At Masseria Italian Steakhouse, head bartender (and wedding photographer) brings a white-glove, inventive approach to mixology

By Erik Schoning

When you walk into Masseria Italian Steakhouse, the first thing you notice is the old school, classic elegance: the gently piped-in Frank Sinatra, the black-and-white tiles, the red velvet curtains and the bull head on the wall. The second thing you’ll notice is the central bar, and on any given night you’re likely to find head bartender Alex Sebren serving up exciting cocktails that would put even the Rat Pack through their paces.

Sebren, like many in the service industry, found her way into mixology through a love of people. A barista-turned-bartender, she is also a wedding photographer, a holy trinity of careers that require top-notch customer service, attention to detail, and a real ability to relate to others.

“I’ve always enjoyed talking to people and serving them in any way I can,” Sebren said. “From a photography standpoint, that looks different than in bartending, of course. But you make these connections with people — that’s what I’ve always been about.”

Since coming to Masseria over a year ago, Sebren has found a home, a perfect environment to flex her skills and lead a collaborative bar team of five. At the time, owner Joe Cetrulo was just getting the restaurant off the ground, fulfilling his dream of bringing a world-class steakhouse to Morristown. Following Cetrulo’s vision, Sebren and her team put together a menu incorporating organic ingredients, seeking an exciting, yet grounded roster of cocktails that could perfectly accompany a sizzling steak or stand on their own.

The longtime rockstar of that menu has been the Masseria Fumé, a creative take on the margarita that tops a classic lime-tequila base with a dazzling sea salt mezcal foam. That foam, homemade and dispensed from a pressurized canister, is more than a eyecatcher: as the drink develops, the foam melts into the margarita, adding complex, smoky notes to the margarita. Sebren likes to think of it as a smoky salt rim without the mess.

“It’s one of those cocktails that as soon as you’re making it on the bar, you have three other people turning their heads,” Sebren said. “As soon as I turn around, they ask what I just made. And it’s fun to teach our guests about these techniques, what’s actually going into the cocktails.”

Across the Masseria menu, you’ll find cocktails like the Fumé, inventive twists on established classics. As the restaurant transitions into spring, Sebren is helming an exciting new seasonal menu that foregrounds freshness, fruit, and exciting-yet-healthful ingredients like pandan and bee pollen, while pairing them with purposeful technique — clarification, maceration, infusion.

Take, for example, the showstopping Rosso Reserve. (And see below for Sebren’s full recipe.) The inspiration here: a Paper Plane meets a chocolate-covered strawberry. Blending Redemption Rye, a homemade strawberry demerara sugar, chocolate green walnut liqueur, lemon juice and Aperol, the smell alone will make you think you’re opening up a box of chocolate-covered strawberries. Or try the Ciao Honey, a twist on a Bee’s Knees cocktail, marrying an exclusive all-new Grey Goose berry rouge vodka with muddled raspberries and housemade pollen-infused honey, finishing the whole deal with a raspberry skewer and a dusting of edible gold. Both cocktails are headlining a springtime menu that is more ambitious and exciting than anything Masseria has offered before.

“Through our first few cocktail lists, we were getting our footing. The last few months have been a lot more experimental and a lot more fun,” Sebren said. “And we can do all this because our bartenders are very collaborative. They’re proud of the bar they work in, and they’ve really taken ownership of it.”

Sebren sees her role as head bartender as a kind of tablesetter for her team, putting everyone in the best position to thrive. (One of her newest bartenders was a barback at Sebren’s last job, and came along to help launch Masseria.) That culture, important as it is behind the scenes, pays even greater dividends out in the dining room and at the bar, where the entire Masseria team has worked hard to create a space that is inviting and welcoming — the perfect spot for a date night, after-work drink, or special occasion. Even in a short time on the scene, Masseria has become a meaningful part of the Morristown community.

“Morristown is the only town I’ve lived in as an adult where I can confidently say there is a real community,” Sebren said. “And we provide a space for people to make those connections. I mean, with my photography alone, I have found so much work just by talking to people and sharing what I do outside of the bar. And that turns into other relationships forming. So it’s just a great space and community.”

The service industry is simple: to see people, to hear them, and to meet them where their needs are. Whether Sebren is snapping a photo at the altar or building a cocktail, it’s all in service of a great experience. At Masseria, that experience is the total package, from the first smile when you sit to the edible gold dusted over a complex drink. Some people call that old school — for Sebren, it’s just another day on the job.

Masseria Italian Steakhouse
28 Headquarters Plaza Mall, Morristown
973.287.5007 / masseriamorristown.com / alexsebrenphotography.com