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In 2018, Laura Newman won World Class U.S. Bartender of the Year in Berlin, Germany, and she’s been shaking things up in the hospitality industry ever since.The four-day competition featured bartenders from 56 countries, included members of the United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG), and was sponsored by Diageo.Newman was the first woman to win that honor, but now the New York native is not just serving up cocktails. She is the owner of the type of neighborhood bar she always dreamed of. Newman runs Queen's Park in downtown Birmingham and is certifiably one of the best mixologists in the world.“It's just a tremendous amount of practice,” Newman said about preparing for the competition.And Newman has had plenty of practice. She started out mixing drinks for the grownups as a kid.“I like to say I've been bartending from a young age, like the age of 5,” Newman said. “I loved making cocktails for my family, I had like a kind of rudimentary bartending set that my dad had. And I would make them drinks. I would make my grandparents actual drinks. They trained me, and it was like a cute little party trick to have me make martinis for them.”She liked it so much she would spend hours pretending to tend bar.“And I would be behind the bar and with upside-down milk crates with a tiny little apron rolled up. And I would be like polishing glasses and lighting cigarettes. Like pouring water,” she said. “I was not allowed to make drinks. It was just like this thing I have always wanted to do. I got a real job out of college that involved a desk, and the only part of it I liked was running the bar in the office. It was for a tequila company.”Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13 It was a sure sign she was meant to pursue a career in the bar and restaurant industry.She has an associate's degree in hospitality management and worked for a major restaurant group. Newman met her husband in Kentucky, following her heart and him to Birmingham in 2017, where she soon embraced the southern charm and a vibrant restaurant scene and opened Queen’s Park.“It is definitely not as glamorous as people think it is. It is a lot of early mornings and late nights. It is a lot of phone calls in the middle of the night when you are trying to sleep,” she said. “But on the other hand, I love working for myself. I joke, but also not really joking, that I am a terrible employee. I just prefer working for myself. I prefer the autonomy of working for myself.”As she learned the industry from the bottom up, she would always circle back to memories of her favorite neighborhood bartender in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York.“He didn't know how to make anything beyond a gin and tonic,” she said. “But he was a great conversationalist. And he was perceptive with things. And those are the first two things you have to know.”The third thing is that bartending is a lot more like baking than cooking.“It is all about ratios. It is so much like pouring from the heart and tasting as you go. It's like following a recipe," Newman said. “But that being said, your grandma's cookie recipe tastes different than the cookies of the bakery down the street. Same thing with craft cocktails, even if they are classics.”It is that attention to subtle details and a bit of showmanship that would help Newman become the first woman to win the World Class Bartender of the Year competition since it began more than a decade ago.“It is really fun. It is definitely intense.” Newman said. “This is like a multimillion-dollar production. So, it is intense. There are usually several million people watching the livestreams.”Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTubeThe global competition is considered 'the Olympics of bartending," and it has been dominated by men who would often go on to get lucrative deals with spirit brands. "I would like to think it was inspiring for other young female bartenders who hadn't seen someone who looked like them when this is literally the top level of bartending competitions in the United States," Newman said.Newman also does consulting work, another area in the craft cocktail scene where there are more men than women. It is another way she hopes to help women take a shot at being top-shelf businesswomen just like her.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
In 2018, Laura Newman won World Class U.S. Bartender of the Year in Berlin, Germany, and she’s been shaking things up in the hospitality industry ever since.
The four-day competition featured bartenders from 56 countries, included members of the United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG), and was sponsored by Diageo.
Newman was the first woman to win that honor, but now the New York native is not just serving up cocktails. She is the owner of the type of neighborhood bar she always dreamed of. Newman runs Queen's Park in downtown Birmingham and is certifiably one of the best mixologists in the world.
“It's just a tremendous amount of practice,” Newman said about preparing for the competition.
And Newman has had plenty of practice. She started out mixing drinks for the grownups as a kid.
“I like to say I've been bartending from a young age, like the age of 5,” Newman said. “I loved making cocktails for my family, I had like a kind of rudimentary bartending set that my dad had. And I would make them drinks. I would make my grandparents actual drinks. They trained me, and it was like a cute little party trick to have me make martinis for them.”
She liked it so much she would spend hours pretending to tend bar.
“And I would be behind the bar and with upside-down milk crates with a tiny little apron rolled up. And I would be like polishing glasses and lighting cigarettes. Like pouring water,” she said. “I was not allowed to make drinks. It was just like this thing I have always wanted to do. I got a real job out of college that involved a desk, and the only part of it I liked was running the bar in the office. It was for a tequila company.”
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WVTM 13
It was a sure sign she was meant to pursue a career in the bar and restaurant industry.
She has an associate's degree in hospitality management and worked for a major restaurant group. Newman met her husband in Kentucky, following her heart and him to Birmingham in 2017, where she soon embraced the southern charm and a vibrant restaurant scene and opened Queen’s Park.
“It is definitely not as glamorous as people think it is. It is a lot of early mornings and late nights. It is a lot of phone calls in the middle of the night when you are trying to sleep,” she said. “But on the other hand, I love working for myself. I joke, but also not really joking, that I am a terrible employee. I just prefer working for myself. I prefer the autonomy of working for myself.”
As she learned the industry from the bottom up, she would always circle back to memories of her favorite neighborhood bartender in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York.
“He didn't know how to make anything beyond a gin and tonic,” she said. “But he was a great conversationalist. And he was perceptive with things. And those are the first two things you have to know.”
The third thing is that bartending is a lot more like baking than cooking.
“It is all about ratios. It is so much like pouring from the heart and tasting as you go. It's like following a recipe," Newman said. “But that being said, your grandma's cookie recipe tastes different than the cookies of the bakery down the street. Same thing with craft cocktails, even if they are classics.”
It is that attention to subtle details and a bit of showmanship that would help Newman become the first woman to win the World Class Bartender of the Year competition since it began more than a decade ago.
“It is really fun. It is definitely intense.” Newman said. “This is like a multimillion-dollar production. So, it is intense. There are usually several million people watching the livestreams.”
Follow us on social: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
The global competition is considered 'the Olympics of bartending," and it has been dominated by men who would often go on to get lucrative deals with spirit brands.
"I would like to think it was inspiring for other young female bartenders who hadn't seen someone who looked like them when this is literally the top level of bartending competitions in the United States," Newman said.
Newman also does consulting work, another area in the craft cocktail scene where there are more men than women. It is another way she hopes to help women take a shot at being top-shelf businesswomen just like her.
English (US)