About
Favorite Cocktail: Chrysanthemum
Cocktail Pet Peeve: Sour Mix Instead of Juice
Favorite Food: Sushi
Favorite Cocktail Gadget: Oxo Mini Angled Measuring Cup
Day Job: Lab Manager / IT Architect
Location: Superior, CO
Email: reese[at]cocktailhacker[dot]com
Twitter: ReeseLloyd
The Hacker Story
My background, both schooling and professionally, is in IT. I graduated in 2004 from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BS in Computer Science. Following that I was hired by IBM and have worked my way through a few positions since then. Currently I’m the Lab Manager for a contract we hold with the USDA Forest Service. In this role I’m hands-on with computers and other technology all the time. So, when I get home it’s nice to play around with something considerably older and less technical. Enter cocktails.
While I was in college I was a slow starter in the drinking world, having waited until age 21. Since then I’ve made up considerable ground, but I digress. When I first started making cocktails the only one in my repertoire was the Gin and Tonic. No doubt a good choice, but a bit limited. After graduation I began to expand my options along with good friend, and Cocktail Hacker emeritus, Aaron. I started with the Daiquiri and I was hooked from there.
When I was first starting I learned as much as I could. A lot of that came from online articles, blogs and videos. One video I remember particularly vividly is a piece by Robert Hess on starting your own home bar (The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess – Stocking Your Bar). His recommendation was to pick one cocktail at a time, pick up just those ingredients and mix a variety of recipes until you find one that you like. I took that to heart and decided that would be the basis for Cocktail Hacker.
Mix, sip and enjoy.