Chad Doll, 29, is a serious bartender. He wins competitions, names his cocktails after Tom Waits songs and drinks whiskey or scotch neat as his go-to. We chatted in the Velvet Lounge of Bryant’s over a Hot Toddy and a fabulous bottle of rum.
Doll began working at Bryant’s when it reopened under its new owner, John Dye, in July 2008. Before that, he worked a few years each at Hi Hat and Trocadero. He began his Milwaukee bartending career at The Harp and Shamrock and lasted about six months at Up and Under with an owner of questionable behavior and an affinity for Bruce Springsteen.
Add up the experience and Doll’s spent about seven years slinging drinks and the past two years dabbling in mixology after placing third in the Finlandia Vodka competition. Last year, he took first in the Milwaukee competition and went on to Colorado for the Finlandia nationals.
Recently, Doll won the 2009 Drambuie national competition. The regional winners’ drink proportions, along with a video of them concocting, were sent to a panel of mixologists who then recreated the cocktails. Doll will go to New Orleans and attend the Tales of the Cocktail, one of the largest cocktail festivals in the world.
“We’re all willing to share anything with anybody,” Doll says of his fellow competitors. He says this cocktail culture has only been around for the past 10 years, so the world of craft bartending is more communal rather than cutthroat.
“Cocktails were the first culinary contribution the United States had to the entire world. Before that everyone was drinking straight spirits without ice,” he says. “And then we started introducing ice, sugars, syrups, juices and herbs. The Americans were the first to really consider the balance between sweet and sour in a drink.”
Doll moved on to the history of Bryant’s and how the downstairs opened 70 years ago, right after Prohibition — and how the bar never stopped using fresh juices and never switched to bar sours. Doll attributes the bar’s success and his mixology education in part to the competence and enthusiasm of owner John Dye. “He’s fast, he’s clean, efficient, friendly, and has a passion towards drinks,” Doll says. “I was really blessed with the people I work with who have bartended for 15 to 20 years and were willing to share information.”
But Doll says he still has a lot to learn. “I’d like to know everything about every spirit, how it’s distilled, how it’s cast, who’s the master distiller, I’d love to learn the history of each product.”
Plus, Bryant’s has compiled a selection of more than 400 drinks in its 70-year run, and there’s no list to choose from. “When you engage a customer, instead of ordering off a menu, you’re going to make them happier by making their drink more personal by finding out what they like.” I was surprised to hear that other than blatant rudeness, Doll has no complaints about customers. Surely people come in having no idea what they want, especially if it’s their first time at Bryant’s. Doll looks at this more as a chance to interact and create a drink that will make someone happy.
When Doll isn’t at work or researching cocktails, he spends his time as a single dad of his 2-year-old daughter, Chloe. And when time permits, he goes to his favorite bar in the city, Palm Tavern.
“I love Milwaukee with everything from Bryant’s to other hidden gems across the city,” he says. “The people are amazing. They want to experience new things and good things.”
So make your day and grab a drink from Chad Doll, or try mixing up his latest creation:
Cognac Cocktail
2 oz. Courvoisier VS
1/2 oz. Luxardo Amaro Abano (Italian bitter liqueur)
1/2 oz. green Chartreuse
Bar spoon of Rich Demerera Syrup
Stirred up in a coupe with a lemon twist for garnish
Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge
1579 S. Ninth St.
Mondays
Bryant’s second-floor lounge turns into a Speakeasy on Monday nights, hosted by Bittercube. Check out the link for more details.
Also at Bryant’s:
Thursday, Jan. 21
The Sporting Fraternity
Advanced tickets are required for this event with limited seating, so act accordingly. Seatings are at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. Tickets are $35 and include three cocktails, coffee and light appetizers made by National Café — also a wonderful place. Don’t miss this!
Cactus Club
2496 S. Wentworth Ave.
Saturday, Jan. 9
10 p.m.
Faux Fir, Undercover Organism, The Fancy, Fahri
Apartment 720
720 N. Milwaukee St.
Saturdays
Doors open at 10 p.m. with music by Kenny Perez and $100 bottles of Belvedere vodka.
Benno’s Genuine Bar & Grill
7413 W. Greenfield Ave.
Mondays
$1 off taps, and three sliders for $3.
Rustico Pizzeria
223 N. Water St.
Mondays
From 9 p.m.-close, take advantage of $1 slice night.
Blackbird
3007 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Tuesdays
Blackbird offers one of my new favorite happy hour specials: Free tacos from Hector’s, 4-8 p.m., or until supplies last. Also, $4 margaritas and $2 Pacifico and Corona.
Polish Falcon’s Nest 725
801 E. Clarke St.
Wednesdays
Open Bowl on the oldest lanes in town. And it only costs $3.25 a game plus $1 for shoes.
Decibel
1905 North Ave.
Thursdays
Hey ladies! Free drinks until midnight. Everyone else pays $3 for Stoli drinks. Not bad. No cover.
Hi Hat Lounge & Garage
1701 N. Arlington Pl.
Thursdays
Ladies Night: DJs Kid Cut Up and Steve Marxx. Two complimentary drinks for the ladies.
Kenadee’s Ultra Pub
718 N. Milwaukee St.
Fridays
Bitch Pleeze Fridays: Ladies drink free mixers every Friday from 10 p.m.-midnight. Kenny Perez provides the music. No cover. No dress code.
Brocach Irish Pub and Restaurant
1850 N. Water St.
Monday-Friday
From 3:30 to 6 p.m., try happy hour: half off all top-shelf Irish and scotch whiskies. 20 oz. pint of Guinness and shot of Powers for $6.25. $5 wines by the glass.
Café Lulu
2265 S. Howell Ave.
Monday-Friday
Join the Lulu crew and watch “Cash Cab” from 4-5 p.m. Enjoy $1 off all rail drinks, tap beer and wine.
