The Answer: BarNoir in Full Effect, 2021 - 2022
The pandemic laid it all bare for the hospitality industry. A space that once thrived on individualism was now forced to acknowledge the real need for community building and interconnectedness. For Black bartenders, it was an opportunity to hold a mirror up to our peers and reveal not only the harm that had been done onto us through years of exclusion, but to show all of the gifts they missed out on, too. When our most vulnerable are thriving, we’re all thriving, and this energy opened up major opportunities for Black bartenders to shine. This time marks an explosion of creativity in the industry and for BarNoir in particular, coining the practice of diasporic mixology. Writings, interviews, live demos, and supporting peers in their own concept development brought an era of hope for the future, and the first answers to those questions we started asking just a few years ago.
"Under the Consistent Sun" for Edible Boston Summer 2021 BarNoir's first cover! Serving as the 2021 Cocktail Editor for Edible Boston and Worcester, each issue takes readers through an arc of cocktails, history, discovery, and community. Writing for Edible marks an important time in the BarNoir journey, as we delved deeper into the definition and importance of diasporic mixology, and the means in which we can preserve art and culture through it. Cocktail featured: Everlasting Punch
Roxbury Rose Garden | whisky, chamomile, honey, coconut, rosewater, orange blossom water, apple A cocktail of essential oils and elements meant to represent the essential workers, people, and communities through the pandemic.
Roxbury is the heart of the City of Boston, and has hosted generations of vibrant cultural activity. BarNoir participated in Roxbury Restaurant week, an early initiative to support Black owned restaurants and promote community unity and economic growth in Roxbury.
This season marked one of several BarNoir collaborations with the Boston.com Cocktail Club, a virtual cocktail class featuring beloved bartenders around the city. Each cocktail recipe is accompanied by a written article or interview that goes behind the scenes of the drinkmaking process.
Lifting as we climb: the exchange of resources, sharing platforms, ideas and support was profound at this time. For BarNoir's final Cocktail Club appearance, we curated and hosted a special Black History Month edition, featuring two deeply impactful bartenders on the scene: Tersillia Valentini and Marsha Lindsey. Curating cocktails that commemorated the past, present, and future of Black mixology, this episode of Cocktail Club drew some of its highest numbers of viewers.
For the Culture Food Magazine Issue 001: It's Personal It was a true honor to be a contributor for For the Culture Food Mag, a print and digital magazine with a focus on Black women and femmes in hospitality. Created by culinary writer Klancy Miller ( "Cooking Solo: The Fun of Cooking for Yourself", 2016), For the Culture was a groundbreaking work in centering the perspectives and experiences of Black women in hospitality.
Bodega Daiquiri | rum, naranja argria syrup, orange and aromatic bitters, lime
Working Brown and Balanced at Bartenders' Weekend with Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and Sorel
The Silver Box | gin, elderflower, bitter bianco liqueur In collaboration with Bacardi for Black History Month, we created what is now a BarNoir essential: The Silver Box. Named after dancer and activist Mildred Davenport's Silver Box Studio, this cocktail encompasses the elements of lightness, body, and shadows in dance in the form of an updated classic Martini.
Mildred Davenport herself, founder of Silver Box Dance Studio at 522 Columbus Ave, along the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. In researching more about the rich Black heritage of the South End neighborhood in Boston, I learned of Mildred Davenport. Mildred Davenport was a multifaceted artist, activist, and educator. A trained dancer, Mildred desegregated many of Boston's top stages. She served in WWII, and was a professor at the prestigious Tuskegee University. In her later years, Mildred founded community arts programs for Boston's youth, and served on the Massachusetts Committee Against discrimination for 20 years.
Facilitating a virtual cocktail class with Creatives of Color Boston
