Get to Know Chilled 100 Bartender, Amber Archer

Amber Archer was inspired to pursue bartending after realizing, as a 20-year-old floor manager, that she lacked bartending skills due to her age, which motivated her to learn about classic cocktails.

She began bartending immediately after turning 21 and developed a passion for the beverage industry. Amber began her career at Angele, a rustic French restaurant known for its extensive selection of French spirits.

“The most unique aspect of the restaurant is the excellent selection of Calvados, cognacs, Armagnacs, pastis, and other French liqueurs and spirits.”

The variety of offerings will allow her to provide guests unique sensory experiences they may not encounter elsewhere.

Chilled chats more with Amber about her time behind the stick.

Who has been most influential in your development as a bartender?

Ahhh, most definitely a past owner/chef! I can’t say that I liked him or even care for him now based on his attitude, but he taught me many things I still hold near to me this day. Chef was admittedly very knowledgeable about the beverage world as well as cooking and brought me into the world of cross-utilization within the kitchen, as we had many unique and fresh ingredients at the time. It taught me many things about sustainability within a cocktail program. He also taught me the importance of cleaning up after each cocktail was made while always ensuring that the bar was spotless and that each cocktail was rang in. I know these lessons sound very commonplace, but at 21, these lessons are what taught me how to be a great bartender beyond a good bartender.

Do you have any advice for novice and at home bartenders?

Absolutely! Don’t watch influencer Youtube crap about cocktails, read books by reputable authors and beverage folk. Get your golden ratio down for cocktails, make the classics well, and have fun with your own takes–it’s all trial by error. Ask your friends to try your drinks. My personal rule on whether a drink is amazing or not is if I would choose to have two of the same drink. If I only have one, it’s simply good.

What is your favorite ingredient right now and why?

I really enjoy Santa Cruz’ pear juice, or pear nectar as they call it, integrated into a simple syrup. This is definitely a go-to for me at the house because it’s a great supplemental ingredient to pair with many spirits. Otherwise, I’ve been really enjoying lemon verbena in various ways (versatile with all spirits as a garnish/ingredient, etc., but incredibly lovely in a hot toddy).

How do you go about creating a cocktail? Is there a specific process or simply a moment of inspiration?

In evaluating a single spirit and admiring its flavors, I will often become most inspired then spur of the moment and want to start riffing around with ingredients that I think will complement the spirit itself. Otherwise, I usually become most inspired and inventive after procrastinating submitting cocktails for a new seasonal list as the pressure really motivates me!

Do you have a special technique you use or a tip for making a particular drink?

People may be familiar with the method but be unaware of the name: the Fibonacci sequence. I will always use this technique in creating aesthetic garnishes for cocktails.

Where do you see the bartending/cocktail culture headed?

I think it would be a very obvious answer if I were to answer, “Towards more non-alcoholic selections!”. So, what I’ll say is, is that after viewing several high-end restaurants closing down shop because their business model is unsustainable, I will hope that cocktail culture/bartending will follow suit and become less pretentious and focus on stead-worthy presentation, ingredients, and methods. I believe that the simplest steps can create the best experience, as long as there is structure and balance. Then again, I may be jaded since I just watched The Menu last night.

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