Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/566135
september 2015 / the tasting panel / 1 19 If there's one word to describe Adrian Misacango, it's "adaptable." When asked to describe his journey from a small retiree town on South America's western coast to behind the bar at Tessa, a modern Mediterranean restaurant on New York City's Upper West Side, Misacango chronicles a series of challenges that might have defeated a mere mortal: Relocate from Ecuador to the largest metropolis in the U.S. without speaking a word of English? Check. Scale the restaurant ranks from dishwasher to line cook to busboy within six months of arriving in The Big Apple? He's done that, too. Misacango's first job in the States was in an Italian restaurant, where the chef insisted on speaking Italian only: "I still have his voice in my head yelling 'Adriano! Adriano!'" he recalls. "That was how I started my hospitality career." From there, Misacango traded his gritty back-of-house life for a job as a server, but he had to borrow oversized clothes from his brother in order to look the part. He started attending school to study hospitality management and moved on to a different restaurant on the Upper East Side, where he was promoted to bartender. "That's where I started learning to mix drinks," he reminisces. Things were looking up. "But, the place went bankrupt and everyone had to leave." Misacango landed at Tessa, where he is now Senior Bartender/Assistant Manager: "I saw a different style at Tessa," he says. "We're making classic cocktails, signature cocktails, infusing spirits. That's when I decided to take my bartending to a different level." Dale DeGroff's The Craft of the Cocktail further shaped and inspired Misacango's approach to his passion. He spends his free time going to tastings, checking out new fine dining restaurants and "seeing different style of bars, to see what they're doing. But I'm very judgmental. I love speakeasies." What do the next five years hold for Misacango? "My ultimate goal is to open a speakeasy in my country, Ecuador," he says. "The city of Cuenca is very affordable, the climate is mild all-year round. Both locals and the many international people moving in can learn about American history and Prohibition." An Ecuadian in the East Adrian Misacango: La Flor de Tessa by Adrian Misacango, Tessa, New York City, New York ◗ 2 oz. Broker's London Dry Gin ◗ ½ oz. Cocchi Americano ◗ ½ oz. fresh lemon juice ◗ ¾ oz. wild lavender honey syrup ◗ Rose water ◗ Edible flowers Mix Broker's Gin, lemon juice and syrup and shake well. Transfer to a mixer jar and add Cocchi Americano, stir for a few seconds and pour into a coupe glass or on the rocks. Spray with rose water, then add edible flowers for garnish.