Recipe for Success: Mark Crawford

Mark Crawford
Bartender (Wednesday through Sunday)
Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant
2001 Siesta Drive

Q: You’ve been with Roy’s for four-and-a-half years; how long have you been tending bar?
A: I have been behind bars for 27 years. I’m originally from the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area and started off in concert venues. Like everyone else, I thought it was a great way to meet girls, get cheap drinks and see the bands that I liked. It kind of evolved from there.

Q: What was your influence to become a bartender?
A: Well, obviously the show “Cheers.” I mean, this was the late 1980s. I watched the show “Cheers,” and it looked like a lot of fun. We all want to be Woody and Sam.

Q: What is your favorite cocktail to make?
A: Any drink that takes a little work to make: a mojito, a bourbon old-fashioned. I like the craft cocktail industry. If I can show effort in making a craft cocktail, that is what’s going to get people to come to me.

Q: If someone asks for your signature drink, what would you make?
A: An old-school, Texas-style margarita with muddled lime and fresh agave, served in a short glass. No sweet and sour, keeping the ingredients simple.

Q: What’s the worst or strangest drink request you’ve ever received?
A: It’s more so the ones that break your heart a little bit. Like when people ask for the Louis XIII with ginger ale. Those are the things that typically stand out more: the 18-year-old scotch with Coke. I’d say it’s the same impression the kitchen people get when they’re asked for a well-done filet and bottle of ketchup.

Q: What is your personal drink of choice?
A: Because I like to make margaritas, I am a tequila guy at heart, so the margarita I’d make for a customer is what I’d also want to drink. But, then again, a bourbon old-fashioned if somebody really knows how to make one goes straight to my heart. What I like to make is what I like to drink.

Q: How important is the shape of the ice cube?
A: I like the physics behind the shaped ice cubes. I think it’s a cool idea and the thought that you are going to get less ice meltage is a fantastic idea. If someone wants bourbon on the rocks and they don’t want it to turn to mush in 15 minutes — it’s a great idea. They present well and they work. I am a big fan.

Q: If you weren’t a bartender you’d be a …
A: Teacher — elementary education. I went to school for psychology and education. But I found out that as much as I loved kids, I didn’t love their parents.

Q: What are some fun facts most customers would never guess about you?
A: I have four daughters: Zoe, 18, Gillian, 13, Brenna, 10, and Kenzi, 2 months old. I homeschool my kids. I do pet rescue. Animals and kids: That’s what my wife, Ashley, and I are all about.

Q: What is the most recommended drink on the menu?
A: Right now we do this really cool martini that uses ginger beer, ginger root and cucumber and is topped with this ginger candy. It’s light and refreshing. It incorporates what I like to do, which is make a drink with fresh flavors.

Q: What is your favorite part about bartending?
A: I like that I have no idea what to expect when I come to work. Every day is different. I tried for two months to get out of the business 15 years ago. I got a job selling cars, and that was the most miserable two months of my life. It was boring and there was no joy. On a day here I can meet any number of very cool people and learn a lot about the world.