Featured Bartender: Jose Cordeo | Bartender.com

December 31, 2024

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From Riverdale to Fort Lee: My Journey Behind the Bar

Featured Bartender: Jose Cordeo

My journey as a bartender began fully by likelihood within the Riverdale part of the Bronx. On the time, I used to be working as a server at a neighborhood restaurant when, out of the blue, the house owners requested me to open the subsequent day because the bartender. Naturally, I stated sure—I’ve at all times been the kind to leap at a possibility to select up additional shifts. However I used to be sincere with them: I had zero bartending expertise. They reassured me, saying all I needed to do was arrange the bar, and if I received caught, there was a cheat sheet behind the bar with all of the cocktail recipes.

The following morning, I confirmed up and did my greatest to arrange the bar. To my shock—and the house owners’—the restaurant was packed that day. I had no thought what I used to be doing. I used to be placing mojitos in rocks glasses, piña coladas in margarita glasses—you title it. It was chaotic, however one thing clicked for me. That day sparked a fireplace inside me, even when I didn’t understand it totally on the time.

Quick ahead a couple of years, I had moved to New Jersey and was serving to out with my spouse’s uncle’s non-public waiter enterprise. Throughout a child bathe occasion, they wanted a bartender on the final minute. With solely two of us working the occasion, I volunteered to step up. I figured I had some bartending expertise, even when it was a bit rusty. That night time was a turning level. It jogged my memory of how a lot I cherished being behind the bar.

After that occasion, I made a decision to take bartending significantly. I signed up for a bartending course to refresh my expertise and construct a stable basis. Quickly after, I acquired a non-public message on Fb about a gap at a brand new Mexican restaurant in Wallington, NJ. I went for the interview, received the job, and the remainder is historical past. I began as a server however rapidly transitioned to the bar, the place I constructed a loyal following of regulars.

Then COVID-19 hit. It was a difficult time, however we made it work with out of doors eating. Throughout that interval, I used the connections I had constructed on the restaurant to launch my very own non-public bartending enterprise. At first, I did a couple of free events to get the phrase out, however quickly, enterprise began to take off.

In 2023, a pal of mine who owns a Mexican restaurant reached out to me. He was opening his third location in Fort Lee and wanted assist throughout the launch week. I instructed him I’d do one higher—I’d be his head bartender. Since then, I’ve spent the previous yr and a half constructing one thing superb in Fort Lee. I’ve had the chance to work with unimaginable manufacturers and meet some superb folks alongside the way in which.

Trying again, I by no means imagined that saying “sure” to a random bartending shift in Riverdale would lead me right here. Bartending has turn into greater than a job for me—it’s a ardour. Whether or not I’m crafting a cocktail, operating a non-public occasion, or connecting with friends, I’m at all times reminded why I really like this business.

You could find Jose Cordeo bartending at any of those three nice bars and restuarants:

El Asadero Mexican Grill (Mondays)
2052 Hudson Avenue, Fort Lee, NJ 07024