Nightclub & Bar 2016

Jon Kraus
Bartender
Daniel


A newcomer to the world of cocktails, Jon originally pursued bartending as a way to avoid the confines of office life after school. His skills have come a long way since attending club bartending school; it was after discovering BarSmarts and the USBG that he realized all that there was to offer in the world of craft cocktails, and has pursued it with a passion ever since. Jon initially cut his teeth while at the helm of East Village cocktail bar Louis 649, learning from others around him while creating new cocktails and developing a training program that emphasized classics, technique, science, and speed. Next came the cocktail competition circuit, where meeting other like-minded, smart, and driven individuals convinced him that this was the career that he wanted to continue pursuing. He placed 3rd in the national finals of Mandarine Napoleon’s Emperor’s Challenge, landing a trip to Europe and a guest bartending shift at Amsterdam’s famous Door-74, and has twice had the privilege of competing in Diageo’s World Class program. In 2014, he was selected as the US Winner of the 2014 Cherry Heering ‘Sling Award’, ultimately traveling to Berlin and placing second of 43 countries in the global finals. More mixing and mingling came with an invitation to participate in the inaugural Reykjavik Bar Summit – three days in Iceland with some of the world’s best bar teams. Representing his previous bar, The Gilroy, Jon and his teammate Eric presented to and learned from some of the world’s best bar teams on concepts and creativity, culminating in an epic Team USA vs. Team Europe “Battle of the Continents” throwdown. With continued education always in mind, Jon continues to attend tastings and seminars through various conferences including Portland Cocktail Week and regular USBG meetings, and plans to attend the esteemed Bar-5 Day in the upcoming year.

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