2018 Q2 Spirited Virginia - 64

JEB INGE

BEHIND THE BAR

Brett Harder, The Whiskey Jar, Charlottesville.

B

rett Harder has been a bartender for
more than 10 years, most recently at The
Whiskey Jar in Charlottesville.
The Whiskey Jar Restaurant and Bar
specializes in Southern food made from local
ingredients. Their farm-to-table philosophy
carries into the bar, where cocktails include
fresh, locally grown herbs and fruits. Besides
serving more than 125 whiskeys, The Whiskey
Jar also makes use of bourbon in the kitchen
in its popular bourbon bread pudding and
bourbon vanilla ice cream. Now that's the spirit!
What do you enjoy about bartending?
You get to work hard and people appreciate
you for it. You get to form friendships with
amazing people and learn about the world
through meeting people from all over. There's
also a subtle art and style to the profession.
I appreciate seeing how every bartender
expresses their style while trying to bring
people the things that they want.
And there are a lot of cool facets to the
industry that keep it interesting-new
products, new techniques and new faces.
That's probably why I've stayed with it for so
long. There's always something else to learn.
What are bartending's challenges?
The most difficult thing is probably the hours.

64 VIRGINIA ABC | ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV

It's sometimes hard to spend another night or
weekend away from loved ones. Thankfully, my
family understands that it's a part of my job to
be at the bar making sure everybody's happy.
Describe the bar program at The Whiskey Jar.
[Besides the large selection of whiskey],
we try to include as many Virginia-made
products as we can on our list. Our cocktail
list has our riffs on classics that are always
available as well as seasonal offerings. We try
to have something for everyone's palate. We
also have 24 taps for beer and cider as well
as a seasonally selected wine list.
What makes The Whiskey Jar a good bar
for customers to visit?
We believe in Southern hospitality. We make
our cocktail ingredients from scratch, we juice
our own fruit and we design our cocktails
in-house. It's a point of pride among my
staff that we try not to ever keep anyone
waiting unnecessarily. Between local bands
and locally sourced products, we try to be a
representation of Virginia culture, hoping to
enrich the experience of visitors and locals alike.
Do you have a favorite whiskey?
I usually keep a bottle of Old Forester 1870
Original Batch on my bar at home. We have just

always tended to get along, Old Forester and I.
It's a cost-effective, reliable choice for quality.
Do you have a favorite liquor/cocktail
besides whiskey?
My second favorite spirit is rum. It has a similar
complexity to whiskey that I find just as wideranging as the different styles of whiskey.
Aged rums make me think as much about
what I'm drinking as fine whiskeys.
Have you seen intriguing trends in the
industry?
The most intriguing trend that I've seen over
the last 10 years is the interest in fine-tuning
house-made products, with bartenders
"cooking" ingredients behind the bar, making
their own preparations to add to spirits.
The bartending profession now has a lot of
techniques, which lends to the art of the trade.
I like the idea of every bar being a unique
place. It allows for the bar to be more of a
cultural center for a community, helps create
memories for guests and makes their time
with you, in your establishment, mean more.
If I can improve someone's experience by
putting forth more effort, then that's my job.
I'm happy to do it. If I get to express myself
creatively at the same time, that's a win-win.

-Annie Tobey
http://ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV
2018 Q2 Spirited Virginia

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2018 Q2 Spirited Virginia
