Claire Sprouse
Hunky Dory | Brooklyn
October 2019
Claire Sprouse grew up in Houston, Texas, where she worked in non-profit art spaces and picked up shifts at Beaver’s Ice House and other Houston cocktail institutions to earn extra cash. In 2012, Sprouse moved to San Francisco on a whim. She managed operations and cocktail development for bar group Futurebars and learned about seasonality and sustainability from the city’s lively culinary community.
In 2014, with the goal of creating a culture of shared information and sustainable practices within the cocktail industry, Sprouse formed the Tin Roof Community with Chad Arnholt. Together, they spotlight green bar initiatives through sustainable design projects, beverage programming, educational initiatives, individual consultations, and community outreach. Sprouse and Arnholt earned the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation “Sustainability Spirit” award and the 2017 “Golden Spirit” award for their work. Sprouse also devotes her time to a waste advisory board in Brooklyn, and her testimony before a New York City board about plastic straw alternatives could launch a city-wide ban.
She implemented her eco-friendly practices as bar manager at Sunday in Brooklyn, and in 2018 she launched her own project, Hunky Dory, a low-waste, all-day café and bar in Brooklyn. Sprouse was included in Esquire’s top 10 “Most Imaginative Bartenders” in 2012, Food and Wine’s “Best New Mixologist” list in 2015, and Drinks International’s “Bar World 100” list in 2019.
