Today we’d like to introduce you to Sammi Katz.
Hi Sammi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started A Girl’s Guide to Drinking Alone® back in April 2016. I was a few years out of college and tending bar as a side hustle to support my acting career. As I was working in bars, I became increasingly comfortable with going out by myself. I had a conversation with a friend who expressed her desire to go to a bar alone and read a book but was uneasy about doing so.
When I asked her why, she said she was afraid of the stigma, or that men would hit on her. And I realized that a lot of women feel this way. As being behind the bar became my stomping ground, the other side became less scary, and I wanted to share that feeling with other women. If I went to bars and evaluated them for how great or terrible they are for a woman to go alone, maybe more women would feel empowered to go out by themselves. So that’s where the idea for the blog stemmed from.
My first review actually came about because of how many times I told this story. I went to the NoMad Bar in Manhattan (RIP) and was sitting alone reading a magazine when a man nudged me and thought of this brilliant pickup line: “so you read.” Just unbelievable. I still laugh when I think about it. So the blog also became a chronicle of my adventures in drinking alone, and more often than not, the truth is funnier than anything I could make up.
I’ve worked my way through the hospitality and bartending world, and I was most recently the head bartender and bar manager at Sweet Polly in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. I left to pursue cocktail writing full-time, and Girl’s Guide gave me plenty of practice writing about drinks and bars.
Since Girl’s Guide began, I’ve reviewed nearly 100 bars all over the country and the world. I’ve also had several guest writers, some regulars and some one-timers, and it’s so fun to have those different perspectives. I’m always looking for more guest writers, especially outside of the New York area, where I’m based.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
COVID was obviously difficult for everyone. It brought Girl’s Guide to a screeching halt since we had to stay inside and the point of the blog is to go OUT. So it was on a nearly two-year hiatus but I’m very happy to be back!
Ironically, the reviews I find the most difficult to write are usually the best bars to go alone, because nothing happens. This means they’re perfect for just hanging out and reading a book and getting a cocktail by yourself! But it’s a challenge to make those reviews entertaining, and that’s a huge part of the blog too – for it to be a fun read.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a cocktail writer, creator, and consultant. I love discovering new flavor combinations, perfecting old classics, and sharing my enthusiasm for all things spirits and cocktails. While my focus is writing, I also do custom cocktail creation for events and teach cocktail classes and demos, both in person and virtually.
My first cocktail book, Cocktails in Color, is being published on February 7, 2023 with Union Square & Co., and it’s available for pre-order now! Co-authored with illustrator Olivia McGiff, it’s a fun, accessible, and beautiful new guide to drinking. Each page is fully illustrated with rich gouache paintings and it gives you the tools to design your own custom cocktails. My bartending style has always been flavor-focused and I think about making drinks the same way I think about cooking. After all, bartending is just cooking with liquid!
My goal for the recipes in the book was to keep them practical and approachable for all drinkers, no matter their experience level. I’m not into cocktail books that have a specialty ingredient, either one you have to make or buy, for every single drink–I’m a professional and I find that exhausting! So for my book, I whittled the number of ingredients down to what I think is a manageable amount. That’s my approach behind the bar too; not every drink needs 10 ingredients and infusions or syrups that take hours (or even days!) to make. I aim to create delicious cocktails that you want to order or whip up again and again.
Most importantly, Olivia and I wanted to write a cocktail book that was FUN. So many cocktail books are somber; they’re dark and angular and masculine. Our book is colorful and playful and doesn’t take cocktails so seriously. Did you make your margarita too sweet? Oh well, you learned for next time! Do you have gin but no rum? Make a gimlet instead of a daiquiri, it’s all good.
Don’t want to buy an expensive bottle of strawberry liqueur to only use half an ounce? Muddle some strawberries in there instead. Who cares, it’s just a drink! There can always be more in your future.
What do you think about luck?
I’ve been very fortunate to be able to pursue careers and paths that make me happy. My mom has always been incredibly supportive of me and my work, and I know not everyone is so lucky.
I also recognize that as a cis-gendered, able-bodied white woman, I can navigate certain spaces in society easily and without judgment that other people might not, and for that, I am immensely privileged. I get to drink for a living and write about it – how lucky am I?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.agirlsguidetodrinkingalone.com & sammikatz.com
- Instagram: @agirlsguidetodrinkingalone and @sammi.t.katz
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Cocktails-Color-Spirited-Guide-Drinkmaking/dp/1454944447
Image Credits
M. Cooper, Creative Girl’s Guide logo by Olivia McGiff
