Andrew Izrael
Years of Participation
2018-2019
Andrew Izrael- Creative Beverage Director
Izrael has been in restaurants since he was a young teenager and knew after growing his first stalk of corn as a young child he wanted to be a Chef. As the years went on, he worked across kitchens in Charlotte and found that his personality was best suited for the front of house. Quickly he jumped behind the bar and into every book he could find. The creative release of cocktails fueled his chef’s heart, the interaction with guests spoke to his gregarious nature and wine gave him a connection back to the food that would always be his first love. He ran many of Charlottes largest bar programs, from Chef Rocco Whalen’s rooftop restaurant Fahrenheit to Bottlecap Group’s newest Charlotte flagship Ink N Ivy before moving into the role of Corporate Director of Beverage for the whole company. Andrew now works with the creation, implementation, quality control and training for all of Bottle Cap Groups bar programs. He uses the framework of classic cocktail culture, mixed with his childlike creativity to help overhaul the older concepts, structuralize the new ones and bring the company as a whole into the new future of beverage. His new menus have been trending on social media in a way Charlotte has never seen, creating drinks that instill strong senses of nostalgia and fun. His new-found passion for teaching bar staffs across North and South Carolina has brought a refreshing light to his career. He is one of the Carolina’s young up and comers you need to watch.