Abigail Deirdre Gullo first fell into bartending when she learned to make a Manhattan (sweet) for her beloved grandfather, Vincent at the age of 7. She spent her youth unknowingly gathering excellent craft bartender skills as an Off-Broadway performer and schoolteacher. When the bartending golden age hit NYC at the turn of the 21st century, her passion for classic cocktails became her profession as well. After working at The Beagle and Fort Defiance in New York City, she moved to New Orleans to open a beverage focused concept for the Commander's Palace Family in the French Quarter. After three years at SoBou, she jumped to the other side of Canal Street to open the lauded Compere Lapin with Chef Nina Compton and Ricky Gomez, earning the national title Best Hotel Bar award from the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards and a top ten nomination for Best American Bartender. In March 2019 she opened Ben Paris in the State Hotel in Seattle, Washington. Abigail's original cocktails have been recognized in numerous national and international competitions and in 2016 she won Liquor.com and Heaven Hill's Bartender of the Year and was a global finalist in the Nikka Perfect Serve competition in Athens, Greece. Her cocktails have been featured in The New York Times, Imbibe, Garden & Gun among others, and she appeared on the Today show numerous times as a guest bartender.
She co-hosts the New Orleans focused Podcast Drink & Learn and is Creative Director at Loa Bar in the International House Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. When not behind the bar, you will often find her in dog friendly bars with her Creole Chihuahua, Bandit.