From classic cocktails to COVID pop-ups: Behind the bar with Jeff Kinder

Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge has long been a training ground for great bartenders, all of whom get a taste of the industry as they work their way through the bar’s extensive catalog of cocktails and ice cream drinks. 

Among those bartenders is Jeff Kinder, a Kansas City native whose work at Bryant’s led him to a position as bar manager for The Jazz Estate and lead bartender for a longterm cocktail pop-up at Zocalo Food Park during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this week’s podcast, we chat with Kinder about life behind the bar, what it’s been like to adjust service for the pandemic and how inventive pop-ups have proven to be a good solution for serving customers while keeping them safe. Along the way, we learn more about Kinder himself, his career as a bartender and the drinks that inspire him.