Going 10 Rounds with Top Bartender Yeray Monforte

What do you like to drink after a shift? “Bitter cocktails or aged spirits.”

What is the all-time best dive bar jukebox song? “Buff this is difficult, but if I have to just choose one “La canción del Mariachi.””

After all these years bartending and creating drinks, do you still enjoy going out to bars? “Of course, it is my social act, from visiting friends to discovering new drinks, for me [it’s a chance] to learn and enjoy.”

Name the first good drink you ever drank and where you had it. “A Daiquiri in Creps al Born in my first visit to Barcelona when I started as a bartender several years ago.”

What book on cocktails or spirits is your go-to resource? “One of my passions is to read books about mixology: Jerry Thomas, The Savoy Cocktail Book, The Joy of Mixology. I have more than 150 drinks books.”

What’s your favorite cocktail and food pairing? “A Dirty Martini with pickles.”

What drink are you most proud of creating? “My last cocktail, Wind. I fulfilled one of the dreams of my life by winning the Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition with it.”

Is there one person (dead or alive) you’d like to make a cocktail for? “Leo Messi”

What’s your favorite shot-and-a-beer combination? “Tequila and Michelada.”

What is the one tool that you always make sure to pack when you’re traveling for business? “The first shaker that my parents gave me that has my name on it, always!”

Yeray Monforte just won the Patrón Perfectionists Cocktail Competition. He’s the head bartender at the Dr. Stravinsky bar in Barcelona.

Interview has been condensed and edited.