GUEST SHIFT: ANDREW PATTERSON
Andrew Patterson, bar director at Milas in Schenectady | Photo: Victoria Sedefian/The Dishing
Andrew Patterson, mixologist and bar director at Milas in Schenectady, talks travel, dive bars, his favorite 90-year pub + finding culinary inspiration in the kitchen.
Interview: Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: Victoria Sedefian/The Dishing
Location: Milas, Schenectady, N.Y.
Read about Andrew’s Smoke on the Water 2.0 here and the PBJ-inspired Stuck in a Jam here.
Tastemaker: Andrew Patterson @instadrizz
Business: Milas Restaurant & Bar | IG @milasrestaurant518 | The Dishing review
Hometown: Troy, NY
Current city: Schenectady, NY
Personal style: Thrift store corduroys
Listening to: Philly pop punk/ 90’s hiphop/ a little of everything in between
Favorite spirit: American gin or some funky jamaican rum
Favorite classic cocktail: Daiquiri
Favorite bar or venue ever: @stir.saigon in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Biggest cocktail influence: Working around chefs everyday, Dave Arnold’s Liquid Intelligence
Drink trend that should end: Tiktok junglejuice. It’s just a bunch of fruit juice and soda to mask all the alcohol.
The Dishing talks with tastemakers in the hospitality industry + trailblazers at the intersection of food, culture + art. Today we talk with mixologist and bar director, Andrew Patterson, who apprenticed at the acclaimed rooftop Attic Bar in Kuala Lumpur, joined Milas from The Roosevelt Room, and is best known for his culinary sciences approach to craft cocktails.
Thanks for talking to The Dishing, Andrew! We’ve known each other for a while now and you’ve sometimes entertained my cocktail challenges. One was to incorporate foie gras into a cocktail. Can you describe what you made and the process?
I remember this! We spoke about the idea of a foie gras cocktail one night at The Roosevelt room and I told you eventually I would make it happen. I think it was a few months later, Chef Noah told me you were coming in that night so I got right to business. Chef had some leftover foie gras fat rendered down with aromatics that was perfect to get this done. The final product was called the Truffled duck. Foie gras fat washed bourbon, black truffle sous vide cognac, and orange bitters all stirred down and poured over a large clear cube. Garnished with seared foie gras and an apple buttered glass. This ended up being a special for New Years Eve, 12/31/23. A savory umami bomb!
Yes! It was so good! Okay, so you apprenticed at the experimental rooftop Attic Bar in Kuala Lumpur, (named one of the best cocktail bars by Time Out KL and one of Malaysia’s Top 30 Bars in 2022), and we often see you exploring international flavors in your cocktails. Can you connect the dots: How did you get into bartending? Did travel expand your mindset? What was it like working at Attic Bar?
After high school I went off to college for business administration in Syracuse. After 3 semesters I still didn’t find my path so I left and decided to move back to the Albany area. From there I worked in hotels and part time on a food truck outside the State Capitol building. When I left corporate hotels, I started at The Cuckoo’s Nest in Albany as a dishwasher. From there I cooked on the line, hosted, served, bartended and managed. Once they opened The Nest in Schenectady and sent me over to GM, I saw they had a much bigger, stocked bar and that cocktails were more prominent on the menu. Something really just sparked from there — I loved helping to make specials even though I wasn’t on staff as a bartender at the time. [Laughs]
As for travel, I guess I’d always had a passion for it and learning about countries through the history of their food. I’ve explored lots of Southeast Asia including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia. I love learning about new ingredients, flavor combos and techniques whether it’s from a tiny street food stall or a high end restaurant.
I originally had a flight leaving Vietnam back to Thailand. I met some friends over drinks who mentioned if I was ever in the KL area, they could hook me up with housing and stage at a couple bars. I took it very literally and ended up switching my flight. Three days later I was on a flight to Malaysia. It was super impromptu and on the spot but I’m glad I took the risk. The Attic bar was a really eye-opening experience. Almost all the ingredients on the menu were new to me and it was a lot to remember at once. I loved seeing the passion of the bartenders there. The vibe was a super fun dance/party type of bar, but the cocktails held a unique standard which I thought was awesome. After I proved myself behind the stick, they let me actually make a 5 drink menu that they promoted during my time there.
At The Roosevelt Room and Milas, you have shown a clear affinity for uniting kitchen ingredients and processes like fermenting, fat-washing and using a sous vide. What’s your approach to mixology and, maybe, your relationship with the kitchen?
I’ve never worked in a dive bar or sports bar – I have always worked in places that really focus on the food being delicious. So out of respect for that, I want the drinks to be as tasty and thought-out as the food. I learned lots of techniques from being in the kitchen over the years as well as books like Liquid Intelligence and the Noma Guide to Fermentation. It all finds its way in.
A signature drink that has been on the menu at Milas since the start is the Greek-influenced Tropical Tzatziki, a gin-based cocktail that started out as a milk punch clarified with Greek yogurt. Can you describe the inspiration and how or why you modified it from its early version?
Yeah, for our first Milas pop up dinner at The Nest we wanted to showcase a unique welcome cocktail for our guests. I always liked the challenge of turning a food/ingredient into something that can be poured into a glass. We served it as a clarified cocktail for ease of making 30 at once and it was delicious. Greek yogurt specifically has the whey removed from it which gives texture and tang so I was curious if just shaking a bar spoon in with the cocktail would boost these features in the drink. It worked perfectly and the rest was history. That was our first cocktail loaded up on the list.
When did you decide that hospitality is where you wanted to be as a career? What does hospitality mean to you?
I started off originally in corporate hotels in 2014. I loved getting to know the guests and having business regulars. I like the hospitable feeling of being a part of someone's life that really makes their day or something that they look forward to. After putting in 3 years and climbing the ladder it wasn't as fulfilling as it once was so I looked for another path but knew I wanted to stay in the hospitality field.
It seems at this point that you are practically family with the Ziemanns! Having worked with Devin and Kaytrin at The Cuckoo’s Nest and The Nest, you were involved with Milas from the start, long before its opening. I know that somehow you ended up sleeping in the unfinished restaurant for a month? What’s the story there?!
It was a week from opening and we had our final fire inspection. Our beautiful greenery art piece that hangs over the bar was blocking one fire sprinkler that made it impossible for us to pass and be able to open. The two options given to us were to wait for a sprinkler extender and postpone opening day or if someone was willing to stay in the building everyday overnight to be on fire watch then we could open. That guy was me - [laughs] - which was supposed to be 2 or 3 nights but ended up being 27 days on an air mattress. My alarm clock was the produce being delivered through the front door every day. It’s a story that will always make me laugh and I'd do it again if I had to! (Well, maybe…)
You have prominent tattoos on your arms and hands. Any backstories to them?
Both my parents had tattoos growing up so it was kind of inevitable I’d want them one day. I usually try to get one during a trip as a way to remember the time and always have a story to look back at. I have a croc on my arm from my first trip to NOLA and some lizards from my trip to Vietnam. I even have the Left Hook cocktail from Milas’ menu tattooed on my hand [laughs.] It’s one of my favorite Manhattan variations to date.
A few years ago, there was a fresh focus on the role of quality mixers like Fevertree tonic, and more recently the focus has been on ice as a critical element in cocktails. But, there’s also a lot of moaning about the unfairness of expensive cocktails when a large cube takes up so much space in the glass. What do you wish people understood about the role of large ice in mixology?
People often get the misconception that the more ice you get, the less alcohol is in the glass. Every drink has a recipe and no one is trying to rip you off! Don’t you want your Old Fashioned to taste the same first sip to last? Large ice melts more slowly so there’s less dilution. We use the best clear from Twin Lakes Ice in Hudson, NY (no, not sponsored!) to ensure no drinks are watered down before you can enjoy. Ice is a big part of the game now and I'm happy to see more and more bars utilizing quality ice.
Do you have a stand-out favorite cocktail you have created to date? What’s something you’d like to create that you haven’t quite featured out yet?
The Queen of Sheba is our brown butter pistachio & fig manhattan at Milas. It’s easily our number one seller and just hits the spot every time. I have an awesome apple parfait “soda” in the works that I’m really excited about. It’s going to feature apple brandy, white vermouth, granola and acid solution. It will be clarified with Greek yogurt then force carbonated making a beautiful bubbly highball. Crushable!
With people drinking less, what’s your approach to offering non-alc or low-ABV options?
I love the idea of split-based cocktails - like the 50/50 margarita - using half main spirit and half vermouth so you can enjoy more than one without it being too strong. We make a rotating shrub for our mocktails as well. Our current is strawberry, guava and jalapeno that we mix up with sugar, salt, champagne vinegar and club soda. Super bright and tasty!
Restaurants and bars are still reporting less foot traffic since 2020 as well as trends towards earlier dining, along with the closure of late night clubs. What do you see as the future for bars? I think bars specifically have to adapt to their environment. Super pretentious cocktail bars normally won't survive in the same place a dive bar might thrive. I think it's about finding the balance of having a laid back welcoming space and still offering crafted drinks for your guests.
You grew up in Troy. What are some of your childhood memories of food whether that was homecooking, entertaining or places your family frequently went?
I kind of got lucky here. My mother made a delicious home cooked dinner every night. My father would eat out at restaurants for every meal, so I was able to get the best of both worlds [laughs]. I remember eating racks of ribs at 10-years old at the old South End Tavern in Troy (Marty Burkes, IYKYK.) I was definitely a spoiled diner.
If friends come to visit, what are 3 of your favorite spots in the Hudson Valley or Capital Region for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
We are going to The Nest (Schenectady) for brunch, Taiwan Noodle (Albany’s Central Ave) for lunch, Ralph’s Tavern (Central Ave, Albany) for dinner (bar seats only). These places all have a special place in my heart.
[Ed. note: Ralph’s Tavern has been continuously open since 1933 — and maybe earlier during Prohibition.]
Other than Milas, where’s the best place in the 518 to get a martini? Best spot for an Old Fashioned? And the most likely to serve a well-balanced signature cocktail?
OK, for a martini, Hamlet & Ghost (Saratoga Springs,) an Old Fashioned at Backstage Pub (Schenectady,) and for a house signature cocktail, 353 bar in Troy.
I know you often head down to the city for R+D. Where do you most often find your inspiration?
I’m all over the map with this one. I'm always looking for the odd flavor combo, something new to me. Some of my favorites are Katana Kitten, Bar Mogi, Fish Cheeks, Dead Rabbit and Bandits.
Imagine an ideal night out. If you could go anywhere in the world with no limits on costs or reservations, where would you go and how would the night unfold?
Probably Singapore. They have numerous restaurants/bars that rank in the World’s Best lists. On my list for drinks is Jigger & Pony, Nutmeg & Clove, Native. For food I’m hitting Burnt Ends for top notch bbq and probably Labyrinth for the Singaporean seafood tasting menu. Then we wander to fun dive bars.
Are you working on anything that we might see on a future cocktail list?
I have been experimenting with caramelizing the sugars in different liquids to give more depth of flavor. We do this by using the sous vide at a high temp for an extended period of time (40-50 hours.) We will make cordials or syrups out of these so expect something cool soon!
Thanks for talking to us, Andrew!
For a taste of one of Andrew’s signature cocktails, check out Smoke On The Water 2.0. and the utterly mad but delicious PBJ and satay-inspired Stuck In A Jam.
