Bon appétit! “WORLD CLASS IS ABOUT MORE THAN SHOWMANSHIP; IT’S ABOUT great drinks , AND TO ME THAT INVOLVES MAKING A CONNECTION WITH THE PERSON ABOUT TO TASTE MY DRINKS.” home base. “Statistically, more than half the bartenders in the United States are female, but that doesn’t seem to trickle up to the craft cocktail level,” she explains. “Discrimination may be illegal, but that didn’t stop an East Village bar telling me I could serve drinks, but they’d never hire me to make cocktails. “It reflects a bigger picture across the country—it’s mainly men mixing the drinks—and perhaps one reason is that when you start with such a level of prejudice, lots of women don’t even want to go there.” Luckily for the cocktail lovers of New York and Birmingham, Newman did not let male chauvinism in a surprising area (statistically, women are driving the cocktail revival trend) deter her from making the drinks as well as presenting them to her customers over the bar, a level of personal contact she feels is deeply important to the experience. It was one reason why she went to such lengths to whisper to the judges when she lost her voice in Berlin but nevertheless had to present a couple of fantastic rum
cocktails she had dreamt up during a sixteen-hour window, which included sleeping time. This special challenge for the last few finalists could not be a case of just slapping down the drink without explaining the inspiration behind it, she explains. “World Class is about more than showmanship; it’s about great drinks, and to me that involves making a connection with the person about to taste my drinks.” Future plans include a second Birmingham bar, which will please those who currently have to stand in line outside Queen’s Park when capacity has been reached. “It doesn’t feel small, because of the fourteen-foot-high ceilings, but the space is really tiny,” Newman explains. “We need another bar in the same neighborhood so our customers can just walk from one to the other.” As always, Laura Newman is putting the customer first and rocking the connection between them—a connection she has experienced in the beautiful South like nowhere else.
QUEEN’S PARK IS AT 112 TWENTY-FOURTH STREET NORTH IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. VISIT QUEENSPARKBHAM.COM TO LEARN MORE. Anthea Gerrie is based in the UK but travels the world in search of stories. Her special interests are architecture and design, culture, food, and drink, as well as the best places to visit in the world’s great playgrounds. She is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, the Independent, and Blueprint.
SAVOR THE CLASSIC & SOPHISTICATED One of the finest dining destinations along Florida’s Gulf Coast, Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood features an award-winning 600-label wine list, hand selected prime steaks and Gulf-to-table seafood dishes. With fresh, seasonally inspired ingredients, Seagar’s prides itself on providing the most decadent and indulgent meals.
The Emerald Coast’s only AAA Four-Diamond Steakhouse SEAGARS.COM | 850-608-0090
