There are a lot of great mixology classes in town if you have cash to shell out, or you can just take a seat at the bar at Barrelhouse and listen to Geoffrey Wilson tell you pretty much everything you need to know. Though his specialty is New Orleans cocktail history (like Henry Ramos' Gin Fizz or the origins of the Sazerac), he's an encyclopedia of booze know-how. On a personal level, he's witty, jovial, and entirely professional — everything you could want from a bartender. His warm personality is so inviting and his cocktails are so well-executed that you just might find it impossible to leave your barstool once you've taken a seat. Any doubts about whether bartender is a respectable profession go out the window in his presence.