulous evening they had with me!
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Vote for the best bartenders by bar: C–E
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Bartender: Brooke Smith
Been a bartender for: 9 years
Signature drink: Nut Job
The best thing about being a bartender is: The best thing about being a bartender is being able to make people's day brighter, or send them out happier than when they came in!
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Bartender: Ari Rubenstein
Been a bartender for: 9 years
Signature drink: Mezcal Hug
The best thing about being a bartender is: Regulars, high five garnishes, boomerangs and the USBG.
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Bartender: Maria Gentile
Been a bartender for: 29 years
Signature drink: Maria Sangria and the Blackberry Manhattan
The best thing about being a bartender is: My connection with my customers. I hug at least 20 people a night.
Elberta
Bartender: Woody St. Juste
Been a bartender for: 5 years
Signature drink: Spicy Watermelon Margarita
The best thing about being a bartender is: Being able to listen to patrons and learn what spirits move them. The ability to engage on a stage with no script, no rehersal and on the spot auditioning for that next new flavor and for the next person to say, "Wow that's it."
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Vote for the best bartenders by bar: F–I
Bartender: Bridget McMillan
Been a bartender for: 8 years
Signature drink: Bloody Mary
The best thing about being a bartender is: Practicing new social skills that I somehow missed growing up in a low-stakes environment with lots of support from my regulars!
Bartender: Francesco Desideri
Been a bartender for: 18 years
Signature drink: Diavolo Zafferano
The best thing about being a bartender is: The best thing about being a bartender is being able to represent 'the modern-day alchemist'—mixing nightlife, philosophy, and sensuality with hospitality, charm and good spirit—all garnished with love and passion.
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Bartender: Matt Friedlander
Been a bartender for: 11 years
Signature drink: Ramos Gin Fizz or anything bespoke that a guest and I can come up with
The best thing about being a bartender is: Giving guests an incredible experience while listening to incredible music and working with people I love, i.e. the vibe!
Bartender: Joshua Brandenburg
Been a bartender for: 10 years
Signature drink: Hickory Old Fashioned
The best thing about being a bartender is: Seeing someone's excitement at tasting or learning something new.
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Bartender: Steve Laycock
Been a bartender for: 10 years
Signature drink: Oaxacan Negroni
The best thing about being a bartender is: Meeting all the great people and being one of the social centers for the community.
Bartender: Moses Laboy
Been a bartender for: 20 years
Signature drink: All of them
The best thing about being a bartender is: As the creative mind/mixologist to some of the city's best eateries and bars, I really enjoy the creative aspect of developing seasonal menus. I love the whole process of sourcing fun, unique ingredients and spirits harmonizing them and wowing my guest.
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Bartender: Sarah Lawrence
Been a bartender for: 15 years
Signature drink: London in Lavender
The best thing about being a bartender is: Hospitality. It's how you make someone feel that they remember most. The exquisite cuisine, impeccably crafted cocktails, decadent ambiance, Michelin star are integral to the experience, but the hospitality is essential.
Bartender: Erika Ordonez
Been a bartender for: “Since I was born.”
Signature drink: Anything with Sherry
The best thing about being a bartender is: Being convivial for a living!
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Bartender: Derrick Turner
Been a bartender for: 10 years
Signature drink: The Black Forest
The best thing about being a bartender is: By far, the best thing about being a bartender is simply entertaining guests as if they were guests in my home. Just creating an experince that is unequivocal to anything else they have encountered in New York is what truly drives me.
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Hudson Malone
Bartender: Doug Quinn
Been a bartender for: 27 years
Signature drink: Sidecar
The best thing about being a bartender is: Show business—the ability to interact with guests and create magic.
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Vote for the best bartenders by bar: J–O
Bartender: Jacob Tschetter
Been a bartender for: 4 years
Signature drink: Let's Get Weird/Man of Action
The best thing about being a bartender is: I love being able to create an environment where my customers feel welcomed, heard and appreciated. Being behind the bar is a wonderful creative outlet, and I love being able to share my passion with my customers.
Bartender: Miguel Govea
Been a bartender for: 10+ years
Signature drink: Vieux Carre
The best thing about being a bartender is: Every night is a fresh opportunity to meet new people or spend time with regular customers—many of whom have become friends. My job is to make sure people have a great night, and that's a real privilege.
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Kiabacca
Bartender: Mark Bailey
Been a bartender for: 13 years
Signature drink: I'm at a craft beer bar now but I love rocking a classic Manhattan or Old Fashioned
The best thing about being a bartender is: Story telling, whether it be on the telling or listening side.
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Bartender: Mashia Baldwin
Been a bartender for: 20 years
Signature drink: The Rosselle
The best thing about being a bartender is: There are many things I love about bartendeing, but there is nothing like seeing the reaction of your guests and regulars when you make them a new and well balanced cocktail. The best thing about bartending to me, is definitely my guests.
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Bartender: Tim Miner
Been a bartender for: 12 years
Signature drink: I'm not sure but I'll probably light it on fire
The best thing about being a bartender is: My office is where people go to have fun!
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Music Box
Bartender: Alejandro Hermoso
Been a bartender for: 15 years
Signature drink: Fifty Shades of Grey Coctel
The best thing about being a bartender is: Seeing my happy.
Bartender: Gates Osuji
Been a bartender for: 23 years
Signature drink: Spanish Fly
The best thing about being a bartender is: Taking care of people and giving them things they never knew they wanted. With a background in photochemistry, I approach cocktails through a science lens. I never know what's trendy/cool, but I do know what sounds delicious. It’s like a magic trick.
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Vote for the best bartenders by bar: P–Z
Park Bar
Bartender: Thomasula Davina
Been a bartender for: 12 years
Signature drink: Manhattan
The best thing about being a bartender is: The characters I meet on a daily basis.
Bartender: Ciera Coyan
Been a bartender for: 4 years
Signature drink: I work in craft beer. My signature is helping people find the perfect beer for them!
The best thing about being a bartender is: Besides getting to overhear Tinder dates and trying to figure out who in the bar is going to get laid that night, my favorite thing is people spilling their secrets to me.
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Bartender: Nicholas Bennett
Been a bartender for: 13 years
Signature drink: 443 Special
The best thing about being a bartender is: No other profession can bring together the most interesting and diverse individuals into one room.
Bartender: Joaquin Simo
Been a bartender for: 15 years
Signature drink: All things agave
The best thing about being a bartender is: A chance to save the world, one cocktail at a time.
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Bartender: Kacie Sims
Been a bartender for: 9 years
Signature drink: Old Fashioned
The best thing about being a bartender is: The community and then the whiskey.
Bartender: Shawn Chen
Been a bartender for: 17 years
Signature drink: Nori Old Fashioned
The best thing about being a bartender is: My ability to evoke nostalgia and deliver surprises in a glass, to allow my customers to experience something new with each sip. Given my Asian American heritage, I especially love to incorporate unexpected ingredients, such as oolong tea, matcha and Japanese nori in my cocktails. It's an incredible feeling to see that my cocktails can bring delight to my customers.
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The Richardson
Bartender: Patrick Sullivan
Been a bartender for: 7-8 years
Signature drink: Russell's Reserve Barrel 69 Old Fashioned
The best thing about being a bartender is: It's one of the few places I don't feel awkward. I love adapting to a changing room, the energy, giving customers an awesome night and making killer drinks—from classic cocktails to shots of Fernet or whiskey to opening a bottle of beer. I love it all.
Bartender: Jeremy Buck
Been a bartender for: 14 years
Signature drink: 60th & Bourbon
The best thing about being a bartender is: Customizing the experience and the flavors for the guest and getting to know them in the process—all in the spirit of creativity and hospitality.
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Bartender: Stewart Whalley
Been a bartender for: 12 years
Signature drink: Old Pal
The best thing about being a bartender is: Making friends for others and bringing people together.
Bartender: Alissa May Atkinson
Been a bartender for: 12 years
Signature drink: The Christina Hendricks
The best thing about being a bartender is: The ability to connect with people, share in their celebrations and create a community.
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Read more on the nominees
Earlier this month we presented you with our top 100 nominees for Time Out New York’s Best Bartender 2015 contest, and nearly 30,000 of you voted to move your picks into the next round. Our top 50 elite drink-slingers ply their trade everywhere from dive bars and beer bars to rooftop bars and romantic bars, but one thing unites them (besides alcohol): They all need your support once again.
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