Bartender of the Week 7/26-8/1

In this week’s quest for an excellent Cape May County mixologist, we headed into the Wildwoods for some waterfront relaxation. Beach Creek Oyster Bar & Grill has long been renowned for its superior selection of signature and dessert martinis, so we thought we’d get to know the bartenders behind these ingenious creations. Bar manager Pete recommended that we talk to Matt, an eight year Beach Creek veteran. Originally from Ocean View, Matt has been mixing up cocktails since his early days in baretending school when he was just a senior in high school. From there, he continued his bartending career during his college days as a student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

This summer at Beach Creek, it’s all about the “Cucumber Cocktail” stated Matt. This refreshingly fresh and “of the earth” drink is made with lemon juice, mint, simple syrup muddled, club soda, and Crop Harvest Earth Organic Cucumber Vodka. Crop Organic Vodka has been described as a remarkably “clean” and “pure” taste experience and is distilled so efficiently that no carbon treatment or charcoal filtering is required. Consider Beach Creek’s cucumber concoction a must-try. But when he’s off the clock, Matt’s ultimate favorite cocktail is actually a classic Grey Goose Gibson. An avid fisherman, Matt likes spend his down time at the Cape May Reef, his preferred local fishing spot. Though he hasn’t yet had a chance to make it out to the Reef this summer, Matt has had some luck in the back bays where he’s caught a few big flounder. Sample one of this mellow mixologist’s expert cocktails at Beach Creek’s Happy Hour from 3-5 pm daily.

By Megan Kummer