BARTENDER Magazine’s 26 for 26: Haley Merritt

Haley Merritt is a head bartender in Dallas, TX, where she treats hospitality like a mixtape—carefully curated, full of surprise tracks, and just the right amount of nostalgia. An El Paso native, she’s worked everywhere from dive bars to cocktail temples, winning The Shake Up, earning CultureMap Dallas’s Best Bartender (2023), and landing on Beverage Dynamics’ 40 Under 40 (2024). Her now-legendary deviled egg Jell-O shot even made it into The New York Times. Known for menus that balance elegance with grit and a “creative clubhouse” culture behind the bar, Merritt champions authenticity over gimmicks.