DANIELLE LEWIS
36, South Loop
Behind the bar: Mondays through Fridays at GT Fish & Oyster in River North
Bartending bio: Danielle started bartending at a campus club while earning her communications degree at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. “It was really fast-paced, high volume,” she said. “I definitely [learned] speed and just a hard work ethic. You just have to come in and be ready to go for 8, 9, 10 hours.” After moving to Chicago and working in retail, she “just kind of fell back on bartending … and it kind of just stuck.” After a few club gigs, she found her niche bartending at restaurants with ambitious bar programs—first Japonais, then The Gage and now GT Fish & Oyster. “Especially in a restaurant, you just have to be really wanting to create this experience for people. You have to be all about the guest. … That’s what people come in for. You can go anywhere and get food and fill up, but being able to create that experience is really important.”
Signature drink: Holy Mole, an on-the-rocks margarita featuring cinnamon, chili and tamarind flavors ($12 at GT)
Bartending style: “Quiet but deadly,” is how one nomination submitter described Danielle. “I don’t know who said that, but I feel like if I had those words, I would have said that about myself,” she said. “I’m not really uber loud and crazy … but am super-knowledgeable …and I think that really comes across. I like to have fun with that and it’s what I love doing.”
She’s known for: Thinking on her feet. “The servers at GT love coming up to the bar and saying, ‘Can you make up a drink for somebody right now?'” Danielle said. She also has participated in cocktail competitions such as Speed Rack and The Tenzing Coupe and also worked at The Michelin Guide Star Gala last year.
But you won’t ever see her flair bartending: “I worked with one guy [in Louisville] who was really into flair bartending and would constantly try to flip bottles and set things on fire. And one time he caught his face on fire and I was like, that’s why we don’t do this. That’s why no one should do this.”
Off-shift hangouts: Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar (“The best margaritas!”) and The Berkshire Room (“I worked under [Berkshire Room beverage director] Ben [Schiller] at GT,” she said. “I just love going and hanging out with them and trying out their drinks.”)
When she’s not bartending: You might find her at the gym. “I’m really athletic and I try to stay pretty healthy,” she said. “I feel like I’m the bartender anomaly; I don’t go out and drink every night until 4. I get up every day at 6 and work out.”
What to drink with oysters: “I think the obvious choice is champagnes. You can always go the cocktail route, something kind of refreshing and light. And beer, nothing wrong with beer and oysters.”
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