What Happens When Dessert Becomes a Cocktail? Ask Bug.
For Bug, bartending is as much about curiosity as it is about cocktails. Their hospitality journey began in 2021 as a barback at Free Range Brewing, where they entered the industry eager to learn. Two years later, an opportunity from their best friend, Grayson Nauta, opened another door: learning mixology at Artisans Palate, owned and operated by Crista Csoka.
It was there that Bug found themselves surrounded by teams largely made up of women, femmes, and LGBTQ+ people. Those environments became an important part of their development, giving them the safety and support to explore their craft while becoming more confident in who they were.
"I wouldn't be who I am today without the safety in those spaces," Bug says.
That sense of trust has continued to shape how they approach hospitality.
Learning to Adapt Behind the Bar
If there is one skill Bug considers essential to bartending, it's adaptability. Working behind the bar means encountering a different person, personality, preference, and situation every few minutes. The ability to meet people where they are and figure out how to engage them is just as important as knowing how to make a great cocktail. For Bug, the challenge is finding the balance between several things at once: creativity, self-expression, guest support, and the flow of service. That balance has become one of the defining parts of their approach.
A bartender has to know when to experiment and when to keep things simple. When to make the guest part of the conversation and when to simply let them enjoy their drink. When to express their own creativity and when to build the experience entirely around someone else's preferences. It's a skill that can't necessarily be learned from a recipe book. You have to learn it from people. And Bug's experience across different hospitality environments has given them plenty of opportunities to do exactly that.
A Home Built Around Cocktail History
Bug now brings that perspective to The Crunkleton, a bar known for its focus on classic cocktails, antique whiskey, and an extensive collection of curated spirits. The Crunkleton approaches cocktails with a respect for where they came from while continuing to explore where they can go next. Its clear ice program, historical and modern cocktails, and deep whiskey selection create an environment where the details of the craft matter. For Bug, that commitment to cocktail history has been an important part of their growth. They are particularly proud of The Crunkleton's dedication to preserving the history and heritage of whiskey and cocktail culture while continuing to apply those traditions to modern drinks.
One experience that stands out was a sponsored trip to Louisville, Kentucky through hospitality group 1957. The opportunity gave Bug the chance to deepen their knowledge of whiskey and meet people whose expertise added another layer to their understanding of the industry. Those experiences are part of what makes hospitality such a rich profession for Bug. Every bar, bartender, guest, and trip can add another piece to the craft. The Crunkleton's approach reflects that same idea.
The bar describes itself as an opportunity to step away from the everyday for a moment. Its carefully designed interior creates a setting for conversation, reflection, and connection, while its cocktails and spirits come with as much history and storytelling as the guest wants to hear. It's a place where a cocktail can be an experience without needing to announce itself.
What Happens When Food Becomes a Cocktail?
Bug's own cocktail style is adventurous, but it's also methodical. They enjoy starting with unexpected flavor combinations and working backward, sometimes reverse-engineering foods into liquid components. Desserts are a particular source of inspiration. Instead of simply asking what ingredients belong in a cocktail, Bug looks at the flavors, textures, and elements that make up a dish and considers how each one might translate into a drink. That approach allows food to become a blueprint for cocktail creation.
It's also an opportunity to explore cultures outside of their own. Bug enjoys discovering foods with friends and using those experiences as inspiration while remaining mindful of the people and places those flavors come from. For them, creativity isn't simply about making something unusual. It's about making something with intention.
That philosophy will be especially apparent in the cocktail they're bringing to Battle of the Babes, where they've taken this reverse-engineering approach to create something that reflects their unique way of thinking about drinks.
Creating Space to Be Yourself
Bug is also bringing a personal perspective to the conversation around hospitality.\ As a non-binary bartender, they've experienced firsthand how important it can be to have professional environments where people don't feel pressured to leave parts of themselves at the door. Those early experiences at Artisans Palate, surrounded by women, femmes, and LGBTQ+ colleagues, gave Bug a sense of safety that helped shape who they became as a bartender. That sense of authenticity now influences how they interact with guests. Bug believes that vulnerability can create trust. Behind the bar, conversations can move beyond the surface, and guests sometimes become comfortable enough to share some of their highest or heaviest moments.
Those moments are among the most meaningful parts of the job. Bug hopes the industry continues to see more women and femmes in positions of leadership, from lead bartenders and beverage directors to master distillers and general managers. They've already seen progress, and they want the next generation to recognize that progress while continuing to push the industry forward. Their advice is equally direct: trust yourself. Trust your instincts. Trust your abilities. Even when it's scary.
The path through hospitality isn't necessarily a straight ladder. Bug sees it more like an endless, sprawling web of opportunities, with connections and possibilities appearing in places you may not expect.
A First Competition With The Crunkleton Behind Them
Battle of the Babes will be Bug's first cocktail competition. For someone who has wanted to compete creatively for a long time, the opportunity is both exciting and meaningful. Creating bespoke cocktails for guests has always been one of the highlights of their work, so having the chance to build something specifically for a competition feels like a natural extension of what they already love doing. But there is another reason Bug decided to step onto the competition stage. They are trying to live life less fearfully.
The support they've received from the team at The Crunkleton gave them the encouragement they needed to finally go for it. Now, they're stepping into unfamiliar territory with a team behind them and a cocktail that gives them a chance to express their creativity. It's not about abandoning the things that make Bug who they are.
It's about trusting those things enough to put them on display.
A Cocktail With a Story to Tell
When Bug thinks about what they want people to remember after Battle of the Babes, the answer goes beyond the drink itself. They want people to remember their unique approach to building cocktails and, more importantly, the story and reverence behind the cocktail they're bringing to the competition.
For Bug, that story matters. The flavors matter. The technique matters. But so does honoring where inspiration comes from. Honor your roots. That's the idea Bug hopes stays with people long after the final cocktail has been tasted. And it may be the best way to understand Bug's approach behind the bar. Their cocktails aren't created simply to be different. They're built from curiosity, research, memory, food, culture, technique, and a genuine desire to make people experience something.
Meet Bug at Battle of the Babes
Bug will represent The Crunkleton at the 6th Annual Battle of the Babes Cocktail Competition on September 27, 2026, from 5 PM to 9 PM at Merchant + Trade, 303 S Church St.
For Bug, this will be a first: their first cocktail competition and another opportunity to step outside their comfort zone, trust their instincts, and put their creative approach behind the bar on a bigger stage. And if you want to experience Bug's craft in their home environment, visit The Crunkleton for its historic cocktail program, curated spirits, antique whiskey collection, and the kind of hospitality that gives every guest room to have their own experience.
