“When considering all of the ways that one can contribute to society, serving booze can register low in the face of more good-Samaritan efforts. But as a job it’s remarkably resistant to recession,” says Mariah Bergeron, who maintains a nonchalant approach to her profession.

Free from the constraints of the nine-to-five grind, the gig affords her the time to pursue a plethora of both humanitarian and artistic efforts, most notably her work with the PortFringe theater festival. Still, if you’ve ever had the privilege of sitting at her bar, you know that she takes her job quite seriously, and it would suit you well to order up the Bergeron Sidecar.

Although the traditional cocktail calls for cognac, Bergeron couldn’t care less and subs in sweet, mellow bourbon that has been augmented with an infusion of both Madagascar vanilla bean and black mission figs. The rest of the drink, Cointreau and lemon juice, remains faithful to the old school, and after a brief tryst in the shaker with the bourbon, is strained and served straight up.

Sometimes it pays to break the rules.