Tammy Tavera Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Head bartender The Bonbon Club G/F 16 Tropical Palms, Gallardo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, 1229 Metro Manila Like a lot of bartenders, Tammy began working behind the bar in college. He was drawn to bartending because of his interest in the history of spirits and how they are made. He eventually became part of the team of Moët Hennessy, where he tended bar during events and where he met his mentor, mixologist Enzo Lim (he even calls him “tatay”). His stint at Bank Bar gave him an education and appreciation for whisky. He is primarily self-taught, relying on books and videos to add to his growing knowledge of bartending and spirits, and anything he finds interesting. He even learned how to carve ice balls by hand through watching YouTube videos. “Tatay” Enzo was the one who brought Tammy into The Bonbon Club, and was told that while he loves whisky, he should know gins first. He threw himself into it, learning and experimenting, and is now a fountain of trivia about gin. We were told that a lot of customers name Tammy as their favorite bartender, and it’s easy to see why. Knowledgeable and friendly, curious and adventurous, he is approachable and has a great palate for drinks. And while he has only been with Bonbon for a little over seven months, he has also been given a bit of a free rein to experiment. Armed with boundless curiosity and fearlessness in experimenting, he is coming up with new ways to surprise and delight. From what we have seen, heard, and tasted from him, we can only expect great things to come from Tammy. Favorite bars: Curator, Finders Keepers, ABV Favorite drinks: Negroni – Tam’s heart beats for Negronis right now Boulevardier – the Negroni of whisky; swap out the gin in a Negroni for rye whiskey and you get the delicious Boulevardier cocktail Old-Fashioned – spirit-forward and the classic whisky cocktail Single malts – Glenmorangie (sweet and orangey), Ardbeg (oily, peaty, and smoky) Barrel aged gins – Ransom, Colombian, Bols Genever Signature drinks: Miles Negroni (Bulldog Gin, Campari, Averna, Cocchi Bitter Vermouth), Tam Collins (Beefeater Gin,ginger shrub, lemon juice, simple syrup, soda water), and Margaux Royale (pomelo, elderflower syrup, lemon juice, Tanqueray, and sparkling wine) Years in bartending: Six years Dream customer: Everyone is a dream customer. I treat every customer as a friend and make them feel special. Watch the video recipe for Tammy’s Miles Negroni.