Qadeem Hassan doesn’t just know how to make a good cocktail – he understands how to craft an entire experience, like finding the perfect song to add to a curated playlist. This fall, Hassan and his business partner, Justin Speegle, are set to open Ralph’s Listening Room, Birmingham’s first listening bar, which will showcase a soulful collision of cocktails, sounds and atmosphere.
A Tuscaloosa native, Hassan got his start in the hospitality industry as a bartender at the Levee Bar and Grill and quickly worked his way up to bar manager. “That’s really when I fell in love with the craft side of cocktails,” he says. “I started building out my own cocktail menus, experimenting with infusions and syrups, and forming relationships with guests who would give me feedback. I knew then I wanted to open my own concept one day.”
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