Meet our crew: Veronica Fazio

September 29, 2020Erica Sagon

Meet our crew: get to know the awesome humans that make Cardinal Spirits possible!

Veronica Fazio

— — —

bartender at Cardinal Spirits

pronouns: she/her

— — —

Tell us about your role at Cardinal Spirits.

I’m a bartender, which right now means that I prepare all of the cocktails-to-go. I can be found helping on the production line and around the Birdhouse (Cardinal-speak for our tasting room) from time to time as well!

Where are you from? Where have you lived?

I am from Roselle, IL, a small suburb of Chicago. I have also lived in the city of Chicago, but Bloomington is my favorite of them all!

Any pets you’d like to introduce to us?

I have a feisty orange tabby name Marigold, she’s the best!

Tell us about a skill you have outside of work?

I LOVE to dance. I used to dance competitively, but I can still be found tearing up a dance floor, or taking online classes from time to time.

What's your favorite Cardinal Spirits product/cocktail/dish?

Honey Schnapps! It’s so unique, not as sweet as it seems it would be, and provides a fun challenge when creating cocktails for the menu

Veronica and Portland-based bartender Jim Meehan pouring batched cocktails at Cardinal Spirits.

It’s happy hour — what are you drinking?

I really enjoyed aperitivo when I was in Italy, so I love a good Campari or Cynar spritz.

What advice do you have for people who want to make better drinks at home?

Just have fun!! Don’t be afraid to try things that may sound weird, those can make some of the best drinks. This was a big thing I had to learn when I was learning how to create drinks at Cardinal.

What's your coffee order?

A decaf Little Wizard from our friends at Hopscotch!

How do you typically start your morning?

I am not a morning person, so I am typically rolling out of bed 20 minutes before I need to leave for work. 😅

And how do you end your day?

This may seem weird, but doing the dishes! I’m a big fan of waking up to a clean kitchen.

Any TV recs for us?

Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation on Hulu. I learned so much about the amazing and expansive culinary traditions that exist across the country.

Favorite midnight snack?

Midnight pasta - it’s a mixture of really tiny pasta shapes with lots of butter and garlic that we used to eat at sleepovers at my Grandma’s house. I still make it often!

Most used emoji?

🙃

Favorite condiment?

Hot sauce!

Want to give a shout-out to anyone?

To my co-workers, thank you so much for making Cardinal such an enriching and enjoyable place to work!

Thanks, Veronica! We are lucky to have you on our team!