The Tasting Panel magazine

November 2014

Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/413994

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 134 of 136

134  /  the tasting panel  /  november 2014 Ted Kilpatrick's Top Five Faves A warm greeting when you walk through the front door. Getting a laugh or smile out of a guest. This sets you up for success. An intuitive cocktail menu. I try to guide guests to what they like, rather than just concoct a list of drinks I want to make. An obvious connection between the kitchen and bar. Drinks need to make sense with the cuisine. Drink pricing. Our drinks fluctuate in price [and aren't all the same] because we often use expensive ingredients. Ted Kilpatrick's Top Five Pet Peeves Poor customer service. This is self-explanatory. Leaving people hanging. There should be an organized queue for guests to order when it gets crowded. A throwaway section on the cocktail list. There should be a reason for the drinks served. Lack of training. When somebody in upper management has an idea for a cocktail bar, bartenders should receive formal training on the bar concept. Inconsistency in drink-making. B artending in Boston can be a lot different compared to New York City. Just ask Ted Kilpatrick, a recent transplant and Beverage Director at Roof at Park South, a rooftop bar at Park South Hotel in Gramercy Park. For starters, Kilpatrick says Boston's bar scene moves at a "slower pace" compared to the one at his new digs, which both tourists and locals flood on weekends in search of a good cocktail. "I can stand behind the bar and immediately know which day of the week it is," he says. Since opening in May, Roof has been on the radar of cocktail enthusiasts near and far, but the bar is trying to do its best to ensure it doesn't get too crowded. "This is not a shoulder-to- shoulder operation," Kilpatrick says. "We want everyone to enjoy the overall experience and not just the drink. We think everyone deserves sunshine, especially when they might be living in a shoebox." In the same vein, Kilpatrick tries to ensure that guests receive the same stellar customer service that he expects when he's on the opposite side of the bar. "The kind of greeting a customer receives is very important," he says. "I hate when the bartender places a menu in front of me without even saying hello. Who's to say I was going to order anything? Maybe I needed to break a 20." The cocktails incorporate house-made ingredients like peach cordial for the Bellinis and a fresh strawberry syrup for the Daiquiri Por Mi Amante, a drink made with rhum agricole, lemon and a splash of Tabasco. "It embodies the style we want to do," he says. "It's familiar enough but also has a twist that exemplifies that we do things at a slightly higher level." THE "5" LIST 3 1 1 Ted Kilpatrick ROOF AT PARK SOUTH, NEW YORK CITY Taking Inventory with. . by Jennifer Nalewicki 4 5 2 2 3 4 5 PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Tasting Panel magazine - November 2014