Nathan O'Neill
The NoMad | New York
October 2019
Nathan O’Neill left his native Ireland for a year in 2008 to live in New York City as part of the curriculum for the marketing degree he was earning from the University of Ulster. He soaked in the City’s cocktail scene, taking the opportunity to acquaint himself with some of the world’s best bars, including Pegu Club, Milk & Honey, and Angel’s Share. He decided to get involved in the industry, and began working in a local bar upon his return to Belfast. He soon transitioned to The Merchant Hotel, where he learned under Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry just before they left for New York to open The Dead Rabbit. While there, the bar was named World’s Best Cocktail Bar by the Tales of the Cocktail Festival. He then moved to London to work for sustainability pioneer Bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr. Lyan) at the White Lyan before jumping to Dandelyan and working his way up to head bartender.
In 2015, O’Neill returned to New York to accept the position of head bartender at the NoMad Bar. A few years later, he became the bar manager, and in 2019, he became the east coast bar director of the newly formed Made Nice group, which includes Eleven Madison Park and the more casual Made Nice. O’Neill has been honored with many accolades, including “World’s Most Experimental Bartender” at the Glenfiddich Global Cocktail Competition and champion of Heaven Hill’s “National Bartender Competition” in 2017.
