Jim Ryan

Early work in random catering jobs at New York City in New York City placed Jim Ryan in the transient edge of hospitality, where service is measured in speed, coordination, and recovery. The move from there to bartender at Jean Georges Vongerichten's new fine dining restaurant brought him into a stricter setting, where performance had to be consistent and exact. At Dressler in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he became head of the beverage program, the job shifted again toward menu structure and identity: choosing seasonal cocktails, incorporating local ingredients, and building an extensive beer and wine list. That sequence — catering, bar service, beverage leadership — is the practical foundation behind the role he holds today.

Since 2008, he has served as Brand Ambassador there, carrying Hendrick's Gin across the country in a role built on communication rather than distance. The work depends on translating a spirit for different audiences while staying present in the room, the account, and the conversation. What he values most is the contact itself: meeting individuals across the country and making the brand legible without flattening it. That makes the ambassador's job part host, part interpreter, part steady hand.

Jim's signature dishes include Wee Spot O' Tea. The name carries the same sense of character that runs through his beverage work: brief, specific, and not interested in excess. In a field where identity is often built through repetition, a signature like this reads as a clean point of view.

Jim Ryan has received Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award, Best American Brand Ambassador (2012).