BRIAN BARTELS was raised in Wisconsin, consecrated Bloody Mary territory. He has been a writer and bartender his entire adult life, and first worked the stick during a busy Saturday brunch service, where he learned his first cocktail, the Bloody Mary, the fast and hard way: spilling the pre-made mixture over his hands and wrists instead of inside the pint glass. He now lives in New York City, where he is a managing partner and bar director for the beloved restaurants Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey's Grocery, Bar Sardine, Fedora, and Perla.