Words by Ralph Yznaga / Photos by Victor Camozzi
There’s a potion-maker behind the bar at Corner Restaurant in downtown Austin’s JW Marriott — and his name is Wyatt Camozzi.
From a young age, Wyatt has had a knack for mixing things—shampoos, hot sauces, and eventually cocktails. What began as childhood curiosity has grown into a full-blown passion for the science and art of bartending. “I was making potions before I ever touched a bottle of booze,” Wyatt recalls with a laugh. “My parents hated it. I was always ruining their expensive products.”
That same curious energy has fueled his rapid growth in Austin’s hospitality scene. After cutting his teeth bar-backing during the pandemic and learning the ropes at Emerald Tavern Games and Cafe — a charming pub and board game café — Wyatt soaked up knowledge like a sponge. “I was obsessed with molecular gastronomy,” he explains. “I kept bugging my mentor Leif to teach me everything. I’d ask for books, take notes during meetings, anything I could get my hands on.”
At Emerald Tavern, he mastered the basics. But with White Lodging at Moxy Austin hotel on Guadalupe, things got more serious. “I became the ‘batch master,’” Wyatt says proudly. “I made all the kegs, syrups, custom ingredients — every behind-the-scenes detail of our cocktails.” It was there he learned about batching, production, and what it takes to run a high-efficiency cocktail program.
But Wyatt wasn’t content to stay still, and wanted to further challenge himself, while absorbing everything he could. That goal became reality earlier this year, when he landed a role at Corner Restaurant, the bustling restaurant-bar tucked inside the JW Marriott.
“It was a huge leap,” Wyatt admits. “There are more employees at Corner than there were in the entire Moxy. The scale is massive.” The clientele has shifted too — from UT students and parents to doctors, real estate pros, and business travelers with taste and expense accounts. “I love that one of the big reasons why I ended up transferring in the first place is because I wanted to keep learning and growing my craft, and I felt like I needed to deal with a higher volume in order to do that. It was hard at first, but it was exciting to have a new challenge in front of me. I came here to grow. I knew working in a high-volume, high-expectation environment would make me better.”
And better he’s become, crafting elevated cocktails like the Southern Drawl — his signature creation that blends tradition with a twist. It’s low ABV, so it’s perfect for summer,” Wyatt explains. “I add mint, balanced by a little bit of grapefruit, and other ingredients.
“I’m a huge fan of it because it has a very whiskey forward note up front. Then, the herbal flavors and that strawberry act as a bridge to round it with just a little bit of sweetness. It has a very balanced flavor that doesn’t really skimp on having a nice strong bourbon forward note, but it doesn’t linger.”
The result is bold yet refined — Southern hospitality in a glass.
For Wyatt, mixology is more than pouring drinks — it’s chemistry, creativity, and connection. “There’s something amazing about bar culture,” he says. “You get to talk to strangers, make something with your hands, and bring people together.”
As he continues to evolve behind the bar at Corner Restaurant, Wyatt is chasing his next breakthrough with the same fervor he brought to childhood experiments. “I’m still making potions,” he says with a grin. “They just taste better now.”
Want a sip of Wyatt’s Southern Drawl? Head to Corner Restaurant at the JW Marriott in downtown Austin and ask for the guy who talks like a scientist and serves like a Southern gentleman. You’ll know it when you taste it.
