Lind G. Garcia has a long list of accomplishments including a Baking & Pastry Arts degree & Sommelier minor from Johnson & Wales University. Her first NYC cocktail bar opportunity was at Clover Club where she was their first-ever female bar back.
She went on to work at Mace, Blacktail & Tooker Alley. She is a ‘2019 Redcoat’ for Tales of the Cocktail & Camp Runamok Alum. She also won ‘Peoples Choice’ for best Clairin Haitian Rum cocktail. Most passionate about sugarcane Spirits, Linda currently has a Youtube channel Ron-Rhum-Rum(edu)cation, a company ‘Endless Paradise’ cocktail mixers and is currently working on the menu for Le Boudoir’s reopening.
Le Boudoir is a Marie Antoinette inspired speakeasy in Brooklyn designed after her private chambers at the Château de Versailles. Guests experience the Royal treatment starting with the entrance disguised by a bookshelf that is a replica of one from the late queen’s library, cocktails in silver-plated chalices, neoclassical paintings, lavished in plush red-velvet banquettes, & a hidden cave.
When did that Eureka moment happen when you realized your mission is to be a bartender?
It occurred overtime at The Dorrance once I saw what it took to be a bar back which included everything from prepping syrups, juices, to stocking and then jumping in to make the cocktails if it got very busy. In pastry I prepped and during service I combined all the ingredients together in the final plated dessert.Just like with pastry I felt like a bartending composer combining all of the flavorful components together as one. There is so much creativity & knowledge to discover and a rush from being in front of the guests while executing every element to provide a memorable experience.
What are the TOP 5 skills every bartender should have?
Sense of urgency, composure, cleanliness, passion to learn & patience to teach.And which cocktail is served in your version of heaven?
Anything with Rum or Mezcal.Which drink or cocktail would you say is way underrated? (And a tricky followup: Which one is the most overrated?)
Underrated I would say Rum Negroni’s with some aged Rum, they are especially delicious! Overrated, probably the aperol spritz.You come home, slide into something comfortable, and throw yourself on the couch. What's in your glass?
**Braulio Amaro on the rocks.What are the five essential ingredients every booze lover should have in their home bar?
Their favorite liquor, fresh fruit, a sweetener sugar or honey for example, herbs, and bubbles either club soda or sparkling Wine.Is there a favorite life hack you learned at your job?
Listen more than you speak, let your work speak for itself.What are your passions outside the world of Spirits?
Cooking, food inspires my cocktails. I also love bike riding and the beach.What would you be doing if you weren't a bartender?
Teacher for preschool or kindergarten. I love children and teaching.Fast-forward five years. Where do you see yourself?
Hopefully in the process of opening my own cocktail bar with a focus on tropical cocktails, sugarcane & agave Spirits.A Genie tells you to pick someone to fix a drink for; dead or alive, real or fictional. Who would it be?
I would fix a rum old fashioned for my grandmother in El Salvador, I haven’t seen her in years.
We give our featured bartenders the option to highlight a cause that needs support in these tough times and Linda chose Le Boudoir’s GoFundMe page. You can help out by following this link. You can also follow Linda on Instagram, and while you’re scrolling, check out Le Boudoir’s page.