The Cocktail Academy

Damian recaps his trip to Amsterdam for the inaugural Europe’s 50 Best Bars 2026. What started as an awards ceremony quickly became a full festival of cocktails, with bar takeovers, brand activations, industry events, parties and a green-carpet ceremony bringing together some of the best bars in Europe. From Rosewood Amsterdam’s stunning Advocatuur bar and the Meet the Bartenders media event, to t...

Stefano Catino: Why Hospitality Matters More Than Cocktails This week on The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian sits down with one of the most respected operators in global hospitality, Stefano Catino. As the co-founder of the world-renowned Maybe Sammy and leader of The Maybe Group, Stefano has helped build one of the most celebrated hospitality businesses in the world. But as you'll hear in this c...

Benji Purslow joins Damian this week to discuss his journey from pub bartender and aspiring musician to International Advocacy Manager at Heaven Hill. From pulling pints in seaside pubs to representing one of the world's largest whiskey producers, Benji shares lessons learned from more than 25 years in hospitality and explains what modern brand advocacy really looks like. The conversation explores...

This week on The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian sits down with Steve Schneider, partner at Sip & Guzzle in New York and one of the defining figures behind modern cocktail hospitality. Steve talks through his journey from the Marines and high-energy DC bars to Employees Only and eventually building Sip & Guzzle alongside Shingo Gokan. What starts as a conversation about cocktails quickly...

From recipe databases and home bar apps to batching systems, dilution calculators and profitability tools, Damian breaks down the difference between cocktail enthusiast apps and genuine professional bartender tools. He shares honest thoughts on apps like Mixel and My Bar, before exploring why Bartender's Choice remains one of the most respected cocktail apps in the industry. The centrepiece of the...

Julie Reiner joins The Cocktail Academy Podcast for a candid conversation on what it really takes to build a lasting career in hospitality. A true legend of the modern cocktail world, Julie is the force behind iconic New York bars including Clover Club, Milady’s and the former Flatiron Lounge. In this episode, she talks about hiring for hospitality over skill, why warmth matters more than technica...

In this episode of The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian Cole sits down with Gillian Fitzgerald of Casements Bar in San Francisco to explore what it really takes to build a world-class modern Irish bar. Casements has become one of the most respected Irish bars in the US by doing things differently. This conversation goes deep into the bar’s identity, how Gillian and the team avoid tired Irish stere...

In this episode of The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian records live from Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London with Andy Loudon, Director of Bars, and Kris Bazys, Bar Manager, during the launch of the new Heroes & Villains menu. Andy breaks down the thinking behind the menu, how Gerald Scarfe’s artwork shapes the identity of the bar, and why great bars are built on energy, escapism, and experience,...

Tyler Zielinski has built one of the most interesting careers in modern drinks. In this episode, Damian chats with the author of Tiny Cocktails about his path from early bartending roles in Boston, to advertising in New York, to becoming a writer, consultant, educator, and content creator working across the global drinks industry. They talk about what it really takes to build a career beyond the b...

Lindsey Johnson has spent nearly two decades quietly shaping the global drinks industry from behind the scenes. From punk bar bartender to broadcast journalist to founder of the world’s first bartender advocacy agency, Lindsey built Lush Life Productions on one simple principle: take care of bartenders and they’ll take care of everything else. In this episode, we dive into how she bridges the gap...

In this episode, Damian sits down with Declan McGurk , a hospitality leader whose career spans high-volume bars, global spirits brands, and one of the most iconic hotel bars in the world. Declan traces his journey from glass collecting and flair bartending in late-90s Leeds, through brand and sales roles in London, to managing the legendary American Bar at The Savoy . Along the way, he shares why...

Saeed “Hawk” House – better known online as @cocktailsbyhawk – joins Damian to talk about his path from Bay Area barback to LA content creator, why he still thinks like a working bartender, and how influencers with real bar chops can shape what guests drink around the world. They get into the tension between “what works on Instagram” and “what works on a busy Friday night,” the responsibilities th...

From culinary classrooms to cocktail culture, Sother Teague has built one of the most distinctive bars in the world... Amor y Amargo in New York’s East Village by doing what few dared: saying no to juice, sugar and shakers, and saying yes to bitter, spirit-forward drinks built on precision and hospitality. In this episode, Damian sits down with the bartender, author and educator to talk about how...

On this episode, Damian Cole sits down with Jamie Lewis and Drew Fleming from Kiki Lounge — the award-winning bar bringing tropical escapism to the windswept Isle of Man. The pair share how a pandemic pivot turned a small-island nightclub into one of the UK’s most talked-about cocktail destinations, and why they chose to drop the word tiki in favour of something more authentic and inclusive. They...

This week Damian is joined by Emma Janzen , an award-winning journalist and drinks writer whose byline has become a fixture in the cocktail world. What started as a happy accident — cocktail classes in Austin, Texas, and a story pitch at her local newspaper — turned into a decade-plus career exploring drinks, design, and the culture surrounding them. Emma shares how she transitioned from multimedi...

This week on The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian welcomes back Tim Herlihy , co-founder of Lost Irish Whiskey , storyteller, and longtime champion of Irish hospitality. Tim’s journey is anything but ordinary — from working on his family’s egg farm in Termonfeckin, County Louth, to becoming U.S. Ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W. , and now building a modern Irish whiskey brand that celebrates the glo...

This week Damian is joined by Mandy Naglich , an Advanced Cicerone®, certified taster, drinks writer, and author of How to Taste . Mandy’s journey into the world of flavor started with homebrewing, where she won a gold medal at the National Homebrew Competition in 2016, and led her into the deep study of sensory science, fermentation, and tasting. In this episode, Mandy shares: How she went from w...

This week, we sit down with one of the most influential voices in modern drinks journalism — Noah Rothbaum , author, editor, historian, and the man behind some of the most important cocktail publications of the last 20 years. From bringing a mystery bottle to Dale DeGroff, to co-editing The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails with David Wondrich, Noah shares his personal journey through th...

This week I’m joined by none other than David Wondrich – cocktail historian, author, and one of the most influential voices in the modern drinks world. If you’ve ever picked up Imbibe! , mixed a punch bowl from his recipes, or thumbed through the monumental Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails , you’ll know why this conversation was such a treat. We dive into David’s journey from punk-era bas...

This week on the podcast, Damian is joined by Jordan Hughes , better known as the High-Proof Preacher — a former pastor turned cocktail creator, photographer, author, and educator. Jordan has become one of the most recognisable creative voices in the drinks world, with his striking visuals, viral cocktails, and approachable educational platform, Cocktail Camera . We dig into Jordan’s unusual journ...

This week, we’re taking you straight to Bourbon Street for a very special episode recorded live at the legendary Irish House event during Tales of the Cocktail 2025. Forget the quiet studio chat — this one’s got rooftop terrace energy, full-on party vibes, and the kind of background noise that puts you right there in the middle of it all. Over the course of the night, Damian grabbed mini-interview...

Toby Maloney is one of the true architects of the modern cocktail movement — a bartender, author, and hospitality mind whose influence spans from Milk & Honey and Pegu Club in New York to The Violet Hour in Chicago, and now to The Elbow Room in Vancouver, Washington. In this episode, Damian sits down with Toby for a wide-ranging conversation covering the early chaos of oyster shucking and club...

After a cancelled flight, three planes, and a lot of sweat (literal and metaphorical), Damian finally made it to Tales of the Cocktail 2025 in New Orleans — and lived to tell the tale... barely. In this slightly foggy, totally unfiltered solo episode, he shares his jet-lagged recap of the biggest cocktail event on the planet. From Speed Rack chaos and legendary frozen Irish coffees at Erin Rose to...

In this episode, Damian is joined by Slovak bartender, author, and mentor Stanislav Harciník , the creator of The Cocktail Balance and The Cocktail Balance 2.0 . Broadcasting from Mirror Bar in Bratislava, Stan shares the unexpected beginnings of his hospitality career, the philosophy behind his writing, and his firm belief in the power of hospitality done right. This conversation dives deep into...

Preston Lee has helped scale some of the busiest and most beloved hospitality businesses across the UK and beyond — but his story started like many others: behind the bar, with no clue what he was doing. In this episode, Preston breaks down how he turned personal failure into the foundation for The 30% Rule — a training and operations system that’s helped restaurants and bars go from chaos to cons...