COME AS YOU ARE | HOLLY GRAHAM

It's always fun when we attend events as we get the chance to see people and brands that we're aware of as well as those that are new to us! It's even better when you meet someone and do a quick IG search and realize that they're a badass! That's what we found out during Bar Convent Brooklyn at one of the events we attended when we met Bartender and founder of Tokyo Confidential, Holly Graham! She participated in a challenge where we enjoyed sampling her cocktails and we learned that her bar is in Tokyo! Fast forward to a few weeks ago and we reconnected. We wanted to know more about her mixology background, why she created Tokyo Confidential, and what we can expect when we want to have a great night out!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We had the pleasure to watch you rock it during Bar Convent Brooklyn in the battle of gin and bourbon at Hawksmoor which is how we became aware of Tokyo Confidential! Tell us about the founders of Tokyo Confidential and about their background, where they trained etc prior to coming to Tokyo Confidential.

HOLLY GRAHAM: Glad you were able to make it down for that event - definitely a fun one! Before Tokyo Confidential, which is my first bar concept, I had worked in all different facets of the industry. I’ve worked in hospitality on and off throughout my life, starting off running plates in a London greasy spoon aged 13 and bartending while at university. I started really getting into the spirits and cocktail world when I took the role of Food and Drink Editor at Time Out Hong Kong. As I discovered more about the industry through my writing, I realized how much more I could learn by stepping behind the bar and started working at The Old Man Hong Kong which took the number one spot on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2019. I then went on to serve as Managing Editor of DRINK Magazine, Asia's leading bar industry platform, and wrote a book called Cocktails of Asia, which shares the recipes, stories and history behind the cocktails, bars and people that define the region.

I’ve always prided myself on being a well-rounded cocktail and spirits expert, and currently sit on the Spirited Awards committee for Tales of the Cocktail, and previously served on Tales’ education committee for four years, as well as judging several renowned spirit and cocktail competitions.

AM: What led to the creation of Tokyo Confidential and when did it open?

HG: While I was still living in Hong Kong, I was approached by my now business partner about the possibility of opening a bar in Tokyo and I jumped at the opportunity. I was raised on classic Godzilla movies and have travelled to Japan a fair bit over the last decade, so I’ve really fallen in love with the country and was excited for the opportunity to really immerse myself in the scene here. We officially opened in October 2023.

AM: What is the meaning behind the name?

HG: The name was mostly inspired by Tokyo Tower, the iconic landmark on full display from the bar’s balcony and rooftop space, which has served as a beacon of communication for the city. It just came to me in a eureka moment and stuck. We were discussing the idea of wanting to be unlike the quieter style of Japanese cocktail bar and wanting to lean into a more hedonistic, convivial space. This evoked the idea of people being their true selves when they’re in our bar and a “what happens at Tokyo Confidential stays at Tokyo Confidential” atmosphere, so the name just felt fitting. We wanted to offer somewhere people could feel safe and comfortable to connect and communicate with old friends, new friends and our team. Our tagline is pull up, fess up, a nod to the idea that guests can share their secrets and let loose without worries about the outside world.

AM: You have been recognized as well as won awards! What are you the most proud of?

HG: Every single award we have won and will potentially win is equally important. I’m proud of all of them because they’re a testament to the team’s hard work and dedication to hospitality. Sometimes it’s really hard to see the wood from the trees when you’re in the thick of it, and these moments are beacons that light the way, especially in darker times when you question if it’s worth it.

AM: What is the ambiance of Tokyo Confidential?

HG: As mentioned before, “what happens at Tokyo Confidential stays at Tokyo Confidential” is what we’re going for. We’re a bit louder and rowdier than your average cocktail bar in Tokyo, but we still keep the vibes immaculate while having fun. We’ve always strived to create the atmosphere of a house party – that intimate but casual feeling with a very eclectic playlist. Most importantly, we’re friendly and welcoming to all people from all walks of life. Come as you are.

AM: Tell us about the space as it seems cozy and you have an amazing view and outdoor space as well!

HG: I always say that Tokyo Confidential would have been exactly the same whether it was in a basement or without our view. This isn’t to do our view a disservice, but it isn’t what we’re hinging our bets on. My business partner had already found the space and we’re very grateful that we have this bonus bolt of commanding orange and white which is without a doubt the most iconic structure in Tokyo, but the interior would’ve worked anywhere, and that’s what’s important. We often call ourselves a “house of high contrast” - the aesthetics of our interior space are traditionally Japanese with sleek wood, punctuated with pops of colour and character through art and other trinkets such as my personal lucky cat collection. Our most striking feature is our reverse horseshoe shaped bar top, which invites communication by having no barriers and allowing guests to sit either side and alongside each other, while remaining eye level with the bar station, allowing them to watch the bartenders at work. We wanted to remove that feeling of a barrier between staff and the guests and this shape allows that, channelling energy to the main bar station. The bar is also cut from 300 year old reclaimed Tori gate wood, which just gives the space a warm energy, contrasted with downright silly shit, like our custom made giant Godzilla drink dispenser.

AM: We love Tokyo and have had a few fun nights out there - what district is it in?

HG: TC is in Azabujuban, and the Azabu neighbourhood itself has some fantastic spots like Bar Qwang, Ferri’s and El Fujiyama, and very close to Roppongi which is popular for a night out. It’s a good mix of residential and commercial with shops, restaurants and bars.

AM: If we were coming over with friends, what are 3 cocktails that you suggest?

HG: Sayonara Mr Spalding – a spicy strawberry boulevardier served out of a 3D printed baseball for the taste and theatre of the presentation. The Glizztini is another sure-fire win for presentation and amazing taste – we actually made a Martini taste like a hotdog and I may be biassed but it’s VERY good. The Katsuo Isono is a must for its refreshing profile and a blend of some great Japanese ingredients.

AM: Can you tell us about your sake and beer selections?

HG: Beer isn’t a big focus of ours, however my head bartender Waka and I are currently working with a brewery to create our own sake blend and will be installing sake dispensers with custom sake cups in the venue later in the year. We’re also selecting a few other sakes from the brewery so will definitely be expanding our collection.

AM: In terms of pairing a drink with a few bites, what are 3 dishes that you suggest that we can share?

HG: Well we serve hotdogs and have a hot dog inspired Martini dubbed the Glizztini so that’s a match made in heaven. Also our addictive popcorn pairs perfectly with our other food inspired cocktail Karagarita – a fried chicken flavoured Margarita twist.

AM: As the holiday season will be upon us, are there any events that we should know about - especially NYE?

HG: We’ll be throwing our first Halloween party “Dead Disco” on 31st October with disco tunes and Waka’s tattoo artist friend painting faces for the occasion. On November 14th we’ll be celebrating our one year anniversary with our dear friend Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone, who recently smashed records by being the first ever bar in the history of 50 Best Bars to debut at number one, where they took the top spot on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024. We’ll be doing a full takeover with Leone food, tunes, vibes…everything. As for NYE, last year we’d only been open just under 3 months so kept it casual; house party vibes, pulled the chairs out, free flow in solo cups and disco tunes (again, we love a bit of disco for special events!) so will probably keep it casual and come as you are!

IG @hollygrahamdrinks

@tokyoconfidentialbar

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Tokyo Confidential

Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see COME AS YOU ARE | Holly Graham in mag.

BCB 2024

On Jun 10th to Jun 11th, the Athleisure Mag team had the pleasure of spending 2 days in Brooklyn to enjoy Bar Convent Brooklyn which included hitting the tradeshow floor of this industry event in order to our tried and true brands as well as new brands. It's also an amazing time to meet up with others from the spirit and hospitality industries whether you're onsite or a number of events that took place during the day and night. Although it would be impossible to give you a play-by-play of all of the things that we took part in, we did want to highlight moments and brands that we engaged with during this show in addition to what you may have seen on our IG @AthleisureMag. If you want to know more about the backstory of this show, why it was created, its aims and more, we suggest that you revisit our interview in the MAY ISSUE #101 with Jackie Williams the VP of Events at BCB!

The night before the official kickoff event, we headed to Hawksmoor, a noted steakhouse to take part in the Martini (Fords Gin) X Manhattan (Woodford Reserve) event which allowed guests to enjoy drinks that were created by mixologists from the restaurant as well as noted guest bartenders Holly Graham of Tokyo Confidential and Ramsey Musk of Accomplice Bar. In the battle between gin and bourbon, everyone wins and there were great oysters to keep the vibe going and to prepare us for the next 2 days of drinks!

On the first day of the show, it was all about learning the lay of the land as this show was at Industry City and takes up a number of buildings as well as courtyards which allows you to have a lot of options whether you're sitting and taking a break or just want to have a moment. It's always fun to see how brands like Hendrick's Gin and Campari create amazing spaces that really show you their brand while also having the ability to meet new brands that are navigating the space. We enjoyed Juliette Peach Liqueur which was a refreshing sip that could be enjoyed alone, but was even better when it was paired with champagne to give it a bubbly feel. On a hot day, this is something that is simple to make and easy to drink while looking elegant!

This year, there were a number of Mezcals and Tequilas to enjoy! We spent some time with the team at Cierto and sampled their range of tequilas. We were initially drawn into their faceted shaped bottles which reminded us of a diamond, but their Blanco was incredibly smooth and one that we will enjoy sipping for quite some time (along with their full line of tequilas). It's always worth trying something completely new and realizing that it must have a place on your bar cart!

We were feeling the speakeasy vibes of Templeton Midnight Rye Whiskey as we loved hearing about its history and in addition to sampling it, we were excited to have our bottle engraved which is another flex that you can enjoy as you build your bar cart or bar top depending on how you store your favorites.

We spent a large part of the day at the show and our list could go on when it comes to what we sampled, but this show is also great as there are additional events that take place throughout Brooklyn as well as in Manhattan. We made 2 stops, the first was iichiko's Summer Party at Bar Goto Niban. This event allowed us to head to this super cute and intimate bar and to enjoy shochu cocktails that were paried with Japanese bites! In addition, there was shaved ice (literally looked like cotton candy) that also had shochu in it from Kuramoto Ice. This was offered at their booth at the show; however, we hadn't seen it and made a note to swing by the next day, but were pleased to be able to try it in this setting.

We walked about 10mins away and found ourselves at Leyenda bar which had Diplomático Rum being served as well as tacos and other tasty bites. We enjoyed hanging out here at this James Beard nominated bar which is co-owned by Julie Reiner and Ivy Mix. It was a fun night and although we could have stayed awhile longer, we wanted to make our way back into the city for Industry Icons at Great Jones Distilling Co which is the first distillery since Prohibition. With guest bartenders making phenomenal drinks, the ability to see this beautiful space with a stunning bar as well as great bites, it was a mix between a low key meets vibrant night to prepare us for the next day of events that we would participate in.

It's worth noting that for this year's show we liked the food trucks that were available which was definitely a great way to keep your energy up and STUF'D had the perfect combo of fries and a rib eye sandwhich which was much needed and enjoyed in the courtyard.

On the second and last day of this show, the goal was to continue to sample brands throughout the space as well as to connect with those that we had made appointments with. Our appointment and Guided Tasting with Silent Pool Gin was an immersive experience to learn about the English town that makes the gin; why its location makes the gin; what it is; and being able to learn how the different components come together for a well balanced drink!

One of the our favorite parts of the day was to step into a session with Jaime Salas Proximo Spirits Head of Advocacy Agave. We had a deep dive into Cristalino Tequilas (one of them being a Mezcal which was an added treat). This sampling seminar was a great opportunity to be able to get to know more about each of the 8 tequilas that were being shared from the portfolio, to learn more about the terroir, and to train our paletes so that we could identify what tasting notes were involved. We have had the pleasure of talking tequila with Jaime so we knew it would be a great and thoughtful session. We also had the opportunity to swing by their booth prior to this tasting in order to get a preview of what we would be enjoying at the Liquid Lounge!

Overall, the 2 days, the booths, and the parties/events really allowed you to connect next with this diverse community through sips whether you were focused on vodka, gin, mezcal, whiskeys, rum, canned spirits, innovations in non-alcoholic offerings and more!

The ability to learn and sip at your own pace and to be able to share your passion and knowledge with other enthusiasts across the industry is always a good time! With our last sips on the way out, it was everything that we expected it to be and of course, we're already excited for getting ready for next year as you know it'll involve a number of our favorite brands that may or may not be presenting a new product; the opportunity to try various cocktails and to chat with those brands about the beverages; and of course seeing things that are new to you or are completely brand new to the market!

IG @barconventbrooklyn

PHOTO CREDITS | Bar Convent Brooklyn

Read the JUN ISSUE #102 of Athleisure Mag and see BCB 2024 in mag.

PRE-COVERAGE BAR CONVENT BROOKLYN

We go to a number of events throughout the year that involve an array of product and brand launches. It's always great to see what is coming out and those that are involved behind those brands. Bar Convent Brooklyn is in its 6th year and is for the industry professionals from bar and restaurant owners, mixologists, educators, and more to come together. We have the opportunity to to meet brands new and old as well as to try brands. Whether you're hitting the show floor, the Main Stages for education, parties, and more this event really does celebrate the community and you leave wuth a bigger understanding of spirits as well as seeing trends that you'll notice when you're at your favorite spot.

We wanted to sit down to find out more about this event, why it's located in Brooklyn, what it takes to put on this 2 Day event that takes place June 11th and 12th at Industry City and more. We talked with event industry veteran, Jackie Willuams, Event Vice President of RX (the organization that puts on trade events of this nature) to have these questions and more answered!

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s always great to go to industry events and there are some that we have gone to that we have seen it from its debut season forward! When BCB launched in 2018, we headed to Greenpoint to check out the vendors, programming, education, and parties that took place and then we came back again in that neighborhood in 2019. Now in it’s 6th year, we’re looking forward to attending again in Industry City. So it’s amazing to see how it’s progressed over the 6 years that it has been in existence!

JACKIE WILLIAMS: Yeah, it’s pretty crazy! The fact that it has been 6 years and yet it’s only been 6 years, it’s just you blink and it’s gone!

AM: Before we delve into talking about BCB and this year’s events, I’d love to know about your background and how you came into BCB.

JW: For sure! How did I come to BCB? Well, I’ve worked in the tradeshow world for 18 years. I have been at RX for just over 15 years. I started out in Marketing, I have worked at a ton of our events from jewelry to security, to publishing, and then I ran marketing for all of our consumer events for awhile. And then, when the opportunity came up for BCB, I said, yes sign me up! I was running a different event at the time and the event I was running was the exact same dates as BCB so I would see the pictures online and I was in Manhattan and BCB was in Greenpoint at that time and I was like, man, I want to be able to check that out! I think that this will be my year 4 of running it in Brooklyn and I said, yes absolutely! This is amazing and I was so excited to be part of it. Since then, it has been such a good old time in trying to do a groovy event and keep growing to support the industry. It has been amazing.

AM: We love hearing that story and hearing about your time with RX. We’ve been from the fashion and accessories side attending the JCK shows for as long as I can remember!

JW: Oh yeah! I used to work on the JCK portfolio for a little while.

It’s such a small world in terms of how it all just comes together and is full circle. I used to help out with Agenda and a couple of the other events that we did.

AM: You’re known as someone who does these large scale events. What is your role as an Events Vice President as I know you must have 80 hands going!

JW: I have a lot going on. As the Events Vice President, I do a little bit of everything. I oversee the strategy down to the execution I do have a large team and they are excellent at what they do, right? We have a Registration Manager, a couple of Operation Managers, a Marketing team, and it’s about keeping it together and organized and being able to function as a well run machine. So there is a lot going on and there is a lot going on in my brain at all times. My notebooks are always constantly full. It’s a little bit of everything that I touch.

AM: We can only imagine.

What is an average week like in terms of getting this event together. What is it like when you’re a year out planning the next event, what’s in that month, and what’s that week of life?

JW: Yeah, so – one of the things that I love about doing events is that we don't do the same thing everyday and we don’t do the same thing every week which kind of makes it exciting!

So we actually start more than a year before the next event.

AM: Really?

JW: Yeah, so right now, we’re pretty far down on the logistical side of 2025, we have our dates, we’re finalizing our floorplan, setting up our systems so we’re ready to sell booth space for 2025. We’re working on what our event creative for ’25 is going to look like and we’re zhuzhing it up for what it’s going to look like then.

Immediately following the event is when we get into strategy. We’re looking at the post event surveys that we sent out, doing group conversations with our vendors and our partners, and internally we talk about what we can improve upon. We talk about what went well and we always want to continue to do what we went well on. We also look at where we fell short. How can we come together collectively and make the event better? Whether the registration line was too long and we needed to add more tables – we need to increase our registration space or if people want to see more food offerings – how can we get some more food trucks into the mix? Those kinds of things, every single survey, I read every single word of it. So do a lot of the other members of our team as well. So that year out, we’re looking at diving in to see how we can improve on those things. We continue that as we start selling, hitting the road and talking to customers.

I would say at 4 months out, that’s when things get really crazy! That’s because that is when registration is opening and we’re trying to get all of the logistics for the exhibitor manual, move in time, compliance information, the Certificate of Insurance they need. At this point, it's about finalizing all of the education.

As we get closer, it’s about answering all of the questions whether it’s a customer or someone internal coming up with new ideas or experiences. Right now we’re about a month out and I don’t really sleep much at this point! I just want to be there for our customers and the ramp up to the event and to support our internal team. At this point, I’m just trying to get through all of those emails and phone calls.

A week out, we get to the event and we start building it up from laying down the turf, marking the floorplan, building the registration tent, working with our General Contractor on when we will accept freight, when the floral goes out – our production schedule is an Event Planner’s dream. It’s long, color coordinated, very detailed, but I have an amazing team to help and they are the ones that really deserve all of the credit for their hard work.

AM: Wow it’s intense!

Why was this show created and what was the decision to have it in Brooklyn?

JW: BCB started in Berlin many years ago and it was very small and a couple of bartenders and brands got together and Bar Convent Berlin has really grown to be the largest international beverage event which is amazing. If you haven’ gone, I suggest you do!

AM: It has been on our list.

JW: It’s a very impressive event! So we brought BCB to Brooklyn in 2018. We were working with our counterparts in Berlin to see if this made sense. Do people want this? We had those conversations with our brands and the exhibitors. We spent a lot of time talking with bartenders, owners, influencers, and navigated the landscape of the bar and bev scene in the US. Brooklyn felt like a natural fit, right? NY is an easy place to get to in terms of the States and globally as well. The heart and soul of Brooklyn, the creativity and the culture that is Brooklyn made it make sense for it to be in Brooklyn. So that's where it landed. We were at the Brooklyn Expo Center in 2018 to 2021 which was our last event there and then we moved to Industry City in 2022 and this was just an amazing place! We have been able to grow and connect with the folks that have their businesses there and it’s been a cool vibe!

AM: We’re excited as attending the first 2 years left such an amazing impression. So we can’t wait to check it out this year!

Last Dec, we did an interview with Lynnette Marrero who we know is your Head Educator at BCB.

JW: Oh I love Lynnette! She is amazing!

AM: It was so exciting to be able to talk with her as she’s such an OG in the space and we talked about a number of the places she worked at which was a bit of nostalgia for us as we were going to those spots so it’s interesting how things happen within a period of time.

In her interview in addition to other projects she is involved in, she really drove home the education component of BCB. What are the different things that take place that attendees should be aware of?

JW: For education, we have 4 different stages and they run all day, both days of the event. Our Main Stage is curated by our Education Committee which Lynnette is our Head of Communication, there are 14 sessions on our Main Stage over the course of the 2 days. 13 of them come with your badge and are free and is first-come-first-serve. The 14th one focuses on leadership and that is our Lunch & Learn. That happens on Wed, Alison Anne is hosting that session and it is a separately paid ticket. With that comes access to the session, lunch, as well as gift bags. So we’re really excited to introduce that this year.

We then have 2 other stages called our Liquid Lounges. These are really our brand stages where our brands get up and speak on different topics. But it allows our visitors to have an opportunity to sample. So as XY exhibitor is up there talking about their product, you will get a sample of up to 6 products that you can taste, smell, and see as they’re speaking. So it’s like being able to put liquid to lips during the education. Our last stage is Park Street University which our partners at Park Street, they curate it, they run it, and that stage is located in Building 8 on the 2nd floor and again it runs both days and those sessions are really geared towards the brands, exhibitors, and marketing. So that’s awesome in terms of education.

But we do have other activations that are going on throughout the course of the 2 days. William Grant and Sons is sponsoring our Opening Night Party on Tues night. We have our Welcome Cocktails so as soon as you walk in, Zamora Brand is sponsoring that so that’s the first opportunity once you get through registration. We have our courtyard bars and our new bar on 34th Street. For the 1st time we are also doing an event from 5-7 on Tues that will be located on 34th Street and it’s the BCB Street Party so we will have some live music. There will be some entertainment and an opportunity to sample, mingle, and network with other visitors on Tues.

AM: That is exciting and what a full calendar over those 2 days!

What are 3 events that you’re excited about or 3 events taking place over the 2 days that we should highlight?

JW: So I’m really excited for the Street Party! I think that it’s going to be really cool and different. Who doesn’t love live music and this event will be on Tues from 5-7 and it will feature music and lawn games and a variety of other entertainment! But it’s really about the connections and being able to network.

We have also added the Writer’s Block for the 2024 event. So we will feature 15 or so writer’s over the course of the 2 days and this will be happening in Building 8 on the 2nd floor as well. This will be a unique platform for industry writers to showcase and promote their latest publications as well as to engage with the visitors and to be able to meet and greet, sign and sell their books. It is just a dedicated space to offer an additional experience to the authors and the visitors.

I’m really excited for Alison Anne’s session and I hope that I can make that one as the topic seems amazing! It will be apropos to many of our visitors!

But one of my favorite things is just to be on that show floor! I love being able to see those brands that we know and love to see what their booth is going to look like and what the products will be. I also want to see the new brands and the new launches that are coming out. There are some new products that will be debuting at BCB this year and I am really excited for those! We do have an area called the Emerging Brands Pavilion. It’s an area of 27 brands and they are really first time exhibitors to BCB and they’re new and up and coming. It’s an amazing little area to sample and talk with these brand owners.

AM: That’s one of the best parts is to sample a brand that is starting out! I think it was in 2019, there was a gin brand that was based in Japan and it was a matcha gin. It tasted phenomenal and we got to speak with the owners and I was blown away to be able to learn about them as well as to our favorites that we have enjoyed for years. It’s also fun to see something launch somewhere and then to see it over the next few years in terms of how they have grown.

What are the challenges for you guys in putting on this kind of an event?

JW: There is always a logistical hurdle that we need to find a solution for. Another hurdle is that we always want to do better. We want to put an event together where people have success. We want to do the best that we can for each of those brands. Making sure that we’re communicating things in the best way that we can in the right way so that we can get folks to understand everything that we have going on and that they can get the most out of it. We want them to keep coming back and to continue to foster those connections that they have made. We’re always thinking about how we as BCB can continue assisting in making sure that they feel that they are able to make those connections whether that’s their individual brand or the large scale brand that they work for.

AM: For a brand that has never participated, how do they go about being part of BCB in the future as an exhibitor? Is there a qualification process?

JW: Every part of BCB is qualified. So we actually make sure that all of our visitors are part of the Bar and Beverage community. So we look at every single individual to make sure that they are coming and are a good fit for the event as well as the exhibitors naturally. The best thing to do is to use the form on our site that focuses on those interested in exhibiting. Someone from our Sales Team will get that and follow up with a few conversations. There is a form to fill out after those conversations. I’m also very available and my contact information is at the top of the website and I answer every email that I get so I’m happy to direct them to the right place. But they can come to our website to begin those conversations with us.

AM: BCB takes place over the 2 days, but are there things that you do throughout the year that is not just the tradeshow component?

JW: We go see our customers and we participate at the other BCB’s – there’s Berlin, São Paulo, and Singapore – there are 4 of us. So we do that and we can always pop up in other locations whether that at another event, someone’s office, or a bar!

IG @barconventbrooklyn

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Bar Convent Brooklyn

Read the MAY ISSUE #102 of Athleisure Mag and see Pre-Coverage Bar Convent Brooklyn in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG ISSUE #101 | CURTISS COOK

In this month’s issue, our front and back cover story is with Showtime star of The Chi, Curtiss Cook. We sat down with him to talk about his approach to acting and how he connects to his characters, the success of The Chi, the importance of mental health and why it is important to him, as well as upcoming projects. We also enjoyed spending time with him in Chelsea at Selina Chelsea Hotel as we shot his cover at Creatures at Selina Rooftop and Music For A While listening lounge with key menswear looks for your next outing.

Earlier this month, we headed to Lifetime Fitness for the unveiling of their 7 Pickleball courts as well as to see legendary 8X Grand Slam Winner and 60 ATP Tour wins, Andre Agassi. We enjoyed a fireside chat with him as well as the founder of Lifetime Fitness, Bahram Akradi. We enjoyed hearing him talk about playing as a tennis star and how he has transitioned to enjoying pickleball. In addition, we were able to watch him as well as fellow pickleball stars Anna Bright, Tyson McGuffin, Collin Johns, and Ben Johns play in a series of exhibition games.

This month, we also caught up with 2x Team USA Swimming Medalist Lydia Jacoby ahead of the Summer Games in Paris to talk about her sport, swimming for the University of Texas at Austin, what her average week of training is like, and what the weeks ahead look like as Paris 2024 approaches. .

We enjoyed Season 1 of Outer Range and with Season 2 available on Prime Video, we enjoyed talking with Showrunner and Executive Producer Charles Murray to talk about how he was drawn to storytelling and why he enjoys doing it. We also talk about how he came to this neo-western and the power of secrets. We also connected with actors Tamara Podemski and Isabel Arraiza in this series to find out about their characters from Season 1 and what we can expect from Season 2.

Part of a story and its characters coming together takes place in its costume direction as it says a number of elements that are not necessarily in the script, but round out the picture! Costume Designer Allyson Fanger has been storytelling through costumes in films and television from Wild Things, 10 Things I Hate About You to Grace & Frankie, Shrinking, Apples Never Fall, etc. We caught up with her to find out how she got into the industry, her journey, how she approaches her craft, the difference between styling and costume design, and upcoming projects. 

We're back for our 7th year as Media Sponsors for PRIDE NYC which takes place throughout the month of June here in NYC. In advance of this, we wanted to share what you can look forward to this year in our pre-coverage and next month we will have more details on events that we attended.

Bar Convent Brooklyn takes place next month Jun 11- 12 as it's a time for those in the bar/beverage, and hospitality industry to come together to meet new spirit brands and sample launches as well. Ahead of us attending the trade show as well as related events, we wanted to connected with the Event Vice President, Jackie Williams to find out how this event came to be, an overview of its 6 years, and what we can expect this year for attendees and exhibitors in Industry City, Brooklyn. Next month, we'll share our thoughts on what we saw and enjoyed so that you can keep an eye out for new brands and launches.

In an already busy June ahead, Governors Ball will return to Flushing Meadows on Jun 7 - 9! We give an overview on what you can expect and what we look forward to as this music festival kicks off the summer season. Next month, we'll share what we saw and who we interviewed in our JUN ISSUE #102.

This month's The Art of the Snack comes from Heritage Grand Bakery, Heritage Grand and Restaurant and Pizza Bar in Bryant Park. We wanted to know more about this eatery that allows you to have a number of options to go if you're ordering from the bakery for breakfast and lunch and bites in between. We also liked knowing more about the restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and is a great happy hour spot.

This month's Athleisure List comes from The Thinking Traveller, luxury rentals villas in Italy and Greece that are perfect for you to truly enjoy your family with the ability to include premium add-ons to personalize your stay. We also have Hot Bones a Detroit wellness studio that has hot yoga as well as pilates! They are also known for their bone broth that guests can enjoy as well for a full holistic approach. 

This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM group Swedish House Mafia and VASSY. This month we have our 9PLAYLIST MULTI from our cover star, Curtiss Cook who shares songs, books and podcasts/TV/films that he is enjoying. Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from Costume Designer Allyson Fanger who shares her must-haves in beauty, style, and fitness. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from 2X Team USA Swimming Olympian Lydia Jacoby and actor, Joey Lawrence. This month's THE 9LIST 9CH3FS and THE 9LIST 9B-L-D comes from Chef David Seigal of The Lobster Place, Chef Seadon Shouse of Halifax W Hoboken, and Chef David Rose.

Read the MAY ISSUE #101 of Athleisure Mag.

POWER OF THE SIP | LYNNETTE MARRERO

We always like talking about culinary history as we have shared over the course of our 96 issues, and cocktail/nightlife history is also interesting as the two go hand in hand! We sat down with Lynette Marrero, a mixologist and educator who shares more about the industry with us, and sets the scene for craft cocktails and what it was like in the early 2000's when we were just getting to know some of the city's favorite bartenders and restaurants. In addition, we talk about where she worked as well as being a Partner/Chief Mixologist at Delola, Jennifer Lopez's ready to drink brand. We talk about creating it during the pandemic along with launching the brand to an array of markets as well as how we can truly enjoy it. We also talk about her background as an educator and how she is using her knowledge and passion in order to create a community of bartenders.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be a mixologist?

LYNETTE MARRERO: Well, I mean that started, I think during that transitional period for everyone. I was very reluctant to even get into hospitality initially. Mostly, because I didn’t want to be the cliché actor/waiter, because I was pursuing Broadway and all of that and I just thought, I can’t do that. I can’t be that person. It was definitely at the beginning of the cocktail boom where this wasn’t realized as a real industry yet! People were like, “what else do you do?” That was always the question. I was very reluctant to get in. I had been working at offices, I had been temping with everyone that I had went to college with and things like that.

Then, 9/11 happened and I thought, “well, I’m never going to go into an office again.” So I realized that I should figure out what this hospitality thing is. I was actually away doing a pre-Broadway show in California, and I came back to NY and I went to this wine bar on Clinton St. I talked my way in with just some basic answers I said, “I think that I can figure this out,” fudged my resume, got my job, and luckily in that space, I met some really incredible people who now would ultimately be big hospitality folks!

Michael Chernow of Seamore’s Group, he was one of the bartenders there, my friend Noel Cruz who was part of the Maharlika and Jeepney as well as Ichicoro Ramen. These are all of the people that I met and these were just the people that were doing our thing and Wylie Dufresne was opening the first WD-50 on the block and him and his dad Dewey would come in all of the time. So I started meeting all of these incredible people who were doing interesting things.

Then I switched into doing classic cocktails. There was a cocktail bar across town that was like a cigar lounge and so still, all the drinks that we were making were like Lime Key Lime Pie Martinis and the Godiva Chocolate, Black Chocolate Martinis or the White Chocolate Martini like 50/50. So it was such a moment and a time, but again, what I loved about it was, it was a predominantly women staff and there was a lot of camaraderie with the women that I was working with. We had really great regulars. It was about building community which is what I was really attracted to. So my friend Amber who was there, who was one of the bartenders, she started teaching me every so often, because I was a cocktail server, she would say, “let’s learn some drinks.” She started teaching me all of the classic dive bar drinks. Alabama Slammer and all of those different ones and I thought, “ok I will learn all of these things.” We would close Thursday nights and we went across town and there was a new bar that opened and that was the Flatiron Lounge and I remember walking in and at that time, it was Julie Reiner, herself bartending, her wife Susan Federoff who is still her business partner, and another woman, Michelle Connolly. I was like, “who are these women that are owning this space and owning this bar?” Walking into that bar that was very much of that time, that was a very 1920’s art deco space and then getting cocktails that were really made with fresh juice. And if they were a special color, it was because it was a fresh passion fruit juice and I was really intrigued by that and it really brought me to this place where I knew that there was a quality shift in the change. So I stalked them for about a year for a job, I went off and did a show, did a couple more shows, got married, and then a year later, I came back and I finally got a job there working for Julia. I started again as a cocktail server and this was another place where I started working with people who would be the super stars of today.

Phil Ward was working behind the bar. Katie Stipe creator of The Siesta, Toby Maloney – these were the people that I was able to work with and I could see that everyone has such a beautiful pride for what they were making. I started learning the drinks because we would have a flight of the day and it would all be based on classic cocktails in a theme. So, every day, I had to learn something new. I would ask questions. I knew I wanted to sell this and I needed to know all of the answers, I wanted to know what was going on, why they're were built that way, and so after some time, Toby and Phil thought that I would be a good bartender and that they should start training me. I finally got behind the bar and I loved it. I never turned back and I really loved how I felt that it was a show behind the bar. You were able to have this wonderful moment of connecting with people and giving them something that they’re asking for, a dealer’s choice and just talking through the menu and offering them a new experience. It was so much about really foraging a path where we would say all the time that, we’d tell them that if they didn’t like it, they can have something else. That was a really wonderful way of being able to create that trust in folks.

From there, I started working in restaurant bars so I worked at Freeman’s an iconic gastropub bar. Toby was also working there and he suggested that I should come there too! It was high volume, but it was cocktails. I started working there and I loved it! For me, it was an interesting place of finding where cocktails and food meet. It was really about understanding that dynamic which was what would propel me to where most of my career would be at. After that, I did some brand ambassador jobs for 2 years, I went back to consulting, but I was doing cocktail bars, and then I really found my footing around restaurant bar scene which was really where I felt that I had the most impact because we have a lot of new people coming in that go into restaurants, for different reasons. So it was a different recruitment of folks to the craft cocktail scene. But it was also about thinking about how the food it and I learned a lot from chefs on how to develop flavors, to extract flavors, different combinations – so I think that that whole path really brought me to where I was going to be going and have this crazy career that is fun, dynamic, and interesting.

AM: I remember when Freeman’s first opened! I want to say that I was there the second or the third week. The merge of food and beverage was really the first place that I truly learned about this dance that happens between the interplay of the two! Even though in the beginning it was incredibly difficult to get in there, I was there at least once a month. Just the play on the flavors.

So in prep for this interview and hearing about your background, the brands that you have worked with, which have been amazing, as a mixologist, you have also held the role as an educator, can you tell us what this is in the world of mixology?

LM: Absolutely! I think that what’s great to your point, is that we were all kind of figuring this out together. We were finding all of the old dusty books and people like Dave Wondrich were decoding it for us and Gary "Gaz" Regan (1001 Mixed Drinks and Everything You Need to Know, The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys, The Joy of Mixology) and Dale would be showing us these techniques. There was a lot of nuance that you had to think about. So not just where these cocktails started, where they began, and the interpretation with the ingredients that we have now. Like Claret wine is not something that we typically use, so if you’re going to do a NY Sour, you’re going to have to think about what that wine style is and that education started by going down to Tales of the Cocktail and doing a lot of classes that were based on technique or history of drinks. So I think it can really run the range from that. I think that that was the ground – how do we get everyone to want to adapt and care about these little ingredients, mixers, and fresh juice and why? So a lot of that education then was technique driven.

As the years have evolved, I get into specific categories of spirits and the ranges. So I spend a lot of time with Rum education and doing a lot of that and training with Lorena Vásquez from Zacapa Rum who is the Master Blender. Getting those details, asking questions, learning about the fermentation and all of that. That process is so important when you’re talking about ingredients, beverages, and knowing where they come from as well as knowing why they are the way they are.

And you know, leaning into where Speed Rack grew, it was more so about getting into conversations about really the culture of hospitality. Educating on DEI and how to make an inclusive environment and if you are someone out there who is trying to recruit more women in your space, why are they not coming to you? Here are the key markers, here’s how you support and sustain diversity, and not just tokenism. That’s where a lot of the conversations are right now, I think.

Of course, I love doing classes on pairing drinks with food as there is so much indepth conversation on that! I read books like Zero: A New Approach To Non-Alcoholic Drinks from Chef Grant Achatz and it really changes my framing and mind when I’m doing cocktails with spirit, low-proof, or no-proof, there’s just this thought process about how flavors and beverages pair. I really enjoy getting more deeply involved with that.

AM: Tell me about your brand, Drinks at 6.

LM: So Drinks at 6 is the company that I call my consulting company. I don’t know if you ever saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

AM: Of course!

LM: So, the card that she sends the gentleman caller says, “Drinks at 6.” So to me, it’s like that wild party in that house is like the ultimate house party. It’s wacky and crazy and everyone is having martinis. For me, it was the epitome of what having fun is. Taking the seriousness out of craft cocktails and making it more approachable and fun. Initially, I started that company to elevate things like catering at different weddings and things that now are way more common. I was really thinking about how do we change what this thing is. We don’t want it to be stodgy, it doesn’t have to be an old 1880’s replica bar, but it’s something like being able to invite your friends so that they can come over. So I think that that turned me into this person. I love entertaining. That’s why when I look at something like developing Delola, it’s another way of being able to democratize cocktails. It’s about putting it in that bottle and making it delicious and there’s a way to do that right. We don’t have to be all pretentious about it, like how dare we? But there is a way to bring people in with a beautiful package and a great thought process that I think is where we want to be and it’s about that simplicity of having that, a great party, entertainment and making it hospitable for everybody.

AM: Who have been some of the brands that you have worked with under that umbrella?

LM: I mean, I did a ton of work under Diageo for a long period of time, working with Zacapa Rum, but also brands would bring me on to develop some strategy for them. But I really took it on with my restaurant bar consulting so you know, the Mama Group I was there for about 6.5 years working with Chef Eric – it’s run the list of folks that I’ve worked with. I think that a lot of that exposure and access led to things like being recruited for MasterClass.com. Having that opportunity to again be let into people’s houses and rooms via an online medium. It's great to teach people how to break down and demystify building cocktails and building drinks and making it approachable even if you’re making them super fancy – there’s a way to talk about them.

AM: Tell me about Delola and how this came about. I had heard about it for about a year or so and I had actually seen it in person and the Food Network NYC Wine Food Festival that happened a few weeks ago here in NY.

LM: Yup!

AM: We didn’t have a chance to get over there because we were in the thick of interviews. But you are a partner of this company, you’re the Chief Mixologist along with Jennifer Lopez. Tell us more about it.

LM: Yeah I mean, it’s pretty wild and it’s so great! I was just reflecting upon this with our team and to have an opportunity to be recognized and to have someone of such a caliber who says, “you’re an expert in your field and I want to recruit you to work with me on something and to actually give you credit for it!” I think that that’s what I love about it! It’s a building up of talent and a true respect for what I do and what my job and role is.

I had been doing some work with Ken Austin and Jenna Fagnan they do Teremana and have The Rock and during the pandemic, I had been doing some work with them to basically do Zoom Happy Hours and I was all over that!

They had been talking to Jennifer for quite some time about what kind of a product that she wanted to do and she told them that she wasn’t going to make a tequila, she wasn’t going to make a rum, she’s not a high proof spirits person and it’s not the style of the way that she likes to drink. She likes for everything to be balanced, she likes colorful, delicious, and fresh drinks. It’s the kinds of things that she sees when she's in Capri during the summer. She really wanted to create something that when she tells her trainer that she had it, it wouldn’t be an issue! So, there was nothing really in the market that satisfied that right? I mean, there's things in the market like hard seltzers that don’t have a ton of calories, but then they don’t have a full flavor right? It was about accomplishing a few tasks. I want to have the diet cake, but it still needs to taste like cake.

AM: True!

LM: Yeah, so that was kind of the idea and they kind of briefed me on the project. I made up a few prototypes at first. So it was about what the style of the drink was, the flavors that she wanted, and then they were sent so this was all during the pandemic, they went to Jennifer. She was really great. So it was like, here are 5 ideas and she’d come back saying what she liked, what she didn’t resonate with – she let me know that they were all delicious, but it didn’t fit with her. So that was great, the ultimate dealer’s choice. So I’d edit it back and refine it, she let me know what she liked, that she wanted to incorporate elderflower and I thought that was great and would be perfect for the Paloma. It was that great back and forth of that perfect moment of the best dealer’s choice. She’s so good at communicating what that vision is – which is incredible. The last thing that you want is for someone to come up to your bar and to tell you that they want something like this but not too sweet – but there’s zero direction. I mean it’s like please give me a direction that you want to go into. I mean there’s a whole range! With some people you have to ask 20,000 questions.

I love that her direction is always very clear and when I would her things and she landed on what she liked, it was about going to the process of taking that and working with our team to find the right botanicals and to replicate it. It’s very hard because you’re batching a drink in a bottle. It’s something that I do all the time in bars and restaurants, but it’s a lot more complicated when you want it to be on a shelf, in a store. Because we had such strict personal goals that were set by our founder, having those organic botanicals, making sure that we can get into places where wellness is really respected like Whole Foods – we knew we were not going to use artificial coloring and all of those different things. So it makes it a lot harder to make it stabilized. That was a really wonderful process to go through and to learn so much about building a beverage like this. Then of course, seeing it born into the world.

AM: The packaging is beautiful. I love the fact that it’s a beautiful bottle and I also love the ease of opening it with a twist off cap, but that it is presented in an elegant way. There has been a lot of care that has been brought together with something that is a ready to drink product, but it’s the confluence of those nice elements that come together. Just that alone must have been something that everyone on that team went back and forth on many times.

LM: I mean, listen, you can see that Jennifer has done some really beautiful entertainment things. She has a beautiful spread, she loves spending time with family, she has these beautiful tablescapes and it was really important that that was a bottle that sits on a table that looks presentational and that you can give it as a gift to somebody. To me, that is that democratization of craft cocktails. You can bring this bottle and it still has an elevated look that you can feel. It’s not a can that you open and that you have to finish. When you screw the top back on, it will stay bubbly for a few days and you can enjoy it that way. I find that all of those details are so important and Jennifer really wanted to put so much of her personal life into it. The colors are obviously inspired by Capri, but with our designers she made an homage to The Bronx Crest which is at the top of the bottle to always remember where her roots are. A lion and a lioness on the bottle because she's a Leo and so is Ben.

She wanted to have these little things so that when she held the bottle, she knew it was her and not anyone else. I think that that’s really great about standing up and putting your stamp on something.

There’s a real and true passion for what we’re doing as well as the company with those pillars and what we’re here to do. It’s about that presentational piece and it’s why we’re in glass and not in a can. We have the 375ml and the 750ml – it would be a lot easier with a can as there would be different shelving needs. I love that she is behind the vision and she is going to make it work and we will get everyone to understand what we are doing. I think that with her integrity and the way that she pushes through, you go boldly and you do what you feel. We’re making a strong statement on what Delola is and what we want it to be. We’re not backing down from that and it’s really great to have that kind of support and mission. It makes it a lot more clear.

AM: As a fashion stylist, I’m always about the aesthetics and my big thing is accessories, so when I’m looking at this bottle. A beauty product that has vanity appeal, this product has bar cart appeal. You don’t want to have an amazing beverage, but then have to hide the bottle because you know it looks janky.

LM: Yup!

AM: This one has a nice heft to it and so hearing all of the elements from it, I can see that there was a lot of care that was brought to what we have now. Then the fact that you can just pop it over ice and be done with it, that’s nice. I do love a nice cocktail and making one, but sometimes you just want to pour and sit after a long day.

LM: Absolutely! That’s why when you go to someone’s house to get together for a party, it’s just easy to bring the easy thing. We should have other choices as opposed to reverting to a wine. We should be able to have cocktails at any time.

I also love where the proof lies with the first range that we have. I think that’s a very comfortable range for bringing a lot of people in. It’s very mindful and it’s lower than a lot of wines, full flavored, that’s nice because of the occasions that you’re having it – with a full meal, an aperitivo hour, brunch – it really fits into a lot of different lifestyle moments.

AM: I enjoyed the L’Orange the other night while having Truffle Popcorn.

LM: Oh yeah! We’ve been doing a ton of charcuterie with it too. So it’s really great when you have all of those cheeses. I love moving into Paloma when you have seafood. It’s fresh and then having guacamole which is really beautiful. We have a really great recipe that Chef Grace Ramirez made for us which she actually put in some sliced apples and pomegranate seeds – really yummy! I think that with Bella Berry, she’s sort of a surprise. She’s the little punch. It doesn’t have a proxy cocktail. It’s its own cocktail. It has hibiscus, there’s berry, but a lot of it can lean towards – if you put fruit in it, a berry punch. Add cinnamon sticks and some of those flavors pop and it leans more to a sangria style cocktail or a full flavor punch cocktail. So I love playing with each one and I love that they are all so unique. The range stands as something where people are going to have their favorites, but we are going to have something for a range of folks.

AM: It’s great that it is in that better for you category. Can we delve into that a little bit more as our readers will want to know more about that. We enjoy covering hard seltzers and it sits where it sits. We know that as great as many of them tastes, some do have significant sugars which also sits where it sits. Where does Delola sit?

LM: So we’re very low sugar. A traditional cocktail of this style can have up to 16g of sugar per pour. We are under 5g. That’s huge right? That alone, you can feel it. You take a sip of it you’re not feeling your mouth –

AM: Granulated!

LM: Exactly it’s not coated with sugar and it’s very clean and very fresh. Even the ones that are fruity like Bella Berry, you smell it and you get that really fruity scent where you expect to have this very sweet taste and it’s dry because of the hibiscus. So that was super important to us to work on that and that’s who we’re able with proof and with sugar to be able to keep those calories down too. How many cocktails have derailed and ruined all the hard work you’ve done? So it’s nice that you can say you know where you can fit this in my planning for what you’re doing. It’s great during the holidays because it’s so hard with all the parties that you’re going to here and there. You want to enjoy everything, but there are so many calories and you try not to obsess. So, it’s something that you don’t have to think about.

AM: Couldn’t agree more!

Because it is the holiday season, let’s get into some food pairings with these drinks! What would you pair with each one of them?

LM: So, I love that I’m thinking of starting with that beautiful cheese board and tablescape. Everyone loves having a beautiful cheese plate and right now, using apples instead of sliced bread. So L’Orange and Bella Berry slot right into that space. There’s so many kinds of cheeses where I think they work so if you’re going to go with Blue Cheese and something rich that usually has a fruited jam, then I would probably have Bella Berry with that one. A Gorgonzola and a Bella Berry would be a beautiful contrast between the two. L’Orange I like with things like a Monchengo, a really good cheddar too. Orange goes well with that with that rind and that juiciness. I would also go with some maybe gouda and things like that that are sharp and really clean. Brie can maybe go with a couple of them either Berry or Orange depending on which way you want to go. A baked Brie is awesome with this.

After moving from the cheese and charcuterie plate, I’d like to go into a shrimp cocktail and simple little foods that you’re going to have like stuffed mushrooms and things like that that are going to go around a party. I would have that with Orange or Paloma. It really goes into that vibrant zestiness. There’s a bunch of delicious recipes that I saw that really looks at this time of year. The pomegranate seeds show up, Brussel Sprouts and sauteed bacon – that’s awesome with Berry because that will amplify that flavor. There’s so many ways and of course Bella Berry with roasted meats. If you’re having a gorgeous steak, beautiful lamb roast, these are classic pairings. Berries and those things go together. You can have lingonberries which also goes really well.

Then at the end, I would have some delicious truffles and things like that because chocolate and orange are a natural combination. Then, if you want to go with the super dark chocolate, you can then do grapefruit and Bella Berry with that so you have a lot of different ways.

We did a great event in Nashville that was a full on pairing that had this beautiful fried chicken that came out and we had that paired with the Orange. We had the seafood tower paired with the Paloma and then we had the cheese and the charcuterie to start with the Bella Berry.

AM: Amazing!

Which one is your favorite?

LM: Ugh, always the hardest question. I love them all for different reasons right? The Orange for me is that perfect one that I love best at brunch. It’s the lightest in flavor right? My palette is still waking up so having that first is nice. I also enjoy it during the Aperitivo hour right? I’m not quite ready so I want to pique my appetite and that's a perfect time.

For me, Paloma – it has that hint of sea salt in there. On a hot day, I just want to crush a Paloma. It’s refreshing and when we were in Miami in July, that was what was saving me because it has that bright freshness.

For me, that Bella Berry is for when I’m relaxing with it and getting into more of that fruited wine moment. It allows me to sit and sip with it.

AM: As we look ahead to 2024, what are things that we can expect with the brand whether it be products being added to the assortment, sponsoring more events, where will we see you?

LM: We will definitely be working on new cocktails. That’s always the excitement when you’re working with a range like this. We’re learning a lot from year 1 where we started with the Spritz cocktails as the first launch and then we will see where else we want to innovate because that is always exciting. What do we want, where else can we solve, and what else goes with our mission here? What are more options that you can enjoy with food that are better than their traditional proxy? This year, I’m really loving this entertaining moment that we have had for this holiday. It was really exciting to see how much people resonated with that and the setups that we have had and we did a huge Parachute market in LA. Just setting it up with the little cart, people thought that it was amazing because when you don’t have time and you’re running around, they appreciate our message and how we can be in their moments. I’d love to see us get involved with Galentines Day, Women’s History Month which is big for us because we believe in shaking things up in the industry and having women’s founders is huge in this space that doesn’t normally have as many. We want to highlight and support different events and communities that are celebrating on women’s history month. Spring and Summer is going to be wild because that is the season where everyone is thinking light and fresh. It’s a more natural time where people are thinking about trimming down and getting ready for beach season. It’s nice when we have these moments to flow through that we can work with in different seasons for different reasons.

AM: I’ve been at a lot of private events and editor events so you’re constantly trying various foods and beverages and in many cases you have them quite a lot! I have to say that I was really interested in trying L’Orange as I know its proxy is the Aperol Spritz which is actually not one of my favorites – and I have had it a lot. I do like bitter beverages, but that one is one that never really speaks to me; however, I like the L’Orange and I was surprised.

LM: To your point, a lot of people are still hearing and learning about that cocktail and so they just want to try it. But there are so many elements that can go wrong. If it’s a cheap prosecco, it amplifies the bitter, if the proportions are off – then it’s not going to be good. Some people are more sensitive to bitter so we just wanted to have a balance to make sure that the bitterness was there, but not to overpower it. We wanted to pair the orange with passion fruit to bring a different tanginess to it and there’s some herbal chamomile.

AM: Which I love that.

LM: Yeah, those are the aromas that you want without being overbearing.

AM: Stepping away from Delola, in prep for this interview I was looking through your LinkedIn as your resume is impressive! So you worked with Nestle Water as a mixologist. I know that they have Perrier – which I’m a huge fan of so what was your role there as I never thought of a mixologist working with a water brand!

LM: I mean, my whole goal and strategy in working with them was – I mean it’s funny because I have been through their water training – Perrier is a moment, San Pellegrino is another moment. Why? It’s because of their different salinity. Pellegrino is actually a smaller bubble which I like and I say that Deloa is more like a San Pellegrino bubble because it's not like it has that big feeling it cleans your palette which is why it goes so well with food.

It was just really fun because I would come up with a lot of ideas for them. Some of them would be that we would take buyers to Art Basel and I would create these different infusions with Perrier and I would make my own tisanes. There’s be a glass jar and we’d pour the Perrier over it and the bubbles would extract the peat and then they’d have these things like revive and relax. We would change the different botanicals for those modes.

It was also about using water in a lot of different sparkling cocktails. Thinking about depending on the kind of water you’re using, the cocktails change right? You should think about your ingredients and if you’re thinking about everything else, why wouldn’t you think about the sparkling water that you are putting into a cocktail? They’re all so different and they all bring different things to it.

Having that education, it was pretty fun to be able to stretch your brain on such a nerdy topic!

AM: I love it! I love using Perrier Cucumber in a lot of my cocktails so I get it. But when I saw it, I knew I was going to ask you!

LM: It’s a whole different thing! I did an event for Spindrift this past fall where they set up at the corner of West Broadway and they had a full on tropical truck and I made full on cocktails. It’s a stretch. When you’re thinking outside of the box – you just have to go for it. I did one cocktail with their new Mint Tea one and I did a Matcha Cocktail with Coconut Water and they thought it was so wild, but it all worked! It’s green on green but you're stretching your brain and you just think about it and get inspired, look at cookbooks, and you get the ideas of how to flavor build - you get to try different combinations and again, that led me to putting orange, chamomile and passion fruit together. L’Orange is a different way in thinking about beverages and so anytime that I have the opportunity to learn about something else, that’s helpful when I take that knowledge with me to cocktails.

AM: You’re the Co-Founder of Speed Rack, tell me why it was created, about the event, and what does it do?

LM: Before I started Speed Rack, I kind of started another group before. It was called LUPEC Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails. I started the NY chapter after meeting the women in Boston who had a chapter. They were getting together, they had produced a little cocktail book, it was really cute and we met at Tales of the Cocktail and they were doing events with cocktails in their community to raise money for women’s based charities. So everything from women’s shelters to women’s professional development programs like Dress For Success. I thought it was a great idea! It helps you build a great community together and to your point, I knew that there were more women in the bar scene but I didn’t know where they were hiding.

When I started working for Zacapa, you get your brand list of places to go and it pushed me out of my comfort zone. Normally, I would go to where all of my friends were. Most of those were male bartenders. So it brought me to other spaces and I started meeting these incredible bartenders. One of them was Eryn Reece who was our 2nd year Speed Rack winner and has been our coach for the last few years. Her competitors have won twice in the last few years and I realized that there were all of these women, but I didn’t know them and that was a shame. So if we all get together and work together, we’ll amplify. We’d make Death & Co give us their bar, we’d take it over from 5-7 for a charity event. The guys at Tao would give us their basement and we’d do a whole event and that's how it started. I met my partner in Speed Rack one night working when Phil Ward asked me to fill in one night. I agreed that I would put the cocktail tray back in my hand for 1 night to help him out. He had triplets working for him that were his servers and one of them was getting married so that’s 3 of your staff that has to be some place! I was the only sever available and I didn’t know her. She told me that she was trying to get into bartending and I told her about the group and that she could do some of the events with us. That’s when she said it was a really interesting idea and that maybe we could do something else like a kind of competition. It’s a way that people could do it together and I love food and TV – so let’s do Chopped meets a beverage competition. So we do classic cocktails and you really just show what they would be doing on a Fri/Sat night. Half of them were working in the server bars cranking out rounds of drinks and no one saw them. So they were hidden, but in doing these events, they were being brought to the forefront. We literally created a pedestal where they could stand there and show everyone how incredibly talented they are.

That’s how Speed Rack started – here we are 12 years later we have a cocktail book coming out April 30th – it’s 80 wom en all over the world who have competed in Speed Rack and we raise money for Breast Cancer Research and Education. We’ve really worked with some incredible partners, the Pink Agenda is one of our biggest partners. This year was amazing to have Delola sponsor our cocktail bar with the pink Paloma and it was really great and it’s a great organization that tackles breast cancer from a lot of different angles. It’s about research, women supporting women and granting a wish to Giuliana Rancic’s charity so if someone is going through Breast Cancer treatment, they get some sort of wish granted and it’s just a really beautiful moment. The folks in the room are really committed to eradicating this disease and it’s really great to be able to see that and what we can do for our community.

AM: Absolutely!

Are there events coming up for next year that we can know about?

LM: Yes, we’ll be putting out a schedule for 2024 around the book so we have NY, Chicago and we culminate at Tales of the Cocktail with the National Finals. One thing that took place during the pandemic is that we realized that we could reach more bartenders so we actually have a very big portion of our finalists that come – we pick them through online applications and we film their videos and we have our coaches who do this mentorship of bringing back past winners. They help make a team and then that team trains together for the National Finals. They come in with 6 friends and they all train as a group and it’s really great to see how they all help each other and that’s the beauty of it and what we talk about in general on how we all work together in this industry. We have to lift each other up and to stick together. It’s not a competition, I’m in competition with myself not with you!

AM: Well when it comes back through to NY, we have to check it out!

I’m a huge fan of Bar Convent Brooklyn and have been to it a few times. You’re the Head of Education for this tell me for this tell me about your role here and for those who don’t know about this event, can you tell us about it although we have covered it in years past in our issues.

LM: I’m the Head of Education for Bar Convent Brooklyn. The first Bar Convent I went to was many years ago in Berlin. It’s a conference and the difference between Bar Convent Berlin and Bar Convent Brooklyn is that in Brooklyn, it’s more of an elevated tradeshow so what’s great about it is that for 2 days, you have everyone bringing everything in from countries of spirits together to being able to taste Italy and all of the Amaro spirits together.

You can also try emerging types of spirit brands together. There’s breaking boundaries in new spirits, new agave, and things like that. Then you can see really great activations from brands that are bringing you into their world. There’s always great things happening with the Shochu and the Japanese area which is so fun because there is always something new. Then team Peru which I have helped run their booth for the last couple of years, they always have a big llama but they are showing you the beauty of Pisco and the range like 20 folks – 20 suppliers and you’re tasting it. So that’s really great to enjoy those nuances. Then there are educational stages that are led by brands which they may bring in an expert like Don Lee and they have a whole seminar of the types and then there’s Park Street which are seminars that are focused on business. It’s a track focusing on new brands learning about distribution. Then there’s the Main Stage which I’m the Head of Education on – I have a wonderful team of experts that are all over the country and they weigh in on the 8 or 10 picks that are 5 per day for the sessions that are a range of topics. We feel as a group that these are the emerging and trending conversations that you want to have. In the past, we have had the reinvention of the no and low conversation, a full on alternative agave conversation – not just tequila, last year we had discussions on hospitality with Ryan Chetiyawardana aka Mr Lyan where he talked about some of his failures and how they led to success. It led to this conversation of what does hospitality mean. It’s a really great process because we all get to sit together, rate the topics and ideas, and sometimes we match make too. So the team weighs in with me to see what I like and then I get to task to communicate directly with the people that submitted and see how we can restructure their discussions or pair them up if 2 people have the same idea. Maybe by doing it together they can share their differing perspectives. It’s really great to have that viewpoint for education.

I spent a few years on the Tales of the Cocktail education. I did 3 years there so I was very specifically at that time on the business track so I worked with them on that and now I work on culture, business, and other topics!

AM: That’s amazing!

What do you have coming out next year that we should keep an eye out for?

LM: I don’t know yet what the year is going to bring! I know for sure that year 2 of Delola, it will be our first full year because we launched in April of last year. So I’m really excited to see what a Jan – Dec year looks like. It’s kind of nice to see and to go back in markets where people will have already tried us and it will be a part two! It will be fun to see where that relationship will grow and develop.

The book is coming out and as I said, I’m really excited for the book tour! Being able to collaborate in the markets with the contributors will be amazing. We’re going to finalize where our tour will be and just getting out there and being there! The book is unapologetically pink! This is just the sample!

AM: Oh I love the metallic pink!

LM: We’re bold! If you’re intimidated by how pink this book is, then you’re not our audience!

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Delola

Read the DEC ISSUE #96 of Athleisure Mag and see POWER OF THE SIP | Lynnette Marrero in mag.