WINE ENTHUSIAST 40 UNDER 40
Alexandra Minton, 33
Wine Director/Sommelier, QED Hospitality, Pontchartrain Hotel • New Orleans
Making wine easier in the Big Easy
Minton oversees all things wine at the multiple restaurants and bars within the historic Pontchartrain Hotel. She focuses these spaces on small-production and natural wines, which includes lots of bubbles, as well as low markups. Minton loves to introduce guests to new discoveries and make wine approachable, and seeks to give wine the same celebratory and attitude-free vibe that defines the Big Easy.
Alex Negranza, 30
Coffee Director/Partner, Penny Quarter; Director of Operations, The Pastry War, Tongue-Cut Sparrow, The Nightingale Room • Houston
Barista turned bartender
Within Bobby Heugel’s expanding Houston bar empire, Negranza’s role spans both the coffee and cocktail worlds. He oversees bar operations at a trio of hotspots that range from formal (Tongue-Cut Sparrow) to raucous (dance club Nightingale Room) and agave-rific (mezcaleria The Pastry War). Negranza, a coffee connoisseur and former Seattle barista, has returned to his roots with Penny Quarter, an all-day coffee and wine bar that opened this summer. He’s well-known as a SoulCycle devotee and fitness advocate for the bartending community and is vocal about promoting visibility for L.G.B.T.Q. bartenders.
Leslie Merinoff, 32
Cofounder/Co-Distiller, Matchbook Distilling Co.; Partner/Bartender, The Lin Beach House/Days Like These • Greenport, NY
Making it personal
Years of work with big-name liquor brands gave Merinoff insight into just how few craft spirits make their way to the American market. In the summer of 2018, she decided to change that. Merinoff lobbied for New York State Assembly Bill A10128A, which, after its passage into law, allowed New York State distilleries to create spirits for private, unlicensed individuals. She then cofounded Long Island-based Matchbook Distilling Co., a commission-based bespoke distillery and incubator that allows anyone to create small-batch spirits. Merinoff also bartends at Days Like These, the bar located inside a hotel where she has part ownership, and is currently a board member at Brooklyn-based Brownsville Community Culinary Center.
Alexis Brown, 29
Founder/Executive Director, Causing a Stir; Beverage Consultant/Bartender, Serving Life Behind Bars; Creative Director, Luminosity Production Company • Chicago
Stirring up change
From coat-check and nightclub “shot girl” to multicertified mixologist, beverage consultant and cocktail guru, Brown has proven herself at a range of levels. And, regardless of her role, she always took notice of how unfairly marginalized groups were treated. In 2016, Brown cofounded Causing a Stir, an organization dedicated to educating and empowering underrepresented individuals within the
