About us
Who We Are
To throw a successful party you need both vision and execution. Our decades of experience in the hospitality industry and beyond gives us both, which allows us to provide a better way to enjoy the most important events of our lives. Because a proper barkeep is more than just a person pouring drinks. They are the lifeblood of your party, putting in the effort to make your event seem effortless.
Our Team
Emily Starr
CO-FOUNDER / PRESIDENT
Emily specializes in the intersections of work and gender, earning her PhD in Sociology from Tulane University in 2019. A former barkeep herself, she interviewed scores of New Orleans bartenders to complete her dissertation, The Rebel Barkeep, which focused how those in this industry have come to identify themselves within and through the unique experience of bar work. She is the president of our 501(c)3, which focuses on helping bartenders who have fallen on hard times.
VISION
Nate Usrey
CO-FOUNDER / CEO
Nate was lured to New Orleans in 2003 to attend Tulane and attain his BA in English/Political Science/Philosophy, a humanities trifecta jokingly referred to as a "Bartending Degree". He has been behind most any type of bar you can imagine since 2006 and has run events large and small all over the New Orleans area. He is excited to bring the world of craft cocktails directly to people in their homes or wherever a fine drink may be needed.
EXECUTION
Desi Villarreal
COO / MADAME D'ALCHIMIE
Desi, a native of California, has a lifetime of experience in the service industry from crafting cocktails to running multi-million dollar restaurant groups. She wears many hats (both literally and figuratively), serving as the heart of coordinating people, organizing things, and executing events from conception to clean-up. And you should taste the concoctions she cooks up in her role as the Madame d’Alchimie.
Ian Lyke
CHEF DES LIBRATIONS A.D.M.
Ian, always on hand with a quip and an infectious laugh, serves in many roles including our creative head for both cocktail and syrup creation as well as digital marketing.
Our Bartenders in Action
and plenty more experienced, local talent!
"Nate is extremely professional and helped with so many little things throughout the day, including helping me create a shopping list, supplying things that would be hard for me to purchase myself, and running day-of errands for things we were running low on (waters, cups, etc). They additionally handled clean-up, I barely had to lift a finger."
- GRACE C.