Alcohol, Head Bartender and Tequila

The Cocktail College Podcast: The Southside

VinePair

MARCH 7, 2025

“Cocktail College is brought to you today by PATRN , 100% Additive-Free Tequila. Whether it’s PATRN Silver, PATRN Reposado, PATRN Aejo, or the newest release, PATRN CRISTALINO, the tequila remains 100% additive- free. TEQUILA 40% ABV. I admire PATRN for its transparency and commitment to quality.

Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup Head Bartender Tequila Club

How to Properly Use High-Proof Spirits in Cocktails

VinePair

MAY 27, 2025

Whether were talking about navy-strength gin , cask-strength whiskey , still-strength tequilas , or overproof rums , there are more options to indulge in uncut versions of the spirits we love than ever before. As such, their rich profiles can carry over to cocktails, allowing bartenders to showcase these spirits in their purest form.

Bar Spoon

Bar Spoon Bartender Bartending Alcohol

We Asked 14 Bartenders: What’s Your Go-To Tequila? (2024)

VinePair

JULY 9, 2024

A recent report published by beverage data analytics firm ISWR indicated that agave spirits — a space primarily driven by tequila — was the only alcohol category to experience growth in the U.S. This sustained popularity coincides with a market increasingly flooded with new tequilas. Tequila Ocho Plata.

Tequila

Tequila Bartender Bartending Head Bartender

We Asked 11 Bartenders: What’s Your Most Controversial Cocktail Take?

VinePair

JUNE 6, 2025

With that in mind, check out 11 bartenders’ most controversial cocktail takes below, from the uselessness of jiggers to the importance of non-alcoholic drinks. They don’t want their peers to think less of them for ordering a Tequila Soda in a top 50 cocktail bar nor for enjoying a brand that is widely dismissed as ‘bad.’

Bartender

Bartender Bartending High Volume Head Bartender

We Asked 21 Bartenders: What’s the Best Vodka for Mixing Cocktails?

VinePair

MARCH 18, 2025

While tequilas rise in popularity grabs headlines and drives conversations, vodka remained the top-selling spirit in the U.S. Ben Hopkins, head bartender, Pitts , Brooklyn Yes, there is non-alcoholic vodka, and yes it works. Were still living in a vodka world. in 2024, raking in $7.2 Its both practical and conceptual.

Vodka

Vodka Bartender Bartending Bar Manager

Non Alcoholic Distilled Spirits: A Guide

The Bartender Company

JANUARY 16, 2024

Drinking alcohol is a time-honored tradition going back thousands of years. What if you don’t want to drink alcoholic spirits, or are concerned about developing an addiction to alcohol? What if you are “sober curious” and enjoy the flavor profile of spirits but don’t want to drink alcoholic spirits for health reasons?

Alcohol

Alcohol Zero-Proof Vodka Gin

We Asked 22 Bartenders: What’s the Most Underrated Summer Cocktail?

VinePair

AUGUST 14, 2024

While clear spirits like gin and tequila might feel like the most obvious choices for summertime sipping, rum and bourbon also have their place, as do lighter, low-ABV options like vermouth and Pimm’s. Swapping the tequila for mezcal is equally delicious and a great option for those looking for something a bit more complex.”

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Tiki Bar Manager

We Asked 23 Bartenders: What’s the Best Mezcal for Margaritas?

VinePair

SEPTEMBER 24, 2024

While the classic Margarita remains a quintessential summer staple, its smoky cousin, the Mezcal Margarita , is a satisfying cold-weather substitute for the typical tequila. For help finding the best mezcal to swap for your favorite tequila, we reached out to drink experts around the world.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Tequila Bar Management

Of Course Trader Joe’s Has an Affordable Amaro Brand — But Is It Actually Good?

VinePair

JANUARY 25, 2024

Whether or not your neighborhood Trader Joe’s can sell alcohol is determined by state and local laws. While some Trader Joe’s do sell spirits, in addition to branded private-label bottles of tequila, vodka, and whiskey, Pronto! The consensus among most of the bartenders I talked to was that Pronto! , a new $10.99

Bitters

Bitters Bartender Bartending Happy Hour

We Asked 14 Bartenders: Which Cocktail Do You Wish People Would Order More? (2025)

VinePair

JANUARY 14, 2025

I love sherry and vermouth so Id really love for bartenders to spread their vermouth wings and explore beyond Dolin for their Martinis. Janice Bailon, head bartender, Leyenda , Brooklyn The Adonis! They are also low in alcohol and perfect for casual sipping.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Bar Manager Bar Management

Mastering Extracts and Essences With Sunken Harbor Club’s Garret Richard

VinePair

JANUARY 17, 2024

By the time Booker and Dax closed in 2016, I was the head bartender, and I spent the next year at the NoMad learning to make a lot of very good drinks very quickly. Dave Arnold and Don Lee then opened Existing Conditions in 2018, and I will eternally be grateful that they saw fit to bring me on as head bartender.

Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup Infusions Head Bartender Bartender

We Asked 18 Bartenders: What’s One Drink That Should Be Retired From Cocktail Menus? (2024)

VinePair

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Seeking to find out which drinks deserve to get the axe, we asked bartenders to spill the tea on the orders that make them wince. From an ‘80s staple that reemerged to dizzying popularity to an eight-ingredient alcohol roundhouse known as one of the booziest drinks out there, keep reading to learn which cocktails get the downvote.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Bar Manager Bar Management

Chain Restaurant Cocktails: The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageously Boozy

VinePair

JULY 25, 2024

The cocktail, called “Under the Purple Sea,” looks much better than it tastes — somewhere between an alcohol-spiked Pacific Cooler Capri Sun and Sour Patch Kids watermelon candy. Credit: Adam Reiner “Every cocktail at TGI Fridays is too sweet,” says Izzy Tulloch, the head bartender at Milady’s in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.

Rum

Rum Bartender Bartending Mixology

The Weirdest Drink Modification Requests, According to Bartenders

VinePair

AUGUST 5, 2024

.” —Gabe Sanchez, cocktail expert, Midnight Rambler at The Joule , Dallas “A few that will live forever in my head include a guest asking for a weak, dry Martini , a request for a virgin Old Fashioned , and a ‘ Spritz , but not bubbly.’ I don’t know if this is weird but it’s definitely wack and certified-bozo behavior. What’s next?

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Vodka Simple Syrup

Trick Dog Bar Announces The Salty Dog Menu

Bartender.com

JANUARY 9, 2024

We celebrated my dad’s birthday every year at Trader Vic’s and I developed an even deeper personal affinity for tropical-style drinks during my time as the head bartender at The Polynesian.

Bar

Bar Bar Management Bar Manager Alcohol

We Asked 22 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Spirit You’ve Added to Your Bar?

VinePair

JULY 16, 2024

Evan Flynn, head bartender, Death and Co. Denver “ Maestro Dobel Diamante Reposado Tequila. Made from 100 percent agave with no additives, it’s perfect for sipping or mixing into a Tequila Espresso Martini. Claudia Lara manager/head bartender, Rogue Bar , Queens, N.Y.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Bar Gin

We Asked 18 Bartenders: What’s the Trendiest Shot to Order Right Now? (2025)

VinePair

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Others may prefer to keep things classic, opting for simple pours of tequila or whiskey. And if theres one group of people that knows exactly what the people want, its bartenders. Edward Hardebeck, head bartender, Corima , NYC The trendiest shot right now, in my opinion, would be the Green Tea shot.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Head Bartender Shooter

Cereal Milk Is Coming for Your Cocktail

VinePair

MAY 12, 2025

The childhood cereal joins tequila , amontillado sherry , and maple verjus to create a cocktail thats nutty and caramely; innovative, but familiar. Rather than infusing milk with a cereal of choice, most bartenders infuse the base spirit, and the reason is fairly simple: Alcohol is simply better at extracting flavor than milk is.

Infusions

Infusions Food Safety Bartender Bartending

The Top Beverage Trends For 2025

Cheers

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

For one, the popularity of low- and no-alcohol drinks remains so strong that theyre no longer a trend but now a menu mainstay for many operators. Spritz-style drinks have also become a year-round menu mainstay, as demand for light, low-alcohol cocktails and interest in Italian aperitivo culture continues.

Zero-Proof

Zero-Proof Infusions Vodka Tequila

Do Empirical Spirits Serve Any Purpose Beyond Fueling Viral Headlines?

VinePair

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

That same month, September 2017, Vice Munchies was perhaps the first alcohol industry publication to write about Empirical in an article titled “This Once-Abandoned Warehouse Might Contain the Future of Booze.” Perhaps they don’t even know what, for example, technically defines a bourbon or a tequila and why Empirical is different from that.

Liquor

Liquor Bartender Bartending Bar

Bar Management Zone

The Cocktail College Podcast: The Southside

How to Properly Use High-Proof Spirits in Cocktails

Trending Sources

We Asked 14 Bartenders: What’s Your Go-To Tequila? (2024)

We Asked 11 Bartenders: What’s Your Most Controversial Cocktail Take?

We Asked 21 Bartenders: What’s the Best Vodka for Mixing Cocktails?

Non Alcoholic Distilled Spirits: A Guide

We Asked 22 Bartenders: What’s the Most Underrated Summer Cocktail?

We Asked 23 Bartenders: What’s the Best Mezcal for Margaritas?

Of Course Trader Joe’s Has an Affordable Amaro Brand — But Is It Actually Good?

We Asked 14 Bartenders: Which Cocktail Do You Wish People Would Order More? (2025)

Mastering Extracts and Essences With Sunken Harbor Club’s Garret Richard

We Asked 18 Bartenders: What’s One Drink That Should Be Retired From Cocktail Menus? (2024)

Chain Restaurant Cocktails: The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageously Boozy

The Weirdest Drink Modification Requests, According to Bartenders

Trick Dog Bar Announces The Salty Dog Menu

We Asked 22 Bartenders: What’s the Best New Spirit You’ve Added to Your Bar?

We Asked 18 Bartenders: What’s the Trendiest Shot to Order Right Now? (2025)

Cereal Milk Is Coming for Your Cocktail

The Top Beverage Trends For 2025

Do Empirical Spirits Serve Any Purpose Beyond Fueling Viral Headlines?

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