Pamela Wiznitzer
Bartender Style is a collaboration between Bit by a Fox and photographer Rose Callahan. This series, exclusively on the Bit by a Fox blog, explores and documents the personal style of some of the best bartenders in the country. This month, we’re profiling rock star cocktail whiz, Pamela Wiznitzer at her home base, Manhattan’s Upper East Side hotspot Seamstress, where she serves as Creative Director, bartender and all around boss fox.
Pamela Wiznitzer has a true passion and zest for the industry, something apparent in every drink she serves and also transcends the bar. Since 2006, Pamela has been working throughout NYC, and most recently as the Creative Director and bartender at Seamstress on the Upper Eastside of Manhattan. Pamela Wiznitzer has a true passion and zest for the industry that is seen and tasted in every drink she serves and also transcends the bar. Since 2006, Pamela has been working throughout NYC at many notable venues including The Dead Rabbit, the Seamstress, and Henry at the Life Hotel. She oversees the beverage programs for the iconic Big Apple.
- Pamela Wiznitzer has a true passion and zest for the industry that is seen and tasted in every drink she serves and also transcends the bar. Since 2006, Pamela has been working throughout NYC at.
- The distillery was an early adopter of cask finishes with its DoubleWood 12, which is matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in sherry casks. “The beauty of this bottle really shines in the notes that explode from the second aging in Oloroso sherry barrels,” says Pamela Wiznitzer, a consulting bartender.
Pam is your Bartender-Next-Door. She’s your cool-girl confidante – a firecracker of positivity, doling out hugs and advice between perfectly crafted cocktails. She can hang with the boys, work the girl’s girl angle, and imbues equal parts warmth and confidence behind the bar. Pam Wiznitzer is your Bartender BFF.
Those who know Pam, have worked with her in some way, and/or have been lucky enough to have been served a cocktail crafted by her, know why she is so well-regarded in the industry. And why she is often a go-to mixologist and face for events and liquor brands looking to sparkle up the proceedings.
She’s highly skilled, passionate, creative, incredibly charismatic, and one of the hardest working bartenders in the biz. In short, she’s a superstar. Not to mention, she’s also pretty easy on the eyes.
And, considering the amount of awards and accolades that she’s amassed, and the breadth of titles for various cocktail competitions she’s collected these last few years, her trajectory in the bar business has been off the charts! Pam serves as President of the New York chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild and she’s only really been in the game for about 7 years.
Hospitality is key with all top bartenders, but Pam’s philosophy is next level. And it’s proven successful for her. She has a way of befriending everyone around her. It’s no wonder that she is known for having a devoted clientele. In her early days of bartending, after unexpectedly getting laid off from a startup, she found herself behind the stick during the day shift at a sports bar in Murray Hill. And, making the most of it, she packed them in. Pam’s following only grew as she honed her craft as an original hire at Dead Rabbit, (Tales of the Cocktail’s World’s Best Bar 2015), where she also earned a New York Bartender of the Year title from Village Voice in 2014 as well as landing a top 10 finalist spot for Tales’ Best American Bartender that same year. At the end of 2014, Pam made the move to help open and create the cocktail program for Seamstress, a new restaurant and bar on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that has quickly gained momentum, in large part based on Pam’s connection.
The Seamstress moniker extends to the interior theme, with vintage sewing machines and scissor designs displayed throughout.
The theme is also reinforced in the menu. As Creative Director, Pam has curated 50 classics and created 20 signature cocktails that all fall within four different sewing categories: Patchwork, Overlay, Embroidery, and Lining.
While Pam wanted the bar staff to wear whatever they felt comfortable and attractive in during their shift, the customized bartender apron that they all wear, ties the Seamstress theme together. They are “unified by one thread while still being individuals.”
The apron serves a basic functionality for the bar staff – the utilitarian style with multiple pockets allows for everyone to keep their tools close and their phones handy.
It also serves as a stylish outfit topper with sexy leather details that reflect some of the curated items sold in the shop occupying the front of the restaurant.
Pamela Wiznitzer
Pam is a fan of body conscious silhouettes and pops of color behind the bar.
She believes confidence is key. Owning your fashion. She’s not afraid of bright colors and patterns or taking risks. Patricia Field, famed costume designer behind Sex and the City, has served as one of Pam’s style inspirations.
Patrick Brauss, a former bar back (in one of Pam’s bars) turned personal stylist at Top Shop, came on board with Pam once she turned 30 and she decided she may need some assistance with all of the outfits she had to prepare for various events and judging panels and gigs where she needed to put her best face forward.
Patrick is able to push Pam’s fashion boundaries while knowing exactly what she likes: high wasted skirts and crop tops, mixing vintage and new, incorporating classic and chic with a touch of daring whimsy and sexy edge. But most importantly, she says, he always ensures she is presented in a professional way.
Pamela Wiznitzer Mixologist
We asked Pam what the most popular cocktail at Seamstress was and without missing a beat, she prepared the Mortimer & Mauve, a rye whiskey based cocktail with chai tea infused vermouth and Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur. Simple, delicious and it can traverse various seasons. There’s a reason why this is such a popular cocktail. Our Bartender BFF should know!
Pamela Wiznitzer
Mortimer & Mauve
1.25 oz Whistle Pig Rye Whiskey
1.25 oz Chai infused Martini & Rossi Rosso
.5 oz Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur
Method: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass and stir over ice until well chilled. Strain into glass over large ice cube.
Glass: Rocks glass
Garnish: Use orange twist to extract oils. Discard peel.