We’re going Behind The Bar with Bar Manager, Tyler Mowen from Liberty in the Vista this week! Tyler has been with Liberty for over 13 years, so he definitely knows his way behind the bar. He was nice enough to take some time and answer some questions for us, and even included the recipe to his favorite cocktail! Make sure you order the Deveraux next time you’re at Liberty and tell Tyler hey.
Where are you from originally?
A tiny town in southern Pennsylvania called Greencastle. I moved to Columbia to go to school at USC, met my wife, had two kids and decided we loved Columbia.
How long have you been bartending and how long at Liberty Tap Room?
I started working at Liberty 13 years ago as a grill cook while I was in college. Once I graduated I spent some time managing in the kitchen and then had the opportunity to become the Bar Manager. I have been doing that for about 6 years now.
What’s the craziest story a patron has ever told you?
That’s one of the great things about this job… you get to meet a lot of people. Some of them are great and some of them are crazy! I have seen so many things and heard so many stories that I can’t even begin to come up with a good answer to that.
What’s the strangest drink request you’ve ever gotten?
There have been some strange requests. One time we had a guest hand one of our employees their cell phone and say “talk to my normal bartender, they can tell you how to make my drink the way I like it.”
What’s your favorite drink on the menu?
My personal favorite drink on the menu is the Deveraux. I am a huge bourbon fan and this one tastes great with Old Grandad 114.
-Fill rocks glass with crushed ice
-Add the following ingredients and stir:
1.25 oz. Old Grandad 114
.25 oz. mint infused simple syrup
.25 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
.5 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
-top with 4 oz. Champagne (or any of your favorite bubbly works here)
-garnish with a lemon pinwheel and a mint sprig
What’s your favorite drink to make?
I enjoy making all our cocktails and makes me especially happy when the guests love what I make for them. (Side note, every bartender at Liberty has their own cocktail on the menu! How cool is that?!)
Any other interesting tidbits you would like to include?
We have a fun event coming up on Sunday, July 22 called ‘Kegs and Eggs’. It’s going to be a multi course pairing of beer from Cottontown Brewing and a food menu that I had the opportunity to write. We have done a few of these dinners in the past and people seem to really love them, but this one is special because we had the opportunity to work with the brewmaster, Brandon, at Cottontown and brew a ‘collaboration beer’ that we will have exclusively at this dinner. We are really looking forward to this one!
A tiny town in southern Pennsylvania called Greencastle. I moved to Columbia to go to school at USC, met my wife, had two kids and decided we loved Columbia.
How long have you been bartending and how long at Liberty Tap Room?
I started working at Liberty 13 years ago as a grill cook while I was in college. Once I graduated I spent some time managing in the kitchen and then had the opportunity to become the Bar Manager. I have been doing that for about 6 years now.
What’s the craziest story a patron has ever told you?
That’s one of the great things about this job… you get to meet a lot of people. Some of them are great and some of them are crazy! I have seen so many things and heard so many stories that I can’t even begin to come up with a good answer to that.
What’s the strangest drink request you’ve ever gotten?
There have been some strange requests. One time we had a guest hand one of our employees their cell phone and say “talk to my normal bartender, they can tell you how to make my drink the way I like it.”
What’s your favorite drink on the menu?
My personal favorite drink on the menu is the Deveraux. I am a huge bourbon fan and this one tastes great with Old Grandad 114.
-Fill rocks glass with crushed ice
-Add the following ingredients and stir:
1.25 oz. Old Grandad 114
.25 oz. mint infused simple syrup
.25 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
.5 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
-top with 4 oz. Champagne (or any of your favorite bubbly works here)
-garnish with a lemon pinwheel and a mint sprig
What’s your favorite drink to make?
I enjoy making all our cocktails and makes me especially happy when the guests love what I make for them. (Side note, every bartender at Liberty has their own cocktail on the menu! How cool is that?!)
Any other interesting tidbits you would like to include?
We have a fun event coming up on Sunday, July 22 called ‘Kegs and Eggs’. It’s going to be a multi course pairing of beer from Cottontown Brewing and a food menu that I had the opportunity to write. We have done a few of these dinners in the past and people seem to really love them, but this one is special because we had the opportunity to work with the brewmaster, Brandon, at Cottontown and brew a ‘collaboration beer’ that we will have exclusively at this dinner. We are really looking forward to this one!