Ron Cooper, Founder of Del Maguey, Single Village Mezcal and an internationally recognized Artist, has resided and worked in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico for the last twenty-seven years and spent much of his time in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca for the last fourteen years. In 1990 living and making art in the state of Oaxaca he traveled far into the countryside following rumors of great pure mezcals made by Zapotec farmers, hours down dirt roads far from the capitol. He met many Palenqueros (makers), studied their production techniques handed down from father to son for generations, tasted, collected, and vowed to make this unknown elixir available outside the villages where they are made. This almost 500 year old spiritual beverage is untainted by commercial demands. One of the few spirits in the world alive in the mythical past, they retain the mysteries and embrace the notion of alcohol as a gift from the gods.
Del Maguey supports the amazing biodiversity and rich, cultural heritage of Oaxaca. Having developed meaningful relationships with it's Zapotec Mexican Indian producers, DM has organized and improved communications, implemented greatly increased stable and planned annual incomes for the palenqueros and their extended families, emergency medical support, ecologically beneficial agricultural educational programs to achieve sustainable, certified organic production. www.mezcal.com

Philip Duff 

He founded Europe's largest bar school and Holland's best bar, has been deported from a country which no longer exists and once got a driving ban for driving too fast in Germany, a land with no speed limits. Oh, and he's been in every bar in the world and can remember some of them as well. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Philip Duff! After more than a decade bartending in his native Dublin, followed by London, New York, the Cayman Islands, Rotterdam and the Hague, Duff said “Screw this for a game of soldiers” and chose the soft, easy, seductive life of a jet-set brand-ambassador cocktail-consultant type chap. He and his firm, Liquid Solutions have trained about 17,000 people in 60-odd countries across every continent except Antarctica, because those bloody penguins think they know it all. Philip has presented at every even halfway-decent barshow in the world and is much in demand by the better sort of drinks brands. They hire him to train their staff, for new product development, to design and execute on-trade communications and bartender-targetted initiatives and because he delivers on deadline and turns up for meetings sober. Despite his chiselled good looks, muscular calves and razor-sharp abs, Philip is more than just a pretty* face. His presentations on bars, bartending, spirits and cocktails actually contain quite a bit of information, much of it plausible, some of it even true. An in-demand writer, Philip writing includes columns in Australian Bartender and regular articles in Mixology (Germany). His columns and recipes have also appeared in Food & Wine (USA), Playboy, FHM, CLASS magazine, Bar & Beverage (Canada) and others too numerous to mention.

Peter Hunt

Peter Hunt has been distilling for Victoria Spirits, a family business, for the past four years. Before coming to distilling he worked for the BC Cancer Agency’s Genome Sciences Centre but now puts his master’s in molecular biology to use making fine spirits with a German made copper pot-still. At a picturesque organic vineyard on Old West Saanich Road, Hunt produces Victoria Gin, Oaken Gin, Left Coast Hemp Vodka and Twisted & Bitter Orange Bitters. He is continuing to develop the line of bitters and is also working on a whisky. In 2009, Hunt was named one of Western Living’s Top 40 Foodies under 40. The Gin he produces has won several international awards and has always been a favorite at tasting events across North America.
Hunt was born and raised in Victoria BC but has always enjoyed travel. Recently, he has made several trips to Uganda, East Africa, to work on community development projects through Partnerships for Opportunity (PODA), an organization he started with his wife in 2007.

Janice Mansfield

Alexander Hauck and Stephan Berg gave birth to the idea of producing and distributing cocktail bitters on a large scale, as they were hard to find in Germany and of inferior quality. Both of them had already gained a considerable amount of experience in producing handmade cocktail bitters for the bars they were working at. In addition, Stephan owned a large collection of current and historical bitters, some of which hadn’t been produced for decades. Thus, he knew how the most well-known bitters of the world tasted and was considered a specialist in this area. Most recently, The Bitter Truth has expanded its portfolio to include liqueurs and spirits. The Bitter Truth Celery Bitters won the titel "Best New Product“ at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2010. Stephan’s extensive collection of vintage bar and cocktail books compelled him to build The Bitters Blog Library, which includes rare titles dating back to the early days of cocktail history.

Katie McDonald

Katie McDonald has been a bar-industry professional in Victoria, British Columbia for two years, and is currently a senior bartender at Veneto Tapa Lounge in the Hotel Rialto.  She has proven herself as one of B.C.’s leading mixologists, and has earned a reputation for inspiring passion in patrons and colleagues alike.  Prior to discovering her talent for blending flavours, she completed a double major in English Literature and History in Art at the University of Victoria; her dominant area of focus was Media and Cultural Studies.  Her creative style and presence behind the bar is unique and knowledgeable, and can be experienced through her wide range of house made items. Currently, she writes a weekly article for an online collaboration called The Sunday Evening Post, and has competed in several competitions including The Art of the Cocktail.

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 currently manages the bar at celebrated restaurant 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.  Forbes Traveler called him one of the "Cocktail Movers and Shakers" of 2007, Playboy.com named him one of the top ten mixologists in the United States in 2009, and Tasting Panel Magazine awarded him as a "New Leader" in 2009.

Nick Nemeth

Nick gained his appreciation for fine spirits and cocktails while working in fine dining within one of Canada’s affluent tourist destinations: Niagara on the Lake, Ontario. From there, casual service restaurants opened doors for bigger and better cocktails, and paired with extended positions within beverage education and journalism in Toronto, the world of quality cocktails was quick to reel him in. Most recently working towards graduation from the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers, Nick’s experience in nosing and tasting puts him among the head of the class when it comes to the palates of Canada’s professional bartenders, and has taken him from Niagara halfway around the world, seeking out the finest spirits the world can provide.
Nick is a published author in various Canadian hospitality trade magazines, and remains one of the industry’s youngest passionate speakers on topics ranging from bar and beverage marketing, to gin-focused cocktails and histories of the world, and beyond.

Darcy S. O'Neil

Currently, Darcy works part-time in the Robarts Molecular Pathology lab at the University of Western Ontario and bartends occasionally. Early on he was whacked with the epiphany stick and the marriage of chemistry and bartending dawned upon him. He can also be found writing about original cocktail creations and other drink related topics at Art of Drink and promoting his book Fix the Pumps.
Darcy has been involved in the drinks industry since 2003 and currently writes the Art of Drink website. He is also the author of Fix the Pumps, a book on the history of soda fountains, which was recently nominated for Best New Cocktail / Bartending Book at Tales of the Cocktail (2011).

Solomon Siegel

Solomon was born and raised in Victoria BC and has been working in restaurants since he could hold a coffee pot. Solomon first got behind the bar at his father's and uncle's famous restaurant Pagliacci's. There he developed a natural interest in all things beverage.
Solomon opened Victoria's first cocktail bar, Solomon's in 2008. He has since moved on to become the Food and Beverage Manager at Veneto Tapa Lounge and Cafe Veneto in the Hotel Rialto. He appears regularly on Island 30 Mixology 101 on Chek TV and is a frequent contributor about cocktails for Eat Magazine. He recently returned from Finals of G' Vine Gin's Connoisseurs Program in Cognac, France.

Christine Sismondo

Christine is the first person to attempt to chronicle the entire history of the American bar (a foolhardy task if she's ever heard one). Her new book, “America Walks Into a Bar: A Spirited History of Taverns and Saloons, Speakeasies and Grog Shops” (Oxford University Press) is now available.
In addition, she is a writer, teacher and barfly. When not teaching literature at Ryerson University, she's tracking down the city’s best drinks and the bars in which they’re served for her columns in ROB Magazine, The Grid and Winefox.She did her time behind bars, too - tending bar for a decade or so. In an attempt to escape the industry, She wrote “Mondo Cocktail: A Shaken and Stirred History” which, ironically, only got her more deeply entrenched.

Shawn Soole

Mr. Soole exported himself from Australia to Canada about 3 and a half years ago in search of new, greener pastures. His career started just over a decade ago in Brisbane, beginning as a waiter and then finding his passion for bartending. He bartended and managed some of the city’s most upscale and contemporary cocktail bars, restaurants, and resorts, including Jorge, Vino’s, and the only five-star resort in the Whitsundays – Hayman Island. In the few years leading up to leaving for Canada, he organized, judged, and competed in numerous mixology and flair tending competitions. He won his first Australian Bartenders Guild State Title at the age of 21, was named one of Australia’s “Best Bartenders,” and had recipes published in various publications across the country.

 Casey McKay

Bio to come.

Evan Wallace

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

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