Bartender Jamie Oakes Finds Her Voice Making Cocktails

Oct 15

Oct 15 Bartender Jamie Oakes Finds Her Voice Making Cocktails

Jamie Oakes loves when the order on her bar service ticket reads, “Dealers Choice”. It is her chance to create freely and to share a little piece of herself with the guest. “I make the best drinks on-the-fly. Just tell me what spirit you want or what you don’t like, and I’ll make you something good,” says Oakes.

After 17 years in the industry, slinging delicious cocktails seems to come naturally to Oakes. However, being behind the bar isn’t always the easiest thing for her to do. She opened up a little about her battle with social anxiety. “It’s always a struggle in the beginning of a shift. I get more comfortable as the night goes on but I’m always embarrassed and overthinking,” she says.

Bartending has really helped her work through the anxiety, and it has given her an outlet to express her creativity. She has found she communicates best through the cocktails she makes. It’s like an instinct for her, she can just feel it. “It’s all about the experience you give the guest. The best is watching people enjoy what you’ve created. It feels so good to make other people happy,” says Oakes

Indian Summer cocktail by JamOakes. Photo by Jamie Oakes

In the cozy New England style tavern at Millwrights Restaurant in Simsbury, Oakes stands out with her cool, electric blue hair, and her drinks are no different. “I love making things that nobody else is making,” she says. Some of her favorite ingredients include vegetables, fresh herbs like lemon verbena and her own house-made syrups, bitters and tinctures.

For one gin-based cocktail called Make It Snappy, she made a snap pea syrup and incorporated house-made strawberry preserves and a touch of yellow chartreuse that landed on the spring menu. Another summery cocktail named Shrub Life, had a coconut washed vodka and grilled pineapple shrub. “It is me in glass,” she says.

Shrub Life cocktail by Oakes. Photo by Jamie Oakes

When Oakes started bartending at 20-years-old, she was working in sports bars and “beer and a shot” kind of joints. She knew she didn’t belong in that environment. It almost made her leave the industry all together. Until 2013, when she met Khalid Williams, her bar manager at Barley and Vine in Bristol. She learned so much from him in the two years they worked together. “He took a chance on me and introduced me to the hospitality side of our industry. That’s when It clicked,” explains Oakes. From that point forward, she was hooked.

Up until earlier this year, Oakes was the bar manager at Cure Restaurant in Unionville where she was able to hone her craft and bring a lot of her unique cocktail ideas to life. When Cure closed in January, Oakes took all of that experience to Millwrights, a restaurant run by chef Tyler Anderson, a James Beard Award Semi-finalist for Best Chef in the Northeast. Working there has awarded her access to a very knowledgeable and talented team of people that continue to challenge her to learn and welcome her originality. “It’s nice to work in a place where you have creative freedom, where you don’t have to worry about conforming to their rules and being restricted creatively,” she says.

J to the Izzo cocktail that won Oakes third-place in the Civil War finals. Photo by Amanda Kenny

Oakes competing at the Civil War finals. Photo by Amanda Kenny

When she’s not working, Oakes likes to participate in cocktail competitions throughout the state. It’s an environment that encourages innovation and “outside the box” thinking so it’s a great opportunity for her to flex her wildly creative muscles. As a member of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG), she is invited to different spirit sponsored events to compete against her group of peers consisting of other top bartenders in Connecticut. It used to be a huge challenge for Oakes to attend the events while dealing with the social anxiety, but she says, “It’s easier now, because I know most of the people attending.”

In September, Oakes competed in the Civil War finals where the North (USBG Hartford) faced off against the South (USBG New Haven). A collection of ten amazing bartenders fired off their best mezcal creations and Oakes took third-place overall. “It’s always interesting to me to see where the other bartenders go creatively,” says Oakes. There are so many talented people in this state, and they inspire her to try new things.

Oakes center, won first-place in the Civil War semi-finals.

The future for Oakes will without a doubt be in the beverage alcohol industry. She is passionate about what she does and is dedicated to the craft. “I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’ll be in bars forever, my whole life. Even if I’m a manger or a director, I need to bartend at least one night,” concludes Oakes.

Stopping into the tavern is the best way to experience her delicious creations but if you are confident enough to try them at home, try one of these recipes!

Shrub Life

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Coconut washed vodka

1 oz Grilled Pineapple Shrub

.5 oz Lime

.25 oz Rich Simple Syrup (2:1 sugar to water)

5 Lemon Verbena Leaves

Garnish: Lemon Verbena Leaf

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in shaker with ice.

2. Shake until chilled and combined.

3. Double-strain into a rocks glass. Top with ice and garnish.

Serves: 1

Coconut Washed Vodka

1 L Vodka

4 Tbsp Coconut Oil

Infuse overnight. Then freeze to separate oil and strain through cheesecloth.

Grilled Pineapple Shrub

1 Large Pineapple, sliced and grilled

4 cups White Vinegar

2 cups sugar

Let grilled pineapple and vinegar sit for two-weeks. Add all ingrediants to a saucepan, cook until the sugar is dissolved and it starts to simmer. Remove from heat, cool and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Leather & Lace (NY Sour Variation)

Ingredients:

2 oz Bourbon

.25 oz Kronin

.25 oz Dry Curacao

.75 oz Lemon

.75 oz Simple Syrup

1 Egg White

2 drops 18.21 Havana&Hyde Bitters

Top with 1 oz Lambrusco

Garnish: Flamed Orange Peel

Directions