Meet Nathan McCullough | Bar Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nathan McCullough and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nathan, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I was born and raised in Central Valley California. A very small town called Ripon (at the time around 5,000 people). Growing up, there wasn’t a lot to do. My family struggled financially, so most of the time we had to entertain ourselves and create our own fun and games. Due to my families financial situation, I decided to get a job when I was 11, and was working 3 jobs by the time I was 13 (labor laws were a little different back then). It wasn’t the most ideal situation at the time, but looking back now I believe it really helped me to cultivate and grow my sense of creativity and imagination, and instilled in me my strong work ethic. Creativity, imagination, and a solid work ethic have been indispensable in my growth in the industry and has helped me get where I am today, the bar director for one of the best cocktail bars in LA. I pour my creativity and imagination into every cocktail menu I create and it shows. Roasted croissants, salmon skin, burnt tortillas, shrimp, cheese, and mushrooms are just some of the unique things my creativity brings to cocktails. I believe while growing up and being forced to explore and utilize my sense of imagination and creativity, it helped me to think outside the box and to look at things in a different way. Social standings never interested me, so I was free to create what I wanted without worry of what people thought of me. All I wanted to do was give people a unique experience they wouldn’t find anywhere else. It took me some time to find the right platform, but I’m there now. The Wolves clientele fully appreciates and enjoys what I have to offer, and every aspect from my upbringing helped me hone my skills and creativity to be able to bring our guests a truly one of a kind and unforgettable experience.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I consider my cocktails and menus my own form of art. From the flavor profiles, to the execution, to the presentation. Every aspect has been thoroughly thought through in a unique way. What I do with cocktails stems mostly from some of the amazing chefs I’ve been able to work with in the past 19 years, and researching what the chefs of today are doing. Their attention to detail, their focus on flavor combinations, and their ability to create an experience or story within a single dish. It took years of observing and research of how chefs pull flavors and pair them together before I got the idea to use the same techniques and ideas to start creating culinary style cocktails which is what sets me apart from other cocktail creators. I love taking culinary dishes and breaking them down into components that can be reinterpreted into cocktails. I didn’t have a lot of help, but I always watched and paid attention to everything chefs did and worked hard to utilize those things for my cocktails. Now, my cocktails always showcase ingredients you would normally only find in food dishes, and it’s something I’m proud of because it truly does create a very unique and exciting experience for anyone who tries them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Varnish, ERB, Dante, and Normandie Club are some of my favorite places in LA to get a cocktail. They have quality, creative, and well made cocktails at each place. For food, Bavel, Major Domo, and Bestia are some of the best places to eat I’ve found. You get more than what you pay for and the hospitality goes above and beyond expectations.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a couple shoutouts. My partner Carey Kurisu for always supporting me and for being understanding of my work life. The owners of The Wolves for trusting me to create their bar program and supporting me anyway they can. Lastly, the book Imbibe which was my catalyst for wanting to take bartending more seriously and to dive deeper into creating my own cocktails and programs. I owe everything I have now to all of this.

Instagram: @supercreativereallyniceguy

Facebook: supercreativereallyniceguy

Yelp: The Wolves DTLA

Image Credits
all photos were taken by myself