Alum Ryan Watkins, Bartender at The Sea, Knows the Art of Cocktails

SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER -- The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse may have an unwieldy name, but every dish, from appetizers to desserts, makes such an impression that the lines between culinary and visual arts are blurred. Art figures prominently in lead bartender Ryan Watkins’ life. Originally from Cupertino, Watkins studied art at San Francisco State University and once taught art to children in after-school programs. He is also a sculptor, illustrator and painter. Is there anything you learned as an art teacher that might apply to training your bartenders? “I get a lot of kids, or even adults, who say, ‘I can’t draw.’ First of all, you can’t do it if you say you can’t,” Watkins says. “In Zimbabwe, they have a saying: ‘If you can talk, you can sing. If you can walk, you can dance.’”