Meet The Mixologist: Chadwick Leger

Chadwick Leger is the beverage director at High Road DelicaTexan in Austin, TX.

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

I worked a few private bartending gigs at parties for a bit, but my first real bar gig was at a bar in Louisiana called Little Joe’s/Jackrabbit Lounge. I used to go there for shows and to hang because it was right around the corner from my house.

One evening, the bartender and manager got in a fight, and the bartender was fired. I looked up and mentioned I bartended, and she told me to show up for my first shift on Saturday at 8pm, right in the thick of everything. It was packed and I was nervous but luckily most of the folks I knew there were friends of mine.

I just remember one person kept ordering Cosmos, which at the time I had no idea how to make. I still hate that order to this day, probably because of that night. 

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

I really like working with amaros. A current favorite is Primo Aperitivo from Mexico City, made with grapefruit, rhubarb and hibiscus and sweetened with agave.

How have you developed your mix of approachable classics with playful original cocktails?

I do like to have fun with it. One of my favorite cocktails at High Road is a riff on a classic called the F.F.R.N.C. (Fancy F***in’ Rum & Coke), which is Zacapa rum, Averna, Montenegro and cola syrup garnished with cola gummies. Very fun and very tasty.

When I’m developing the cocktails, I think about the drinks I want to have when I go out — the flavor profile, a vibe that’s not too serious — and where I can add a touch of something different.

High Road, launched this past December, is an all-day café, deli, market and cocktail bar that opens at 8 a.m. What are people typically drinking in the morning?

We do mostly coffee and juices in the morning, but every once in a while, we get a Michelada or Bloody Mary order.

In general, what are some of the popular cocktails on the menu currently?

Our frozens kill here. We do a Big Red Margarita (made with Big Red soda, a Texas classic) and a Frozen Irish Coffee—both are delicious. Another popular cocktail is our Dilly Dilly Swag Martini, made with olive oil-washed Ketel One vodka, dill-soaked vermouth, house-made pickle juice, and chive oil.

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

I think a Boulevardier is a pretty perfect cocktail. I also love a Cuba Libre — it’s one of those drinks where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Would you share the recipe for one of the most popular cocktails at High Road, or one of your favorite drink recipes?

Here’s one for the F.F.R.N.C.

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