Bartender Submission - Nicole Salicetti

NICOLE SAYS THAT watching the movie Cocktail inspired her bartending career. Though she saw it as a little kid, she thought bartending was super cool. All throughout college, she worked behind the bar, in pubs and nightclubs, and when it came time to graduate, she didn’t want to walk away from the industry.

Nicole currently tends bar at Panorama Room on Roosevelt Island. She says that while people don’t venture to the island for the cocktails, they stay for them. She does a lot of virtual cocktail hours for corporate events as well as private ones. Nicole says, “The virtual forum took off in the last two years for obvious reasons and it saved me when I had no bar to work in. I could walk my guests through creating cocktails from the other side of my computer in my home. I absolutely love it!”

When it comes to inspiration and influence, Nicole credits her husband Mason. “He has so much passion for the craft and is so talented. Watching him meticulously craft a cocktail of his own creation gives me a fresh love for what we do,” shares Nicole.

Nicole’s advice for new bartenders is to learn all the basics of every aspect of the job. She says that bartending is not just about making drinks; it’s about hospitality, teamwork, and understanding how a bar operates. “Always be humble and look to work with people who are more knowledgeable than you. And there always will be.”

Nicole Salicetti

Panorama Room New York City, New York

THE TANGY GILA MONSTER

INGREDIENTS 1 ½ oz. Nikka gin ¾ oz. salted lime blueberry lavender oleo ¼ oz. yuzu 2 oz. soda with a lavender tea spritz Candied shiso leaf (for garnish) PREPARATION Shake all ingredients and strain into highball over tall cube. Top with soda, spritz, and place candied Shiso leaf on top.