In this episode, Damian is joined by Slovak bartender, author, and mentor Stanislav Harciník, the creator of The Cocktail Balance and The Cocktail Balance 2.0. Broadcasting from Mirror Bar in Bratislava, Stan shares the unexpected beginnings of his hospitality career, the philosophy behind his writing, and his firm belief in the power of hospitality done right.

This conversation dives deep into what it means to be a modern bartender , not just in terms of technique and creativity, but as someone who understands flavour, business, and guest experience in equal measure. From the theory sections of his book to how he trains new team members at Mirror Bar, Stan’s holistic approach is a blueprint for the future of bartending.

• How Stan went from hating bar work to finding real purpose in hospitality
• The moment he discovered the magic of connecting with guests
• Why his love of cooking and flavour memory shaped his bartending style
• The origin story of The Cocktail Balance, written during lockdown
• Why the first edition was released only in Slovak — and the deeper reason behind it
• What The Cocktail Balance 2.0 set out to do — and why theory comes before recipes
• Why hospitality is more than just service, and how pricing tells a story
• How Stan’s recipes act as creative blueprints, not rigid instructions
• His take on hospitality as “selling love” — and why that’s what guests really pay for

“Being a modern bartender isn’t just about what’s in the glass. It’s about what you deliver, how you connect, and how you grow others.”

“You’re not just selling a drink — you’re selling an experience, a feeling, a piece of yourself.”

“We’re in the business of love. Hospitality is how we show it.”

P.S. The bonus Lock-In session with Stanislav Harciník — where we go deeper into bartender training, creativity, and his “Learn. Grow. Pass it on” philosophy — will be available soon for free at thecocktailacademy.com.

Instagram: @stan_harcinik

Website: thecocktailbalance.com

Website: www.thecocktailacademy.com

Email: sayhello@thecocktailacademy.com

Instagram: @welovecocktails

TikTok: @welovecocktailsx

Facebook: @welovecocktailsx

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Preston Lee has helped scale some of the busiest and most beloved hospitality businesses across the UK and beyond — but his story started like many others: behind the bar, with no clue what he was doing.

In this episode, Preston breaks down how he turned personal failure into the foundation for The 30% Rule — a training and operations system that’s helped restaurants and bars go from chaos to consistency.

We talk about what most venues get wrong about training, why being nice isn’t the same as offering hospitality, and how systems can make your worst night feel like your best. Whether you’re an operator, bartender, or GM, this one is packed with real talk and real tools.

• Why only 30% of staff naturally operate at a high level
• The mindset shift that doubled revenue in a struggling venue
• Why most managers fail (and how to stop it)
• The difference between service and hospitality — and why guests feel it
• How to build training that actually works
• What consistency really looks like on a busy Saturday night
• Culture killers that start at the top
• Why you can’t scale a team without clear, repeatable systems
• What closing early says about your business
• Why hospitality is one of the most valuable skills in the world

• 30percentrule.com – Preston’s training and consulting platform
• @the30rule on Instagram

Website → www.thecocktailacademy.com

Instagram → @welovecocktails

TikTok → @welovecocktailsx

Email → sayhello@thecocktailacademy.com

This episode includes a bonus Lock-In segment exclusively for hospitality professionals, covering:

• Why most training doesn’t stick
• Preston’s “hospitality hill to die on”
• Advice for founders scaling multi-site operations
• → Unlock it now at thecocktailacademy.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Damian is joined by Bart Miedeksza and Valentino Girotto, longtime collaborators, former bar owners, and co-authors of Bubbles: A Guide to Carbonated Cocktails. In this first half of the episode, they dive into the origins of their partnership, the evolution of Crossroads Bar into a consultancy, and the obsessive research process that led to their groundbreaking book. Expect tales of late-night DMs, deep dives into molecular flavor compounds, and why carbonation is more than just sparkle — it’s a science.

• How Bart & Val transitioned from running bars to full-time consulting
• Why they wrote Bubbles — and how an Instagram post forced their hand
• Collaborating with a Cambridge professor to decode carbonation chemistry
• How they used flavor compound mapping to reverse-engineer cocktails
• Why consistency trumps complexity in modern bar programs
• Tips for designing menus with both guests and GP in mind

Crossroads Consultancy

🌐 www.crossroads.bar

📸 @crossroads.consultancy

The Book

📘 Bubbles: A Guide to Carbonated Cocktails — available via their website.

To hear the exclusive Lock-In Session with Bart & Val — where we dive deeper into carbonation techniques, common pitfalls, and pro tips — head to thecocktailacademy.com.

📸 @welovecocktails

🌐 www.thecocktailacademy.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian sits down with one of modern bartending’s most influential voices Jeffrey Morgenthaler. Known for his no-nonsense approach to cocktails, pioneering work at Clyde Common, and the bestselling Bar Book, Jeff shares practical insights from 30 years behind the stick.

Together, they dive into what’s changed in the bar world, what hasn’t, and why sometimes the most successful drinks are the simplest. From how to make a better Amaretto Sour, to why great bars can thrive outside major cities, this conversation is full of sharp, honest, and empowering takeaways for bartenders and bar owners alike.

• Jeff’s journey from architecture student to world-renowned bartender and author
• How the cocktail landscape has shifted over three decades
• Why small cities can outperform major cocktail hubs with the right approach
• The myth of “cool” cocktails — and why the most popular drinks shouldn’t be ignored
• The story behind The Bar Book and why it’s still one of the most recommended in the game
• Jeff’s thoughts on RTDs, gin overload, and emerging spirits trends
• The rise of bartender burnout — and why hospitality starts with taking care of yourself
• Game-changing tools: batching, syrup ratios, and consistency tips from the trenches
• The difference between service and hospitality — and how to hire people who “get it”
• How to build drink menus that actually work — for your team and your guests

• jeffreymorgenthaler.com – Jeff’s official website with blogs, recipes, and free tools
• syrupcalc.com – Free syrup calculator
• batchcalc.com – Free batching calculator
• The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
• Drinking Distilled: A User’s Manual by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
• Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske
• The Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan
• Cosmopolitan: A Bartender’s Life by Toby Cecchini

• Bartenders looking to sharpen their skills
• Bar managers refining their training or menus
• Bar owners in small markets trying to raise the standard
• Anyone tired of cocktail snobbery and ready to build great hospitality from the ground up

Website: www.thecocktailacademy.com

Instagram: @welovecocktails

TikTok: @welovecocktailsx

Facebook: @welovecocktailsx

Email: sayhello@thecocktailacademy.com

Instagram: @jeffmorgen

Website: jeffreymorgenthaler.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian sits down with spirits educator and founder of Flavor Camp™, Reece Sims a true innovator when it comes to helping people taste differently.

Reece shares her winding path from marketing to bartending, blogging, sales, and finally launching her own immersive spirits education platform. She dives into the origins of Flavor Camp, explaining how her flavour-camp system simplifies the overwhelming world of spirits and empowers people to explore based on taste, not just category or branding.

We cover:

• Reece’s unorthodox entry into bartending (with a little résumé creativity)
• Building a million-dollar cocktail kit business during the pandemic
• Why most tastings are biased and how Flavor Camp flips the script
• The structure of a Flavor Camp session, including gamified blind tastings
• How her marketing background shaped the business model
• The power of visual learning and why icons, colours, and simplified cues matter

This episode is a masterclass in combining creativity, sensory science, and hospitality experience to build something truly useful and fun.

🛑 Want more?

Stick around for The Lock-In — a bonus segment where we talk practical tasting tips, flavor fatigue, judging spirits, and some hot takes on overrated bottles. Available exclusively on thecocktailacademy.com

• Instagram: @flavorcamp
• Personal: @reecesims
• Website & Free Resources: www.flavorcamp.com

• Instagram: @welovecocktails
• TikTok & Facebook: @welovecocktailsx
• Website: www.thecocktailacademy.com
• Email: sayhello@thecocktailacademy.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Damian sits down with one of the sharpest pens (and palates) in the cocktail world — Kara Newman. Known for her work as a spirits reviewer for Wine Enthusiast and her no-nonsense, consumer-friendly cocktail books, Kara shares the unique journey that took her from writing about pork belly futures to profiling the future of drinks.

Together, they unpack the importance of equal-parts cocktails, the genius of batching, and why cocktail families are the real secret weapon behind classic and modern drinks. Kara also reflects on what she looks for when tasting spirits, the challenge of translating bartender intuition into writing, and why the rise of agave spirits (and even cheesy Dorito distillates) is reshaping what lands on our bar shelves.

• How Kara moved from finance journalism to becoming one of the most trusted voices in drinks writing
• Why Shake. Stir. Sip. became a sleeper hit with both home bartenders and industry pros
• The power of equal-parts cocktails for building flavor literacy and technique
• Kara’s approach to blind spirits tasting — what makes a bottle stand out?
• The nuanced world of mezcal, destilados de agave, and why she’s careful when critiquing craft
• The challenges and opportunities in the no- and low-alcohol space — including the hunt for new non-alcoholic "classics"
• A behind-the-scenes look at Kara’s writing process and what makes a good cocktail story stick

• 📚 Books Mentioned:
• Shake. Stir. Sip. by Kara Newman
• Cocktails for a Crowd by Kara Newman
• Nightcap by Kara Newman
• Cocktail Codex by Death & Co
• Regarding Cocktails by Sasha Petraske & Georgette Moger-Petraske
• 
  

📦 Projects:

• Kara’s Cocktail Recipe Decks – A beautiful, accessible way to explore classics and creative riffs

• Instagram: @newman_kara
• Books on Amazon: Search “Kara Newman” on Amazon
• Articles: Wine Enthusiast, Punch, Bloomberg, Food & Wine, and more

• Instagram: @welovecocktails
• TikTok: @welovecocktailsx
• Website: www.thecocktailacademy.com
• Patreon: The Cocktail Academy Patreon

If you found value in this episode, please consider:

• Subscribing to the show
• Leaving a quick review
• Sharing with your fellow bartenders and spirits nerds

And don’t forget — the “Lock-In” bonus segment with Kara is available exclusively on Patreon, where we dive even deeper into upcoming spirits trends, bar media strategy, and what makes a bar memorable.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marco Ortiz is the creator behind the wildly relatable @not_barspoontv — where bartender humor meets real talk about burnout, content creation, and bar culture. In this episode, Marco shares his unexpected path from med school hopeful to cocktail competition winner and full-time lead bartender, all while growing an online presence that connects with bartenders worldwide.

We talk about what keeps bartenders in the game, how to spot burnout before it spirals, why cocktail education needs an overhaul, and the difference between content that’s helpful vs. content that’s just for show. If you work behind the stick or run a bar program, this one’s for you.

• How Marco balances bartending full-time while growing a loyal online following
• The surprising backstory of how a cocktail comp beat out a chemistry final
• Why creators need to stop chasing algorithms and start speaking honestly
• Marco’s take on burnout — what it looks like, and how to avoid it

Follow Marco: @not_barspoontv

Say hello to Damian: sayhello@thecocktailacademy.com

Follow Damian on Instagram @welovecocktails

Support the show + access Lock-In bonus episodes: patreon.com/thecocktailacademy

Learn more: www.thecocktailacademy.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Damian sits down with Keegan McGregor, 2024 World Class Global Bartender of the Year. Based in Halifax, Keegan shares the journey from touring musician to top-tier cocktail craftsman. They dive deep into how travel fuels his creativity, why he believes bartending is an expressive art form, and the surprising ingredients he's using to push Canadian cocktail culture forward. Expect sharp insights on competition prep, community, and why authenticity is the ultimate edge.

• From death metal gigs to global cocktail stages
• Winning World Class: what changed the third time
• Why flavor is the ultimate creative starting point
• How Halifax and Newfoundland shaped his style
• “Taste the brand, not just the category” – advice for competitions
• Embracing mushrooms, seaweed, birch sap, and pawpaw
• Cancelling straws (for real)
• Why new bartenders need to collaborate, not compete
• The most underrated ingredient behind the bar
• Building better menus, training better staff

• Books:
• Roundbuilding by Kevin Armstrong
• Death & Co (first edition)
• Meehan’s Bartender Manual
• The Flavor Matrix
• The Vegetarian Flavor Bible
• Techniques & Tools:
• Superjuice, yogurt clarification, mushroom infusions
• Tanqueray 10, Don Julio 1942, Johnny Walker Blue
• Bars & Projects:
• Highwayman (Halifax)
• Three Sheets (London pop-up)
• Montreal Cocktail Festival
• The infamous “Screech-In” tradition explained

📸 Instagram: @keeganmakescocktails

🌍 Website: www.thecocktailacademy.com

📸 Instagram: @welovecocktails

📧 Email: sayhello@thecocktailacademy.com

🎧 Support us on Patreon for bonus content & The Lock-In

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, share, or leave a review wherever you listen. It helps more bartenders and cocktail lovers discover the show and grow with the community.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.