Rhodeside Grill’s Paul Taylor and his vintage glassware collection
Hollywood, parents, society—they all train us to think of working in the restaurant industry as a transitional career. It turned out to be the opposite for Paul Taylor.
When he attended college for graphic design, he says, “I felt like art was a more of a hobby, than [something] to make a living.”
He quit school after two years, “putting myself into making cocktails,” says Taylor.
A week after turning 21, Taylor moved from waiting tables to pouring drinks. He’s been behind the bar ever since. It’s not only his profession, but his hobby too.
Taylor, now 29, collects barware. His uncle gifted him a 1950s Moscow mule copper mug from where the drink originated, Cock ‘n’ Bull in Los Angeles.
His sister found him bloody mary glasses with pictures of all the possible ingredient combinations, which Taylor guesses is from the ‘80s.
Many of the pints adorned with brewery logos are from promotional events, but Taylor also spends serious money on drinkware, buying a $600 crystal and pewter punch bowl set from Alexandria’s The Hour.
He prefers serving cocktails in coupes (he owns six sets, five vintage), and he’s on the hunt for a pineapple-shaped, gold-plated tiki-style glass where the leafy top pops off to reveal a cup. If you spot it, let him know. You can find him Sunday nights at Rhodeside Grill, his only shift at the bar since his promotion to Vintage Restaurant Group’s beverage director. —Stefanie Gans
(April 2015)
