Puma Yu’s Ally Smith Vibes to Champagne By the Glass and the Soundtrack of Cocktail Shakers

1. When you shift from the chaos of dinner service to cooking at home, what song helps you reset?

Ally Smith: It varies, but a consistent song that helps me reset is “Turiya and
Ramakrishna” by Alice Coltrane; right now I’m listening to a ton of Roy Ayers and “Searching” and “Hummin’ In The Sun” are heavy in the rotation.

2. If you could DJ a party with only songs that shaped your career as a bartender, what three tracks would never leave the setlist?

“Blue Water” by Sally Oldfield
“I Like It” by DeBarge
“Luxurious” by Gwen Stefani

3. What’s your approach to the music program in your restaurant?

I have set playlists and radios that I allow the staff to play at certain times of service. I never want guests to feel overwhelmed by what’s playing (in terms of volume or cadence), so it’s really about matching the energy of the people in the space. I always want there to be familiar songs playing, but not too many, to show that we’re intentionally seeking out sounds that aren’t as mainstream. Based on feedback from our guests over the years, it seems like if people don’t recognize the song playing, they find it more memorable and intriguing.

We keep the volume lower in the beginning of service and gradually turn it up as we get busier. We reserve playlists with heavier bass until the pop, around 7-8 p.m. We play all different genres and make a point to switch it up mid-service, so that the staff also gets a little boost from a different energy. When we first opened, we were lucky enough to have some music friends make us massive, all-encompassing playlists that carried us through the first year or two of opening; we knew if we put those on, it would provide a specific, patented Puma Yu’s vibe that people couldn’t experience anywhere else. As we travel, we also pay close attention to the music experience in places where we’re having a great time — for example, there is a collection of bars in Bangkok all owned by the same couple, and after visiting all of them, we asked the owners if they would share their playlists with us because the vibes were too immaculate. They were nice enough to share their Spotify profile and we added some of their playlists into our selections.

4. Do you believe certain ingredients “sound” a certain way?

Not necessarily certain ingredients, but I like that during a busy shift, shaking cocktails over and over in tins can have a beat, like in rap or hip-hop, and I like that stirring cocktails in a mixing glass is quieter, like smooth jazz.

5. What was your first live music show or concert that you attended?

The B-52s right on the sand at Virginia Beach when I was in the sixth grade. I thought it was super lame back then because my parents took me, but looking back on it, I wish I had appreciated it more.

6. What is the one drink on your current menu that feels like a perfect song — timeless, balanced, and hard to improve?

The Puppy Brother, our house martini that we’ve had on the menu since we opened. We do a blend of Etsu Japanese gin (distilled with yuzu) and Fords, equal parts blanc and dry vermouth, heavy amount of orange bitters, and a bar spoon of Centum Herbis (a green Chartreuse-adjacent herbal liqueur, but more spearmint-y) topped with a lemon spray. There are drinks I bring back seasonally, and I tweak them every time, but I’ve never felt the need to improve the Puppy Brother. It’s the one drink everyone loves to get after the most insane shifts.

7. What genre of music would you compare your bartending style to?

Late 90s/early 2000s R&B.

8. Podcasts or music in the gym?

Definitely music.

9. Catching up with an old friend at a restaurant, do you choose karaoke, a vinyl bar, or a piano bar?

Probably a vinyl bar to start, so we can focus on catching up, but once we’ve done that, move onto the karaoke bar. I love karaoke.

10. What’s your one wish for music in restaurants?

For it to be played with intention. A guest can tell when something was just thrown on the speakers. Music sets the tone and energy of your experience before even sitting down. If there’s good music playing in a restaurant, at the right volume, that fits what is being offered in the restaurant, I can only assume that I’m about to have a really beautiful time. I think it’s imperative that restaurants/bars aim to transport people to another time/place with their music choice, or create a vibe that’s so inviting that people lose track of time.

11. If your bartending career had liner notes, what would the hidden track be?

Probably something by Sheryl Crow, like “My Favorite Mistake” or “If It
Makes You Happy” — I don’t like playing her music during service, but I love opening the bar to her.

12. What pantry items and vinyl album would you bring on a desert island?

“Fulfillingness’ First Finale” by Stevie Wonder, palm sugar, salt, acid-adjusted coconut water.

13. Digital, vinyl, CD, or cassettes?

While I listen to digital the most, vinyl is unparalleled.

14. What do you value most in restaurants?

Intentionality in ingredient sourcing, ability to tell a story, visible respect for their staff, and their overall community involvement. Restaurants are unique, diverse ecosystems that have the ability to serve as more than just a place for people to get full and catch a buzz; they are gathering spaces with huge reaches and should create safe spaces for their guests and staff, while being utilized as platforms to help their surrounding communities.

15. If you could eat through a city for a day, where would you go?

Paris.

16. What’s your favorite place to get a pizza in your city?

Automatic Pizza if I’m with a bunch of friends/at a bar, and Osteria Olio if I’m taking it home to loaf on the couch.

17. Favorite cookbook?

My husband bought “The NoMad Cookbook” without realizing that there was a little cocktail book hiding in the back of it, called “The NoMad Cocktail Book” by Leo Robitschek, and I’ve referenced it for years. I also love the simplicity of “Regarding Cocktails” by Sasha Petraske.

18. Favorite music video?

“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by Missy Elliott.

19. Your ideal dinner party guest, dead or alive (must be a music person)?

Stevie Wonder. My favorite artist hands down.

20. The one thing you can’t resist splurging on when you go out?

If a restaurant has true Champagne on by the glass, I’m ordering it.