Bartending, Head Bartender and Tiki

In Search of the Ultimate Mai Tai

PUNCH

JUNE 27, 2025

“Mai Tais are very tiki in that they’re very hard to balance,” says Kavé Pourzanjani, owner of Paradise Lost in New York City. All the tiki [drink] problems apply: They’re often too sweet, and if your lime juice isn’t fresh it completely ruins the cocktail.” Kathryn “Pepper” Stashek is the head bartender at Bar Kabawa in New York City.

Tiki

Tiki Rum Head Bartender Bartender

We Asked 10 Bartenders: What’s Your Favorite Cocktail and Food Pairing?

VinePair

JULY 3, 2025

To find out which cocktails elevate different popular dishes — and vice versa — we hit up 10 bartenders from across the country to get their top picks. Whether you’re at a Mexican restaurant, a French bistro, a tiki bar, or your own home, here are 10 exceptional cocktail and food pairings. I love a little of everything.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Tiki Gin

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

VinePair

MARCH 18, 2025

Nobody knows these differences better than bartenders committed to whipping up the best drinks possible for guests, even if that drink is a humble Vodka Soda. Ben Hopkins, head bartender, Pitts , Brooklyn Yes, there is non-alcoholic vodka, and yes it works. Which vodkas do they consider best for mixing drinks? We love it.

Vodka

Vodka Bartender Bartending Bar Management

Toast To Love With These 8 Valentine’s Day Cocktails!

Chilled Magazine

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Tequila Aphrodite’s Arrow by Virgin Hotels NYC’s Everdene Head Bartender, Marlon Rowley Ingredients 1 1/2 oz. Photo by Tucker + Hossler Photography Rum Tiki Affair by Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum Ingredients 1 ¼ oz. Sammy’s Red Head Rum 1 oz. Patron Silver 3/4 oz. Raspberry Pure 1 oz. Coconut Milk 1/2 oz. Vanilla Extract 1/2 oz.

Simple Syrup

Simple Syrup Muddling Liqueur Mixologist

We Asked 25 Bartenders: What’s the Best Rum for Cocktails? (2024)

VinePair

MARCH 26, 2024

Seeking the best rums for cocktails, we asked bartenders around the world for their go-to bottles behind the bar. Note: multiple bartenders included expressions from Plantation, which has since rebranded as Planteray. Mike Ross, bartender, Gravitas , Washington, D.C. Here, the best rums for mixing into cocktails. Volcanique.

Rum

Rum Bartender Bartending Head Bartender

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

VinePair

AUGUST 14, 2024

For a little inspiration, we asked bartenders to recommend their favorite underrated summer cocktail. This tiki-style gin drink offers a delightful blend of tropical flavors, ideal for warm weather and summer vibes. ” —Jillian Moore, head bartender, My Loup , Philadelphia “Tongue Twister. “The Saturn.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Tiki Bar Management

We Asked 25 Bartenders: What’s the Best Bourbon for Mixing Cocktails?

VinePair

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

To help take out the guesswork, we asked bartenders from around the country to share their favorite bourbons for mixed drinks. Will Rivas, bartender, Rafael , NYC “We like to use George Dickel 8 Year. Vinny Spatafore, bartender and beverage operations manager, Blue Bridge Hospitality , Coronado, Calif.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Head Bartender Highball

A New Standard: 5 Balcones Cocktails That Showcase American Single Malt Whisky at Its Best

VinePair

APRIL 8, 2025

Balcones head bartender Don Phet is here to help break down what this new ruling means for the industry and consumers alike, as well as show off the versatility of American Single Malts in cocktails (because no, its not just for sipping neat!).

Highball

Highball Bitters Bar Spoon Simple Syrup

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

VinePair

JANUARY 14, 2025

Despite the difficulty in forecasting the drink of 2025, bartenders can certainly hope to make some drinks more often. We asked 14 bartenders from across the country to share their opinions on which cocktail they think people should order more in 2025. Janice Bailon, head bartender, Leyenda , Brooklyn The Adonis!

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Bar Management Bar Manager

We Asked 19 Bartenders: What’s the Most Underrated Winter Cocktail?

VinePair

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

For inspiration, we asked bartenders and beverage professionals from across the country for their most underrated winter cocktails. Kyle Kuchler, bartender, Six Seven , The Edgewater, Seattle “I think some of the best winter drinks are the ones that give you hope when you can’t handle one more dreary day.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Tiki Rum

In a Post-Prohibition World, What’s the Point of ‘Speakeasies’?

VinePair

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

It was the modern speakeasy that legal but hidden bar that carried the non-tiki torch forward when the cocktail renaissance kicked off in earnest. Its a cocktail lounge with welcoming bartenders and some really great drinks.” Theres no hidden password or secret knock.

Bar

Bar Club Alcohol Bartender

Novel Cordials and Mindful Mixology With Kitty Bernardo of NYC’s Paradise Lost

VinePair

JULY 24, 2024

Along with Sunken Harbor Club , Paradise Lost represents the new generation of tropical bars in New York that take a novel approach to the category and dive deep into what’s possible in a tiki-style cocktail.

Mixology

Mixology Tiki Tinctures Rum

The Sneaky Ingredients Making Your Cocktail More Expensive

VinePair

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

It’s tough when a bar is hinging their cocktails on the nuances of juices and the prepping of raw materials,” explains Ash Miyazaki, lead bartender at The Let’s Go! We’re very transparent with our guests,” explains Service Bar’s head bartender and partner Christine Kim. “If Disco & Cocktail Club in Los Angeles.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Head Bartender Tiki

The New Guard of the East Village Cocktail Scene Has Arrived

VinePair

MAY 13, 2024

Paradise Lost integrates the retro coolness of a classic Southern California tiki bar with the East Village’s gritty punk rock ethos to create hell’s version of a tropical joint. I don’t want to take away from the damage the pandemic caused, because it took a lot away from us,” says Paradise Lost’s head bartender, Kitty Bernardo.

Highball

Highball Vodka Bar Bartender

Trick Dog Bar Announces The Salty Dog Menu

Bartender.com

JANUARY 9, 2024

The Salty Dog’s 17 original creations are each named after a famous pirate ship, draw inspiration from classic cocktails and tropical drinks you might find at a Tiki bar and are executed with Trick Dog’s signature culinary approach.

Bar

Bar Bar Management Bar Manager Alcohol

We Asked 15 Bartenders: Which Cognac Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck? (2024)

VinePair

NOVEMBER 28, 2024

With that in mind, we asked 15 bartenders about which cost-effective Cognacs over-deliver on quality. Nic Anslemo, head bartender, Bar Meridian , Brooklyn “Gautier VS. It has a full body and mixes great in a Sazerac or a rum split base spirit forward sipper.” —Rob Here’s what they had to say. 2024) appeared first on VinePair.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Bar Management Bar Manager

The Bourbon Trail’s Best Kept Secret? World-Class Cocktails at Distillery Bars

VinePair

JUNE 4, 2025

Field, noted former bartender of Pariss Bar Hemingway. Credit: Michter’s Since late 2019, head bartender Dallas White has taken the reins, working alongside lead bartender Christy LeCompte to maintain Wondrichs list of classics while adding a fresh lineup of modern cocktails rotated twice a year.

Bar

Bar Cocktail Culture Bartender Bartending

Jukebox Blues: The Songs Every Bartender Is Sick of Hearing

VinePair

APRIL 28, 2025

If its not bad enough that bartenders have to deal with hordes of drunk patrons, the occasional rude interaction, and lousy tippers, hearing the whole bar erupt into a slurred chorus of Wagon Wheel at 100-plus decibels for the 10th night in a row only adds insult to injury. We hit up 10 bartenders from around the country to find out.

Bartender

Bartender Bartending Head Bartender Brandy

The Top Beverage Trends For 2025

Cheers

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

This zero-waste cooking technique will also allow chefs and bartenders to creatively repurpose leftover produce and give it new life. Indeed, Ben Yabrow, head bartender at Sip & Guzzle in New York, observed the clarified cocktail trend at top bars in London, Paris, and Madrid as well as pop-ups from numerous bars.

Zero-Proof

Zero-Proof Infusions Vodka Tequila

Bar Management Zone

In Search of the Ultimate Mai Tai

We Asked 10 Bartenders: What’s Your Favorite Cocktail and Food Pairing?

Trending Sources

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

Toast To Love With These 8 Valentine’s Day Cocktails!

We Asked 25 Bartenders: What’s the Best Rum for Cocktails? (2024)

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

We Asked 25 Bartenders: What’s the Best Bourbon for Mixing Cocktails?

A New Standard: 5 Balcones Cocktails That Showcase American Single Malt Whisky at Its Best

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

We Asked 19 Bartenders: What’s the Most Underrated Winter Cocktail?

In a Post-Prohibition World, What’s the Point of ‘Speakeasies’?

Novel Cordials and Mindful Mixology With Kitty Bernardo of NYC’s Paradise Lost

The Sneaky Ingredients Making Your Cocktail More Expensive

The New Guard of the East Village Cocktail Scene Has Arrived

Trick Dog Bar Announces The Salty Dog Menu

We Asked 15 Bartenders: Which Cognac Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck? (2024)

The Bourbon Trail’s Best Kept Secret? World-Class Cocktails at Distillery Bars

Jukebox Blues: The Songs Every Bartender Is Sick of Hearing

The Top Beverage Trends For 2025

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