Clinton Terry
Founding-Partner / Beverage Director / Boozy Chef / Bar Operations
A Vermont native with over 20 years of food and beverage experience, Clinton Terry uses his creativity and passion to tell his life story through fresh, fruit-forward, culinary inspired cocktails that highlight locally sourced ingredients and seasonality. Drinking is a very personal experience and Clinton wants to be part of the process, whether that means building a cocktail around the maple syrup from the first little farm he worked at in Vermont, or hand harvesting blackberries from his front yard for a special garnish or base.
Raised in Morrisville, VT, food was always a huge part of his life. Whether it was buttering the pan for his mom's brownies, or picking cherry tomatoes in the community garden, Clinton always knew he wanted to own his own restaurant and to show his vision to the world. He discovered his passion for cooking at a young age, attending vocational culinary arts high school, and working at a variety of restaurants in Stowe, VT. Something about creating dishes and drinks has always spoken to him, using the preparation as a creative outlet - he can't draw to save his life, but can concoct and stylize a beautiful and delicious drink with the best of them. His humble beginnings led him to the Culinary Institute of America (NYC), graduating with a B.A. in Culinary Arts. It wasn’t until he moved to Washington, D.C. where he decided to pursue a different dream by making the transition behind the bar.
Clinton got his 'PHD' in cocktail creation working for famed Bartender Todd Thrasher at Restaurant Eve. He helped open their speakeasy, the PX, a truly unique drinking experience and one of the first modern day speakeasies in the country. During his tenure as General Manager, PX was rated a top 10 domestic bar by Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and The New York Times.
In 2012, Clinton made the move to Nantucket where he created cocktail programs at The Pearl (meeting his future partners Stephen Bowler and Liam Mackey), Corazon del Mar, The Boarding House and Fog Island. Not long after arriving on the island, Clinton teamed up with Stephen and Liam to open The Nautilus (2014), The Gaslight (2019), and the soon-to-open Nautilus Pier 4 in Boston (2021).
Clinton’s passion for beverage has been recognized by Star Chefs and Imbibe Magazine, and he has had the pleasure of teaching and training throughout the world. The bar program at The Nautilus has been recognized by Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston awards (Best Bar - Cape & Islands).
When not behind the bar you can find Clinton playing disc golf, rooting for his race horses, foraging for fruit and drinking and dining of course!