Interview with Boston Rising Star Bartender Ezra Star of Drink

Caroline Hatchett: How did you get your start?
Ezra Star: I was in school to become a doctor. Some things happened in my life that caused me to take a break from school, and I ended up behind the bar. I’d worked in a lab for seven years; here I actually get to talk to people! I started as a barback and decided to be the world’s best barback, but after a year, I had to start making drinks.

CH: What’s your favorite spirit?
ES: I love rum. We’re secretly a rum bar. We have a huge selection and even have a rum closet. I love Martinique rums and any kind of agricole.

CH: How are you involved in the culinary community?
ES: I was a founding member of the Boston Bartender Collaborative before we broke up. I’ve been all across the country, teaching about how bars can be more effective and efficient.

CH: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to face in your career?
ES: Gender politics behind the bar. Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) does an important part. The best bar programs are run by women.

CH: Where do you see yourself in five years?
ES: Working with structural stuff, setting up bar programs, a little consulting. Helping bar layout and bar design—those things really influence function. They affect the service run and profitability. I would like to own my own bar—making drinks and connecting with people.