Barkeep Supply
Where Ingenuity and Ingredients Combine
Cocktails are like magic potions that can be paired with anything. Before dinner, your light and airy Aperol spritz is an apéritif. Classics like the old fashioned or martini can go along with just about any food offering. And after the meal, a straight shot of Fernet-Branca will soothe the stomach.
Okay, that last one isn’t actually a cocktail, but you get the point. All of these beverages can seem elevated and elegant, even intimidating to the novice. But like learning to cook, teaching oneself how to bartend at home is enriching and educating. Nailing down a daiquiri is as simple as scrambled eggs and leads to a deep rabbit hole full of deviations and techniques.
When bartender Julia McLish tried to build cocktail kits for her family for Christmas one year, she came up empty-handed. Particularly when it came to purchasing speciality bitters, she was at a loss.
“I’d never really looked before, because usually when you’re a bartender, those things are provided for you. You don’t know where they come from, you just have them,” Julia remarks. “So when I set out to actually find them myself and customize my own stuff, I realized there wasn’t anything around. I just didn’t understand why there wasn’t a concept like that, and it was such an obvious concept with the cocktail phenomenon craze going on in Oklahoma City. I was like, if I don’t do it, somebody’s gonna do it, so I should do it first.”
And do it she did, with her concept Barkeep Supply, located at 1121 N Walker Ave in Midtown. What the shop lacks in square footage, it makes up for with wall-to-wall merchandise, ranging from gunmetal shaker tins and vintage glassware to Memphis BBQ bitters and flavored sea salts.
Naturally, there’s also a bar onsite. Yes, Barkeep is one of the only places where you can shop with a cocktail in hand with no fear of being chastised. They have a seasonal menu with take-home recipe cards so you can replicate the beverages yourself!
A good chunk of Barkeep’s clientele is made up of professional bartenders in search of specialty ingredients or high-quality bar tools. But there’s another considerable segment of customers who are looking for ways to improve their personal cocktail game.
“I’m discovering that there’s a lot of people out there that are enthusiasts and amateur bartenders who do it at home and have never bartended before, but are super smart and knowledgeable about spirits and bitters, and they have a cool place to come here and nerd out about it a bit,” Julia says.
In addition to providing a safe space for at-home and professional bartenders to let loose and geek out about ice cubes and jiggers, Barkeep hosts a variety of events, such as the well-attended guest bartender nights. At these, popular drink-slingers from around the city are invited in to set a theme, decorate the space however they like, and present their custom cocktails to the eager crowds.
Barkeep is also available for private classes, where guests can learn about particular spirits or how to make classic cocktails. These are excellent opportunities for anyone from the seasoned bartender who wants to learn more about sherry to the budding enthusiast who just needs to get some pointers on making the Manhattan.
No matter the occasion, Julia intends to keep the space unpretentious and open to people of all skill and knowledge levels.
“I think you should follow what you like and what you think tastes good, and you shouldn’t listen to anybody else’s advice. Whatever you’re into and whatever you think is delicious, you should just go with it,” she enthuses. “And don’t be afraid to try new flavor combinations, and eventually you’re going to find a path.”
