By the time Los Angeles native Bryan Jimenez landed in the desert in 2018, he was burnt out on the hospitality grind after years in fine dining. But the former bartender still had a passion for cocktails and eventually joined the team at Palm Springs cocktail lounge Truss & Twine, honing his craft under the tutelage of its longtime mixologists. Today, Jimenez runs the venue’s inventive beverage program and has become one of the Coachella Valley’s favorite faces to see behind the bar, according to locals in a recent Reddit poll.
What makes a great bartender?
A great listener. I don’t care how amazing you are. I don’t care how fast you are. If you cannot understand what a person is asking for and you don’t listen and pay attention, you’re going to give the worst experience. It’s not about you wanting to create a cocktail; it’s about you listening and having an open ear to what the guests want.
What’s the best part about Truss & Twine?
We are not just a bar, not just a restaurant. We’re a third place for everyone. It becomes this community thing. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re doing with your day, you can feel comfortable coming in here, and that’s the important thing. We still get a heavy dose of tourists, especially in season, but we get lots of locals and industry people. It’s an honor for me to be a bartender’s bartender.
What do you love most about living in the desert?
The sunsets. I know it’s a very simple, almost romanticized thing, but one of my favorite things about opening this bar is I get to look at the most beautiful sunset every day. Every day is different, and you get such a beautiful spectrum of color.
What’s your favorite drink on the menu?
The Hotel Nacional Special. It comes with a great story. That cocktail was created at the Hotel Nacional in Cuba. If you were staying at the hotel, they’d present you with this cocktail while they got your room ready, and you’d walk around the gardens. It’s a daiquiri — which is traditionally sugar, lime, and rum — on steroids. We take away the sugar and add pineapple shrub and apricot liqueur with the lime juice and gold rum, and some angostura bitters for a spiced nuance.
What bar do you like to hit when you’re not working?
Tiny Pony Tavern in Yucca Valley. It’s my favorite. They have great drinks but also amazing duck confit nachos. And they serve food until 1:30 in the morning sometimes.
