The Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show returns to Las Vegas this week, with the conference set for the Convention Center March 7-9 and tons of nightlife and networking events spread over three days.
The show will also include an awards ceremony where national honorees in the 2016 Nightclub & Bar Awards will be presented with their prizes. That list includes Vegas’ own Nectaly Mendoza, proprietor of Herbs & Rye and this year’s Bartender of the Year. We caught up with Mendoza to talk about the award, the bar scene and what makes a special bartender.
What does the Bartender of the Year award mean to you? Any time there’s an award it’s never about one person, it’s huge for our team and for our city. I’m nothing without my team and these guys really push hard to make sure everything around them shines. To me, it’s a huge honor to be acknowledged. It always feels good to win something but from Nightclub & Bar, it’s a big deal. I’m just proud of everybody.
You’re also doing a seminar at this week’s convention. I’m doing a private seminar at Herbs & Rye on hospitality and the art of expressing yourself behind the bar. Probably a group of 50 people.
That sounds like it’s less about making drinks and more about taking care of people. Our main focus is to allow people to understand there’s more than just the knowledge and the geeky stuff that goes into being a bartender. You have to have personality, and most importantly, a sense of care and passion behind the bar, to really thrive in this industry. It’s about hospitality, not hostile-tality, which is the [trend] of bartenders being really aggressive and trying to outshine each other, as opposed to making sure your guests feel 100 percent welcome. It’s about showing how your business will thrive through your passion.
Is that competitive mindset a problem in the industry? I think it’s just different stages of bartenders. At first, you’re happy to be there, then you learn a little something and some people tend to show off, maybe get a little cocky with it. Sometimes people cover up what service really is with what they consider to be the best. A great cocktail is a great cocktail, but it’s simply the garnish on the experience we’re providing. Do the best food and the best cocktails make the best bar? Absolutely not. It’s the way you treat people, and sometimes people get confused about that because they have 60 bottles of Amaro or they’re hiding behind their nice tools. I’m all about carrying amazing products and geeking out, but at the end of the day, we’re not building rocket ships here. We’re creating memories. The right people at the right time in the right room can create magic … if you actually care.
Herbs & Rye is definitely considered one of those magical places. What other bars in Las Vegas are creating that level of experience? Banger Brewing Downtown, though they just serve beer, is an amazing place with a great crew and they’ve created something of a cult following. Oak & Ivy—they do geek out a bit but they’re a great group of people. It’s about finding the right bartenders in this city, the ones who care. Atomic Liquors is a great place where you always have a good time because the bartenders are amazing. Isaiah [Thornton] over at Vanguard Lounge, he’s amazing. He’s one of the most educated, but what shines through is his personality. Those places are definitely on my list.
