So Graves packed up for what he thought would be a quick trip to the Midwest in July 2009. Afterward, Graves moved back to New York and worked at The Smith, a cocktail-centric American brasserie on the Lower East Side, until he received another call from O'Donnell saying that he planned to open up a concept in Chicago and wanted to recruit Graves again for the beverage menu and staff training. It was at that time that he reconnected with O'Donnell, who was preparing to open a restaurant in Miami's South Beach and wanted to invite Graves down for a three-month stint to launch the bar program. "It’s about balance, but it’s also about serving something generous at an appropriate price." "When our guests come in, they know they're getting a friendly environment to enjoy a drink that's well-poured," he says. Graves amuses guests, many of them once- or twice-a-week regulars, with these tales of their favorite cocktails while effortlessly mixing up drinks with a liberal hand and sans pretension. He keeps his cocktail philosophy rooted in the classics, but every recipe twist has a little story associated with it-from The Heater, a spicy margarita he originally started making for a member of law enforcement who frequents the restaurant or The Squirtsky, his house made version of a citrusy vodka drink friend and Owner Ryan O'Donnell used to serve up at parties. Pauly Graves has served as the welcoming face of the bar at Gemini Bistro, a neighborhood gem in Chicago's Lincoln Park, since the restaurant opened its doors in 2009.
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