From Behind the Bar with Jillian Bernat of Greenleaf, Milford, NH
After years in the restaurant industry, Jillian Bernat’s first craft bartender job was at 815, located in Manchester, NH, and her next role was at Bar One in Milford. She joined Greenleaf a little over 3 years ago, when it first opened and developed the current cocktail menu.
Jillian Bernat, Bar Manager at Greenleaf in Milford NH
How would you describe your bar?
The bar at Greenleaf is a seasonally inspired craft cocktail bar. I like to utilize fresh farm ingredients as well as classic recipes.
How do you stay up to date with current drink trends?
Shrubs are my favorite thing to make and to drink so I usually have a couple of those on the menu. I follow some fun Bartenders on Instagram and I usually just “MacGyver” my cocktails. I love experimenting with new ingredients to create one-of-a-kind cocktails for our customers.
What drink have you added to the menu recently?
My most recent addition is the “Living Vi-Cherry-Ously." It's an Agave spirit-based cocktail (my favorite) with a Cherry Shrub that has black pepper, fresh cherries, sugar, and red wine vinegar.
Living Vi-Cherry-Ously
2oz Tequila of choice
.25 oz Yellow Chartreuse
.25 oz Simply Chocolate Liqueur
.75 oz Cherry Shrub
.75 oz Lemon
Luxardo cherries
Combine ingredients and shake vigorously in a shaker filled with ice and serve in a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry.
What cocktail or spirits book have you read recently?
I am ashamed to admit, but not really, that I don’t really read many books about cocktails. One, in particular, that I have heavily browsed is "Cocktail Codex” by Death & Co., which is about classics and riffs from the classics.
What drew you to your current bar and what keeps you there?
It seemed like a more grown-up atmosphere. I’m not getting any younger and I needed a place where my knowledge and experience was appreciated and nurtured rather than ignored. I’m not a person who does well with being micromanaged or talked down to. I stay because I love it and it provides great atmosphere with the freedom to do what I love to do.
How often does your bar menu change?
There really is no rule I abide by except the seasons. I can’t have a strawberry cocktail in February. As fruit and produce come into the restaurant from the farms I change and adapt seasonally. I’m always in the walk-in seeing what the Chefs have to work with and thinking of how I can incorporate that into my menu. We have some mainstays and some rotations.
Which new (or new to you) spirits brand(s) have you been using lately and why?
Collective Arts has some really fun spirits and their bottles are beautiful. Recently, I used their Hibiscus/Rhubarb Gin in a cocktail I called “Rhu-Barbs Drag Race." I have also been using Luxardo Aperitivo a lot...It's delicious!
What do you love and dislike most about the industry?
I LOVE the people I work with and have worked with in the past. I love interacting with guests. I dislike any FOH/BOH divide. I dislike egos. I really dislike how the industry isn’t taken seriously by “outsiders” who think it can’t be a “real job." This non “real job” has afforded me some of the most fun times in my life with lifelong friends. If you aren’t having fun and supporting yourself at the same time, why do it?
Any techniques that you’ve been experimenting with?
I’ve been learning how to make Falernum recently and in the past have made my own orgeat, allspice dram, and orangecello. I also use any fruit from my syrups and shrubs, strain them, and spread them out on a sheet for the dehydrator to make candy or leather for the drink garnish. I like to utilize as much as possible to eliminate any excess waste.
What fresh ingredients are you using this time of year?
Right now it’s a lot of berries and cherries.
How do you stay healthy and strong?
I try to workout when I have time, drink plenty of water, and practice more Ergonomic ways of bartending taught to me by a fantastic bartender named Patrick Orlovsky from the Baldwin Bar in Woburn, MA.
What advice would you have for your younger self or a bartender starting out today?
Don’t EVER take something a guest says personally if they are being rude. Learn ergonomic ways of bartending so your body doesn’t revolt. Drink plenty of water. You don’t have to go to school or be the best, you just have to be open to learning from anyone who knows even a little more than you at any place you work. Be open to constructive criticism. You don’t know, nor will you ever know it all.
How long is a normal shift and how many shifts do you work in a week?
I work about 6-7 hours a day 4-5 days a week, sometimes less. Usually about 25-30 hours a week.