Mixologists

Christina Mah

Raw Bar by Duncan Ly

Calgary

Christina returned to Raw Bar in December 2012 as General Manager where she first started bartending back in 2008 under the visionary leadership of Graham Warner.

During her previous tenure as a server, supervisor and Head Bartender, Christina won numerous awards for her prodigious talents preparing classic cocktails as well as an impressive repertoire of innovative drinks. Christina is a past winner of the Calgary Cocktail Challenge as well as the Grey Goose Pour Masters where she won the opportunity to attend the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.

She has worked as the Bar-Chef for Charcut when it first opened up and also developed the cocktail program at Notable where she worked as a bartender. Christina is the President of the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Professional Bartenders Association where local bartenders raise the profile and standards of their profession while also hosting numerous tasting events and competitions over the course of the year. She collaborates on numerous cocktail/culinary initiatives with organizations like Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance and Beakerhead.

Christina is helping chart the direction of Raw Bar with artisanal cocktails and Asian-fusion influenced dining. She’s excited to raise Raw Bar’s profile as she develops a new troop of innovative Raw Bartenders. She’s also thrilled to work with Executive Chef Duncan Ly and Chef de Cuisine Jinhee Lee on new menus with Asian-fusion influences as well as great dessert offerings with Hotel Arts Pastry Chef, Karine Moulin.

 

Fun Facts:

• It’s in the blood - Christina’s grandfather was a bartender.
• Her 1st Raw Bar Cocktail - Enji Miko prepared with Sake, Red Pepper Juice, Fresh Lime Juice, Ginger, Lemongrass Cordial and Ginger Ale that was mixed and served in a Collins Glass.
• Superhero Power - Christina wishes she possessed the superpowers of Phoenix from the X-Men to be used for good (of course) and only using their destructive element to dispatch of bad guys.
• Her dream pet - a prehistoric tortoise that she could feed heads of lettuce to.
• Favourite Bitters - Bittermens
• Favourite Bartender Tool - Her Japanese Heavyweight Jigger for accurate measurements and consistency of cocktail preparation….after all, an amazing drink should taste the same the next time you make it.
• Favourite Spirit (at this moment) - Whiskey
• Favourite Cocktail - I’d love a good Aviation. It’s made with gin, marischino lfresh, a dash of crème de violette and a light squeeze of lemon. It has a light hue of the skyline and was prepared at the dawn of the aviation era.
• Dream Cocktail - The Ramos Gin Fizz at the legendary Carousel in New Orleans.