Bartender of the week: Syreeta Cook of Brooklyn Jazz Cafe

Syreeta Cook recently won Dallas' Most Inspired Bartender Award

Syreeta Cook of Brooklyn Jazz Cafe hesitated when a friend urged her to enter Bombay Sapphire and GQ Magazine’s search for Most Inspired Bartender. “I’d only been bartending for about three years,” says the Atlanta native, “but I decided to go ahead and try it.” So no one was more surprised than Syreeta when her creation, the Twisted Collins won the contest. “I couldn’t believe I won!” she beams. The win guarantees Syreeta a feature in an upcoming issue of GQ, as well as a trip to Las Vegas later this month to compete nationally for the title of Bartender of the Year.

Not bad for a former waitress who found herself behind the bar at a restaurant for the first time when a bartender didn’t show for his shift. “We were short one day and they put me behind the bar,” Syreeta says. “ I had no idea what I was doing. I just thought to myself, ‘Make it like a college party. Just make good strong drinks and you’ll be alright.’”

Syreeta works evenings at Brooklyn’s, and also goes to medical school during the day. She enjoys bartending for the flexibility it provides. “You’re out there meeting new people, and there’s a lot more freedom. It’s not like you’re stuck in a box or a cubicle.” She lifts her arms and moves them in a quick jerky fashion. “You’re not all ‘I-must-be-a-robot…”

“Syreeta has such a great personality that everybody that meets her instantly falls in love with her. Also, she’s real creative when it comes to drinks. She is always ready to suggest something a customer hasn’t had, or even come up with something new on her own, and it always turns out great.”—Courtney Tate, one of Syreeta's customers

Please tell me something about yourself that most people don’t know.
People that meet me think I must be a big hip hop person because I dance everywhere, breaking it down like M.C. Hammer and stuff, but really I like very old school jazz. I like to listen to Billie Holliday and Frank Sinatra and the like. Also, and this may be surprising, but I like to shoot pool a lot. People think, ‘Oh she’s a girl, she can’t beat me’. And then I do and they get all upset.

What’s your drink of choice?
Sapphire on the rocks. It’s smooth, and I like the mixture of botanicals in it. Also, it’s lower in calories than most drinks. Plus, I don’t like juicy and bubbly cocktails, and stay away from carbonated beverages. Sapphire is good; it’s not harsh like other gins.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve mixed for a customer?
Gin and milk, for my mother when she comes in, but she doesn’t drink that any more. I know! I asked her about it and she said ‘The milk coats your stomach.’ I said, “But it’s gin and milk!” Then I had this one guy come in who ordered white wine with coke. I served it to him in two separate glasses. He said no, that he wanted them both together in the same glass, and more coke than wine. He said it makes it sweeter. I suggested a sweeter wine, like a Riesling or a Moscato or something, but he says no. He just likes it like that. It’s funny because he’s like 7 feet tall and really skinny. So maybe it’s his diet plan or something.

Another time I had this one guy come in and ask if I would make him a shot called a New York Mother Fu**er. I told him I’d never heard of it. He said, “Well this place is called Brooklyn’s!” What could I do? So he told me what all was in it, and I made it. It had a whole bunch of different liquor in it, and I ended up charging him like $14 for it.

Please tell me about a memorable customer of yours.
I’m a big fan of singer Erykah Badu and one day she walked in to Brooklyn’s. She’s from Dallas, and her sister has performed at our bar, and she just walked in with her mother. I was pretty star struck. They got a table and she just ordered water, just like an average person, and said she was here to enjoy the band. I kept pretty cool the whole time, until finally when she was ready to walk out and I approached her and asked if I could take a picture with her. It was pretty exciting for me, and she was really cool.

What’s your favorite bar joke?
There was a cucumber, a pickle, and a penis sitting around talking about how their lives sucked. The cucumber says "Man my life sucks, when I get big, fat, and juicy they cut me up and stick me on a salad. " The pickle says "You think you have it bad? When I get big, fat, and juicy they stick me in vinegar and put spices in me and stick me in a jar.” The penis looks at them and says, "You think you have it rough? When I get big, fat, and juicy they place a plastic bag over my head and shove me in a dark room and bang my head against the wall until I throw up all over myself and pass out!"

For more info: Get Syreeta to make you the drink that made her famous, the Twisted Collins, evenings at Brooklyn Jazz Cafe located at 1701 S. Lamar Street.

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