Award-winning cocktail artist Carlos Ruiz who was born in Peru and moved to the United States when he was just eight years old, and who abandoned a promising future in software engineering to pursue a career in cocktail creation, said his passion for the liquid concoctions was “love at first sight.” Ruiz, who got his start in the hospitality and service industry at a pizza parlor at age 15,  discovered his affinity for the craft, in 2012, while working as a bus boy and server at New Jersey’s acclaimed Ryland Inn and saw the “beautiful, complex, and artful” mixed drinks coming out of the bar.

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His interest in learning the trade was so strong he went to work on his days off and spent countless hours behind the bar studying every move made by the restaurant’s experienced staff. However, Ruiz, who began bartending when was 18 years old and could whip up mixed drink masterpieces he couldn’t yet legally taste, is mainly self-taught, and said he developed his unique mixology style through a combination of hands-on training, reading a plethora of industry books and watching hundreds of cocktail-making tutorials on YouTube.

 

Throughout his career, Ruiz, whose charm and pizazz make him a focal point at any establishment, has held high-ranking bar management positions at a long list of award-winning restaurants. Competed and won over 30 cocktail competitions as well as his creations have been been featured in an assortment of publications. Now in his 30’s Ruiz has recently launched Miraflores the first ever Chicha Morada Liqueur in the world with his Wife (Samantha) and Sister in law (Alixandra) This product is a homage to Ruiz Peruvian roots. A family recipe passed down turned into a liqueur made from Pineapple, Green Apples, Cinnamon, Clove and Purple Corn.