Editor: David Mullen
After having his first cocktail (a Tequila Sunrise in a chimney glass, eech!) at the late Canteen Bar on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland at age 19, er, 21, David Mullen became fascinated with bars. He worked in them while in college and to supplement a paltry income as a journalist in Oakland.
After moving to Dallas to begin a career in marketing, exposure to the bar scene increased dramatically. Not only because Dallas was alive and had just repealed some archaic laws about drinking, but also his agency began to market a number of beer brands for Labatt USA. Rolling Rock, Labatt Blue, Red Stripe, Tecate, Dos Equis, Bohemia, Sol, Moretti, Boddingtons, and Stella Artois are among the brands that he developed marketing programs for and required numerous visits to on-premise accounts.
He has also traveled extensively – sometimes on business, sometimes on pleasure trips – seeking out the unique places that capture the essence of a great joint. Although a non-smoker, he would pick up a matchbook as a remembrance of each bar visit. Otherwise he maintains a mental Rolodex that after years of research is becoming frayed. Thus, GreatJoints.com – a combination of matchbook memories and decaying gray matter recollections – is an attempt to capture on the net some of the classic bars and taverns for everyone to flip through.
Special contributor: Christopher Mullen
Almost a decade younger than older brother David, Christopher Mullen has been the urban pioneer living in San Francisco (the City), New York (the REAL City), and Los Angeles. He received a degree in English Literature from St. Mary’s University in Moraga, CA.
Though classically trained by his brother in the nuances that make a great joint, Christopher ventured out to create his own standard. He played in a band in the Bay Area allowing him to venture into some very interesting venues that brother David – still ensconced in the disco era – would never have discovered. Both do believe, however, in the significance of the Rat Pack and the Martini to the cocktail culture. Even if David is with an olive and Christopher’s is with a twist.