Mark Brand

In 1993 Mark moved to Melbourne Australia and turned his love of flavors into a career, bartending in some of the most celebrated venues in the country. Drawing on his years of travel Mark experimented with a wide variety of methods and flavor combinations, blending a solid background of classic cocktail knowledge with a willingness to create unexpected pairings.

Mark Brand, co-owner of Boneta and the Diamond in Gastown, took home the gold medal at the George 2010 Mixlympic Games. currently owns the widely acclaimed Boneta Restaurant in Gastown (Vancouver) as well as The Diamond at maple tree square and Sharks and Hammers. He appears regularly on local and national television and continues to consult for private events and fundraisers such as BC Fashion Week and Holt Renfrew’s Gala Vancouver opening. Mark and his partners have been featured in numerous publications such as The Vancouver Sun, The Province, The New York Times, the Independent, EAT Magazine, Vancouver Magazine and The Globe and Mai

Kevin Brauch

Kevin has had an active career in the radio and television industry since 1988. Throughout that time Kevin has been busy as radio host, television host, writer, actor and television producer.

Amazing as it might sound, Kevin is prepared to put all that behind him to travel the world, explore amazing locations, meet fascinating people, taste exotic foods and quench his thirst on the superlative scotches, winning wines, choice champagnes, rare rums, preferred ports, well, you get the picture. Go figure

Erick Castro

Erick Castro has been bartending in hospitality for 8 years and a part of the San Francisco cocktail scene for 3. After earning his chops at Bourbon & Branch, he was assigned the beverage director position at its newest sister bar, Rickhouse.

Since it opened in June of 2009, Rickhouse has gone on to be chosen as one of the Worlds Top Bars by Food & Wine Magazine, and just recently won The Cheers: Benchmark Award for Top Cocktail Lounge 2010. The program that he created at Rickhouse also picked up three nominations at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail which takes place in New Orleans every year.

Castro was also recently awarded a Rising Star Award for 2010 from Star Chefs and is now the West Coast Brand Ambassador for Plymouth and Beefeater Gins.

Frank Deiter

Frank Deiter of Okanagan Spirits in Vernon has been making award-winning artisan fruit spirits for five years using fruits like pears, cherries and apricots, flavoured with herbs and botanicals like anise, fennel, lemon balm and hyssop.

In the five short years since Okanagan Spirits began distilling, it has been awarded over 40 medals at repeated entries in annual World Spirits tasting. These results truly reflect the quality of local fruit grown in our Province married with the skills and patience of Master Distiller Frank Deiter and the team at Okanagan Spirits

Philip Duff

We got notice today that one of the most experienced bartenders worldwide will return to the free world of the bar business. Philip Duff has been working as Global Brand Ambassador for the Dutch liquor house Bols for almost a decade.
Phil received numerous awards and nominations from, among others, the Tales of the Cocktail World Spirit Awards (Best Brand Ambassador, 2008), Universidad del Cocktail Argentina (Contributions to bartending, 2005) and the Flair Bartenders Association (multiple awards, 2002-2006). His latest project at Bols was the Bols Bartending Academy that he helped setting up.
With his company Liquid Solutions he will now become shareholder in Amsterdam's first Speakeasy Bar that is going to open in mid-September. A book he's been working on, will be published in December this year, too. His next appearances as a speaker will be at the barshows in Sydney und Berlin. We at Mixology are confident too hear even more from Phil from now on. He's been a frequent visitor to Berlin over the last couple of years

Elayne Duke

Elayne Duke has been the head mixologist for Diageo Wine and Spirits for the past five years and has created cocktails for some of New York City’s finest restaurants, including Le Bernardin, Central Park Boathouse and Villa Pacri.
She studied mixology as a student of the Beverage Alcohol Resource, America’s premiere course on spirits and cocktails, where she honed her technique under world-renowned mixology experts Paul Pacult, David Wondrich, Steve Olson, Doug Frost and Dale Degroff.

In 2009, Elayne was honored by the James Beard Foundation as one of the most prominent female mixologists in the country.
Elayne currently teaches monthly spirit seminars at Astor Wine and Spirits in New York City and also teaches classes, conducts spirit tastings and creates specialty cocktails for corporations and private events through her company, Duke on the Rocks

Audrey Fort

Marketing & Business Developement Director, EWG Spirits & Wine.
After a master in international trade and Russian language, Audrey started her career in the luxury goods in Moscow where she developed her "fighting spirit" (well, 1997 was certainly still a wild period ...). Upon her return to Paris, she was recruited by a major perfume company where during 7 years she took care of the export in Europe, then set up the marketing department for Europe, Middle east and Africa. Audrey's willingness to take up new challenges led her to EWG Spirits & Wine, a dynamic and innovative company based in Cognac, creator of grape-based groundbreaking spirits. There she found the perfect field to express her entrepreneurial mindset and enthusiasm for the inspiring spirits industry. For 4 years now, she has been raising proudly her children - namely G'Vine gins, June liqueur and Excellia tequila - and distilling her passion all over the world

Sabrina Greer

Head Mixologist with The Martini Club International Inc.
Sabrina Greer was born in Ontario but grew up globally. At the age of fifteen, she began an International modeling career that literally showed her the world, bringing out her passion for travel, food and drink.
While modeling around the globe, Sabrina worked in bars and restaurants, honing her skills as a mixologist and cultivating her keen palate.
After spending a year living in Italy, Sabrina returned to Canada intent on pursuing a career in beverage alcohol. In 2005, she joined The Martini Club International, a renowned consultancy specializing in custom drink design, mixology training programs and specialty bar service.
Recognizing Sabrina’s innate skill, boundless energy and precision, The Martini Club’s founders Michelle Hunt and Laura Panter quickly escalated Sabrina through their elite rank of staff, and she became Head Mixologist and Trainer in 2007. Sabrina has become an unstoppable force in the company, bringing passion and knowledge to the craft of the cocktail; changing the world one drink at a time.

Ted Haigh

Ted Haigh, also known as Dr.Cocktail, is one of the most visible "cocktail pundits" on the scene today. He writes a column on forgotten cocktails for every issue of the award winning Imbibe Magazine, he owns the beloved CocktailDB.com: the Internet Cocktail Database, and he is the designer and curator of the respected Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans.

He played the bartender in the movie "Superbad" and loves Zubrowka, Corenwyn, good Cognac (and more!) The newly revised and expanded deluxe hardback edition of his celebrated tome, Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails, has just been published by Quarry Books and will be available July 1st at Amazon.com and at Tales of the Cocktail.

Kristen Jordan

Kristen Jordan, Sea Cider's co-founder and cidermaster, discovered late in life that she was destined to become a farmer in her family's tradition. Prior to her rural awakening, Kristen spent years drinking cider and observing apple trees in ignorance, and lamenting her lack of a green thumb. Cider School changed all that.

Founded in 2004, Sea Cider produces handcrafted, certified organic ciders on the Saanich Peninsula using the finest cider apples, fermentation methods and artisanal traditions. The results are award-winning and mouth-watering. Kristen likes to think it's all because of her.

Kristen also likes to tell anyone that will listen about cider's glory days when it was once the favourite alcoholic beverage in North America, it's demise during Prohibition, and its current renaissance. A humble yet versatile drink, cider finds itself in many a traditional cocktail and is always eager to participate in new ones

Maxwell James

Maxwell James will be opening a new distillery in the suburbs of Victoria before the end of the year making gins, rums and liqueuers. And, although he is a relative new-comer to the disitillation scene, he has surprised more than a few veterans of the industry with his pre-production samples.

With extensive training in the hard sciences and aerospace welding, Maxwell has designed and hand-built all his own equipment which incorporates a modular aspect that allows the head geometry to change based on the type of spirit being distilled. These attributes have allowed him to experiment with many different ingredients, local and foreign, to form the MJS product line.

Having been involved in hijinx all over the world, gathering recipes and ingredients, it's time for him to settle down and make his adventures known and, spirits available to the public.

Ryan Magarian

For the past decade, Ryan’s unique “chef like” approach to mixed drinks along with the development of several innovative and efficient Professional Cocktail and Spirit Service
Cultures locally, nationally, and internationally, has gained him recognition as one of America’s
top mixologists.

Currently, Ryan finds himself successfully growing Aviation Gin, while continuing to develop
precise and passionate Cultures of Cocktail and Spirit Service for Viceroy Hotels and Resorts,
The Hatch Group, and the Hong Kong based Blue Blazer Hospitality at locations around
the globe.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler has been tending bar since 1996, in everything from neighborhood taverns and college nightclubs to fine restaurants and upscale lounges. He can currently be found behind the bar at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.

Jeffrey has been writing about bartending and mixology for several years at his website, jeffreymorgenthaler.com. The website features original cocktail recipes, product reviews, and discussions of bartending technique.

His recipes and wisdom have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Wine Enthusiast, Playboy, Wired, and Imbibe magazines

Lauren Mote

Lauren Mote has been an intricate part of the food and beverage industry for over 10 years. Spanning her knowledge and enthusiasm between Toronto and Vancouver, she has devoted her expertise to Le Select Bistro, Lumiere, Goldfish Pacific Kitchen, Hawksworth Catering and Chow Restaurant. With a keen willingness to explore all areas of the “edible” industry, Lauren has become an accomplished writer contributing to several publications in addition to holding the founder/editor role of Poivre Media Company. She just added both Certified Sommelier and Niche-Beverage Consultant titles to her resume while launching her newest company, Lauren Mote Productions. Lauren's also an award-winning mixologist, and has helped shape the way Vancouver consumes cocktails. Lauren’s award-winning Charred Bourbon Sour, Nolet Pratt, Flight of the Concords & Side Loire cocktails prove to be the hallmarks of her delicious integration of molecular mixology, “tasting note” deconstruction, and thoughtful development of some truly unique homemade product. Currently, Lauren is at the helm of The Refinery’s critically-acclaimed cocktail program on the revitalized Granville entertainment strip, in downtown Vancouver. The Refinery is quickly becoming a Canadian headquarters for contemporary cocktail culture innovation, housing unique tinctures and methods.

1st (Canada winner), Sundance Films & US Bartender's Guild Iconoclast Competition, sponsored by Grey Goose, 2010; 2nd, National BarChef Competition, 2010; 2nd, Grey Goose Pourmasters, 2010; 1st, Maker’s Mark Cocktail Competition, 2009; 1st, Grand Marnier “The Next Classic” Cocktail Competition, 2009; 2nd, Sortilege Women’s Cup Competition, 2009; 2nd, Victoria Gin Shakedown Competition, 2009; 3rd, The Craft of Cointreau Competition, 2009; 4th Giffard’s Iron Bartender Competition, 2009

Blair Reynolds

Blair Reynolds is a Portland, OR based Blogger and bartender. His site TraderTiki.com has been running for over two years, covering classic and modern tropical drinks, tiki bars, and rum.

Blair was recently featured as an "Internet Pioneer" in Ted Haigh's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails second edition.

Blair also runs Tiki Nights at several bars in the Pacific Northwest, and recently a syrups company featuring exotic flavors for tropical mixology.

You can find out more about Blair at his site, TraderTiki.com

Jim Romdall

Jim Romdall grew up in Seattle and began bartending at a college bar shortly after turning 21. After college, Jim decided that he wanted to make movies, so he packed up and moved to Los Angeles where he ended up managing the bar at Granita in Malibu.

Three years of LA was enough, and Jim moved back to Seattle and ended up landing a spot behind the bar at Vessel. Knowing very little of classic cocktails, Jim just thought "sure, why not?" and soon found himself in love.

Jim took over management of the bar in 2008 and continually strives to learn and taste as much as humanly possible. He's not sure what his other hobbies are because this one absorbs most of his time and he's ok with that.

Jim was named the Seattle Rising Star Mixologist by Starchefs in 2009 and is one of the founding members of the Washington State Bartender's Guild.

J. Leslie Wheelock

Brand Ambassador in Western Canada for Edrington s highly lauded whisky brands -
The Macallan, Highland Park and The Famous Grouse.

As Western Canada s Brand Ambassador for world famous spirits maker The Edrington
Group, it s J. Wheelock s job to know his whisky down pat. So much so, that he s likely
forgotten more about the topic than most people will ever come to learn. But this, he
says, isn t anything to boast about, considering that his role as a tour guide through the
worlds of such venerable, storied whiskies as The Macallan, Highland Park and The
Famous Grouse is one in which he himself is always learning. A guy I really respect
once said: It s like trying to memorize War and Peace, but it s a challenge I enjoy. There
is so much to know, and there s constant change

David Wolowidnyk

Praised for his chemist-like precision, inventive twists and intriguing libations, award-winning mixologist David Wolowidnyk has amassed over two decades of professional service experience from leading bars and restaurants throughout Vancouver and the Grand Cayman Islands.

At West, Wolowidnyk attributes diversity of skills, attention to detail and extensive product knowledge to running a successful bar. In addition, he says, it must be immaculately maintained and always well stocked. He leads his staff to provide guests with personalized attention by seeking out their preferences and offering suggestions from a tempting range of contemporary and classic cocktails, premium sprits, thoughtfully chosen wines, and a selection of bottled beers.
Energized by the challenge of exceeding the expectations of both his colleagues and guests, Wolowidnyk takes pleasure from seeing guests leave with memorable experiences. He enjoys working with a team of like-minded professionals that inspire creativity and share his passion for food, wine and cocktail

More to be announced

Bartending Team

Shawn Soole - Clive's Classic Lounge

Katie McDonald - Veneto Tapa Lounge

Brian MacGregor - Jardiniere

Matt Quinn - Smith's

JJ Skidmore - Cafe Brio

Mike McSorley - Tavern Law, Needle and Thread

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