Tony Abou-Ganim The Modern Mixologist

Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST

Welcome to Thirsty Thursdays @3PM EST! My name is Jessie Ott, the Host of this Podcast which is all about Beverage Innovation. I talk with Innovation Pioneers from Agriculture to Glass.

This week, I’m speaking with Tony Abou-Gamin one of the pioneering and leading bar professionals in the world.

First and foremost, Tony is a genuine person and loves his craft more than most I’ve met. He’s a sincere and generous person and loves to give back through organizations he’s created and is still a part of today.

His career started out by learning the tradition of classic cocktails and professional barmanship from his cousin Helen David at the Brass Rail Bar in Port Huron, Michigan.

He moved to NYC in the early 1990s and Dale DeGroff presented him with the first menu of drinks at Rainbow Room. This is where a handful of icons in our industry began their passion for making cocktails with original and fresh ingredients, igniting the fire behind the modern-day cocktail culture.

Tony has had an amazing career over the years since then and has been a part of several iconic places and TV shows including Starlight Room in San Francisco, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Levy Restaurants as well as several arenas such as the Western Conference champions Vegas Golden Knights hockey team. He’s also won three Iron Chef America competitions and won the Bacardi Martini World Grand Prix in 2002.

He has written books, created DVD’s and his own brand of bar tools designed specifically for the art of making the best cocktails. His expertise has given him the opportunity to be on national TV including TODAY and Good Morning America to name a few.

He was part of a team that created the TAG Global Spirits Awards, is a National Ambassador of the U.S. Bartenders Guild, www.usbg.org , and Associate Member of the Museum of the American Cocktail, www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org.

Tony’s love for making cocktails is infectious, and inspiring to all he meets. We make two cocktails on the podcast. The first is the Pisco Sour made with La Madrina Pisco Torontel from Peru. It was truly delicious. Our second cocktail is Tony’s signature drink, the Negroni, made with Campari his preferred Ford’s Gin, which was my first time ever which was pretty cool and a very memorable experience.

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