Beverage Director Jason Kindness stirs up a couple cocktails.

Our April issue is all about Rhode Island’s best bars and nightlife, so we went behind the scenes to make some drinks at the Revolving Door in Newport, a place where the cocktail program is as exciting as the food.

When guest chefs arrive at the restaurant, their stays range from two to four weeks, giving them the opportunity to showcase their craft and specific styles without having to worry about the logistics of running a business. It’s the job of beverage director Jason Kindness to create cocktails that complement the temporary menus.

Kindness says his style of culinary bartending fits in well with the restaurant’s concept because he loves to play off food and seasonal ingredients. “Every time I have a new chef, I have a new set of ingredients to play with, whether it’s an herb, a spice, a syrup, something that I can incorporate to accentuate their food — still keep their food at the forefront of the dining experience but to also give another dimension that fits with it.”

Here, Kindness makes the Bazil Yuzu, a drink to complement the menu of guest chef Basil Yu, and the Malt Whitman, a permanent fixture at the Revolving Door and its most popular cocktail.