As Buffalo’s first Nickel City Drink cocktail festival comes to an end I thought it appropriate to share this portrait of one of the event’s organizers, Jason Wood, that I recently shot on assignment for Buffalo Spree Magazine. (But really, is there ever an inappropriate time to celebrate amazing cocktails and those that make them?)

A WNY transplant originaly form Michigan, Jason is a motorcycle enthusiast, musician (formerly of metal core bands Still Remains and It Dies Today), and currently serves as the manager at Vera Pizzeria – the bar that many feel served as the catalyst of Buffalo’s growing craft cocktail movement and its rapid expansion over the past few years. Since stepping out from behind the microphone and getting behind the bar full time this multitalented bartender has become a tireless advocate for quality spirits and thoughtful recipes that excite those tired of Buffalo’s mass market beer and shot dominated bar scene.