Mixology Spirit: Tessa Kehoe
Tessa Kehoe may be working at one of Connecticut’s newest breweries, but she brings seasoned experience, creativity, and a deep sense of community to the bar at Phantom Brewing. With a background in butchery and a passion for understanding where ingredients come from, she approaches every cocktail with intention and craft. Whether she’s making guests feel like old friends, experimenting with local flavors, or navigating a hectic night with a small on her face, Tessa embodies The Spirit of Hard Work® — and her commitment to personal growth and uplifting her community makes her exactly the kind of mixologist we love to spotlight.
Batchers: Welcome to Mixology Spirit! Please let our audience who you are what your role is at Phantom Brewing.
Tessa: Thank you for inviting me! My name is Tessa Kehoe and I am the Assistant Manager/Bar Manager at the brewery.
Batchers: For those who haven’t had a chance to visit Phantom Brewing, please take a moment to share what guests can expect when they visit.
Tessa: When a guest comes to Phantom we want them to feel right at home. From remembering a regular customer’s favorite order or asking how their child did in last night’s football game, it’s important to us that guests feel welcomed. We want them to feel like we’ve always been their favorite local spot–even though we’ve only been open for six months! We are known for our smash burgers and craft beer, but as we strengthen our community ties we are expanding our menu to include more local craft cocktails. We’re also expanding our event space capabilities.
Batchers: How long have you been bartending? What inspired you to get behind the bar?
Tessa: I actually started out at the other end of the restaurant business. I have an extensive background in butchery and food handling. While I loved learning about where food comes from and how it gets to people’s plates, I realized I wanted to be able to see people’s reactions to such great products and experiences. That’s what got me started in the restaurant industry. I started as a server for many years and worked my way up to bartending full time. I love being able to explore new and local ingredients and coming up with funky collaborations!
Batchers: After working in the business for several years, what piece of advice do you wish you got when you were just starting out?
Tessa: To relish and enjoy every moment while you can! It can be a stressful industry, especially if you are a bit of a perfectionist like me. But, not every hiccup or mistake is a bad thing. Learning from mistakes are the best moments for personal growth through cognitive reframing, focusing on solutions, and taking responsibility–all while maintaining a positive attitude! This industry has really helped me become a more gracious and empathetic person.
Batchers: Got a good story about a really hard night behind the bar?
Tessa: Every night comes with its own challenges! The most recent difficult night involved hand-juicing every cocktail on the fly and almost running out of all of our homemade syrups. Thankfully we have a wonderful team, so everyone stepped up to do their part and we made it through the night!
Batchers: When you’re not working at Phantom, what do you like to do for fun?
Tessa: When I am not working I love to be outside–rain or shine! I love hiking in the fall, swimming in the summer, and snowboarding in the winter. I also enjoy a quiet day at home. It’s a perfect excuse to bake treats with my daughter and curl up with a great book. I love to cook and find it to be my favorite creative outlet. I’m always looking for new places for inspiration whether it’s local farms or a new bakery. I’m willing to take the whole day to travel across our great state to discover the perfect ingredient. Supporting local is such a large passion of mine!
Batchers: What is your favorite Litchfield Distillery spirit to build cocktails with (and why)?
Tessa: My favorite Litchfield spirit to build cocktails with is their Coffee Bourbon. I love the coffee notes when you first open the bottle. It’s sweet yet earthy. The taste is incredible with the coffee perfectly complementing an already great bourbon. The initial flavor you get is the coffee but that gives way to subtle sweet notes of mocha and toffee. We make an incredible espresso martini with Litchfield’s Coffee Bourbon, highlighting all of its greatest features while using other local CT ingredients to bolster its unique profile.
Batchers: What does The Spirit of Hard Work® mean to you?
Tessa: To me the Spirit of Hard Work is more than just passion and perseverance, it’s a sense of gratification knowing you’ve done your best to improve yourself and your community. It’s about being your most authentic and honest self–all while being open to growth and critiques. My grandmother always used to tell me that “storms make trees take deeper roots.” This mantra has had a really profound impact on my decision making; I’m not afraid to take chances and grow from mistakes.
Tessa’s featured cocktail is called, Phantom Rose. It’s delicious gin cocktail with a float of blueberry hibiscus mead that’s makes in-house at the brewery. Our gin’s botanical notes pair well with the mead and thyme simple syrup, making this drink full of enjoyable floral notes.
Ingredients:
- 1.0 oz Litchfield Distillery Gin
- 1.0 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1.0 oz Thyme Simple Syrup
- 1.0 oz Blueberry Hibiscus Mead (Made in-house at Phantom)
- 1.0 oz Water
- Garnish: Thyme Sprig, Lemon Wheel
Method: Combine gin, simple syrup, juice and water in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into glass and float mead on top. Garnish with thyme spring and lemon wheel.
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To learn more about Phantom Brewing, visit their website and connect with them on Facebook or Instagram. They are located at 199 Saybrook Road in Higganum, CT. To contact, please call (860) 544-5010 or email info@phantomburgerbrew.com.
About Mixology Spirit:
Mixology Spirit is a Litchfield Distillery blog series dedicated to sharing the stories of creative and passionate mixologists who embody The Spirit Of Hard Work®. Think you got what it takes to be featured? Drop us a line at info@litchfielddistillery.com.
©2025 Litchfield Distillery. Photography & Editing Credits: Tony Vengrove
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