Meet Robert J. Ferrara | Whisk(e)y Brand Ambassador for Pernod Ricard USA

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robert J. Ferrara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert J., have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
If 2020 has taught me anything it has taught me how important my work life balance is. It has given me time to reset per say. I went from over 100,000 miles in the air in 2019, being in a different city every week, eating and drinking out almost every night, to being stuck at home during a pandemic. I took this negative time to make something positive. I’ve forced myself to do what I’ve wanted to do for the longest time and work on both my physical and mental health. Instead of saying I’ll start it tomorrow and never doing it, I had nothing but time on my hands so I started it. I’ve already noticed hw much more energy I have and how much more productive and creative I’ve become.

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 started bartending in 1999 while a freshman in college at 19 years old at a local bar & grill in my hometown. Bartending and not legally being able to drink is very eye opening but I learned a lot, not so much about cocktails or spirits, but how to give amazing hospitality. I worked there for years making amazing money and eventually dropped out of college. Telling your parents you were dropping out of college to bartend was not an easy thing. But after my parents got over the initial shock, they were very supportive and told me if I’m gonna bartend then be the best bartender that I could be. I took that to heart. I continued to work there until I was 23 and I decided I needed a change and wanted to see more things in my life then a small NJ town, so I moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, or what I thought was Ft. Lauderdale at the time. Turns out Plantation, FL is not the best spot to be as all the action was downtown or the beach. I couldn’t get a bartending job to save my life, because I didn’t have Florida experience, what ever that means. I lasted 9 months and moved home with my tail between my legs. I failed and I hated that. Luckily my old job excepted me back with open arms. I worked there for a couple years and ended up getting my brother a job as a bar back. Shout out to my brother Matthew, he killing it. He’s now running the bar program at an awesome restaurant in New Brunswick, NJ. It’s funny how things work out. So like I was saying I was working there for a couple years and one day me and my brother were on our way to open the bar on a Sunday for a big day of NFL and the bar was closed. The owners didn’t pay their bills and were evicted. We were in complete shock, what we thought was the worst day actually turned out to be a blessing. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone. I ended up getting a job at a high-end French restaurant & lounge called Avenue, in Long Branch, NJ. I loved this job, I’ve never been pushed so hard physically and mentally in my life until I worked here. We worked extremely long hours and had to know everything about all the food and beverages. I learned so much and I am extremely grateful for being pushed out of my comfort zone. As humans we tend to want to stay in those comfort zones and are scared of change. The Summers were amazing but the cold north east winters were wearing on me, so after working 2 years at Avenue I wanted to scratch that itch of living in South Florida again and prove to myself that I can make it. I ended up moving to Miami in 2009 to open the original STK at the Gansevoort Hotel. As most people in South Florida know, we have a season, and once Summer comes it drastically slows down. So I worked out a deal with both STK and Avenue that I would work Summers in at the Jersey Shore and Winters in Miami Beach. What a deal, I was officially a snow bird and I loved every second of it. But all good things eventually come to an end. I was offered a job as Bar Manager at the NYC outpost the Dutch at the W Hotel in South Beach, but I had to work in Miami all year. As much as I miss my family and spending Summers at the Jersey shore, it was a great decision. While working at the Dutch we were named best cocktails in a restaurant in Miami. Shortly after that I was recruited to open Swine in Coral Gables for 50 Eggs, where I was named ‘Best Bartender in Miami’ by the Miami New Times. After that I was hired as the Bar Director of another NYC outpost, Lure Fishbar at the Lowes Hotel. While at Lure Fishbar I helped create and open The Rum Line. While at both bars, I was awarded “Top 25 Bartender in America” by The Daily Meal, “South Florida Food 50” Miami Herald, “America’s Best Bartenders of 2015” Thrillist and both Rum Line and Lure were nominated for best cocktail bar and best restaurant bar program at Tales Of The Cocktail. I 2016 I decided to take a leap of faith and jump to the supplier side and took a job with spirits company, Pernod-Ricard, as Single Malt Scotch Brand Ambassador, focusing mostly on The Glenlivet. I turned down several brand jobs over the years because I didn’t want to work for just any company or any brand that I really didn’t believe in and couldn’t get behind. Since taking this job my territory and brands have evolved. I know do all the education for all the whiskies for Pernod-Ricard for all of Florida and about 14 other states, I get to work on amazing Irish, Scotch and American whiskies.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
What a great question. In no order here’s where I would go eat: Macchalina: This my favorite restaurant, it reminds me of home and they treat me like family. Chef Mike Pirolo is a beast in the kitchen and I’ll eat anything he makes. His sister Jacqueline runs the beverage program and has one of the best palates around, her ever evolving wine list is absolutely amazing. 27: Chef Jimmy is a star and love the vibe there. Uchi: Been a huge fan since I went to the Austin location. Cote: Michelin Star Korean BBQ Boai De: Just wow! El Sanguich: Best Cuban sandwich Proper Sausage: Best sandwiches in town. Motek: Best Israeli food in town For a steak either I’m going to Edge or Bourbon Steak. Joe’s: Like we need a reason to eat at Joe’s. Jaguar Sun: That rigatoni dish is what dreams are made of. Old Gregg’s Pizza: I’m about that pepperoni life. MGFD its one of the original Miami restaurants and I can walk there. Ok let’s talk about the important part, drinks. In no order again: Sweet Liberty Broken Shaker Four Seasons Surfside South Pointe Tavern Beaker & Gray Lost Boy Dry Goods Baby Jane Better Days The Deuce Blackbird

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If I am gonna thank one person it would have to be my mother. My mother was a Food Service Director and a Child Nutritionist for Lavallette Elementary School in New Jersey and would spend her Summers sometimes working two different jobs as a cook as several different restaurants at the Jersey Shore. She taught me that if you want something in life you need to work hard and go after it. She was my biggest supporter and extremely proud of the man she raised. I’d also love to give a shout out to all the hospitality professionals. If you’ve never worked in a restaurant or a bar, you don’t really know what it is like to live that life. Some of the best people I’ve ever met have waited tables or bartended.

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