I’m so fond of the windowside lounge seating at TAG that I’d never ventured past it until the other night, when the Director & I bellied up to the bar. Getting an eyeful of bottles I’d never seen before—Italian liqueur Dimmi & ROOT, a root-beeresque bitter, to name a couple—I was intrigued; chatting a bit with Tyler French as he worked said bottles,

I was charmed & impressed. He was straightforward, sincere & knew his stuff. And when I asked him to make me an off-menu drink & he delivered, I was sold. Meet the man.

What’s your favorite cocktail to make? To drink?

My favorite cocktail to make is called Signature Drink. Signature Drink is our number 3–selling cocktail & we make it up completely off the top of our heads. Whether it’s through having dined with us before or just word of mouth, people have been putting their drink orders in our hands more & more over the past few months. We usually ask if there are any specific ingredients they would like to include or stay away from, and then just have fun mixing up a newly created cocktail.

My favorite to drink: Sazerac. Rye whiskey & absinthe, yes please.

What liquor or cocktail do you wish more people would try? Name 3 or 4 of the most obscure, interesting spirits on TAG’s shelves.

Gin. For whatever reason, gin is the number 1 answer I get when asking people if there is anything that they prefer not to have in a cocktail. There are so many different types of gins, with completely different taste profiles; it’s not just your grandpa’s drink. They mix really well with a lot of ingredients, & some can definitely be enjoyed on the rocks or even neat. It’s fun to serve a gin cocktail to an unsuspecting friend that claims to hate the spirit. It’s pretty easy to change peoples’ minds.

The most interesting spirits on TAG’s shelves: ROOT, Ocho Tequilas [a single-estate artisan label], Cold River Potato Vodka & Gin [from Maine].

Tell me about the drink you made me, & about the one you make with ROOT.

Although the base of that drink that I made you was Pisco, I was really building around the Aperol, as you had mentioned something about wanting an after-appetizer cocktail. [Frankly, I think I said I was in bad need of digestive aid. But thanks for remembering something more graceful—D.] I have been starting to utilize the unique flavors of PIsco a little more often though, especially with a bitter element. From there I muddled some fresh blackberry & tangerine to give the cocktail balance, with a touch of acidty & sweetness. To solidify that, I added a 1/2 oz. of a fresh lime-sugar compound & squeezed half of a lemon. I shook all that up over our cubed ice [nice, large, irregular cubes—D.] & dumped it right in the glass without a strain, then just a little splash of soda to lighten it up.

We’re still kind of in the beginning stages of playing around with the ROOT. It’s new to the market, a super-interesting liqueur based on a recipe for “root tea” that was developed in the 1700s. There’s an amazing combination of herbs & spices that comprise ROOT; a great way to start would be adding some of these (cinnamon, anise, clove, etc.) to the mixing process. I think whiskey is a pretty natural pairing with a lot of the flavors in ROOT, but it will be fun to experiment with all sorts of spirits and just see what happens.

Tell me about a formative experience that made you the bartender/mixology enthusiast you are today.

My intro to the mixology world came from a regular of mine at a bar in Mesa, AZ. He was a connoisseur of the cocktail, but had never been in the service industry whatsoever. He proposed that I look into making a career out of bartending; he predicted it would be the popular movement that it has become. I took it to heart, putting some research, time, & thought into my drinks. However, I was never surrounded with such an amazing cast of bartenders who are enthusiastic about the art of cocktails until I arrived at TAG. It has been awesome working alongside these people in an environment where experimentation is encouraged.

On that note, what’s your favorite thing about working at TAG?

Probably how cutting-edge and fresh everything stays. With ever-changing lists of ingredients & methods of preparation, Troy’s food teaches me something new about food just about every shift that I work & we’re constantly trying to keep up with him behind the bar. [As much as the menu changes, I still say the now-signature French onion soup dumplings are as playfully innovative as anything around—definitely 1 of Denver's best dishes.—D.]

Where do you go on off-nights or after your shift?

A couple of my favorite places to go on my nights off are Vesta, The Horseshoe Lounge, Don’s Mixed Drinks [aka Don's Club Tavern] & Twelve. Those places just have a really great atmosphere. After work, I typically stay around Larimer Square & Market St.—Corridor 44 & Euclid Hall most often. They have awesome staffs, & they’re perfect places to go a little later in the evening. [I asked this for my own selfish reasons. It's the little-known ABC rule—Always Be Chasing the chefs & bartenders after hours. They know where the action is. Boston's Chinatown, for instance, is a hotbed of industry iniquity in the wee hours.—D.]