Some folks assume that classic cocktails and the bars that serve them are intimidating – and let’s be honest, they can be. While the novelty of confident, mustachioed barkeeps in suspenders is appealing to a certain crowd, this modern spin on pre-prohibition bars can also make newcomers to the scene feel like, well, newcomers. Which isn’t always the most comfortable feeling.
Enter: Joe Peppercorn, bartender, father, musician, and classic cocktail enthusiast, on a mission to revolutionize the way we drink. You might recognize Joe as the guy who plays every Beatles song ever once a year at KOBO. Or maybe you’ve seen him pushing baby strollers around Grandview in his “dad outfit,” pictured above. If you’re lucky, you recognize him from behind the beautiful wooden bar at Curio in German Village.
Joe can take a person from an appletini to a dry gin martini. A whiskey and Coke to a Manhattan, up. A gin and tonic to a nice, smoky Negroni. All in a matter of minutes. How does he perform this bartender wizardry, you ask? I think it’s simple – he’s got good conversation, he’s unassuming, and he genuinely cares about the experience that’s created with each drink he serves. That’s why he was voted Best Bartender by Drink Up readers. That’s why he’s my first official #bartendercrush in over a year. He isn’t selling booze, he’s giving you a reason for you to remember your experience. And I think that’s lovely.
**All curse words have been removed from this article in respect to Joe Peppercorn’s mother. Per his request.
Age: 32
Years behind bar: working in bars for 10 years, behind bar for 6
Hood: Grandview
Hobbies: Playing the church organ, writing music, being Mr. Mom.
Current Beverage/Band/Book: Negroni. Elvis Costello, Guided By Voices, Shubert, Mozart, Tim Hardin, Pernese Brothers. For Whom The Bell Tolls.
Favorite person in Columbus: Travis Owens, owner of Curio.
Kelly Laine: Tell me about yourself.
Joe Peppercorn: I grew up in Columbus, Arlington area. Got married in 2003 and we’ve been in Grandview ever since. I have a band called The Whiles and we had some big things on the horizon back then, but stopped touring. I’ve been lucky to find something I loves besides music to pay the bills.
KL: What do you love about bartending? Wait, are you a “mixologist”?
JP: Bartender. We don’t do the word “mixologist” here.
The old style of bartending I did was beer and shots. I didn’t really think it was a career that I would continue. At Tree Bar (FKA Andyman’s Treehouse), Outland, Kobo. Outland was crazy, there was this urban dance party I used to work every Friday called Traxx, with two X’s. You’ve heard of it. That was not the highlight of my bartending career. There was a drink called Blue Motherf*cker (Mother Peppercorn – Joe didn’t say the F word, promise!) I made those and long islands. But I don’t know… if drinks were a band, then a muddled blackberry mojito would be The All American Rejects. I understand why people like it, but this is not great. Then I came to Curio before I started working here. I developed a taste for the classic cocktail. I wasn’t into the curled mustache thing, but I really loved the drinks. I felt like bartending was a really good way to bridge with other people, because a drink is only as good as the experience you have while drinking it. Life is temporary and we should enjoy it, and that’s what it’s all about.
People have been drinking very poorly for a long time, but it’s not their fault. You can’t get a good cocktail at most bars. The vodka thing is, in a certain sense befuddling, and it’s a huge hurdle for us. We dig the local vodkas here because you can taste the wheat, the earth. That’s a singular experience. The food next door (at Harvest Pizzeria) is so honest, that when people come to Curio, I feel like they want an honest drink. In a perfect world, every dive would be able to make a Negroni. Because then I could get a Negroni at every bar.
KL: So vodka is almost like fast food. It’s an easy choice.
JP: Yeah, and it’s no one’s real fault, it’s just a cycle. If they only eat Big Macs, it’s going to take some time for them to acclimate themselves to a good steak. That’s what we have to remind ourselves, and you can’t be snotty about it because there aren’t many venues for good cocktails.
So when someone comes in and they say they don’t like gin I say, yeah, because you were in college and you and your friends got a bottle of Gordon’s, and you shot it. And they say yeah. Well, all right, I’ve had some bad experiences with women but I didn’t give up on them.
KL: If you weren’t a bartender, what would you be doing?
JP: When I was little I wanted to be a baseball player. But I’m terrible at baseball, so that was the crux of that one. For my own self-preservation I’ve blocked that out (laughing), I wanted to be president! I’m sure there were some lofty goals but I’ve blocked those out.
KL: Do you like Columbus?
JP: Love. It feels like a choice to live here. I like the people – they’re open and not pretentious, you know. They keep you on your toes. No good bands from warm climates. Columbus weather is conducive to good music. I feel like good bands have to deal with the intense melancholy that comes with Columbus winters. It’s good for the soul in this gross way.
KL: I’m having trouble relating to that weather comment. I’m sick of the snow.
JP: (Rattling his drink) That’s what this is for! Drink good drinks in warm bars.
KL: If someone came to your bar from out of town, what spots would you tell them to hit while in Columbus?
JP: Go to the myriad of coffee houses in Columbus – Stauf’s and Luck brothers, Grandview Grind. I love the coffee houses because most of the time, people are cool with me taking my kids there. Except one old lady, you know Beth, right?
KL: I do know Beth! She used to straighten the straws when I worked at Stauf’s.
JP: She yelled at me one time because my son was making too much noise. I almost got banned from that coffee shop. Make sure you put this part in there. I hate Beth! Oh, and they’d have to go see some music. There’s so much good music – go to Tree Bar, Carabar, Kobo, listen to some of the local bands that are really great. Eat at Basi Italia. There’s a lot of good food in Columbus.
KL: What was your first drink? Tell me about it.
JP: My first actual drink was a glass of wine on the plane to France – two glasses – when I was 18. And then, oh man, ok I’ll be honest, I’m the worst. I was a terrible case with drinking. I was in France with these wonderful beers and great wine – I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this, I don’t even know if my wife knows – at the bars in France when everyone was drinking these amazing beers, I was such a chicken. I was so awful that I would drink white wine with peach syrup in it. Real talk. I was that guy. I was like “no, I don’t drink beer, I’ll have a white wine with peach syrup.”
That’s something everyone should understand. I try to come off as warm and nice to everyone. When I’m trying to get someone to try something new, they can be like, oh you’re the guy who drinks white wine with peach syrup. That’s not intimidating.
KL: No. That’s hilarious. If I wanted to put together a home bar for $100, what do I need?
JP: Ok, a bottle of Noilly Pratt dry, a bottle of Dolin sweet vermouth, Bulleit Rye, Tanqueray dry gin. Angostura bitters, and a bottle of Campari. Then you can make an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, a gin martini. Then the next addition would be a bottle of Chartreuse. Have you had Chartreuse?
KL: I don’t think so.
JP: Oh it’s the most wonderful thing in the world. There’s no way you can explain the flavor. Watching people’s faces when they try something like that, or a good vermouth, that’s really rewarding to me. Because I say goodbye to my kids every time I come into work. I have an English degree, sleeping problems, and my wardrobe really sucks. My options for employment are very limited. I have two looks: bartender and Dad. It validates that this is what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life.
[Even though I’m on a juice cleanse (because I like to torture myself), Joe orders me a “whisper” of Chartreuse. I drink from the glass delivered to me by an adorable man named Teddy, who has an accent. And Joe’s right. The flavor of Chartreuse starts floral, and moves to a nice spice. It stays with you in a really interesting and exciting way.]
JP: It’s made from 139 spices by two French monks. How much fun is that? A 400-year-old secret recipe that only two monks know. And it’s 55% alcohol. It’s amazing.
KL: You’ve got two babies and one on the way – always want to be a family man?
JP: Any modest success I have as a bartender I owe to the kids. Before them, I had no ambition as a bartender. They give me an appreciation for life – time goes faster, when you have kids, you get old quicker, live life more intensely. Life is temporary and we should do our best to have fun.
KL: Cheers to that. What makes Curio different from other places in Columbus?
JP: Travis Owens – the owner here – as an eye for detail. Lighting, bar top, floors, presentation. Everything. I figure out something new every day that Travis put a lot of attention into. He developed this new language to communicate with people. Travis personally picked the people who work here. There’s nobody here that doesn’t care a lot about their jobs, or that I can’t learn a lot from. Marisa, I learn speed, Teddy has this great palete. Rebecca is great at multitasking. And Josh has a flair for the avant garde, so I learn how far I can push things, new ideas. While I’m still, well not young, but while I’m still not old, I’m still learning. And that’s really important.
KL: What’s the worst part of the job?
[He thinks for a few minutes… and I say, “This is usually a pretty easy answer for bartenders.”]
JP: Nothing.
What’s the last:
Thing you ate? Hmm, what was it… baby carrots. That’s not too bad.
Thing you bought? I bought a Pete the Cat doll for my little girl Livia. It’s from the Easter Bunny though. She’s one and a half and she’s a doll. Got a lot of attitude.
Band you saw? Freedy Johnston and Aaron Tashjan at Woodlands Tavern in Grandview.
Person you spoke to on the phone? My wife. My friends used to call me all the time.
Thing you learned? That Teddy Roosevelt had an effeminate voice.
Go see Joe and the rest of the amazing staff at Curio in German Village. Joe’s there Tuesdays and Saturdays. Not sure what to order? I hear they make a mean white wine with peach syrup.
This is a guest post by Kelly Laine. Kelly makes an infamous summer sangria, has a strong affinity for tequila, and favors an ice-cold Stone IPA or a tart Farmhouse Ale Saison when the weather’s right. Hobbies include hand-making custom bow ties, cooking while the music blares, Bikram yoga, and being inappropriate.