Meet Chilled Ambassador Alex McCutchen of The Patterson House in Nashville

Alex McCutchen has spent the last two decades in hospitality, building a career that bridges the creativity of the kitchen with the connection of the bar.

Photos by Victoria Quirk

After years of falling in love with cooking, he realized bartending offered something the back of house often couldn’t: direct interaction with guests. Cocktails became his medium, allowing him to cook, create, and immediately witness the joy his work brings. For Alex, bartending is the rare space where creativity and hospitality overlap.

He currently stands as a key figure in the legacy of The Patterson House, one of Tennessee’s most influential cocktail bars. When it opened in 2010, the craft cocktail movement had barely touched the state. The early menus were simple but purposeful, helping define what quality cocktails could be in the area. Over time, Alex and the team developed systems and styles that made the bar uniquely its own. A major influence on Alex’s development was longtime beverage director Matthew Tocco, whose minimalist, New York–style approach to consistency still forms the backbone of Alex’s cocktail philosophy. Every drink starts there, even if it evolves into something unexpected.

For at-home and novice bartenders, Alex emphasizes mastering the classics first: sours, Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Martinis, and Negronis. These templates teach balance and structure. He also encourages hands-on learning: buy an ingredient, experiment with it in different styles, and let repetition guide discovery. Vermouths, aperitifs, and amari are current favorites for their versatility and depth, with Pasubio standing out for its ability to move between fruit and herbal notes.

Looking ahead, Alex sees cocktail culture becoming more intentional. As guests drink less but demand more, quality will matter above all else. Low-ABV cocktails will continue to rise, and only bars committed to excellence will thrive. For McCutchen, the future of cocktails is thoughtful, balanced, and deeply personal.

This is a cocktail that was featured on our final menu at OG The Patterson House. I had the idea to do a riff within the Martinez/Manhattan realm that featured a childhood classic: celery, peanuts, and raisins, AKA, “Ants on a Log.” The resulting cocktail is strange but also delicious.

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