Dear Bar Manager,
I'm applying for the Head Bartender position at Death & Co. For the last three years I've been Head Bartender at a craft cocktail bar in SoHo (38 seats + 12 bar seats), holding down Friday and Saturday service at 180-220 covers with a 2-person bar team at an 11-minute average ticket time — the kind of volume + craft ratio I understand your Manhattan room runs.
Beyond volume service, I developed three seasonal menu rotations (10 cocktails each) with in-house syrups and tinctures; average cocktail check rose from $17 to $22 across 2024 while program-wide pour cost held at 21%. I built and maintain a 120-spirit whiskey program (American, Scotch, Japanese) and trained 4 bar-backs plus 2 junior bartenders through a structured 8-week curriculum. I hold NYC Responsible Beverage Service certification and ServSafe Manager, and I was a finalist at Speed Rack Northeast in 2024.
Death & Co's approach to bar education and the specific way your Manhattan program has evolved since Audrey took over are the reasons I want to make this move. I'd be particularly interested in contributing to your menu development process and bar-back curriculum, where my current work transfers cleanly.
Happy to stage a Saturday service at your convenience and meet the team.
Respectfully, Alex Rivera
