Chilled 100 Spotlight: Angela Wood

By Sophia DeVito

Meet Angela Wood!

Angela Wood - Chilled 100 Member, Tampa

Angela Wood – Chilled 100 Member, Tampa

Angela is a Chilled 100 member from Tampa, Florida. She has been a bartender for around five years — from drive bars to resorts and high-volume night clubs. She is currently a lead bartender at The Twisted Turtle Bar and Grill in Carrrollwood.

Angela is always looking for different ways to hone her craft and learn everything she can. “I love what I do, and I look forward to work every day!”

What’s your go-to cocktail?

Cucumber gimlet or a classic old fashioned

What are your favorite cocktail trends?

I’m excited that most bars are embracing the gastro and high-quality food concepts. Nothing goes better with a super crafty cocktail than a beautifully set charcuterie or something equally fantastic and rare.

Do you have any unique skills / what separates you from other bartenders?

I am super high energy and keep people in laughing for hours. I also have a way of helping people decide what to drink when they are unsure, and I love pulling people out of their comfort zones with new flavors and spirits that they aren’t used to.

What cocktail ingredient could you not live without? What ingredient is overrated?

I love fresh products. I will never use store bought sours and purees. That kind of stuff just kills any enjoyment that I get from making good cocktails. And fresh herbs — it just changes the entire experience for people.

Honestly, the only overrated products are things that get by because of the brand. Example: Patrón for tequila. hey’re hundreds of amazing tequilas that literally blow Patrón away.

What’s one piece of advice you could have given yourself when you first started out as a bartender?

Don’t be afraid to walk against the grain. And not everyone working above you knows what they are doing. Some will hold you down, so you don’t make them look bad. Be yourself — they’re going to love you.

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