photographs by bruce vanwyngarden
David Parks serves a “Tepache Raid” to the author.
If you haven’t been served a drink by bartender David Parks — aka “Parks” — you’re either new to town or you probably ought to get out more. A perennial contender for the Memphis Flyer’s “Best Bartender,” Parks has been working behind various bars in Memphis for four decades.
His résumé includes such venues as Madison Avenue, Alfred’s on Beale, In the Grove, Captain Bilbo’s, Bogie’s Key Largo, Molly’s La Casita, Mortimer’s, Bistro Hemmings, Maxwell’s, Alchemy, The Cove, Iris, and Second Line. For the past year or so, he’s been plying his trade at McEwen’s, the iconic — and recently expanded — Downtown restaurant owned by Bert Smythe and John Littlefield, where his personality and signature white-shirt-and-tie look are a perfect fit.
Parks says he got his start “as a kid working as a bar-back” in the late 1970s. By the mid-1980s, he was managing the bars at Madison Avenue, a dance club located in Overton Square.
“It was a huge space,” he recalls. “Eight thousand square feet with 12 bars working during busy shifts. Sometimes there were hundreds of people there. It was the era of foo-foo drinks — nothing was genuine. We used store-bought grenadine, artificial lime juice, maraschino cherries.”
He winces at the memory. “The 1990s were more about cosmos and martinis — and guys demanding that their drinks not get put in ‘girly glasses,’” he laughs. “It wasn’t until 2005 or so that people began wanting more creative cocktails with real ingredients. Drinks shifted into more custom concoctions, with fresh twists like rosemary, basil, and genuine liqueurs. People became more discerning. It’s still that way.”
“When I hear a Northern U.S. accent and they ask for an old-fashioned, I know to ask whether they want it made with bourbon or brandy, because the drink is made with brandy in much of the North. It’s a small example, but seeing things from another’s perspective is just a good thing to be able to do.” — David Parks
I ask Parks about his look, which hasn’t changed for decades. “My grandfathers were both known as natty dressers,” he says. “They taught me a style — how to be dressy without being prissy: dark suits, black shoes; brown suits, brown shoes. That kind of thing. No ties with short sleeves or button-down-collar shirts. And I was raised that when you come to work, you look like you’re working. It kind of stuck with me, so it’s not hard to pick me out of a group.”
So what’s the most important thing he’s learned in his years in the public eye? “I guess maybe it’s to keep your mind open to other perspectives,” he says. “You meet a lot of people in this business, and in Memphis particularly, you meet a lot of tourists from around the world. What may seem odd from our perspective might be customary or normal for someone else. When I hear a Northern U.S. accent and they ask for an old-fashioned, I know to ask whether they want it made with bourbon or brandy, because the drink is made with brandy in much of the North. It’s a small example, but seeing things from another’s perspective is just a good thing to be able to do.”
“Well, from your perspective,” I ask (segueing beautifully), “what should I drink?”
“What do you feel like?” Parks says. “I got a pocket-full of ’em.”
“Surprise me.”
Parks decides to make what’s listed on the drink menu as a “Tepache Raid.” Tepache is a traditional Mexican street drink made with pineapple skin and pulp. Parks makes his own version as the base for the cocktail.
“You take the pineapple and butcher it,” he says, “then put it in a big container and add lime juice and sugar. You stow it in the fridge for a week, stirring every day. For the cocktail, I blend tepache, mezcal, cinnamon-fused agave nectar, and seltzer water for effervescence, then add a little flex of fresh-grilled pineapple as a garnish.”
He slides the golden elixir my way and I take a sip. The drink is smoky from the mezcal, with a little sweetness from the agave nectar and the pineapple. It’s complex but balanced and tasty — and evokes memories of long-ago Mexican vacations in Quintana Roo.
“This is really good,” I say.
“And good for you,” says Parks. “It prevents scurvy.”
“Good to know.”
“Just be careful, because it can sneak up on you.”
That’s good advice, and it’s from a man who’s been dispensing it for a long time. Now here’s some advice from me: Go see David Parks at McEwen’s. You’ll be glad you did.
McEwen’s is located at 120 Monroe Ave.
