My Morning Routine

⇾ Elliott Clark, Apartment Bartender

Elliott Clark, the Apartment Bartender

My Morning Routine

⇾ Elliott Clark, Apartment Bartender

The cocktail creator, world traveler and fitness junkie proves you can be successful and have a blast while doing it.

“Here's to alcohol, the rose colored glasses of life.” Who are we to argue with the great F. Scott Fitzgerald? Elliott Clark certainly wasn't about to when he founded Apartment Bartender, one of the web's most popular destinations for handy home bartending how tos and deliciously clever cocktail recipes (from a tequila-tinged Negroni to a spicy chai Old Fashioned). The epitome of taking a passion and turning it into a profit-producing enterprise, Clark now travels the globe, touching down at the hottest bars and old world distilleries, and Instagramming the whole way.

For those that are beholden to corporate America, Elliott's success as a connoisseur of libations and all that goes along with them is an inspiration. So, as someone whose professional life is surrounded by alcohol, it begs the question: how does Elliott handle mornings? Turns out, he values his routines in the early hours just like we do. The only difference is, he has shit way more together when you consider the fact that he may have thrown down three Old Fashioneds and a beer the night before. Venture into Elliott's early hours, heed his hangover advice and be a better man for it.

Earn Your Booze by Elliott Clark, the Apartment Bartender

Elliott balances out the calories in those cocktails with his fitness-focused brand, Earn Your Booze.

The Series

Those moments between turning off the alarm and getting into our work routine can be the most defining 60 minutes of our day. Benjamin Franklin set a day's worth of plans by 5 am and Steve Jobs asked a simple question: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" Our rituals are a reflection of us. So we've ventured out to discover how some of our most influential and fruitful peers get started.

Elliot Clark, the Apartment Bartender

My Routine

Every now and then, I really enjoy sleeping in ...

but on average, I'm up around 7 am. Anything after that and I start getting anxious.

Working in the spirits industry, it can be tough to get enough sleep,

but I shoot for 6-7 hours. I need my beauty sleep.

Home in Denver, I wake up, slam lemon water and hop in the shower with a podcast playing.

I do my best not to immediately jump on my phone and check email and what not, but, of course, it doesn't always work out.

For breakfast, it's usually eggs, oatmeal and a green drink or shot of ginger.

I gotta keep the liver functioning at peak performance.

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I'll drink coffee, but not everyday.

I'll make it at home (that $5 coffee habit can add up!), but only two or three times a week at most. I'm actually trying to wane myself off of the caffeine fix.

I do like working out in the morning.

I grew up playing basketball, so I prefer high intensity interval training or lifting weights. I'll usually combine the two. My brain moves too quickly to stay in one place. Get it right, get it tight, ya know?

I've found that keeping my daily goals to three (sometime five) major items

helps me accomplish them more regularly. I work best off a to-do list and it feels amazing to cross them all off at the end of the day.

I'm pretty generic when it comes to grooming.

I tend to get whatever's convenient and available and don't worry about it much. But I do need my small hair clippers. And I'll usually freshen up with a spritz of Bvlgari cologne before leaving the house. Those are the constants.

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The other non-grooming products I swear by ...

perhaps in order of importance are Biscoff cookies (if you're not eating these with your coffee, you're not living), a Tuft & Needle mattress (never sacrifice a good night's sleep), along with a good pair of headphones and some broken-in jeans.

Elliott Clark's favorite morning grooming products

Clockwise, from top left

Peanut classic clippers,
$39.95 by Wahl

BLV pour homme cologne,
$90 by Bvlgari

501 selvedge jeans,
$128 by Levi's

Cool-sleeping pressure relief mattress,
from $325 by Tuft & Needle

Biscoff cookies,
$2.59 by Lotus

Powerbeats wireless headphones,
$159.99 by Beats by Dre

Elliott Clark's favorite morning grooming products

Peanut
classic clippers,
$39.95 by Wahl

BLV pour homme
cologne, $90
by Bvlgari

501 selvedge
jeans, $128
by Levi's

Cool-sleeping
pressure relief mattress,
from $325 by Tuft & Needle

Biscoff cookies,
$2.59 by Lotus

Powerbeats
wireless
headphones,
$159.99 by
Beats by Dre

Clockwise, from top left

Peanut classic clippers, $39.95 by Wahl

BLV pour homme cologne, $90 by Bvlgari

501 selvedge jeans, $128 by Levi's

Cool-sleeping pressure relief mattress, from $325 by Tuft & Needle

Biscoff cookies, $2.59 by Lotus

Powerbeats wireless headphones, $159.99 by Beats by Dre

Elliott's Go-To Hangover Cure?

Lemon water with a dash of salt. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. And if you must go with the hair of the dog, a Bloody Mary or Mimosa is where it's at.

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