That’s the Spirit: Hey, bartender!

People think the most important part of a bar is the drink you order. I’d have to disagree. I don’t think enough can be said about the person serving you the drink—the bartender. This person can make or break your experience, especially in a cocktail bar.

In an age where we all expect things instantly, we’ve come to expect the same at our bars. The art of bartending has gotten lost somewhere in all our quick orders of Miller Lights and gin and tonics. On the other hand, you have the bartenders who, 20 minutes and 18 ingredients later, serve you a pimped-out version of what you thought would be a simple drink.

Where have all the good bartenders gone?

Luckily, I’ve found one of these lost souls at the bar in Doe’s Eat Place. His name is George Krause.

When I couldn’t make up my mind about what to order, he offered to create something specifically for me. In all my time spent in bars, I’ve never had a bartender offer to do that for me. He asked me a series of questions: What kind of spirits do I like? What’s my preference on tartness and sweetness? Do I like bitters? Were there any flavors I did not want in my drink?

He quickly and excitedly went to work. He claimed it might take two tries, but he’d make sure to get it right. As he made the drink, he entertained us with stories about the different flavors he was using and where they fit in the history of drink making. He even let us try some of his homemade apple wood smoked bitters in a drink that tasted—I am not exaggerating—just like grilled pineapple.

The end product of my signature drink was this wonderful, Creamsicle Dream Drink (that’s what I call it). I typically expect any sort of cream-tasting drink to actually have cream in it, but this mixture of rum, bitters, vanilla and Cointreau was light with no cream or fizzy stuff on top.

We played that game a few more times and he hit the nail on the head each time, mixing up a delicious bourbon drink called The Horse’s Neck with a Kick (a favorite of Ian Flemming, the mastermind behind James Bond), and what he called “the perfect drink,” an original whiskey cocktail.

He had a lot to say about how he likes to bartend. He wants to be your friend, your therapist, the guy you go to when you need tickets for a concert—not someone just working a bartending shift between other “real jobs.” He takes his profession very seriously and it shows; he won Best Bartender of Baton Rouge during Restaurant Week in 2013.

If you’re ever looking to for a friend or maybe just a good drink, head over to Doe’s Eat Place and George will gladly slide you a beer or maybe make you a delicious grilled pineapple cocktail.

Creamsicle Dream Drink
• 1.5 oz of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
• 1.5 oz of vanilla syrup
• 1.5 oz barrel-aged Cointreau
• 1/8 tsp. of orange bitters