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Alex Barbatsis and Maxx Kleiner are award winning bartenders and cocktail consultants based in Chicago. They both grew up in the hospitality industry and have worked in some of the top restaurants and bars. We are excited to help new clients maximize the potential for their bar programs.
Alex Barbatsis grew up in Stillwater, MN where he began work in his family's restaurant, Phil's Tara Hideaway, at the age of 7. Working his way up from peeling spinach leaves to bussing, dishwashing, and prepping, he found his true passion bartending. After moving to Los Angeles, he joined the team at Rivera, wherehe worked his way up from Barback to Senior Bartender. Rivera became a three- times James Beard Award nominee for Outstanding Bar Program. He ran the bar programs of Little Toni's, Cafe Birdie, Bar Angeles, and Good Housekeeping HLP (LA Weekly's Best New Cocktail Bar 2017). Now in Chicago, he lead Chicago-staple bar The Whistler to a Tales of the Cocktail nomination for Best Cocktail Bar (2022).
Maxx Kleiner is from the hospitality heart of Chicago, the West Loop. He grew up in his father’s restaurants in the city, and got his start at Carnivalé breaking down calamari in the prep kitchen. His experience in bars of the city stretches from multi-Michelin starred fine dining to high volume cocktail bars. Maxx has worked as part of the team at several award-winning cocktail programs around the city including Oriole, Scofflaw, Beatnik, Heavy Feather, and even James Beard award-winning The Violet Hour.
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I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Whether it be the potential of a new partnership or just chatting about new cocktail trends, let's connect!