New York’s Best Bartender 2015: The top 50 by bar

Bartender: Rosie Grillo

Been a bartender for: 10 years

Signature drink: Original Cinn

The best thing about being a bartender is: Some might think that everything has already been done, but—as a bartender—I feel there's no to limit one's creativity.

Bartender: Monica Toca

Been a bartender for: 18 years

Signature drink: Tequila, blood orange, dark cherries, jalapeño and bitters

The best thing about being a bartender is: Meeting people from all over the world, and getting to share NYC's hidden gems in food and shopping.

Bartender: Ignacio Jiminez

Been a bartender for: 8 years

Signature drink: Dead Squad

The best thing about being a bartender is: The opportunity to meet new people and customize an experience for them.

Bartender: Fabio Raffaelli

Been a bartender for: 14 years

Signature drink: Basil Crush

The best thing about being a bartender is: My customers.

Bartender: Brooke Smith

Been a bartender for: 9 years

Signature drink: Nut Job

The best thing about being a bartender is: The best thing about being a bartender is being able to make people's day brighter, or send them out happier than when they came in!

Bartender: Matthew Belanger

Been a bartender for: 4 years

Signature drink: Forbidden Planet

The best thing about being a bartender is: My favorite aspect of bartending has to be working the busiest nights of the weekend.

Bartender: Tonia Guffey

Been a bartender for: 13 years

Signature drink: Teenage Riot

The best thing about being a bartender is: The people. The flavor. The fact that every single day my job is different. I get to be a psychologist, an artist, a party planner, a DJ, a chef—every day!

Bartender: Ari Rubenstein

Been a bartender for: 9 years

Signature drink: Mezcal Hug

The best thing about being a bartender is: Regulars, high five garnishes, boomerangs and the USBG.

Bartender: Maria Gentile

Been a bartender for: 29 years

Signature drink: Maria Sangria and the Blackberry Manhattan

The best thing about being a bartender is: My connection with my customers. I hug at least 20 people a night.

Bartender: Woody St. Juste

Been a bartender for: 5 years

Signature drink: Spicy Watermelon Margarita

The best thing about being a bartender is: Being able to listen to patrons and learn what spirits move them. The ability to engage on a stage with no script, no rehersal and on the spot auditioning for that next new flavor and for the next person to say, "Wow that's it."

Bartender: Bridget McMillan

Been a bartender for: 8 years

Signature drink: Bloody Mary

The best thing about being a bartender is: Practicing new social skills that I somehow missed growing up in a low-stakes environment with lots of support from my regulars!

Bartender: Francesco Desideri

Been a bartender for: 18 years

Signature drink: Diavolo Zafferano

The best thing about being a bartender is: The best thing about being a bartender is being able to represent 'the modern-day alchemist'—mixing nightlife, philosophy, and sensuality with hospitality, charm and good spirit—all garnished with love and passion.

Bartender: Matt Friedlander

Been a bartender for: 11 years

Signature drink: Ramos Gin Fizz or anything bespoke that a guest and I can come up with

The best thing about being a bartender is: Giving guests an incredible experience while listening to incredible music and working with people I love, i.e. the vibe!

Bartender: Joshua Brandenburg

Been a bartender for: 10 years

Signature drink: Hickory Old Fashioned

The best thing about being a bartender is: Seeing someone's excitement at tasting or learning something new.

Bartender: Steve Laycock

Been a bartender for: 10 years

Signature drink: Oaxacan Negroni

The best thing about being a bartender is: Meeting all the great people and being one of the social centers for the community.

Bartender: Moses Laboy

Been a bartender for: 20 years

Signature drink: All of them

The best thing about being a bartender is: As the creative mind/mixologist to some of the city's best eateries and bars, I really enjoy the creative aspect of developing seasonal menus. I love the whole process of sourcing fun, unique ingredients and spirits harmonizing them and wowing my guest. 

Bartender: Sarah Lawrence

Been a bartender for: 15 years

Signature drink: London in Lavender

The best thing about being a bartender is: Hospitality. It's how you make someone feel that they remember most. The exquisite cuisine, impeccably crafted cocktails, decadent ambiance, Michelin star are integral to the experience, but the hospitality is essential.

Bartender: Erika Ordonez

Been a bartender for: “Since I was born.”

Signature drink: Anything with Sherry

The best thing about being a bartender is: Being convivial for a living!

Bartender: Derrick Turner

Been a bartender for: 10 years

Signature drink: The Black Forest

The best thing about being a bartender is: By far, the best thing about being a bartender is simply entertaining guests as if they were guests in my home. Just creating an experince that is unequivocal to anything else they have encountered in New York is what truly drives me.

Bartender: Allegra Warsager

Been a bartender for: 5 years

Signature drink: Don Julio agave margarita

The best thing about being a bartender is: You get to meet new people constantly.

Bartender: Doug Quinn

Been a bartender for: 27 years

Signature drink: Sidecar

The best thing about being a bartender is: Show business—the ability to interact with guests and create magic.

Bartender: Jacob Tschetter

Been a bartender for: 4 years

Signature drink: Let's Get Weird/Man of Action

The best thing about being a bartender is: I love being able to create an environment where my customers feel welcomed, heard and appreciated. Being behind the bar is a wonderful creative outlet, and I love being able to share my passion with my customers.

Bartender: Miguel Govea

Been a bartender for: 10+ years

Signature drink: Vieux Carre

The best thing about being a bartender is: Every night is a fresh opportunity to meet new people or spend time with regular customers—many of whom have become friends. My job is to make sure people have a great night, and that's a real privilege.

Bartender: Mark Bailey

Been a bartender for: 13 years

Signature drink: I'm at a craft beer bar now but I love rocking a classic Manhattan or Old Fashioned

The best thing about being a bartender is: Story telling, whether it be on the telling or listening side.

Bartender: Alex Valencia

Been a bartender for: 8 years

Signature drink: Oaxaca Express

The best thing about being a bartender is: Make people happy.

Bartender: Alex McNeely

Been a bartender for: 7 years

Signature drink: Smoke Signal Mezcal

The best thing about being a bartender is: The fast pace, unconventional hours with a big social aspect and the chance to exert creative energy every single night.

Bartender: Mashia Baldwin

Been a bartender for: 20 years

Signature drink: The Rosselle

The best thing about being a bartender is: There are many things I love about bartendeing, but there is nothing like seeing the reaction of your guests and regulars when you make them a new and well balanced cocktail. The best thing about bartending to me, is definitely my guests.

Bartender: Tim Miner

Been a bartender for: 12 years

Signature drink: I'm not sure but I'll probably light it on fire

The best thing about being a bartender is: My office is where people go to have fun!

Bartender: Adam Spetler

Been a bartender for: 10 years

Signature drink: Maremmano

The best thing about being a bartender is: Sleeping in late.

Bartender: Alejandro Hermoso

Been a bartender for: 15 years

Signature drink: Fifty Shades of Grey Coctel

The best thing about being a bartender is: Seeing my happy.

Bartender: Gates Osuji

Been a bartender for: 23 years

Signature drink: Spanish Fly

The best thing about being a bartender is: Taking care of people and giving them things they never knew they wanted. With a background in photochemistry, I approach cocktails through a science lens. I never know what's trendy/cool, but I do know what sounds delicious. It’s like a magic trick.

Bartender: Chris Lowder

Been a bartender for: 4 years

Signature drink: Sherry Hurricane

The best thing about being a bartender is: Helping people and making them happy.

Bartender: Thomasula Davina

Been a bartender for: 12 years

Signature drink: Manhattan

The best thing about being a bartender is: The characters I meet on a daily basis.

Bartender: Ciera Coyan

Been a bartender for: 4 years

Signature drink: I work in craft beer. My signature is helping people find the perfect beer for them!

The best thing about being a bartender is: Besides getting to overhear Tinder dates and trying to figure out who in the bar is going to get laid that night, my favorite thing is people spilling their secrets to me.

Bartender: Nicholas Bennett

Been a bartender for: 13 years

Signature drink: 443 Special

The best thing about being a bartender is: No other profession can bring together the most interesting and diverse individuals into one room.

Bartender: Joaquin Simo

Been a bartender for: 15 years

Signature drink: All things agave

The best thing about being a bartender is: A chance to save the world, one cocktail at a time.

Bartender: Kacie Sims

Been a bartender for: 9 years

Signature drink: Old Fashioned

The best thing about being a bartender is: The community and then the whiskey.

Bartender: Shawn Chen

Been a bartender for: 17 years

Signature drink: Nori Old Fashioned

The best thing about being a bartender is: My ability to evoke nostalgia and deliver surprises in a glass, to allow my customers to experience something new with each sip. Given my Asian American heritage, I especially love to incorporate unexpected ingredients, such as oolong tea, matcha and Japanese nori in my cocktails. It's an incredible feeling to see that my cocktails can bring delight to my customers.

Bartender: Patrick Sullivan

Been a bartender for: 7-8 years

Signature drink: Russell's Reserve Barrel 69 Old Fashioned

The best thing about being a bartender is: It's one of the few places I don't feel awkward. I love adapting to a changing room, the energy, giving customers an awesome night and making killer drinks—from classic cocktails to shots of Fernet or whiskey to opening a bottle of beer. I love it all.

Bartender: Jeremy Buck

Been a bartender for: 14 years

Signature drink: 60th & Bourbon

The best thing about being a bartender is: Customizing the experience and the flavors for the guest and getting to know them in the process—all in the spirit of creativity and hospitality.

Bartender: Stewart Whalley

Been a bartender for: 12 years

Signature drink: Old Pal

The best thing about being a bartender is: Making friends for others and bringing people together.

Bartender: Alissa May Atkinson

Been a bartender for: 12 years

Signature drink: The Christina Hendricks

The best thing about being a bartender is: The ability to connect with people, share in their celebrations and create a community.

Earlier this month we presented you with our top 100 nominees for Time Out New York’s Best Bartender 2015 contest, and nearly 30,000 of you voted to move your picks into the next round. Our top 50 elite drink-slingers ply their trade everywhere from dive bars and beer bars to rooftop bars and romantic bars, but one thing unites them (besides alcohol): They all need your support once again.