Josh Christensen’s early years behind the bar, as a college student in San Luis Obispo, were characterized more by a party mentality than serious mixology. “I remind my staff often that I haven’t always been a high-integrity, awesome bartender,” he says with a laugh. “That wasn’t the bar environment I came up in. It was fun, and I learned a lot about volume, but not much about craft.”

It wasn’t until Josh moved to the big city that his eyes opened to the possibilities outside of mainstream cocktails. “When I went to San Diego and Austin, being around all these creative people from all these different places, bringing all their experience with them, it opened my perspective about what this industry could be,” he says. “I dug in, learned the history and culture and got my hands on every book I could.”

When Josh moved back to San Luis Obispo in 2012, he saw an opportunity to bring his expertise to the new crop of young professionals taking root here. And in 2014, he launched Sidecar Cocktail Co., focusing on urban-worthy drinks and fresh, creative cuisine in a fun, low-key environment.

The first year or two we were not universally acknowledged as a place people liked,” he says. “I’ve been called a pretentious hipster. I’ve been told I think I’m special because I have tattoos and make fancy drinks.” When he told his bartenders he wanted them to offer 10 cocktails using mezcal, they told him no one would drink them. But little by little, customers’ tastes changed. Today, he says, people are disappointed when he doesn’t offer a new interesting mezcal for them to taste. “I think they look to us as a progressive voice for cocktails in the area.”