Matt Reysen
Al Coro, Discolo, and Mel’s | New York
February 2023
Matt Reysen’s bartending career started with the simple goal of paying rent in college. Reysen picked up a job as a barback at DUMBO’s The River Café, and in less than a year was promoted to bartender. He left school and took a job at Quality Branded, where Beverage Director Bryan Schneider took Reysen under his wing, showing him the ins and outs of proper drink making. There, he focused on production and prep while quietly developing his own palate and style and eventually working up to bartender. Eager to branch out, he moved on to a neighborhood bar in Astoria called The Ditty, often working shifts until 4am. At The Ditty, Reysen learned a new side to bartending: hospitality, connecting with customers, and serving a community. In 2017, Reysen returned to restaurants, accepting a bartending position at New York City’s acclaimed Dante.
At Dante, Reysen took opportunities to travel and bartend at the bar’s global pop-ups in Brazil, Spain, and Canada, working under bartenders Naren Young and Liana Oster. After three years there, Reysen moved on to Dead Rabbit in 2021. He was brought back to the hospitality side of bartending and flexed a technique he hadn’t used in years: simultaneously mixing drinks and pouring beers in their taproom and parlor. In 2022, Reysen was brought on as the beverage director for the Al Coro, Discolo, Mel’s family, where he was presented with the exciting (and challenging) opportunity to build three different menus for three completely different concepts. He was also tasked with building and training three different teams, who he collaborates with regularly, keeping each menu fresh. Focusing on lighter cocktails that often showcase aperitivi, Reysen’s skill behind the bar and ability to make his customers smile are apparent as soon as you walk in the door.
