As the excitement grows around the opening of Chef Matthew Carmichael’s Riviera, one thing is certain, the restaurant’s opulent bar will be managed by the best Ottawa has to offer.

Stephen Flood’s barcraft is an effortless extension of his love of people and the good life – a perfect fit for the attention to detail Riviera promises. Stephen’s goal is simply to make your day better. It is a responsibility he has relished over 21 years at the Black Tomato and 3 years at El Camino.

In June of this year, Stephen Flood won Fauna’s Negroni competition. His approach was to keep it classic and highlight the perfect bitter balance offered by the Campari, gin, vermouth and torched orange peel. The result, a drink voted on by the judges, the competitors, and the guests as simply the best.

We caught up with Stephen recently to discuss his approach to hosting, his time in Paris and his appreciation for perfect moments.

Apt613: You competed in Fauna’s first Negroni competition, how did it go?

It was so wonderful to be in that beautiful space, with so many people I’m fond of, all celebrating the ever-rising cocktail culture in Ottawa. And I’m honoured to have won, especially as the contest was judged by both a select panel and by my fellow competing bartenders.

You will be leading the bar program at Riviera, how did that opportunity come about?

For the past three years or so I’ve been working one night a week at Matthew Carmichael’s El Camino restaurant, both because I’m very fond of him and his cooking, and because I like being around different energies and ideas. During this time, as Riviera was coming together we discussed the possibility of my running the bar program. And it just seemed to me to be a perfect fit.

Can you describe some of your small batch infusions?

I really like working with oak barrels, and currently have one that is full of bourbon and cigars, making for an amazing, smoky Old Fashioned. I also like working with strong flavoured coffee infused into bourbon, the way those bitter notes play off the vanilla/caramel sweetness of the whiskey.

You have developed a keen ability to pair a drink to a guest’s mood, can you tell us a bit more about this?

It started with making cocktails for friends and regulars, trying to tell how they were feeling when they sat down at the bar, and sliding something across to them that made their day better without them having to think about it. And I’m not sure exactly why, but thankfully it seems to work.

What makes a great cocktail?

I would say the Negroni is probably my favourite example of a great cocktail. It’s all about balance, three equal elements all with strong personalities that must be made to live in harmony. I think once you can make a truly balanced Negroni you’ve unlocked a world of possibility in terms of understanding how flavours work together.