Passion to pour: Gridiron Pizza mixologist revamps cocktail menu at downtown Canton spot

CANTON − Jamal Gomez mixed cocktails at Gridiron Pizza & Sports Bar with a smile and the look of a mad scientist at home in his lab.

The trained mixologist snagged bottles and opened cans. Filling glasses with ice and adding other ingredients, he poured and squirted liquid, gliding the finished cocktail across the bar to a waiting customer. Colors varied − blue, red, purple.

Sometimes they knew what was awaiting their taste buds. Other times it was a mystery. Gomez was doing what he loves while working on new drinks for a cocktail menu at Gridiron Pizza & Sports Bar, a downtown Canton hangout at 309 Cleveland Ave. NW.

Experimental concoctions included one mixed with strawberry liqueur, peach schnapps, blue curacao, Sprite and ice.

"It is 100% an art form," Gomez said of bartending. "Every day you get to come in here and clean your canvas and start over. It's a science, it's artistry."

The happy bartender

Decorated with sports memorabilia and jerseys, Gridiron has the friendly and welcoming atmosphere of a neighborhood pub. Pizza and wings are menu staples. Pepperoni rolls, loaded nachos, sub sandwiches and salads are also available. Beer is also served.

Gomez said he oversees the bartending crew while also serving in a general manager-style role. Gridiron recently unveiled new cocktails curated and created by Gomez.

"Everything is looking up and up for us," he said of the bar and eatery. "We have a lot of things we're now planning for the future and things like that."

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Jeff Hutson, owner of Gridiron Pizza & Sports Bar, said Gomez adds to the fun and personable vibe of the establishment.

"He's having fun, we're having fun," Huston said. "He has a fun personality and it ties in well. You can tell he's a people person, and he interacts well with everybody. Old people. Young people.

"You have to be social in all walks of life to be a successful bartender. Because at the end of the day, he wants to make people happy."

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New cocktails include Blue 42 and The Joy Ride.

"It's actually our version of blue cream soda," Gomez said of Blue 42.

The Joy Ride is a nod to O.J. Simpson's infamous slow-speed Bronco chase on a Los Angeles highway in 1994. Vodka and orange juice are the primary ingredients.

Gomez's repertoire includes flaming and smoked cocktails, wine slushies, and whipped cream-garnished drinks, as well as those shaken by hand for up to 10 minutes.

Specialty gelatin shots are another offering. Summer cocktail pouches come in 10 to 15 flavors, including one that "tastes like children's bubblegum medicine," he said.

Another summer cocktail features "all the flavors of Mellow Yellow but we spike it," Gomez said.

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Long Island iced teas are a signature beverage, he said. The 12-ounce drink costs $3.

Gomez puts his own spin on the core ingredients of rum, tequila, whiskey and cola. "It's now a secret recipe that I'm not telling anybody," he said playfully. "It's a Gridiron secret and not even the owner knows."

"A lot of it comes down to ratio," he said. "You want to have a strong Long Island that doesn't overpower you. It's really about how you mix it."

Gomez possesses a flair for bartending, Hutson said.

"He brings a new level to the job per se," he said of Gomez. "Instead of your basic every day bartender, he steps it up a notch. Some people bartend for the money and some people bartend for the passion. He does it for the passion."

Learning lessons

Gomez, 28, grew up in Mansfield and lived in other parts of the state before moving to the Canton area several years ago.

Along the way, Gomez got jobs at night clubs and was drawn to bartending while honing his skills and expanding his knowledge of the trade. Mixology classes and certifications followed.

Gomez said he emphasizes responsible drinking, especially after what he learned from a misdemeanor drunken driving-related charge last year.

He pleaded no contest in Canton Municipal Court and was found guilty of OVI refusal − operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or a combination of them, according to court records.

Part of his sentence included completing a driver intervention program.

"After a while, you listen to what they're saying," Gomez said of program staff. "They make a lot of sense. It's a program where you have to be honest with yourself, and that's what I did, and that's what I got out of it. I made a mistake and I did a program that taught me to do better."

Making Gridiron the place to be

Gomez said he prides himself on knowing what cocktails and flavors his customers prefer, including Ariel Morgan, 37, of Canton, and Makayla Williams, 21, of Canton.

"It's definitely a work of art," Morgan said of bartending. "Jamal's definitely the life of the party, and if the party was bad before Jamal was there, he turns it around.

"After a stressful day, you need something to relax, and you know you have a bartender who's going to make a drink just how you like it," she said of Gomez.

Standing behind the bar, mixing drinks and chatting with customers is his happy place.

"This is what I want to do until my hands crinkle up and I can't do it anymore," Gomez said with a grin. "And I'll teach somebody else to do it."

Successful bars have what he describes as a hum.

"The sound of everything being OK and everything being right and everything being a good time."

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Gridiron Pizza bartender in Canton revamps cocktail menu with flair