Derek Brown

Brown is the former owner of the prestigious Columbia Room in Washington, D.C. (2017 “Best American Cocktail Bar” at the Spirited Awards), and one of the nation’s top bartenders as Chief Spirits Advisor to the National Archives Foundation, which he jokes made him the highest-ranking bartender in the U.S. government.

He has written two books, including most recently Mindful Mixology: a Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails, as well as for a variety of magazines and websites including Vox, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Imbibe magazine recently named him “one of the 75 most inspirational people and places that will shape how we drink in 2023.”