Eryn Reece

The Path

Behind the bar at Mona's Bistro in Seattle, Washington, Eryn Reece started with the fundamentals that govern any busy service: timing, memory, composure, and the ability to keep moving when the room does not slow down. The move to New York City widened that field of practice, and the sequence that followed — MercBar, Bar Milano, Louis 649, The Hideout, Dressler, Rye House, and Mayahuel — reads as a long apprenticeship in the same trade, tested across different rooms but built on the same essentials. What those years add up to is a working education in hospitality: reading volume, tightening the pour, and staying precise when the pace turns. As head bartender at Death & Co. in New York City, New York, Eryn Reece reached the point where that accumulated technique carried real authority, with experience and control meeting a more defined sense of style. Today, Eryn Reece is bar director at Freemans Restaurant and bar director of Banzabar, carrying that range into roles that require both consistency and adjustment.

The Work Today

At Freemans Restaurant in New York City, the work is shaped by the constraints of a modern cocktail list. For Eryn Reece, the problem is specific: finding enough ingredients that land in low-ABV territory without repeating the same sherry over and over. That kind of limitation can be as defining as a menu itself, demanding a trained palate, a steady hand, and enough discipline to keep the program clear while still finding variation.

Signature

Eryn Reece’s signature dish includes olive oil-washed Martini. The method points to a style of drink-making where small adjustments carry the weight: texture, aroma, and finish are all part of the frame, and the olive oil wash gives the classic form a smoother, richer edge without breaking its structure.

In Their Words “It’s definitely been more challenging trying to find enough ingredients that hit that low-ABV point without using the same sherry every time.” “I remember thinking, “Ugh, I have to stir a Manhattan as opposed to shake it?” I didn’t really know what I was doing.” The second line marks a familiar threshold in bar work: the moment technique stops being a list of motions and starts becoming judgment. That early uncertainty reads here as part of the learning process, not an interruption to it.

Acclaim

Eryn Reece’s honors include The Daily Meal Top 25 Bartenders in the United States (2014), Speed Rack National Champion (2013), and Dame Hall of Fame Inductee (2013). Taken together, those recognitions point to a bartender whose work has been measured on both speed and standard, with a reputation built on execution as much as profile.