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Mixing up drinks, making music and meeting people is the MO of this Little City Brewing barman.
A well-written lyric and a melody should transport you—as should a good cocktail, according to Little City Brewing crackerjack bartender, manager and musician Reginald (Regi) Wilson Jr.
“There’s always a mood set by the music that’s happening,” says Wilson. “And cocktailing is a lot like music.” Putting his knack for cocktailing and tunes together, Wilson creatively concocts drinks and names them after song lyrics—think Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar High” (natch), “Run and Tell That” (of Hairspray fame) and Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa” (the latter two of which he created)—and, trust us, the drinks are as good as the songs.
A veteran mixologist now in the game for eight-plus years, Wilson cut his teeth as a busser in a NYC resto before working his way up to bartender, then moved to Manhattan’s Garfunkel’s Speakeasy to learn mixology.
“At my first job, we would have sit-downs and everyone would make a cocktail on the spot so we could decide which ones might go on the menu,” explains Wilson. “I learned a lot from the people there. They set the standard for what service should be like.”
Wilson moved from the Big Apple to Raleigh—when his fiancee got accepted to Duke University—and, a few months after wandering into the fateful bar on NYE, joined the Little City team in April 2021… and hasn’t looked back since.
The popular industrial-chic brewery and taproom—part of the ever-popular Local Icon Hospitality portfolio—attracts locals and visitors alike And, call it old-fashioned, but one of Wilson’s favorite aspects of bartending is the people. During his years behind the bar, he’s met folks on vacation, fellow service professionals, young adults celebrating 21st birthdays, his now fiancee and even
Cyndi Lauper (!).
“Bartending is a good way to talk to people,” says Wilson. “It gives you a way to have conversations and create connections.” And when drinks and music are involved, connections are bound to happen.
When he’s not behind the bar at Little City, you can find the self-proclaimed creative strumming the guitar, playing the alto saxophone and singing. He adds he’s often been inspired to pen lyrics about his patrons, their stories and the things he’s observed while he’s working. So, who knows… he may just have a song about you!
As Wilson looks ahead, he wants to deepen his savvy in the realm of service—whether its music, cocktailing or culinary school—and one day he dreams of opening a restaurant and high-end cocktail bar that doubles as a live music venue. We’ll cheers to that! littlecitybrewing.com
Run & Tell That
- 2 blackberries, muddled + 1 blackberry for garnish
- 1/2 oz. demerara sugar
- 2 oz. bourbon
- 2 dashes Angostura
- 1 dash Peychaud’s
- Lemon wheel
- Absente
Stir all ingredients except the blackberry, lemon wheel and Absente together, then strain into a rocks glass over a big cube. Douse a lemon wheel in Absente and place atop a large rock. Place blackberry atop lemon wheel. Flame garnish and serve.
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