Sarah Emmons

Goshen has some pretty amazing bars – but beyond the artisan cocktails and frosty pours are some even more amazing people. We’re excited to introduce you to a few of them with our occasional #BartendersOfGoshen series. Today, meet Sarah Emmons from Constant Spring! 🍻

Nicknames she’s acquired
I’ve been called “Zaz” because kids can’t pronounce “Sarah.”

I hate being called “ma’am” when I bartend because it makes me feel so dowdy. I’d rather be called “bar woman” or even “bar wench” – anything but “ma’am.” Sometimes when I tell people that, they think it’s fun to call me that as many times as they can, so it’s a losing battle. I’ve just accepted it, haha!

I’ve always loved making drinks and started in coffee. My dad was a barber, so I grew up seeing entrepreneurs in action and what it took to run a business. With my sister, I started my own coffee shop called Through the Looking Glass that was located in a beautiful library in Granger. But I was 24 at the time and didn’t want to stay there forever, so I moved to Los Angeles. I’ve acted in commercials and modeled for catalogs and stuff. I started bartending when I was 21 at the Madison Oyster Bar (MOB), which is where I met Julie Hershberger. She introduced me to, and got me a job at, Constant Spring in Goshen in 2016. The owner, Aaron Nafziger, is a great guy and I love his family. I’ve been blessed with great coworkers who have also become my family, and my experience here has been really great.

Bartending advice
The most important key to bartending is realizing that the job is never really done. If you’re not serving customers there’s always something to be stoked, cleaned, or prepared. Balancing that and social time with your customers but being prepared for the rush that will come at midnight is important. It’s definitely a balancing act and about staying on target.

Bartender trick
When I worked at Seattle’s Best Coffee, they required you to throw the glass behind you and catch it, but I never enjoyed doing that because it was too stressful. I guess I’m pretty good at eyeballing when a shot is the right amount in a drink without measuring – it’s like I can feel when it hits the right mark, haha!

Drink she likes to make
I like making martinis and Old Fashions, but not when we’re busy. At home, I like to make hot toddies with really strong hot tea, lemony whiskey, and cinnamon.