Going 10 Rounds With Top Bartender Will Thompson

What do you like to drink after a shift? “Wine! Wine and rum. Wine and rum and beer. Wine and rum and beer and mezcal. Wine and rum and beer and mezcal and brandy.”

What is the all-time best dive bar jukebox song? ““Little Red Corvette”? Too hard, next question please.”

Name the first good drink you ever drank and where you had it. “Anything I ever had at Rendezvous in Cambridge, Massachusetts. RIP Rendezvous I miss you.”

What book on cocktails or spirits is your go-to resource? “Stan Jones bar guide and/or the back of a bottle of Kahlúa.”

What’s your favorite bottle of booze that costs less than $25? “There’s an Michoacán rum called Charanda I just got introduced to that I really love.”

What’s your favorite bottle of booze that costs more than $100? “Way too hard to answer, although anything that Velier Rum touches seems to be pretty fantastic.”

What’s your favorite cocktail and food pairing? “Martini and oysters. Has anyone answered that differently? They should be in prison.”

What drink are you most proud of creating? “I made a drink when I was 16 or 17 called an Orange Crimewave that was a shot of orange vodka in a Sparks after you drank a sip out of it. I don’t know? I guess I peaked early.”

What’s your favorite shot-and-a-beer combination? “Miller Lite and a McGillicuddy off the shot machine, or a fancy rum if I’m putting on airs.”

What is the one tool that you always make sure to pack when you’re traveling for business? “A Sharpie.”

Will Thompson is co-founder of Miami’s new bar Jaguar Sun. He was named by Food & Wine magazine as one of the country’s best new mixologists and called Boston’s best bartender by Boston Magazine in 2017.

Interview has been condensed and edited.