He may be running the bar at one of the Cities’ most upscale restaurants, but Adam Gorski is definitely not a snob—he’s got the friendly, laid-back attitude that you want in a bartender. And a good sense of humor: When talking about his fall cocktail lineup, he notes that “every drink doesn’t have to be made from things that go in a pumpkin pie.”
After longtime barman Johnny Michaels left the James Beard Award–winning restaurant early this year, Gorski took the helm as the bar program’s new creative lead. But fans of the Parlez-Vous need not fear; many of Johnny’s signatures are staying on the menu. “Hopefully people will start trying my drinks, too,” Gorski laughs, as he mixes a Vaya con Dios—the drink is comprised of tequila, mezcal, dry vermouth, lemon, and celery, and is garnished with paper-thin radish slices.
Despite his age (26), Gorski has been crafting cocktails for awhile. Growing up in Plymouth, his dad mixed martinis (“Gin—always gin,” says Gorski), and he took his first professional bartending job at the now-defunct Bradstreet Crafthouse four years ago. After flirting with the kitchen (at Clancey’s Meats and Fish and Red Stag Supperclub), Gorski turned to full-time bartending at Eat Street Social in 2013 before accepting the gig at La Belle Vie, where he’s looking to make his mark.
“I’m most comfortable behind the bar,” he explains. “I like creating cocktails for people, and I want them to try something new; just sit down and tell me what you like.”
Get the recipe for one of Gorski’s latest concoctions in this month’s Cook Like.
