There’s No Drink Without ‘Ink’: Bartender Tattoos

INK NO DRINKThere’s Without

Ahhhh bartending; one of the few jobs where showing your tatts loud and proud isn’t just accepted, but often encouraged. Maybe it’s due to the wealth of creatives that end up behind the bar, or maybe it’s all part of the showmanship of being a bartender, but there definitely something about bartending and tattoos going hand-in-hand. We chatted to a few bartenders, experts and up-and-coming stars alike, about their tatts, how they inspire them and why they think bartenders just love getting inked.

MAX GRECO

OWNER OF VASCO, SYDNEY

DRINKS WORLD: How would you describe your overall tattoo style? Does this mirror your bartending style?

MAX GRECO: My first tattoo was done in 1995 on my upper right arm - it’s of a witch holding a sphere. None of my friends had any tattoos at that stage, so it felt good to be unique.

My tattoos are mostly based on my feelings and art styles I like, with only a few of them expressing a specific meaning.

DW: Do you feel like your tattoos add to your bartending persona? If so, how?

MG: I don’t really ascribe to the belief that tattoos give you any extra power, to be honest. My persona while I am behind the bar comes from my roots; it’s from the inside, not from my ink.

DW: Why do you think, so often, bartenders and tattoos go hand-in-hand?

MG: These days, it’s almost impossible to see a bartender without tatts. I guess the fact that we are always on a stage of sorts behind the bar - often shirtless, loose and loud - makes us look at ourselves and go, “Maybe I should get a tattoo on my arm…” As they say, once you start, you never stop.

DW: What first made you decide to get inked?

MG: Honestly, I was in Amsterdam for the Christmas break. Different rules apply when you’re in that city… I passed a lot of tattoo parlours and thought, “Why not?” When I thought about it more though, I felt a bit uneasy about the hygiene in some of these places, so as soon as I landed back in Italy I went to see a mate who had just started tattooing. I picked a piece and it’s still on me today.

DW: Which of your tattoos has the best story behind it? Could you tell us the story?

MG: It’s got to be my Dave Grohl (from the Foo Fighters) guitar tattoo on the left side of my body. He’s my favourite rock musician, and his songs and live shows have been a real inspiration for me. About 10 years ago, I decided it was time to pay my respects to the man, so I called my tattoo artist and had it done.

Five years ago, I had the immense pleasure of meeting Dave. We had a little chat, took a photo together and that was that.

DW: Do any of your tattoos have drinks related stories/themes? If so, could you tell us the story?

MG: Well, I love tequila and pirates, so I have a tattoo of Espolòn’s Ramon the Rooster jumping over an agave plant and another one of a pirate with a bottle of rum. Classic…

NATHAN FORD

OWNER OF OLD FASHIONED EVENTS

DW: How would you describe your overall tattoo style? Does this mirror your bartending style?

NATHAN FORD: I think ‘unique’ is the best descriptor. My tattoos tell the story of my life and travel experiences. I believe it does mirror my bartending style, as I love to talk about memories of my travels and share stories with drinks I have learnt.

DW: Do you feel like your tattoos add to your bartending persona? If so, how?

NF: Definitely! They’re clean and unique, just like the drinks I strive to create. I want both my tattoos and my drinks to have a unique twist and design to them.

DW: Why do you think, so often, bartenders and tattoos go hand-in-hand?

NF: It’s all about expression. Marking a moment with a good drink or ink on your skin. We are creative people, and this shows with our tattoos, drink making, garnishes and customer experiences.

DW: What first made you decide to get inked?

NF: I wanted to have a timeline that I could share with people that relays the places and experiences I’ve had in the world so far.

DW: Which of your tattoos has the best story behind it? Could you tell us the story?

NF: My arm for sure! It’s cover in Polaroids of every place I have travelled. There are so many stories in the one tattoo, so people often stop and want to talk to me about it.

DW: Do any of your tattoos have drinks related stories/themes? If so, could you tell us the story?

NF: Not yet, but I’m planning a prohibition style whisky tattoo inspired by my Old Fashioned events business and love of whisky!

MARTIN LANGE

OWNER OF COBBLER AND SAVILE ROW, BRISBANE

DW: How would you describe your overall tattoo style? Does this mirror your bartending style?

MARTIN LANGE: I have a strong Japanese influence across all my tattoos, and it does mirror my cocktail making process when bartending.

DW: Do you feel like your tattoos add to your bartending persona? If so, how?

ML: Definitely. I guess it’s a way to start conversation with guests and inspires me to open up to them, as some of my tattoos have quite a personal meaning.

DW: Why do you think, so often, bartenders and tattoos go hand-in-hand?

ML: I think it has to do with creativity and the fact that we are always in the ‘spotlight’ when we are behind the bar. Tattoos speak a lot about your personality.

DW: What first made you decide to get inked?

ML: For me, it’s always been about recording what I am experiencing at a certain point in my life. I got my first tattoo at 16, and looking back I was a very different person then.

DW: Which of your tattoos has the best story behind it? Could you tell us the story?

ML: I would say my right arm sleeve. It’s a dragon fighting a tiger, in true Japanese style. The dragon in Japanese culture represents fluidity of motion and energy, like water, and the tiger represents aggression and rigidity. They are quite opposites, so I got them to represent the different aspects of my personality and the contrasting experiences of my life.

DW: Do any of your tattoos have drinks related stories/themes? If so, could you tell us the story?

ML: I don’t currently have any drinks related tattoos.

MADDY WHITE

BARTENDER AT POCKET PIZZA, SYDNEY

DW: How would you describe your overall tattoo style? Does this mirror your bartending style?

MADDY WHITE: I’m still in the early stages of planning and booking most of my tattoos, but all the pieces I’m designing are going to be pretty eclectic. I want to stay true to the concept and styles that I feel best illustrate the message I want to convey for each individual tattoo. In a way, that does reflect my bartending style, in that I like doing things in a way that showcases the products I’m using clearly while also being a bit left of centre. Make people do a double take!

DW: Do you feel like your tattoos add to your bartending persona? If so, how?

MW: I think my heart and spoon piece in particular has helped solidify that persona. It’s a piece I wanted for a few years, and getting it really made me realise just how deep my passion is for the industry. It also helps make people take the little girl behind the bar a bit more seriously when she’s telling them they’ll enjoy what she’s making!

DW: Why do you think, so often, bartenders and tattoos go hand-in-hand?

MW: I think, in part, it’s because it’s such a creative and progressive industry. Everyone does their own thing and is respected for it. I think that has helped build a scene where people are who they are, regardless of what anyone thinks. As such, it became normalised to have teams of tattooed and pierced people. It’s almost like an inevitable part of being in the industry now.

DW: What first made you decide to get inked?

MW: I’ve wanted tattoos since I was 13 or 14. They seemed this amazing way to show the world who you are through art, and also to have subtle reminders of things that are important to you.

There’s something about sitting and watching something being inked into your skin that’s really affirming. Especially when it’s related to a really hard time in your life that you’ve gotten over, or an end goal you were working towards.

Then there’s the great way that having visible tattoos seems to weed out all the judgmental oxygen thieves. They come, tell you they don’t approve of your ‘lifestyle choices’ and then leave. It saves a lot of time, rather than finding out what they’re really like later.

DW: Which of your tattoos has the best story behind it? Could you tell us the story?

MW: I really like the story behind my first tattoo, and it probably has the most meaning for me.

The first tattoo I ever got was the elephant on my wrist, and it was a bit of a split second decision when I was 18. I had a major breakthrough with some serious mental health issues while I was living in India for six months.

At the time I was fresh out of high school and suffering with anxiety and a pretty toxic relationship. I had a dissociative disorder, where nothing ever seems real. That changed while I was travelling around with some other volunteers, and saw the biggest elephant of my life just casually strolling down a main road with his handler. It kind of snapped me out if it when I touched him. In that moment, I realised just how far away from home I was and how I’d managed to get myself there, despite everything I’d been through.

I got the tattoo from a little shop in Darjeeling as soon as we got back to our ‘base’, and it has always been a reminder not to lose myself to a situation like that again. It also shows me that if I can manage to travel through a hectic place like India while dealing with all of that sh*t, I can do anything.

DW: Do any of your tattoos have drinks related stories/themes? If so, could you tell us the story?

MW: My heart and spoon tattoo is definitely a ‘bartenders’ tattoo. It is a showcase of how I want this to be my career, and I want to flesh it out to eventually be a pretty solid ½ to full arm piece relating to my favourite spirits and drinks. The spoon had to be included, because in the place where I got my first real cocktail job we had this ridiculous way of storing the trident spoons with the spikes up in a container in the ice well.

It got to the point where no one was really considered part of the team until you’d accidentally speared yourself with a trident in the well. It was always pretty knarly pulling it out of your fist/arm. We never thought to just spin them around and have the spikes out of harms way, though!