Monday, January 25, 2021
Subscriber Login
SpotlightNews
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Community
    • Covid-19 Updates
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
  • Classifieds
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber LogIn
    • Join us – Subscribe Today
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Business
      • Spotlight On Business
      • Spotlight on Finance
    • Community
    • Covid-19 Updates
    • Crime
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Milestones
    • Obituaries
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
  • Hot Spots Calendar
    • Calendar Listings
    • Submit Your Event
  • Opinion
    • Blogs
    • Our Opinion
    • Point of View
    • Your Opinion
  • Family Now
  • Classifieds
    • Classified Listings
    • Advertiser Login
  • Subscribe
    • Subscriber LogIn
    • Join us – Subscribe Today
    • Renew Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Spotlight News
No Result
View All Result
Home The Spot Entertainment

George Fiorini is new to the region and the world of craft cocktails, but he plans to stay

Ali Hibbs by Ali Hibbs
January 29, 2016
in Entertainment
0
George Fiorini is new to the region and the world of craft cocktails, but he plans to stay
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

CAPITAL DISTRICT When George Fiorini moved to Albany a year ago, he had only five months of bartending experience under his belt. Winner of the recent Woodford Reserve bartending competition held at the Albany Food and Wine Festival early this month, Fiorini now bartends at two of Albany’s premiere cocktail bars and, sitting in one of them – Wellington’s in Albany – exactly a year to the day after he moved to the area, he seems more than a little surprised about it.

“I prefer to be called a bartender,” said the 25-year-old, saying that he finds the term “mixologist” to be just a bit pretentious. Remembering the first bartender to teach him the art in St. Louis a year and a half ago, he said, “I’ll never forget what he told me. He told me that I would be learning a lot of crazy things-a lot of different ingredients, techniques and stuff like that-but, at the end of the day, I’m a bartender. If someone wants a vodka and Red Bull, because that’s their favorite drink, then I’m going to make them the best vodka and Red Bull they’ve ever had. I keep that in the back of my mind every single day.” He’s not kidding. If you order a vodka and red bull from Fiorini, there’s a good chance he’ll set it on fire.

Fiorini moved from the Midwest, he said, “for a pretty girl.” While that relationship ultimately didn’t work out (take note, ladies), he says he owes her a debt for bringing him out here. “I would never have imagined being on the East Coast and doing the things that I’m doing. The past year has been pretty insane.” Sitting in a comfortable alcove at Wellington’s on Jan. 20, Fiorini recalls the day, exactly a year ago, that he arrived in Albany. “There was that huge blizzard and here I was, trying to look professional and find a job while walking around in five-degree weather getting blasted with wind and snow.” He couldn’t wear a hat, he said, because he didn’t want to mess up his hair.

After a false start at McGuire’s on Lark Street, Fiorini found a job at Publick House 42. “It’s a little Irish pub and the people who come in there are mainly scotch and whiskey drinkers, but every once in a while there would be someone looking for a cocktail and I would take advantage of that and I would make them a cocktail in that bar.” That’s how he heard about Speakeasy 518, he said. Someone recommended that he check it out and, after some preliminary research on Yelp, he decided he had to go.

Previous Post

Get to Know: Jennifer Whalen

Next Post

The people we meet along the way

Next Post

The people we meet along the way

Leave Comment

Stay Connected with Us

  • 7k Fans
  • 4.6k Fans
  • 607 Fans
  • 357 Subscribers

Recent News

SPOTTED: Colonie boys roll past Burnt Hills on Senior Day

SPOTTED: Colonie boys roll past Burnt Hills on Senior Day

January 23, 2021
SPOTTED: Colonie girls bowling team loses nail biter to Schenectady

SPOTTED: Colonie girls bowling team loses nail biter to Schenectady

January 23, 2021
Albany man seen at BLM and Back the Blue protests arrested on weapon charges

Albany man seen at BLM and Back the Blue protests arrested on weapon charges

January 22, 2021
Albany County breaks hospitalization record; three more deaths

January on track to being the deadliest month in Albany County

January 22, 2021

Hot Stories This Week

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
POLL: 75 percent plan to get vaccinated; nearly half say Sen. Schumer will have a positive impact as majority leader

POLL: 75 percent plan to get vaccinated; nearly half say Sen. Schumer will have a positive impact as majority leader

January 20, 2021
Moriah Formica debuts new all-female band, Plush

Moriah Formica debuts new all-female band, Plush

January 22, 2021
Demolition of Tobin’s First Prize to start soon

Demolition of Tobin’s First Prize to start soon

January 21, 2021
Pair arrested after luring man to Colonie hotel and robbing him, allegedly

Pair arrested after luring man to Colonie hotel and robbing him, allegedly

January 18, 2021
SPOTTED: Colonie boys roll past Burnt Hills on Senior Day

SPOTTED: Colonie boys roll past Burnt Hills on Senior Day

January 23, 2021
SPOTTED: Colonie girls bowling team loses nail biter to Schenectady

SPOTTED: Colonie girls bowling team loses nail biter to Schenectady

January 23, 2021
Albany man seen at BLM and Back the Blue protests arrested on weapon charges

Albany man seen at BLM and Back the Blue protests arrested on weapon charges

January 22, 2021
Albany County breaks hospitalization record; three more deaths

January on track to being the deadliest month in Albany County

January 22, 2021
Spotlight News

Spotlight News, The Spot 518 and Capital District Family Now are divisions of Community Media Group, LLC. Our local offices are located at 341 Delaware Ave, Delmar, NY 12054. You can contact us at 518.439.4949.

Browse

Follow Us

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact the Editor
  • Employment
  • Our Team
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2021 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Spotlight On Business
    • Spotlight on Finance
  • Sports
  • The Spot 518
  • Hot Spots Calendar
  • Opinion
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
  • Classifieds
    • Advertiser Login

© 2021 Community Media Group, LLC - 341 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054. 518.439.4949