Behind the bar: Mike Sammons at 13 Celsius

Mike Sammons of 13 Celsius: Eric Kayne

Spotlight: Mike Sammons of 13 Celsius [1]

Bartenders at wine bars can be the absolute worst. Snooty is best case, arrogance is simply expected. But it's not the case with this man of vino. Instead of handing over a phone book-sized wine list and walking off, Sammons greets customers with a smile and asks what they "feel like tonight".

Knowledgeable well beyond his years, he aims outside the box, providing wine that most other wine bars simply wouldn't dare serve - the eclectic and bold bottles from God knows where. He manages some things most servers at wine bars just don't, he speaks like a human, is patient with the indecisive and can educate his customers about wine without the ego.

What's the best part of bartending?
It's the constant human interaction and being able to help introduce new or different things they've never had or tried before.

What's your favorite drink to have when you're not working?
Aperol Spritz [2] at about 5:15 in the evening. Everyone in Venice drinks this at 5:15 and for some reason it just tastes perfect.

Mike shares one of his favorites, an Ingrid Bergman
I was in Portugal and early one morning I walked into a cafe in search of an espresso. It's about 9:30 when I walk in and there's these burly construction workers sitting there and they're all having this drink and I thought, I'll have one of those too.

What's in it, Mike?
Vermouth
light lager (Mike likes to use Sessions)
couple dashes of bitters
orange twist