World’s Best Mixologists Of September 2020
Cocktail enthusiasts unite! Let’s welcome the best mixologists of September with a brief rundown of their IG and website profiles. This time, we get more personal as we dig deeper into their careers, their passions other than cocktails, and how they started with their blogs and websites. Be inspired by their stories. Who knows, you might be in our next feature.
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Liz McCray @bloodymaryobsessed is the only one in this list which has a very specific niche - Bloody Mary! Her website features, you get it, Bloody Mary-inspired merchandise like tote bags, t-shirts, towels, tank tops, and stickers. For her recipes, see her list of Bloody Marys, garnishes, and breakfast options. Check out one of her latest Bloody Mary adventures here. When she is not too busy checking out new locations for the most amazing Bloody Marys, she serves as a judge for Bloody Mary contests. She was also featured in many online magazines. She is currently collaborating with a fellow Bloody Mary enthusiast by hosting a download page for a magazine dedicated to the brunch-faced where she is also a contributor.
She also hosts Brunch Bus tours in San Diego, Temecula, and North County. Included in the tour are a round trip ride on a luxury party bus where you can go crazy with your small party, unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys on the bus, brunch at a San Diego spot, grab bags, bottled water to keep you sober after all that booze, taxes, fees, and tips. For health enthusiasts, she also hosts Brunchercise which includes 1 hour of yoga and brunch. Choose between 2 mimosas per person or unlimited. One group can have a maximum of 40 participants.
Iris Shafie @meine_auslese, the genius behind the wine selection blog Meine Auslese (lit. my selected harvest or my choice). She calls herself the “flying sommelier” and she is happy to help you find the right wine in your price range because she strongly adheres to Goethe’s saying that “life is too short to drink bad wine”. Since 2015 when she started her website, she has grown her strong followers and readers and she’s been helping beginners with her wine seminars for German and English wine enthusiasts through VHS Forum. She also hosts wine tasting tours in various locations in Germany. You can check her website if you are interested of the seminars and the tours.
Minibar Delivery @minibardelivery is the official IG page of the website of the same name that caters to their customers by delivering your wines, liquors, and beers at your doorsteps. They also offer professional bartender services in selected cities of the US, specifically New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Austin, Jersey City, Hoboken, Seattle, and Philadelphia. Aside from these services and merchandise, Minibar Delivery also provides easy-to-follow cocktail recipes and informative blog articles. It also supports a select few foundations that serve the youth, restaurant workers, and New Yorkers as a way of giving back to their city of location. Though they do not provide recipes in their IG account, it is fairly easy to search for Campari Soda, pictured here.
Eric Castro is the host of the award-winning podcast, Bartender at Large and manager of the IG account of the same name @bartenderatlarge. He partners with other bartenders to talk about topics on liquors, cocktails, life as a bartender, and a lot more. If you are into cocktails, you miss a lot if you miss listening to this podcast. The Bartender at Large IG profile features fellow bartenders, bartending and cocktail recipe books from various authors, and a whole lot more. Fall in love with the Planter’s Punch, pictured here, prepared by Castro himself.
Matt Hollidge @theamateurmixologist is an Information Architect and UX Strategist but a home bartender at heart, thus his IG account. His love for cocktails led him to create two “gold” cocktails to celebrate his parents’ golden wedding anniversary in 2016 which eventually led to him making his IG account that continued to make waves even after 4 years. Aside from his IG account, he also manages his website and blog of the same name. He was featured in the March 2019 issue of innform as one of the top 10 bartenders making waves on Instagram. Innform is a website that offers a variety of courses in hospitality management, healthcare, finance, and a myriad of other industries. Also in March 2019, he won second place for the monthly home bartenders challenge on Home Bar Awards. Check out his lovely Chocolate Skyline featuring Chivas Regal and chocolate truffles. Yum!
This Coconut and Berry Mojito is one of the lovely creations of Ben displayed on his IG account @the.cocktails.i.make. His cocktails come with a myriad of beautiful garnishes which usually feature pineapple spears and mint leaves as well as exotic fruits and flowers. Each cocktail photo also includes recipes so you can try to remake his cocktails in the comfort of your home.
Natalie Migliarini is yet another author of amazing cocktail recipes based on research and feel of cocktail trends. Her Instagram account Beautiful Booze Cocktails @beautifulbooze features photos of her beautifully designed cocktails and travels in search of more inspiration for her cocktail creations. She left her day job to start her website Beautiful Booze in 2013 and eventually teamed up with James Stevenson, a professional bartender, to create Beautiful Booze: Stylish Cocktails to Make at Home. Natalie and James want to share the amazing world of cocktails to newbies and seasoned drinkers. She is currently busy promoting her book released in the late part of August and is available on Amazon in Kindle and hardcover format. Try her take on the classic New York Sour as featured in the book.
Another icon of cocktails on Instagram is Bar Max LA @barmaxla where he features the most enticingly beautiful creations with the most inventive cocktail names and garnishes. His website, DrnxMyth, is another milestone for him, featuring cold-pressed juices and top-shelf liquors bottled in two chambers you mix by twisting the patent-pending inner chamber. It’s like a cocktail in a bottle without preservatives and heat applied to it. Just keep it refrigerated for up to 60 days. Check out his mouth-watering creation of the Elysian Springs Martini in his IG account.
Matthew Bull is a home bartender and artist whose iconic cocktails and artworks are displayed on his Instagram account @cocktails_by_tempus. Notice how he painstakingly creates citrus garnishes that depict emojis, flowers, insects, reptiles, and other wildlife and even iconic movie characters. Check out how the simple Last Word cocktail became a work of art with the Star Wars-inspired garnish and how he transforms his cocktail shots into computer artworks
Ashley Rose Conway @craftandcocktails, author, photographer, and food stylist started her blog Crafts and Cocktails in 2014 and has made a name for herself since. Growing up, her biggest influence on the art of mixology is by her father who was a bar owner and cocktail recipe developer. Currently, she is into crafting, photoshoots, cocktail recipe creation, social media management for various blogs where she contributes some of her valuable insights and designs. She is the author of Celebrate Rosé: Cocktails & Parties for Life's Rosiest Moments which includes the merits of rosé as a wine, affordable cocktails, and food pairings. Anyone who loves pink wines will love this book. She is also a contributor to The Art of the Bar Cart: Styling & Recipes (Book about Booze, Gift for Dads, Mixology Book) written by Vanessa Dina. For her cocktails, check out Postcards from Home, a cocktail made with Jamaican Rum, and 2 kinds of bitters. This is a great tiki cocktail you’ll love.
Check out August's best mixologists and bartenders and be amazed with their lovely creations. Let's get to know more of these amazing people next month so watch out for the next roundup.
Want to nominate yourself or somebody else for our next roundup? Drop us a note at info@advancedmixology.com. We promise your email is not going into the black hole and we will respond within 48 hours.