Ten Recipes From the Best New Bartenders of 2025

Our Best New Bartenders of 2025 describe their drink-making styles in different ways: Tone Arasa is “heavily inspired by the seasons”; Molly Gajdosik’s cocktails are “fun, approachable and full of flavor”; Ricardo Rodriguez wants his recipes to be “purposeful,” above all else. The cocktails they’ve shared with us exemplify that mix, and more. In this collection of recipes, there are nostalgic flavor combinations, clever techniques and odes to the tried-and-true classics. Here, get to know our class of 2025 through their signature drinks.

Ricardo Rodriguez | Aberdeen Township, New Jersey

“This cocktail is inspired by two of my favorite drinks: a spicy Margarita and a Jungle Bird,” says Ricardo Rodriguez, bar manager of Lita and La Otra. Here, he combines both tequila and mezcal with spicy Ancho Reyes Verde chile liqueur and the bitterness of gentian liqueur alongside pineapple and lime juices. “My kitchen background has taught me to appreciate contrasting but complementary flavors, and this cocktail achieves that balance in an approachable way,” he says.