If you’re  old enough to remember Boston bars before the advent of Cambridge’s storied B-Side Lounge, you might recognize that we’re enjoying a Very Good Drinking Moment right now.

Finding a bar with carefully made cocktails, a well-curated wine list and a dazzling assortment of small-producer craft beers no longer requires a special trip: Chances are you’ve got one in your neighborhood. Veterans of Boston’s older craft bars (many of whom passed through the B-Side’s ranks) have moved on to open or manage great new ones. Better yet, they’re training a new generation of young talent to embody their long-honed virtues of studiousness, technical virtuosity and commitment to hospitality.

This year’s spotlight aims to capture this fortunate moment, offering a glimpse into the psyches (and hangover remedies) of a dozen worthy local bartenders. Some are seasoned pros with already-glowing reputations; others are relative newcomers who have shown enough promise to get situated among the city’s best bar programs. We’ve asked them what spirits are currently fueling their fires, where they drink when they’re off the clock and what code words they use to mark you as needing a cab home. Get to know them; you’re going to want to find a stool in front of them very soon.

Tyler Jay Wang – Audubon Boston

Cocktail more customers should order?What does a customer get dining at your bar that they might miss sitting in the dining room?
At the Kirkland [where Wang most recently worked], Tony Maws’ open kitchen is always a great show; it’s the only time I ever felt like no one was watching me. But even with a spectacle behind you, the relationship between guest and bartender is always more personal than at a table. That’s why I always sit at the bar, and one of the reasons I became a bartender.

Anything with gin. The craft-spirit movement is producing some wonderful New World gins. Try a Tom Collins: It’s familiar, but when made right really stands out.

Cocktail that must die?
Dirty martinis. Why do you want leftover waste from old olives in your cocktail?

Prized bartending accoutrement?
A muddler my dad made from Osage orange wood.

Worst customer habit?
“Can I have [house cocktail] but with vodka, and just a little bit of citrus, and not too sweet, but also, like, a splash of grenadine?”

End-of-shift drink?
A stout and a shot; a Sazerac on Sundays.

Last great meal out?
Per Se; it was just perfect. On second thought, Ribelle.

Hangover cure?
Don’t drink so much, dummy.

Dumbest trend?
Stocking every whiskey or amaro ever produced. Curate those lists a little!

Favorite bar now?
Visiting Katie [Emmerson, bar manager] at the Hawthorne is one of life’s great joys.

Your bar bucket list?
Bar High Five (Tokyo), Polite Provisions (San Diego) and wherever Scott Marshall is working. [Author’s note: For the curious, the brilliant Scott Marshall is now at 22 Square in Savannah, Ga.]

Life skill that bartending has taught you?
Sweat the small stuff, make it perfect, and then say f— it and take it like a shot.

Dan Valachovic – Vee Vee

Vee Vee’s focus on local craft brews has been widely imitated and increasingly appreciated. How have the changes in what’s available and what customers want affected your philosophy?
More customers are learning to trust what we put on our draft list. I actually like the idea of paring our list back rather than adding more. We have four draft lines and maybe 20 bottles; it’s fun and challenging to curate those lists in a way that is interesting and exciting, with no fluff or filler.

Prized bartending accoutrement?
The keg fridge I built in my home cellar.

Beer more customers should try?
Beers fermented with Brettanomyces, which can lend a rare, tropical, funky complexity. An example is Orval Belgian Trappist ale, which gets a second in-bottle fermentation with Brett. A young Orval has a different flavor profile from one aged several months.

In-house code words?
“I need you to barback seat six for me” means “What’s that customer’s name again?”

Guilty pleasure?
Nothing beats a shandy at the beach. Narragansett and [RI frozen lemonade maker] Del’s are allegedly teaming up on one this year, which sounds awesome.

Favorite current trend?
Brewers doing subtle variations on a style. Trillium and
Mystic are tweaking standards of theirs just slightly to emphasize different hops, grains or yeasts.

Dumbest trend?
Yuengling

What should other bars do better?
List serving sizes and ABV of beers on beer menus.

Your bar bucket list?
Craft Pride (Austin), a year-old bar with 54 lines of Texas-only craft beers and a bacon food truck on the patio.

Inspirational beer bar?
’T Velootje (Ghent, Belgium). No heat in winter, just a rubbish-burning fireplace, and no beer list, just the owner pouring you what he happens to have that day.

Moira Costello Horan – Commonwealth Cambridge, Franklin Southie, Citizen Public House

A professional bartender has a vampiric lifestyle: You don’t see a lot of daylight. How do you manage a social life? Any upside to a night-owl existence? No traffic and no lines at the supermarket, bars and restaurants. Restaurants become your family, so you spend holidays with people you love and care about. I don’t have many friends who aren’t in the industry; my boyfriend is a bartender, so we understand each other’s schedule. Being so social in my profession makes me happy just to be on my couch and quiet on my own time.

Measure or free-pour?
Measure cocktails, free-pour mixed drinks.

Cocktail that more customers should order?
Gin martinis with a twist.

Cocktail that must die?
Dirty vodka martinis. They’re disgusting.

Worst customer habits?
Waving in my face, interrupting me when I’m talking to someone else, or giving me a drink order when I ask you how you’re doing.

Ingredient more customers should try?
Gin: such a versatile spirit. Too many people avoid it based on one bad experience in their youth.

End-of-shift drink?
A shot of Rittenhouse rye and a Notch Pils, please.

Guilty pleasure?
Piña coladas. I used to live and bartend in Puerto Rico.

Last great meal out?
Sarma. Delicious. Great staff. Can’t wait to go back.

Favorite dives?
Tom English’s on Dot Ave. Whitey’s. Delux before it closed.

Hangover cure?
Pedialyte and Green Chartreuse. [Author’s note: I assume separately, not mixed.]

Favorite current trend?
Amaro-based cocktails.

Favorite bar now?
Tavern Road—every bartender there is amazingly talented.

Nomination for Boston’s Bartending Hall of Fame?
Peter Cipriani [of the Franklin Southie and Franklin Cafe]. He is the whole package.

Your most important mentor?
The legendary Tom Mastricola [GM of Commonwealth].

Life skill bartending has taught you?
Patience.

Libby Spencer – Deep Ellum, Lone Star Taco Bar

I’m grateful that Deep Ellum and Lone Star have brought a top-tier craft cocktail program to Allston, but spirits-drinking Allstonians still seem more into highballs. How do you graduate the cool kids to more sophisticated, challenging tipples?
We’re getting there. I always push the kids to taste new beers or let me make them a cocktail. It’s fun to watch someone’s palate evolve, and I think we’re promoting that in a cool, comfortable way.

Cocktail more customers should order?
Manhattans. So many great variations, and an easy way to try new whiskeys.

Prized accoutrement?
A Mr. Boston guide from the 1940s, a fun reference and research tool.

Worst customer habit?
Making out at my bar. Just don’t.

Ingredient more customers should try?
Mezcal, neat or in a gimlet.

Best time to talk to you?
Tuesdays after 11 pm at Lone Star; Thursdays after midnight at Deep Ellum.

Guilty pleasure?
Vodka and Red Bull.

Last great meal out?
Strip-T’s. Love the grilled romaine salad with braised oxtail and a poached egg. I’m obsessed with that place.

Favorite dives?
The Sil’ [The Silhouette Lounge] and the Model in Allston, Galway House and the Drinking Fountain in JP, Charlie’s Kitchen and Grendel’s Den in Harvard Square.

Hangover cure?
Eggs, bacon, home fries, toast and a Bloody. Works every time!

Favorite current trend?
Wild yeasts and sour beers.

Favorite bar now?
Highland Kitchen. I can go there to party with my girlfriends, have date night or bring my parents for dinner.

Hall of Fame nomination?
[Deep Ellum/Lone Star GM] David Cagle, aka Cousin Dave.

Life skill bartending has taught you?
I can talk to anyone about anything—and I’m really great at eavesdropping!

Melinda Maddox – Backbar

Maybe it’s the location, but if there’s one place my cocktail-geek friends have overlooked, it’s Backbar. What makes Backbar worth the considerable effort to find its front door?
Backbar is located off a random driveway, behind a bunch of dumpsters, down a weirdly lit hallway. Once you find us, you’ll realize we are unpretentious, make cool cocktails and have a uniquely chill attitude. I want to serve guests something that gains their trust and makes them excited to be here. Sometimes that means I get to light cocktails on fire or smash the heck out of some ice!

Measure or free-pour?
Jiggers always, except for finger-stirred Negroni Mondays.

Cocktail that you wish more customers would order?
The Scofflaw.

Prized accoutrement?
Cocktail Techniques by Kazuo Uyeda.

Most embarrassing moment?
I’ve been punched into a bloody nose by an overzealous co-worker’s cocktail shaking.

Guilty pleasure?
Baileys on the rocks with a Guinness back.

Favorite dives?
The Mount Vernon (Somerville) is super old-school, staffed by ancient bartenders in black vests and bow ties. I need to try their martini machine.

Favorite current trend?
Cocktails on tap, and coffee brewing techniques applied to cocktail making.

What should other bars do better?
Don’t make assumptions about me, like that I might want a “girly” drink.

Favorite bar now?
jm Curley.

Your bar bucket list?
Experimental Cocktail Club (Paris), Bourbon & Branch (San Francisco), Bar K (Osaka).

Dumbest Yelp?
That my hair was messy.

Life skill bartending has taught you?
I can relate to just about everyone, and I will always be able to find work in a restaurant or bar if I am willing to work hard.

Nicole LeClair – jm Curley

What’s the hardest aspect of being a relatively new bartender in a place that has so much going on: craft cocktails, a geeky beer list, serious wines and a long food menu?
Absorbing new information. If I make or taste something, I remember it better. Just reading can feel like I’m faking it. I want to give people my opinion, not one I got secondhand.

Drink more customers should order?
Negroni Sbagliato.

Prized bartending accoutrement?
Tiki mugs from Bali Hai.

Worst customer habit?
People grabbing me to look at my tattoos.

Ingredient more customers should try?
Amari and sweet vermouths like Montenegro and Carpano Antica.

Best time to talk to you?
Thursday afternoon.

In-house code words?
Jack Monkey (idiot), Meat Pie (terrible mess), Bear Trap (someone you can’t escape).

Media recommendation?
Rye Pines’ A Portrait of Dissonance as a Young Man, a great album by a local band I never get to see because of work.

Guilty pleasure?
Anything from a blender. Miller Lite in a Vortex bottle.

Last great meal out?
Sarma; the fluke was delicious.

Favorite dive?
Charlie’s Kitchen.

Hangover cure?
Two showers, a towel nap, coffee, ginger ale with bitters.

Favorite current trend?
Cocktails on draft and in bottles.

Dumbest trend?
Mason jars.

Favorite bar now?
State Park. I could take anyone I know there and have a good time.

Dumbest Yelp?
Mocking my eyeglasses. Is my poor vision really affecting your experience?

Frederic Yarm – Russell House Tavern

You may be better known for your Cocktail Virgin blog and 2012 book Drink & Tell: A Boston Cocktail Book than as a bartender. How has being a prolific cocktail writer shaped your bartending, and vice versa?
Sitting at lots of bars has influenced my bartending more than my writing—observing good and bad hospitality, techniques, recipes and interactions. Manning the stick professionally has made me a more easygoing guest.

Cocktail that more customers should order? Cocktails with vermouth; I like a 2:1 or 1:1 martini at home. Vermouth and other aromatized wines are also a delight to drink on the rocks with an orange twist.

Cocktail that must die?
“Those ’70s drinks.” I refuse to remember the difference between a Bay Breeze and a Sea Breeze.

Prized bartending accoutrement?
My CME Handworks inlaid three-wood ice-crushing mallet, actually a furniture maker’s woodcarving mallet. It’s beautiful.

Trickiest moment?
Dealing with the (rare) disruptive, aggressive customer, the kind that makes other guests uncomfortable. It’s difficult to switch from hospitality to authoritarian mode.

Guilty pleasure?
A Rusty Nail, though it’s a legitimate-enough drink.

Favorite dives?
Paddy’s Lunch, Charlie’s Kitchen.

What should other bars do better?
Turn over their cocktail menus. A static menu betrays a lack of focus.

Advice for aspiring bartenders?
Two quotes neatly encapsulate the profession for me. [Backbar manager] Sam Treadway: “Bartending is about watering down spirits and babysitting adults.” [Drink GM] John Gertsen: “If you know where everything lives and know how to smile, you’ll be a great bartender.”

Markus Yao – Shojo

Shojo is a lonely purveyor of craft cocktails in Chinatown. Who are your customers, and when will other Chinatown restaurateurs get as serious about drinks as you guys?
We get locals or people from all over, including the PRC. Unfortunately, Chinatown doesn’t have many full liquor licenses.

Spirit more customers should order?
Japanese whiskies.

Cocktail that must die?
The Last Word.

Best time to talk to you?
Anytime but five minutes before closing.

Any in-house code words?
We speak Chinese in front of customers: No code needed!

Favorite dives?
Casino bars: $1 beer and whiskey, though you have to play table games.

Favorite current trend?
The Instagram Negroni: It’s a Negroni posted on Instagram.

Dumbest trend?
The Instagram Negroni.

Dumbest Yelp?
Yelpers are the best people on the planet. They have tasted every known thing. That’s why they Yelp, right?

Advice to aspiring bartenders?
See the world.

Your most important mentors?
[Silvertone bartender] Nick Korn: “Fat is happy.” Also, [Spike TV’s Bar Rescue host] Jon Taffer: “How the eff is that workin’ out for you?”

Any other words of wisdom?
“There’s no strong whiskey, just weak men.”

Ezra Star – Drink

Drink always seems to have dense crowds and lines out the door. How do you balance high-volume service with the ideal of a personalized cocktail experience?
It can be very difficult, especially in a place that doesn’t have a menu. The first way I deal with this is to not think about making drinks. The more focused I can be on the people at my bar, the better.

Cocktail more customers should order? Brandy-based drinks, especially for women. When someone claims to not like whiskey, I can surprise them with a brandy cocktail, and they usually love it.

Prized bartending accoutrement?
My ice saw: I engraved stars on it to mark it as my own. Plus, it looks pretty badass sticking out of my bag. I feel like an Edo-period samurai walking through the city.

Most embarrassing moment?
While making a Ramos gin fizz, the shaker slid from my hand and covered a customer in cream and egg. She was really nice about it, though I doubt she’ll ever order another one.

Best time to talk cocktails?
4 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

In-house code words?
“In the pool”: someone only getting water or too drunk to have drinks.

Guilty pleasure?
Apricot sour: two ounces Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot liqueur, half-ounce simple syrup, half-ounce lemon. So good, so sweet, so wrong.

Last great meal out?
Fairsted Kitchen; I was blown away by what they are doing over there!

Hangover cure?
After the occasional night of hard drinking, a salt-rimmed Italian Greyhound and a bowl of pho help get me through the workday.

What should other bars do better?
Improve their sound systems and soundproofing.

Dumbest Yelp?
“They have a line to get in. Why don’t they just let more people in?”

Will Isaza – Fairsted Kitchen

I’ve praised Fairsted for its extraordinary hospitality ethos and often say that hospitality is as important in bartending as technical chops. How does Fairsted cultivate it?
If someone wants to make a career in this industry, hospitality should be the first priority. I’ve always loved meeting new people and interacting with many different personalities; it’s cool to have a job where I do that nightly. Fairsted’s owners want every guest to feel as though they’re eating and drinking with family. That only works because we have that sensibility as a staff.

Drink more customers should order?
Vieux Carré.

Most embarrassing moment?
A couple at my bar got into a huge argument and proceeded to start their divorce over dinner. I gave them a couple of shots and told them to love each other. The woman immediately started crying and left. Whoops.

Ingredient more customers should try?
Rum and rhum agricole.

In-house code words?
“Getting Crowed”: We treat our VIP guests to a shot of Old Crow Reserve.

Media recommendation?
Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts (1953), on how to be the life of any party.

Guilty pleasure?
Daiquiris all around, please.

Favorite dives?
Sligo (Somerville). O’Leary’s (Brookline) is a black hole of greatness.

Favorite current trend?
Bottled cocktails and beer cocktails.

What should other bars do better?
Focus more on helping me have a great time, less on feeding me information. I’m mostly there to drink and eat, not to be educated.

Your bar bucket list?
Bar High Five (Tokyo). Two I’ve already hit: the Floridita and Bodeguita del Medio, both in Havana. The bartender at Bodeguita said, “Here is the first mojito you have ever had; all the rest have been merely an imitation.” Paired with a Cohiba, it was the best bar experience I’ve ever had.

Kevin Mabry – Merrill & Co.

What went smoother or rougher about Merrill’s recent opening than you expected?
Opening a bar isn’t supposed to be easy. The hours are long, the work is tedious and the risk is high. We never know if all the effort and money invested is going to yield a return. But I love being a part of an opening team: the creativity, the team-building, executing a new concept top-to-bottom. A restaurateur friend and I agree: It’s like an addiction, an emotional thrill unlike any other.

Spirit that must die?
Fireball cinnamon whiskey.

Spirit more customers should try?
Gran Classico amaro. It’s in my Negronis, my secret weapon.

Prized bartending accoutrement?
Antique glassware. I could never live on the West Coast for fear of earthquakes knocking them off my shelves.

In-house code words?
“Team Meeting”: a staff half-shot of Fernet to get our minds right.

Guilty pleasure?
White Russians! I don’t care who sees me drinking them.

Last great meal out?
Alden & Harlow.

Hangover cure?
An ice-cold V8, an egg sandwich and a shot of mezcal, not necessarily in that order.

Favorite current trends?
Sherries and session IPAs.

What should other bars do better?
Educate your staff. For instance, all spirits you stir; any citrus you shake. I’m a shaken Negroni away from a meltdown.

Favorite bar now?
Backbar.

Your bar bucket list?
Artesian (London), Aviary (Chicago), Canon (Seattle), Anvil (Houston) and Polite Provisions (San Diego).

Dumbest Yelp?
“The staff being in Ed Hardy did not add up.” I was that server, and I don’t do bedazzled or dragons.

What does hospitality mean to you?
A series of selfless acts that reflect genuine caring about others: not just the guests, but your co-workers, friends and family, too. Hospitality should not be something you punch in and out of.

Ryan McGrale – Tavern Road

You’ve logged more time in New York City bars than most Boston bartenders. Any stories?
My very last bar shift in Manhattan, the place was slammed. Some Jersey dude was waving his credit card and cash at the end of the bar, then started snapping his fingers. I got on all fours, walked down the bar, jumped onto the bar in front of the guy, crouched down, cupped his face in my hands, licked the side of it and said, “We are here to serve you as best we can. We are people, not dogs. Don’t you ever dare snap at anyone who serves you.” Then I hopped off the bar and took his order. The crowd started cheering like crazy. He smiled and said, “You’re right, I’m sorry, never again in this or any bar!” Then he and I had a shot together, and the night continued as it started.

Prized bartending accoutrement?
First-edition The Bon Vivant’s Companion by Jerry Thomas.

Worst customer habits?
Yelling drink orders at the bartender while he’s making other drinks, taking another drink order or interacting with another guest.

Ingredient more customers should try?
Sherry, as in the perfect Bamboo cocktail.

Guilty pleasure?
No shame, but a NASCAR Spritz: Bud Light Lime dosed with Aperol and a lemon twist.

Last great meal out?
Erbaluce.

Favorites dives?
Delux (RIP), Anchovies, the Field.

Favorite current trend?
Mists and foams.

Dumbest trend?
Cocktail competitions, except the Cocktail Wars and World Class contests.

Favorite bar now?
The underrated Blue Dragon.

Dumbest Yelp?
That I literally had to be on drugs to like my job this much.

Your greatest bartending moment?
I introduced two strangers sitting at my bar, involved them in conversation. They started dating, married, had a child six years later. His middle name is Ryan.