Love Your Bartender: Alfredo Di Scipio, Apartment 138
Meet Apartment 138's muddle-master Alfredo Di Scipio. This 'tender spends his nights in Carroll Gardens whipping up tasty bevvies, which is where we caught up with him for the scoop on summer cocktails and where he learned to shake and stir them. Turns out, he got his start working as a waiter in an upscale Mexican restaurant in Tribeca called El Teddy's.
"The space had two large private party banquet rooms upstairs with their own separate mini bars. As a server we were required to learn how to make basic cocktails in order to supply our private party guests with drinks. All cocktails here were made using fresh juices, therefore my initial training as bartender was all with fresh ingredients," he told us.
Mr. Di Scipio, 36, grew up in Borough Park and Sunset Park, raised by a mother who was a native of Puerto Rico and a father who was a native of Italy. The family had a garden filled with bushes of fresh herbs and vines of ripe, vibrant tomatoes. Sometimes they would head to their property in the Catskills upstate which was riddled with even more fresh herbs and ripe vegetables.
"One of my most striking and lasting memories as a child is the scent of fresh summer herbs, the smell of torn basil leaves as my father was putting into his fresh tomato sauce, and the bushels of plump, red tomatoes he picked from his friend's farm upstate, which he cooked and jarred for the entire winter.
"When I first began creating my own cocktails my immediate instinct was to use fresh ingredients. The summer is the best time for this. Fresh squeezed citrus juices, fresh muddled berries, and fresh bright green herbs make for refreshing delicious cocktails that go down easy and leave you craving more. Whether it's a picnic in the park, an afternoon drinking with friends at your favorite outdoor dining spot, or partying in the comforts of your air-conditioned home, these fresh summer drinks will always satisfy."
Mr. Di Scipio donated his favorite summer recipes for all to enjoy, and has only two pieces of advice: 1. Hydrate 2. When wearing your strawberry-basil gimlet goggles that result in questionable debauchery, brush it off lightly. It's summer. It's all going to be okay.
Strawberry Basil Gimlet:
Lemon and Rye:
Dark and Handsome:
Jalapeno Passionfruit Margarita: 
