My life being Ej the Mixologist and my life as the barista/bartender helped me along in life in so many ways. This is a brief history and a look into my personal life that surrounded making drinks, making food, and making sure a good time was had by all.
In the summer of 1991, I was lucky enough to attend the Bergen Bartending School that was located in Fair Lawn, NJ. I had just gotten my bachelor’s at Montana State-Billings, and my dad thought it would be a good backup plan to get my bartender’s license because of my history with spirits and such.
I was already familiar with almost all of the names and types of alcohol that were on the market because of my first job growing up.
My High School part-time job was stocking shelves and unloading inventory for Carrozza Liquor on Palmer Avenue in Larchmont, NY. My mother and then owner Anne Carrozza knew each other and when I turned 15 I was allowed to work in a NY State liquor store in a limited capacity. The drinking age was just moved to 21 when I was 15 in 1984, and as you can look up on Google the National Minimum Drinking Age Act was just passed at the time.
So, until I graduated High School in 1986/87 from Mamaroneck, I was always working around alcohol after school to put money in my pocket. Hey, my 1979 rag-top convertible Fiat Spyder was not going to gas itself up and I had places to be!
I wasn’t one of those rebellious drinkers who started at 12-14-16 either. I didn’t even have a beer until I hit 17 myself if I’m honest. It was never really my thing because I was a sports kid and an athlete and booze was just not something I saw as cool. DIdn’t smoke either, nada of the two until later in life, anyway.
So, for 8 weeks (M – W – F) I had bartending school for 3 hours a day and a 9-hour week for 2 months. I loved it and I was in good shape knowing the bottles and the verbiage and the familiarity helped me big time to get me through it. Diploma/Certification… Check!
After the summer of 1991, I got on a plane back to Montana and my first bartending gig came right away. I was still officially living in Billings at the time and my then-girlfriend was happy to see me come back, took care of my stuff while I was gone and we moved in together upon my return. I applied to Dos Machos restaurant and they said “Sure Ej, you’re hired!” (The place is still right off the highway as you work your way into West End Billings)
Bam, next thing I know I am making hundreds of Margeurita’s and Pina Colada’s all day in a Mexican restaurant, making daiquiris and blending drinks, mixing drinks, and making money.
When I moved back to New York from Montana in 1995, my Dad was still running the band Stars on 45, and they were doing weddings, parties, and playing gigs all over the NY-NJ-CT Tri-State area playing music for people. Dad, who sent me to bartending school, to begin with, had me get my DBA so I could cater events in NYC and beyond and make bank bartending and getting to know people! Oh, I got to REALLY KNOW a lot of F**king people! My personality is suited for that! By the same token, I was always cooking and making sure I knew the food too. I am Italian and I had an Italian Nana… figure it out! Pasta? Gravy? (It’s not sauce, it’s gravy, people) The list of food we would cook together is outrageous and a post within itself.
So… That got me the Bartending/Catering ‘Doing Business As’ License… Check!
I was cooking and baking and making drinks and could do it all… and very well!
I even had me a little website that is still active, isn’t that cute? Click HERE
I know it was fun and I made some good damn money for a long damn time. I am 52 now so that is over LoL
Anyway, that is the ‘now you know something about Ej’ moment of the week.
I’ve worked at the Black Angus Steak House, Dos Machos, the Coulson City Saloon, and Shooters, and then I was the head bartender at the biggest pool hall in Billings for the last 2 years I was there, which was a part of the BullWackers Bingo parlor too. That is just Montana after I graduated college and when I went back for 5 years after my return to Montana in 2004 until 2009.
My final job as a bartender came in 2024 from March to September. I worked at the Granary outdoor picnic bar that is located at the Mohonk Mountain House Resort in New Paltz, NY. I did receive my Serv Safe Certification which is good until 2027, making that my third such type of paperwork.
I received my first Bartender’s Certification (License) in 1992 in Fair Lawn, NJ. I received my TIPS Certification in 2004 in Billings, MT.
So, essentially, my history with food and booze goes back entirely too long, and I am okay with that LoL Ciao Bella! Mangia! Cin Cin! Cheers!