Recipe: The Dragon Berry Mojito from Merc Bar

When Barry Solomon was 12 years old, he got a job in a restaurant. Apparently, they let you do things a little prematurely in small towns like the one he came from in northern California. "I didn't want to be a shop rat the rest of my life," he says,...

By Lauren Gilger

July 24, 2009

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When Barry Solomon was 12 years old, he got a job in a restaurant. Apparently, they let you do things a little prematurely in small towns like the one he came from in northern California.

"I didn't want to be a shop rat the rest of my life," he says, referring to his Dad's job working on diesel trucks all day.

Solomon is a long way from that town and that shop -- in more ways than one. These days, he can usually be found mixing up original drinks and working the crowd at Merc Bar in Phoenix.

And from the drinks to the mood, he is the one in charge when he's behind the bar. "If you got something to complain about while I'm bartending, that's my problem," he says. "Because I didn't set the atmosphere properly for you."

And how does he ensure that atmosphere is right? "I try to treat these people as if they were in their own living room," he says. "Nobody wants a robot coming up to them."

Well, a robot he is not. Today, Solomon presents to you the Dragon Berry Mojito, a drink with sweetness and spice, a little danger and lot of charm.

Drink with caution.

Fresh lime, fresh mint, muddled
1 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces Dragon Berry Bicardi rum
Shaken
Topped with Ginger Beer
Garnished with a strawberry

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