Tony Rials is one of WNY’s most respected bartenders.
Photo by kc cratt
Long before Waxlight Bar à Vin earned its James Beard nominations, Tony Rials was known for merging kitchen technique and bar craft. A sommelier, Rials first made a name for himself locally as the bar manager at the former Mike A @Hotel Lafayette. There, he helped introduce WNY to culinary cocktails—drinks shaped by preservation, foraging, and cooking methods rather than simple assembly. Today, he continues that exploration at Waxlight, where he created both the Amaretto Sour in our cocktail feature and the pousse-café on our December cover.
Buffalo Spree: How many years have you been tending bar?
Tony Rials: In all its forms? A long time. Truly treating it like a craft? About sixteen years.
What do you love most about it?
I’ve met my truest friends through bartending, and that can’t be overstated. However, since childhood, I’ve sought creative outlets, and they’ve taken many forms. In regard to cocktails, from the initial conception of layering flavors to the final artful touch of garnishing, I pour a little bit of myself into each creation.
Tending bar is a lot of repetition. Is there any one task you’d love to never have to complete again?
If I never had to read a tiny drink ticket in near darkness, yeah, that’d be delightful.
Preferred cocktail book?
I tend to read more cookbooks to help build and refine flavors. Some favorites: Eleven Madison Park’s series, Manresa: An Edible Reflection, and Atelier Crenn: Metamorphosis of Taste. I recently read Agostino Perrone’s The Connaught Bar cocktail book.
It’s pretty impressive.
Bartender you admire most?
We had a chance to visit Kumiko while in Chicago for the James Beard Awards last summer. Julia Momose and her team are second to none.
Go-to order at a new bar?
Negroni
What do you wish more people knew about tending bar before they entered the profession?
There’s a variation of bartending for anyone looking to get into it, and it affords a unique lifestyle. I was able to use my freedom to travel around the world. But truly, I’d say know yourself before diving in headfirst. Bartending has innumerable positives, but it is taxing on the body and mind. Alcohol is a constant, and it can be far too easy to lose control, to lose that balance in your life.
Drink trends come and go. What do you think will be the next hot thing?
Drink trends are tough to anticipate, but well-made drinks in an atmosphere that reinforces community will always be sought out.
Christa Glennie is Food Editor of Buffalo Spree magazine.