Ivy Mix

The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn is a sea of pink — pink T-shirts, bandannas, even bright plastic cups. On this December evening, it is packed with the only crowd that can be reliably counted on to go out on a Monday night: bartenders.

The daughter of two artists, Ivy Mix had little exposure to bar culture early on. Growing up in the small town of Tunbridge, Vermont—population 1,288—she spent her childhood training for a career as a professional equestrian. That all changed with a trip to Guatemala at age 19. Having amassed a sizable tab at Café No Sé, a local ex-pat hangout, Mix offered to work to pay it off, incidentally landing her first bartending gig—and instilling in her a deep interest in Latin American spirits, something that’s gone on to become the defining arc of her career.

Growing up in Vermont, Ivy Mix would rise at dawn to spend her Sundays riding horses. But when she became a bartender in New York City, Sundays were all about sleeping in. These days Ms. Mix, 33, is busy as a co-owner of Leyenda (Spanish for “legend”), a “pan-Latin cocktail bar” in Cobble Hill that specializes in drinks like the Spicy Llama (pineapple, tequila, pisco and jalapeño). Leyenda was a James Beard Award semifinalist for outstanding bar program this year.