Behind the Bar

Stick People

We profile the bartenders, bar owners, distillers and ambassadors to know right now, from accomplished veterans to up-and-coming stars. This is a who's who of the drinks world.
Sermon on the Mount in a Bar illustration
The Complicated Journey from Holy Studies to Hospitality
Back bar at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant
An Oral History of the Rise of Tequila in Modern Bar Culture
Tommy's Margarita on bar at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant
Julio Bermejo on the State of the Tequila Industry
Mariena Mercer Boarini
This Las Vegas Bar Pro Runs the Drink Programs at 31 Venues
Hortense Van Der Horst
How Hortense Van Der Horst Is Helping Reinvent Paris' Queer Drinking Scene
There Will Never Be Another Gary Regan
This Legendary Rum Maker Doesn’t Care if You Read This Story
Meet the Man Who Turned San Antonio into a Bona Fide Cocktail Town
Nick Wu's Advice for Making It as a Bartender? Never Stop Learning.
How to Build a Charming Bar. One That Seats Only 20 People.
Meet the Chef Who Makes the Cocktails He Wants to Drink
Tokyo’s Gen Yamamoto on the Importance of Balance and Body in a Cocktail
Jim Meehan Is Making the Next Hot Mixer You Didn't Know You Needed
Meet the Bartender Who's Putting Manila's Cocktail Scene on the Map
How 3 Filipina Women Opened the Most Unlikely and Empowering Gin Bar in the USA
The Drink That Changed My Life: Lisa Laird Dunn on the Applejack Drink That Started a Revolution
Meet the Bartender Behind New York City’s Hottest Restaurant and Bar Group
From PhD to ABV: How One Distiller Uses Chemistry to Make a Great Gin
This Brand Ambassador's Advice for Bartenders? Learn to Take Care of Yourself.
One Man’s Quest to Take Cocktail Photography to the Next Level
Meet the Indiana Jones of Mezcal
Stick People: Shingo Gokan Is Ready to Show How to Break from the Ordinary Bar
This Scottish Bartender Commutes 5,100 Miles to Work
This Boston Bartender Makes His Mai Tais the Italian Way
Victoria Chow Is the Busiest Bartender in Hong Kong. And She Likes It That Way.
How Do You Follow Up a Successful Speakeasy? Turn the Lights Up Bright.
This Barbadian Bartender Is Changing the Way We Drink in Paradise
Maggie Campbell Is the Unsung Savior of American Rum
Asia's Hottest Bar Scene Is Just Getting Started. And You Can Thank This Guy.
Suffolk Arms’ Giuseppe González on Paying His Bar World Dues
This Bartender Is Making Wood-Fired Cocktails. But How Do They Taste?
Jerry Thomas, 125 Years Later
Where Do You Go to Hire a Master Distiller? Check the Accounting Department.
What It's Like to Be a Brand Ambassador for Japanese Whisky When Your Cultish Brands Already Sell Themselves
The Perfect Highball: How It Forever Changed One Bartender’s Career
Selma Slabiak on Aquavit and Hygge
Writer Alexander Chee on Classic Cocktails and What Makes a Good Bartender
Inside the Mind of Charles Joly, Diageo World Class Winner
This Chicago Bar Owner Is Crazy About Rum—And Thinks You Should Taste These 6 Bottles
The Key to Being a Badass Bartender in Los Angeles? Ignore Hollywood.
Talking Cognac with Hennessy's Oliver Paultes