Know Your Bartender: Marissa Wyant of Saint Leo
Name and Hometown: Marissa Wyant; Little Rock, Arkansas and St. Petersburg, Florida
Bars where you have worked: Tampa: Datz, Copperfish; Oxford: Green Roof Lounge, Ravine, Saint Leo
In your experience, what is the most common reason to have a drink? To relax and let loose
What’s your favorite ingredient or flavor combo? Ingredient: Gin (botanical, like Uncle Val’s or The Botanist); Flavor combination: Basil and (fresh) Pineapple
What is your most essential bar tool? Jigger
Where’s your favorite spot to sip? Front lawn at GRIT, upstairs at City Grocery, ravine bar, anywhere with good company
What are your personal specialties? Cocktails with fresh muddled ingredients and international relations (I’m also a Political Science PhD candidate!)
Craziest request by a customer? Pint glass of dry vermouth with lots of ice.
What drink do you recommend to someone who doesn’t know what to order? I always try to get people to try a gin cocktail—if they’re not into gin it’s usually because they haven’t had it done well.
Most famous customer you’ve ever served: Derek Jeter, David Price, Raheem Morris, Joe Maddon, (lots of athletes in Tampa) and Andy Kennedy, Morgan Freeman in Oxford.
If you could have a drink with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and what would you drink? Anything with Barack Obama
If you’re in charge of the tunes in your bar, what music do you play? 90s hip hop/R&B
What’s the best live band you’ve seen in Mississippi? Todd Snider at the Lyric
Favorite movie of all time: To Kill a Mockingbird
Read any good books lately? Becoming by Michelle Obama
Best joke to tell to a grumpy customer: I am not good at canned jokes!
What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen in your bar lately? Bars are weird lately— no guests at the bar due to coronavirus.
Favorite after-shift drink? Wine
Where would you be if you weren’t behind a bar? In a classroom teaching political science.
About the Author
TLV News The Local Voice is a bimonthly entertainment guide and newspaper based in Oxford, Mississippi, covering and distributed in North Central Mississippi, including Oxford, Ole Miss, Taylor, Abbeville, Water Valley, Lafayette County, Yalobusha County, and parts of Panola County, Marshall County, and Tupelo . The Local Voice is distributed free to over 255 locations in North Mississippi and also available as a full color PDF download worldwide on the internet.
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