Master Mixologist: Christian Orlando of Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer

Christian Orlando has 28 years of experience in the hospitality industry and is an award-winning bartender. He began his career as a chef, having trained at Ulster County Vo-Tech Culinary Arts School, before making his way to the front-of-house focusing on service and wine. After a few years in the kitchen, Orlando became enamored with the world of cocktails, bringing his culinary experience to the bar.

Orlando is the bar administrator at Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, overseeing the modern burger joint's beverage program. He recently launched a new cocktail menu at Black Tap's New York locations, bringing fun, exciting ingredients and flavors to life through delicious takes on cocktail classics. Prior to joining Black Tap, Orlando served as the Beverage Director for The Stand, curating a bottle selection of over 200 whiskeys. He also worked at acclaimed restaurants and bars including Henry at the Life Hotel and Seamstress.

He is a Level 1 Sommelier and received a Pioneer Level Certification from BarSmarts, and he's won more than 10 bartending competitions with notable spirits brands including Four Roses, Aperol, Jagermister and more.

Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing Christian Orlando for our "Master Mixologist" feature about his career and Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer.

When did you first become interested in the cocktail culture?

I've been in the industry for 28 years now. I started off as a chef and eventually pivoted to the front of house where I focused on service and wine. It was right when the craft cocktail scene started to make its push to the limelight where I started gaining interest. Strategically, the bar was the best place for me to be, where I could apply my culinary background to cocktails, interact with guests, and still fill my passion for being creative with flavors.

What innovations in mixology and bartending do you find fascinating?

I love how our industry learns to adapt and evolve. The pandemic really devastated our industry across the country, especially here in NYC. When bars weren't able to serve guest cocktails inside, they created this whole new market of ready-to-drink cocktails. Bartenders started learning how to can cocktails and sell them retail. Guest are now able to enjoy restaurant quality cocktails in the confines of their own home. There's now a whole new booming market for RTD's and it was created solely on our industry refusing to surrender. I find that extremely fascinating. We're also always experimenting at Black Tap. This January, we'll be offering a zero proof cocktail in partnership with Mad Tasty, a hemp-based sparkling water created by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic. It's a take on a pina colada and has an exciting, bright purple color, plus it's delicious.

How do restaurant and bar guests encourage your creativity?

They are the most important aspect of my creative process. It's always one of my first thoughts when starting a cocktail. I find myself to be a very picky eater/drinker for a Chef/Mixologist. When I create, I have to eliminate my own preferences and think about how guest will respond to my creation. After all, guests are the reason why hospitality exists to begin with. We also just launched a new bar program at Black Tap, and our guests we're the main reason behind this. We wanted to bring the same energy and fun that our food and shakes menu has to our cocktails, so guests can enjoy a fantastic cocktail alongside a burger and fries.

What are your preferred "classic cocktails" and why?

Tricky question. I'm an occasional drinker. I feel that for every setting there is the perfect cocktail, and the classics have survived this long for especially that reason. If I'm enjoying let's say, a Black Tap burger, my go to classic cocktail would be an Old Fashioned. Nothing beats a good whiskey with a good cut of beef. If I'm in South Beach, enjoying the views and the weather, then I would go with a Mojito. It all depends on what the occasion is.

What are some of your favorite infusions and how you like to use them in drinks?

I love using tea in my cocktails. It's such an easy process to steep tea in your favorite spirits and it creates so many layers of flavor and depth in your cocktail. There's endless possibilities you can come up with, and nine times out of 10, you won't fail. We just had a Chai infused Pumpkin Spiced Rum cocktail on our menu at Black Tap for our October special and our guests absolutely loved it!

Tell us about a few of your signature cocktails and why they are distinctive.

My approach to creating cocktails is very similar to that of a chef when creating a dish. I try to use local, seasonal ingredients as much as possible. One signature drink that I created that has gotten some attention is "The Root of All Fall" it was a cocktail I created for the autumn season in the Hudson Valley. Bourbon, Pomegranates, Maple, Fig Jam, Lemon and Egg Whites. All the flavors that remind you a cool crisp day in the beautiful Hudson valley in the form of a Whiskey Sour.

Give us your perfect pairing for a cocktail and a culinary selection.

My favorite pairing right now would be the All American Burger and our Cherry Cola Old Fashioned at Black Tap. To me, it's a big bowl of Americana in one serving. And as I said, nothing is better than a good whiskey and a good piece of beef. I think we executed that to perfection is this pairing.

Tell us a little about your company or restaurant.

Black Tap is a new take on the classic American burger joint. We've got award-winning burgers (we're the newly crowned Judges Choice Award winners from NYCWFF's Burger Bash - we've won 5 times!), awesome chicken sandwiches and wings, salads and sides, our famous CrazyShake® milkshakes, and of course, a great bar program. We're located in Soho and Midtown and have locations across the globe including Switzerland, the Middle East and Singapore, as well as Anaheim and Las Vegas in the U.S. We also just launched a new happy hour Monday - Thursday from 5-7pm.

Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer has multiple locations. To learn all about them, please visit their web site at www.blacktap.com

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer and Christian Orlando

To post a comment, you must register and login.