Cato Alexander

Cato Alexander (c. 1780–1858) was a freedman and bartender. Cato was born a slave in New York, where he was forced to work in an inn where he frequently waited on George Washington. After gaining his freedom in 1799, he continued to work in hotels and inns, before opening his own bar, Cato's Tavern, located on what is now the site of 2nd Avenue, 54th Street in Manhattan.

Alexander's tavern closed in the 1840s, following a series of bad loans to his customers. He briefly opened a smaller restaurant, which lasted only a year.

Some cocktail historians consider him to be "America's first celebrity bartender."