by TM Petaccia

Larisa Yanicak manages the bar at The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar in Dilworth. TM Petaccia/UP

The term “Behind the stick” originally comes from taphouses, as in pulling the draft beer taps, but has been adapted over the years as an industry-wide term for who is working the bar. This series profiles working bartenders in the Charlotte area to learn a bit more about them and what you can expect when they are behind the stick.

This week, we spoke with Larisa Yanicak, Bar Manager at The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar in Dilworth. In a few short years, she has earned a reputation for a solid palate as well as unquestionable skills. “It’s been a wild ride and I’m grateful for every experience I’ve had along the way, but my career isn’t my entire personality and I really love the person I am both at and outside of work,” she says.

Where are you from originally?
Hillsborough, N.J.

What got you into bartending?
I was in culinary school getting my bachelor’s in business and took a spirits and mixology class and just wanted to know more about them.

What was your first restaurant/bar job?
First restaurant job was as a hostess at Hickory Tavern in Mooresville; my first official bar job was O-Ku in Charlotte.

How would you describe your bartending style?
I like to read people and understand how they want to be served. I give a fine dining experience with a laid back and quirky personality.

What spirit are you currently into right now?
That’s tough. I feel like I taste a lot of different things constantly for my job, but I did just recently enjoy The Dalmore 12-year Sherry Cask scotch. The sherry cask and Dalmore offers those beautiful fruit forward notes with a touch of peat.

Do you have a particular approach or philosophy when creating a new cocktail?
I take a “does this make sense?” approach. For example, utilizing ingredients that the kitchen would normally use in their dishes. Or in my current case, what pairs well with cigars or makes sense for our members to enjoy.

What Charlotte-area bars do you like to go to when you’re not on the clock?
Fairweather: They hooked me in with their Martini Mondays. They make a gin martini exactly how I like it.

The Vintage: I love coming into work on a day off to enjoy a cigar or sit on our patio. It’s pretty and it’s quiet.

Tyber Creek: My main watering hole.

What’s your favorite cocktail?
Currently I’m obsessed with a good wet martini. A 2:1 ratio of gin to good vermouth has a chokehold on me.

Recipe for the home bartender
Yanicak created this cocktail specifically to pair with San Cristobal Quintessence, a medium-to-full strength cigar from Nicaragua with an Ecuadorian wrapper. The assertive and spicy notes of the drink stand up to the boldness of the cigar.

Close, But No Cigar
1 oz. Old Forester 100 bourbon
1 oz. Plantation dark rum
½ oz. Amaro Nonino
½ oz. coffee liqueur
¼ oz. cinnamon syrup*
2 dashes tiki bitters (Bittermens recommended)

Combine ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass with ice. Stir and strain into and serve in a Nick and Nora glass (can also use a martini glass or coupe). Garnish with expressed orange peel.

*Cinnamon Syrup
8 oz water
8 oz. white sugar
2 cinnamon sticks (each about 3-4 inches long)

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring the pan to a simmer over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved . Continue lightly simmering for about two minutes. Remove from heat and steep for about 20 minutes. Remove sticks and cool. Store in the refrigerator. Lasts about one week.

Cheers!

Check out our other Behind the Stick bartender profiles.