KATHLEEN RODDY - USA

Kathleen “KC” Roddy

Meet Kathleen “KC” Roddy, Gosling's Bartender of the Month for December. KC has been tending bar for twelve years, and has spent ten of those working at the Cambridge Common in Cambridge, MA. A native of Fairfax, VA, KC graduated from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, then earned a graduate degree in Agricultural Design from a program in Cambridge that was affiliated with Harvard at the time, but now has merged with the Boston Architectural College in Boston.

KC loves the opportunity that her job gives her to meet and talk with people from all types of different backgrounds. “A lot of our regular customers at the Cambridge Common work and teach at the local universities, and have vast amounts of expertise and knowledge in a wide range of fields. People are fascinating!”

A big Gosling's Rum fan, KC appreciates Gosling's Black Seal Rum for its delicious flavor and for the fact that it is so reasonably priced, an important factor in a town packed with university students – Lesley University, Harvard University, and MIT are all located just steps away from the Common! KC's favorite Gosling's cocktail is the Dark 'n Stormy®, but she also likes mixing Black Seal “with Fresca, or some grapefruit-y bubbly beverage, and some orange zest.”

When she's not working behind the bustling bar at the Common, KC runs her own small landscape design company. Any free time left over is spent tending to her own garden at her home in Somerville, MA. “It's pretty tiny, but a super-sunny spot, so we get tons of food and fresh herbs for cooking, something I also love to do. We even still have some salad greens and annual herbs growing now -- in late November!”

The next time you're in Cambridge, take a walk down Mass Ave and visit KC at the Cambridge Common, a welcoming neighborhood bar located in the heart of one of the world's most famous academic and intellectual centers.


List of All Bartenders

FATIH AKERDEM Germany

FATIH AKERDEM

Bartender of the month Fatih Akerdem of the Westin Grand Frankfurt has come a long way since arriving in Germany in 1973. Fatih attended the Hotel School in Izmir, Turkey, where he grew up, before accepting a new position at the Hotel Intercontinental Frankfurt. For five years he held various positions including Waiter, Cook and Night Auditor before settling into the bar scene as a Bartender and finally Assistant Chief Bar Manager until 1990.

Things have been looking up for Fatih ever since; now he’s the Bar Manager of Arabella Bar & Lounge at the Westin Grand Frankfurt, a central meeting point of the hotel located in the spacious atrium. There he’s known for making the best organic, colourful and delicious cocktails and for being instantly approachable. “I am very proud that Gosling’s Bermuda Rum is finally available in Germany. Also my guests are very happy that I am now able to offer them the classic Dark ’n Stormy cocktail, which I can now mix with the original Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer. Gosling’s Bermuda rum is very popular in Germany and there is a big demand for it in my bar.” As well as the Dark ‘n Stormy cocktail, Fatih receives many requests for his personal creation, The President, made with Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, Maraschino liqueur, lemon juice, passion fruit liqueur and strawberry liqueur.

While his responsibilities as a manager, husband and father consume most of his time, Fatih still finds time to be a member of the German Bartenders Union, teach and organise bar training workshops in schools, bars, hotels and holiday villages in Wiesbaden, Essen, Frankfurt in Germany, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Alanya in Turkey, Singapore, Saint Petersburg in Russia and Tripoli in Libya. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also the author of the Cocktail book “Raki Nights” and the founder and inventor of the Magic Shaker, Martini cocktail glass cooler and Easycaipi, and enjoys reading, soccer, swimming and collecting antique cocktail books and barware.

If you’re in Frankfurt and looking for a place to relax and kick back in comfort and enjoy a refreshing cocktail at the bar, be sure to visit the stylish Arabella Bar & Lounge at the Westin Grand Frankfurt located right in the heart of the lively metropolis.

Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse 7 • 60313 Frankfurt am Main - Deutschland
Phone: +49 69 2981 0