February 23, 2023
Behind the Stick: Steven Laws – Sea Level / The Cotton Room
Working two bars, mixologist creatively explores patrons’ tastes while maintaining speed and accuracy
Steven Laws behind the stick at Sea Level in Uptown Charlotte. TM Petaccia/UP
By TM Petaccia
“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 Steven Laws who works at two Uptown Charlotte spots: Sea Level NC and The Cotton Room. Relatively new to bartending, he has already made an impact, being named one of Diageo’s World Class Top 50 Bartenders in the USA for 2022. “It was a huge achievement for me and made a big difference in my career, especially as a young bartender,” Laws says.
Where are you from originally?
Statesville, N.C.
What got you into bartending?
Originally, I was in college at UNCC and was looking for a way to pay my rent and have money on the side for me and my wife (at that time girlfriend) to enjoy ourselves and travel. Bartending provided that.
What was your first restaurant/bar job?
Superica in South End. I started as a server and made my way to bartender. Kaleila Dula took over as bar manager and hired me a little after I turned 21, for which I am forever grateful. It changed my life.
How would you describe your bartending style?
Adaptive. Every bar is a little different, and every night is a little different.
Some nights are slower, take per se a Sunday at The Cotton Room. I can really dive into the personalities of my guests, and their particular tastes, and craft cocktails fit to their unique palate without them ever looking at the menu. Then there are the high volume nights, take a Friday. Those nights, we get packed. I set the vibe with the music (usually a 2000s rap and R&B playlist), turn the lights down low, and get myself in the right mindset. It’s high volume cocktail bartending, every drink needs to be on point, but also I need to move. It’s all about the energy, the efficiency, and the accuracy.
What spirit are you currently into right now?
Bourbon. I have a wide interest in a variety of spirits, but I always come back to bourbon. Recently I’ve been drinking Southern Star Paragon Cask Strength. What those guys and gals are doing up in Statesville is genius.
Do you have a particular approach or philosophy when creating a new cocktail?
I look at a cocktail as a story, a form of escapism. Usually before I ever create a cocktail I try to think of the story I’m trying to tell. Am I trying to whisk you away to an Italian countryside, or maybe to a voyage on the open seas?
For example, I made a cocktail called “The Wellerman” for Sea Level. “The Wellerman” is an old New Zealand sea shanty that tells about the voyage of a crew transporting sugar, tea, and rum back to the mainland while also trying to catch a whale. I made the cocktail with sugar, a spiced English breakfast tea, and a split base of butter-infused rum and Irish whiskey. We served it in whale tiki mugs. So, I took a story (in this case a song) and made it into a cocktail that told that story.
What Charlotte-area bars do you like to go to when you’re not on the clock?
Humbug: I love what Larry Suggs and Andrew Schools did with that concept, and I can’t wait to visit again when they reopen their permanent spot in a few months.
Fairweather: I typically would go late on a Monday, grab some oysters and enjoy a few drinks. My favorites on the menu are The Martini and La Dominicana.
Smokey Joes: Still my go-to dive bar. Miller High Life and a shot of Old Grandad.
What’s your favorite cocktail?
Paper Plane: quality bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, fresh lemon.
Recipe for the home bartender:
This was an original that I created for the Heaven Hill Bartender of the Year competition back in 2021, and it’s still a staple of mine, no matter what bar I’m at.
Elevated To Paradise
1.5 oz Wheated bourbon (Larceny recommended)
0.75 oz Domaine De Canton ginger liqueur
0.25 oz Green Chartreuse
3 dashes orange bitters (Regan’s recommended)
1 spritz Absinthe
In a rocks glass, spray or rinse with absinthe and add a large ice cube. In a cocktail mixing glass with ice, add the other ingredients. Stir until properly chilled (about 10 seconds), and strain into glass over the ice cube. Garnish with an expressed orange peel.
Cheers!
