Meet The Mixologist: Taylor Johnson 

Taylor Johnson is sommelier and beverage director at Echelon Kitchen & Bar in Ann Arbor, MI.

What was your first job in the beverage or hospitality industry?

My first industry job was at my dad’s restaurant — though I was 13, I assisted the pastry department and would finish the creme bruleé during service. My first beverage-focused position was bartending at The Corner Charcuterie Bar in Baltimore, MD. It was the first opportunity I had to create cocktails, taking a deep dive into learning spirits and all the classics.

It was here that I also gained a deep interest in wine, which led me down the path of Sommelier Certification through the CMSA (Court of Master Sommeliers Americas). The Corner Bar has since closed, but the impression it left upon me seasons my hospitality and craft to this day.  

What is your favorite spirit to work with at the moment?

I really enjoy working with vermouths and fortified wines as components in cocktails that are lower ABV while also having deep, layered flavor profiles and aromatics. I love highlighting delicate flavor profiles by playing with proportions in classic cocktails, such as leading with vermouth in a gin martini to highlight the botanicals in the base spirit.  

Echelon Kitchen & Bar was designed as a love letter to the state through hyper-local sourcing and a “root to stem” philosophy—how do you extend that concept to the bar? 

I have been very inspired by our culinary team to curate a beverage program that is both hyper-local and seeded with intention. We feature Detroit City Distillery as our house spirits, prompting a dialogue with our guests about highlighting quality producers within our state while also having world representation on our menus.

Other Michigan distilleries include Two James Distillery (Detroit), Ann Arbor Distilling Co. (Ann Arbor), Long Road Distillers (Grand Rapids) and Bitter Tom’s (Rochester Hills), to name a few. Our wine list proudly features many Michigan producers that focus on Michigan-grown grapes, which extends into the curations chosen for beer, cider and mead. 

How does it work sharing ingredients with the kitchen?

We are in the constant pursuit of collaborating with the kitchen and utilizing the bounty of produce and ingredients featured on our menus. We have a seasonal garden syrup that features snap peas for the spring, switches to cucumbers in the height of summer, and likely a fennel base in the fall/winter.

Guiding these changes on seasonal availability allows us to utilize what is being featured in the kitchen, reducing waste as well. Most recently, the kitchen provided us with a house-made vegetable molasses that is made from cooking down every vegetable scrap until it yields a complex, sweet syrup seasoned with rich umami character — think coconut-aminos with caramel…it’s delicious. 

What drinks do you see guests enjoying or asking for these days?

There’s been a lot of interest in savory cocktails featuring more subtle characters than the punchy profiles of my early bartending career. Our house Martini features Joto junmai sake, which makes for a silky texture and a slight vegetal note. As a bar team, we have been discussing how to include more savory cocktails that highlight unique ingredients like cabbage, tomatillo and summer corn. 

What’s your current go-to cocktail or beverage? 

I currently am obsessed with tarragon as an ingredient, and the off-dry, herbal character it lends when infused into vermouth. I started messing around with tarragon infusions years ago, and love how it performs in a white Negroni alongside Saler’s and Watershed’s 4 Peel Gin.

Would you share a recipe for one of the most popular at your bar, or one of your favorite drinks?

Here’s one for the Tarragon cocktail.

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