Early January, Old Major, the elevated farmhouse restaurant led by chef Justin Brunson, announced that its bar program was to be co-managed by Courtney Wilson and Ryan Conklin, two of Denver's top bartenders. Wilson was behind the bar at Williams & Graham when the announcement was made while Conklin ran the bar program at Euclid Hall. Both of them were among the five nominees for Eater's Best Bartenders in 2012.
The two power-house bartenders and the rest of the Old Major crew have attracted three other talented and well-known local bartenders to their team: Michael McGill, Melissa Durant, and Brian Melton.
Mike McGill , a veteran of the industry, left a position at the Squeaky Bean to join the Old Major crew. Before the Squeaky Bean, McGill worked at Osteria Marco. Melissa Durant has been at the Green Russell since the speakeasy opened. She participated in video demos for the Luca d'Italia e-cookbook and has been an active figure in several bartender competitions and showcases. Brian Melton has been on hiatus from mixing and shaking in the last year and a bit while he worked as a hospitality and PR consultant at Leigh Sullivan Enterprises, but prior to that he was behind the bar at TAG.
Old Major will open to the public on Sunday, February 24 and will serve dinner seven nights a week. The bar at Old Major features seating for 35, a well-crafted beer and cocktail list, as well as special food offerings designed for the bar.
· Courtney Wilson, Ryan Conklin Join Justin Brunson at Old Major [EDen]
· Old Major Gets its Liquor License: Opening February 24 [EDen]
· Most Anticipated Openings of 2013 [EDen]