Mixing It Up With Guild Bartender Sean McKenzie

Name: Sean McKenzie Age: 29 Restaurant: Guild Tavern Location: South Burlington Restaurant age: almost 3 Cuisine type: New American/steakhouse Select experience: bartender, Pizzeria Verità, Burlington (2012-2013); bartender, 219 West, Austin, Texas (2011-2012) What’s on the cocktail list? Classics like Rob Roy, silver gin fizz and the scofflaw; originals like the bourbon-y Nut House, rye-based Steel Mill and the ginny Regatta

Behind the bar at South Burlington’s Guild Tavern, cocktail director Sean McKenzie wears his slick black vest well. Paired with a checked, button-down shirt, he looks every bit the professional barkeep mixing drinks at a tony Chicago speakeasy, circa 1924. McKenzie cultivates the look, but only to a point. Sleeve garters, he says, would be pushing the “retro” thing too far.

Check out Sean McKenzie’s Cocktail Recipes!
1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
1 ounce dry vermouth
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce grenadine
1 dash orange bitters

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon peel.

The Closing Argument

1 ounce Mezcal
1 ounce Green Chartreuse
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce pineapple gomme syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Flame an orange peel over cocktail; discard peel.

The Steel Mill

1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey
3/4 ounce Falernum
1/4 ounce Cynar
3 dashes Angostura bitters
1/2 ounce Black Strap Rum

Stir all ingredients except rum with ice and strain over one large ice cube into a chilled, double old fashioned glass. Float Black Strap Rum on top of cocktail. Garnish with lemon peel.

Pro Pour

The original print version of this article was headlined “Pro Pour”