Stephanie Rotuna needed a part time job where she made great money and could have fun while she was attending fashion design school. Blue Martini offered her the best of both worlds. “I’ve been here for nearly a decade,” she says. What she likes best about her job is that it feels like a family. “I’ve known the owners, managers and employees at many Blue Martini locations,” she says. “It’s nice to work with people who genuinely care about you.”
This nurturing environment led to the creation of The Caramel Brûlée, a variation of a martini that’s already on the drink menu. “After hearing some comments about the drink from customers, I decided to add my own twist to it,” she says. “It’s the perfect after-dinner drink when you’re not sure if you want dessert or not.”
When not multi-tasking by mixing drinks behind the bar, Rotuna has a second job as a fashion designer with her own swimwear business called No Strings Attached Swimwear. Her stunning creations are available through her site NoStringsAttachedSwim.com or her retail location at Emena Spa in the Design District.
So what’s her most notable bartending memory? “Selling 8 bottles of Cristal during happy hour at the bar in about a 30-minute timeframe,” she says. “This guy came in, bought all of these bottles to celebrate his job promotion and left within an hour’s time. He even left a bottle for us to drink!”
The Caramel Brûlée
2 oz. Van Gogh Vanilla Vodka
1 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
1 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream
Caramel-Swirled Martini Glass
