Celebrate the Year of Vonnegut in Indy with 11 cocktails concocted by the city’s top mixologists. For 11 weeks, you’ll have the opportunity to try these Vonnegut-inspired cocktails.
For each drink, I sat down to catch up with the bartender who crafted it, asking him or her a series of questions about what inspired the drink. This week is a Q&A with Ryan Gullet from Bluebeard.
Where to Get It: Bluebeard
Who Created It: Ryan Gullett
Q: Can you give me some background on yourself? How long have you been in the food and drink industry, and what led you to get involved with ?Bluebeard?
A: I started bartending when I was 21 as a side job when I was home from touring. Since then, bartending has become my main line of work, and music has taken a back seat. I just had my 30th birthday, so that puts me right at nine years.
Q: What are you all about at Bluebeard?
A: We have a fantastic food menu that changes everyday, so that keeps it very interesting with a nice variety. Behind the bar, we have rotating seasonal cocktails, and a few that have been on since the opening menu, made with wonderful smaller batch spirits. We also have 10 rotating beers on draft, and a great rotating wine list, so there's always something new going on.
Q: Tell me about your Vonnegut drink? What all does it consist of?
A: My drink consists of laird's applejack, amaro montenegro, amaro di angostura, honey, lemon, and Apple Jack (cereal) cream with a sugar and Wheaties rim.
Q: How does the drink specifically tie to Vonnegut?
A: I pulled my inspiration from one novel. With the cereal cream and the Wheaties rim, it had to be named "Breakfast of Champions.”
Q: Does Vonnegut have any personal significance to you? If so, do you have a favorite work of his?
A: He has a significance to me because of my love for Indy, and Bluebeard being a Vonnegut reference. As for a favorite piece, I can't say that I have one.
Q: Does ?Bluebeard ever make other themed drinks like this? If so, what do you enjoy about coming up with them?
A: We have cocktails on the menu that are Vonnegut references, such as Jailbird and Galapagos. We've had many references come and go on and off the menu, as well. It's fun to use names of characters or novels, and kind of create something around them.