From pouring water as a kid to mixing masterful cocktails as an adult, Jerome Thigpen has always known how to fill a glass. A native of San Francisco, he grew up in a restaurant family, where the young “JT” bussed tables and mixed salads for candy money. “My work ethic comes from my Dad. He wanted me to know the value of money from an early age so he always made me work for things,” he recalls. He attended Cornell University’s world-class hospitality program and worked briefly in Newport, RI, before returning to his hometown. There, he owned a sports bar in the Marina District and a restaurant in the San Francisco International Airport. He left both San Francisco and the service industry for a move to Las Vegas, but eventually returned to his first love, making people happy by making them exceptional drinks. He got his Sin City start opening the M Resort before going to the Mandarin Oriental (now the Waldorf-Astoria), to mix elevated cocktails in their elegant lounge 23 stories above the glitter of the Strip. From there, Thigpen’s next move was to join the team that launched the lauded beverage program at The Cosmopolitan. Jehrome has worked extensively on developing luxury beverage service for banquets and events. During his development as a Las Vegas mixologist, he was mentored by some of the industry’s most lauded cocktail creators. He worked with Charlotte Voisey at the Mandarin and then with Mariana Mercer at The Cosmopolitan, both of whom he credits with changing the way he looked at cocktails. Along with that experience, Jehrome was certified as a bartender and spirits expert by Francesco Lafranconi’s Academy of Spirits, Las Vegas, as well as achieving other official credentials such as passing the Bar Smarts Advanced exam and being sanctioned as a bourbon steward by the Stave & Thief Society. He is also a member of the United States Bartending Guild. Jehrome has also participated in some of the industry’s most important events, creating drinks at Las Vegas’ For the Love of Cocktails and being accepted into the fellowship program at New Orleans’ Tales of the Cocktail. In 2016, Jehrome opened Craft Cocktail Catering & Bartending Service. The company is dedicated to creating and providing a wide array of high-end mixology for corporate functions, weddings and other special events, be it classic drinks or one-of-a-kind custom libations, mocktails or whiskey tastings. Craft Cocktail allows him to use his years of bartending and service experience to add a unique flavor to clients’ special occasion. “We create cocktails that make sense for the audience,” he says, “whether that’s an Amaro Manhattan for a group of investment bankers, a pre-Prohibition old fashioned for a whiskey tasting, or a fruity Champagne cocktail for a wedding party.” Even when Jehrome isn’t behind the bar, it’s never far from his mind. The father of two says his wife is the main beneficiary of his cocktail creativity and, even on his vacations, he enjoys distillery tours and discovering new libations, whether it’s sipping a Sazerac at New Orleans’; Carousel Bar or traveling to Anguilla, St. Martin, and St. Barts in search of the perfect signature rum punch recipe. Jehrome considers Craft Cocktail Catering & Bartending as the summation of his food and beverage experience. “My airport experience introduced me to high volume, the sports bar was also high volume and was my first bar as opposed to restaurant,” he explains, adding “Las Vegas experience has further honed my banquet and special events skills, developed my passion/skills for mixology, and formed lasting relationships.” Consider it another Jehrome Thigpen recipe for creating the ideal cocktail.