Sips: Steampunk Chic

Bruce VanWyngarden | Memphis Magazine

When Adreana Hamilton first became a student at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 10 years ago, she decided to create a challenge for herself. 

“I wanted to force myself to be in uncomfortable positions,” Hamilton says, “to get out there and be more social and stop being anxious around people. I wanted to talk to strangers, to make eye contact. That’s why I started working at a restaurant. And it’s what really got me into hospitality. My first job was as a greeter, right at the front door.”

Hamilton was a quick study, and before long she was moving up the restaurant ladder. After stints at various restaurants, including Houston’s, she’s been a bartender at Chef Nate Henssler’s downtown restaurant, Amelia Gene’s, since early 2024.

“As soon as I was old enough to start making cocktails,” she says, “I hopped behind the bar. As a bartender, you’re essentially on stage, the face of the restaurant for many people. I’m 28 now, so I’ve been doing this for eight years.”

In those eight years, Hamilton also managed to earn two degrees — a B.A. in biology from UT-Chattanooga, and another in PR/strategic media from the University of Memphis — and made straight A’s while doing it. Oh, and she also works a full-time corporate job during the week. “I don’t know how to sit still,” she says, and I believe her.

Hamilton grew up in the Arlington area, but has become a big fan of downtown Memphis. “It’s so nice being down here,” she says. “If you’re not from this area you might have a misconception of what it’s like. I live here and walk everywhere. It gives me pride in being from here. It’s been amazing to work at a place that is so unique. This building has been here for more than 100 years. It has such good bones and so much history. And now it has a new flair and a new life.”

Amelia Gene’s is located in a former industrial machine shop a block from the Mississippi River, and it is a striking venue, with relics of its former life still in place, from the cast-iron pulleys overhead to the large factory windows behind the bar. Call it steam-punk chic. Whatever it is, it works.

“We didn’t know if Memphis would be ready for a place like this,” Hamilton says, “but the city is catching on to a trend that is taking hold in other cities. Fine dining doesn’t always have to be stuffy with white tablecloths. We can have a little more fun. Servers don’t have to hide their tattoos. We play music you might not expect to hear. Chef Henssler came here from Chicago, and we’re very chef-driven and creative.”

“It’s bright, floral, and herbaceous. I created this drink with the idea that it would be something you could order more than one of  — an easy sipper.” — Adreana Hamilton

“I bet that creativity spills over into the drink menu,” I say, making a clever segue.

“Yes, it does,” Hamilton replies. “And we collaborate with some local sources, including Old Dominick Distillery and Cxffee Black, whose espresso we use for our ‘Cxffee Black Old Fashioned.’ It’s been on our drink menu for two years and it’s very popular.”

“So what do you plan to make for me?” I ask.

“Well, I created a drink I call ‘The Final Rose,’ for all the Bachelor and Bachelorette fans out there,” she says. “Want to try it?”

I’ve only seen those shows a couple of times, but I get the concept. And of course I want to try the drink, so I say, “I do.” It’s my job, after all. 

I watch as Hamilton mixes lychee syrup, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, dashes of rosewater, lemon juice, and Fee Brothers Fee Foam bitters, which creates a nice froth to float a garnish of dehydrated rose petals. After a vigorous shaking, she pours it into a coupe glass and sets it on the white marble bar. It’s a very pretty drink, indeed, and one that a soon-to-be-former Bachelorette would love, I imagine.

“It’s bright, floral, and herbaceous,” Hamilton says. “I created this drink with the idea that it would be something you could order more than one of  — an easy sipper.”

Challenge accepted. I take a sip. Then another. Mission very much accomplished. It’s a tasty cocktail, and one that I would drink more than one of without hesitation, given the right circumstances. But it’s only mid-day and knowing what I’ve learned about Hamilton, I suspect she has work to do before evening arrives.

So here’s an easy challenge for you: Go see Adreana at Amelia Gene’s. You’ll enjoy her company and her drinks.