A rosy cocktail — PROGRESS

Harvey’s Abbye Allen loves the social aspect of bartending

Abbye Allen is a true professional behind the bar. She measures ingredients and mixes drinks with such speed that it is hard to see with the naked eye at times.

Her skill should come as no surprise though, as she has been bartending for a decade.

She worked her way through the ranks at Harvey’s in Starkville to become head bartender, a position she relishes.

“I’ve always worked in the service industry, and I thought that it was really cool to see the bartenders making drinks and stuff like that,” she said.

She landed at Harvey’s eight years ago because she had a friend who worked there and asked her to come work there.

Now as head bartender, she is responsible for crafting the cocktail menus for the restaurant as well as coming up with ideas for new drinks.

Her favorite cocktail is called Everything’s Coming Up Roses. The drink is very floral, and she said it lends itself well to a spring afternoon.

“It’s one of my favorites because it’s very light and floral,” Allen said. “I’m a really big gin fan. I like the floral citrusy aspects of the Uncle Val’s Gin. It’s also not too sweet. It’s very easy to drink. I think it’s perfect to sit on the patio and have a couple of those in the afternoon. It also looks really good. I think you pretty much drink with your eyes first.”

Flowers and bartending seem to meld for her as well. She said one of the most challenging cocktails she’s ever made involved using ice cubes with frozen flowers inside.

“It was very challenging to get those right and to get the ice clear enough to be able to see the flowers,” she said. “But it turned out really good.”

Ultimately, she loves the social aspect of bartending, and the friends she has made along the way.

“They come in and they become regulars,” Allen said. “They pretty much become a part of your family.”