Behind the Bar with Johnny Welsh
Stories, skills, and spirits — served with a twist of humor.
More Than Just a Bartender
From mop boy to mixing drinks, every step shaped the bartender I became.
I got my first start as a mop boy after a year or two of bouncing at the front door of a college nightclub. Then I moved up to slop bucket kid, where I was allowed behind the bar and on my way to becoming a barback at a Syracuse University campus bar. I think I was nineteen years old at that time.
I was not allowed to pour any drinks, even if there was a line of customers and I was just standing there. The bartenders back then were territorial, and it was safer for my health not to step on any toes.
During the summers, I was waiting tables at the Linwood Country Club in South Jersey, where they let me behind the bar as the soda jerk, where I poured nothing but sodas.
Sometime after this, I started to get behind the bar and make drinks. It took years to become a bartender back then, and you had to have tough skin because competition was brutal. I did see many potential bartenders leave in the middle of a shift in tears, never to return.
There was no crying behind the bar. After making the cut, the rest became a life of glamour, forgotten names, late nights, and blurry lights!
Johnny’s Signature Mix
One part talent, two parts personality — Johnny’s recipe for a good time.
The Story Behind the Mix
I'd have to say my favorite drink recipe is one that I learned while bartending at Harry T's in Destin, Florida. It was a restaurant on the waterway, marina, and yacht club. I worked the main bar inside and out back on the dock in a little Rhum Bar (Rum cocktails).
We had a regular who would come in that looked exactly like a pirate from the 1800s, complete with ruffled shirts and piercings. We called him Pirate Dave.
Pirate Dave taught me his recipe for a Rum Runner.
There are hundreds of recipes for this drink; however, when you learn it from a guy who still sails the Caribbean and is called Pirate Dave, it's hard to beat!
Pirate Dave's Rum Runner
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1 oz light rum
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1 oz gold rum
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1/2 oz cream de banana liqueur
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1/2. oz raspberry liqueur
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fill with lemonade
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Build in a tall glass over the rocks
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Do not stir or shake.
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Add raspberry last for a swirl of color.
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Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice on a spear
Behind the Bar & Beyond
From pouring pints to sharing laughs — these snapshots capture the energy, people, and moments that make bartending more than just a job.
Pouring Stories
Early Birds Make Epic Shifts
No matter what the cost, show up early to your bar shift and get stocked up. Prep your way to an easy shift, which will translate into a fun adventure!
The Last Sip
Advice worth remembering... and a quote worth laughing at.
Advice for bartenders:
Learn to get comfortable asking, "What's in it?"
There are too many recipes for each named cocktail in this day and age—be ready to look it up.
My favorite way to ask is,
"How do you make it in your neck of the woods? I know of 17 different ways, but yours is the most important to me!"