WINE, SPIRITS & MIXOLOGY

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TONY ABOU-GANIMThe Modern Mixologist

Tony Abou-Ganim is widely regarded as one of the pioneering and leading bar professionals in the world. He has made dozens of national TV appearances on shows including TODAY, Iron Chef America, Good Morning America, CNBC, Fox News and more. Abou-Ganim is the author of The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails (Agate, 2010) which offers readers an in-depth look into spirits and ingredients available to today’s mixologist, both professional and amateur alike. This entertaining and informative journey will take readers from the early stages of the cocktail to what Abou-Ganim has come to deem “Modern Mixology.” Abou-Ganim produced a DVD, Modern Mixology: Making Great Cocktails at Home, and hosted the Fine Living program Raising the Bar: America’s Best Bar Chefs. Abou-Ganim has also won three Iron Chef America competitions; pairing cocktails with Iron Chef Mario Batali; with Iron Chef Jose Garces and most recently with challenger Chef Sean McClain. His signature branded line of Modern Mixologist bar tools and his second book, Vodka Distilled (Agate, 2013), are available now at www.modernmixologist.com.

Abou-Ganim grew up in the bar business, learning the craft from his cousin Helen David at the Brass Rail Bar in Port Huron, Michigan. His initial introduction to the business was steeped in the tradition of classic cocktails and professional barmanship, teaching him

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the necessary steps to become a leader in the beverage industry. After graduating from college, Abou-Ganim further developed an appreciation for a hand-crafted cocktail using only the freshest ingredients while working at Jack Slick’s Balboa Café and then during the opening of “Harry Denton’s,” a legendary hangout in Fog City. In 1993 he moved to New York City and took a position as the opening bartender at Po, Mario Batali’s first restaurant.

Tony later returned to San Francisco to open Harry Denton’s Starlight Room atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and it was here that he developed his first specialty cocktail menu featuring several of his original cocktail recipes including the Sunsplash, Starlight and his most famous of them all, the Cable Car.

In 1998, Abou-Ganim was selected by Steve Wynn to develop the cocktail program at Bellagio Las Vegas. He not only implemented his philosophy of bartending and drink preparation, stressing both quality ingredients and proper technique, but also created several original cocktails for the resorts 22 bars. In 2002 he won the Bacardi Martini World Grand Prix – one of only two Americans to ever win this title.

As one of the National Ambassadors of the U.S. Bartenders Guild, www.usbg.org, and Associate Member of the Museum of the American Cocktail, www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org, Abou-Ganim continues to educate about the history and lore of cocktails. He also operates his own beverage consulting firm specializing in bar staff training, product education and cocktail development.

JACOB BRIARS Global Trade Advocacy Director Bacardi

Jacob Briars is the Global Director of Trade Advocacy, Bacardi, the world’s largest family-owned spirits business. He leads an incredible team of more than 100 brand ambassadors and trainers in key markets around the world, working across iconic brands such as Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka and Bombay Sapphire gin. Jacob is an award winning bartender and highly respected educator with huge experience across different brands, venues and cocktail cultures. Initially a lawyer in his native New Zealand, Jacob caught the bartending bug and garnered awards at 2 world renowned venues, before joining a small vodka brand called 42 Below. Jacob became known as the ‘Vodka Professor’ - one of the industry’s first Global ‘Brand Ambassadors’ - and he used a unique approach to education to make 42 Below one of the fastest growing spirit brands in the world. Jacob has extensive experience as both a brand builder (across all budgets!) and a strategist, using education and engagement to unlock the passionate advocate at the heart of the modern bartender.

KIT CODIK CEO & Founder Liquor.com

A veteran of the start-up world and a serial entrepreneur, Kit Codik founded and is the CEO of Liquor.com, the premier digital media platform focused on cocktail, spirits and the lifestyle surrounding cocktail culture. Previously Kit co-founded Finacity, the leading global specialty finance company focused on the securitization of corporate trade receivables, a collaborative venture created with Bank of America, Euler Hermes, Amroc Investments and ABN AMRO Bank. Kit helped form and fund Finacity while a Principal at eVolution Global Partners, a corporate venture investment firm founded by TPG Capital, Bain & Co. and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Kit’s other start-up ventures include helping to launch Della.com (acquired by WeddingChannel.com) and Infant Advantage (acquired by Parentech.) He graduated from Princeton University.

DAN DUNN Journalist The Imbiber

Dan Dunn is one of the wine & spirits business’s best known personalities. He hosted the popular podcast Happy Hour with Zane & Dunn along with Dan Dunn’s Happy Hour on SiriusXM, both dedicated to the enjoyment of adult beverages and nightlife. Among the many high profile people who’ve appeared on Dan’s shows are Ray Romano, Christina Hendricks, Kurt Russell, Kenny Chesney, Hall & Oates, Jonathan Goldsmith (aka “The Most Interesting Man in the World” from the Dos Equis commercials), the cast of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Adam Carolla, Olivia Wilde, Taye Diggs, Virginia Madsen and Time magazine columnist Joel Stein.

JACQUES BEZUIDENHOUT Global Brand Ambassador Partida Tequila Head of Bev Programs Kimpton

Currently Jacques is the Bar, Cocktail & Spirit Specialist for Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ 60 plus restaurants and bars throughout the country, overseeing the company’s individual and national spirits menus as well as consulting on bar concepts. Jacques has also been selected to be on the Board of Advisors for Liquor.com and is the National Brand Ambassador for Partida Tequila.

South African native Jacques Bezuidenhout began bartending there nearly 20 years ago and continued to do so in London and in San Francisco where he relocated in 1998. He has been voted Best Bartender in San Francisco by Anthony Dias Blue and is a judge in Ultimate Spirits Competition run by Paul Pacult and has also judged in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Under the direction of Bezuidenhout and Julio Bermejo, the acclaimed Tres Agaves in San Francisco won the “Spirits Restaurant of the Year” award from Santé magazine in 2006. He also helped launch the San Francisco chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild, one of the nation’s most active chapters, and has served as a brand ambassador for Plymouth Gin and Partida Tequila. In recognition of his work, he was named best American brand ambassador at the 2011 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.

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Dan pens the enormously popular “Imbiber” column for Food Republic. For many years he was the nightlife columnist for Playboy, and is still a regular contributor to the magazine. He co-wrote (along with Rob McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) the half-hour comedy pilot Living Loaded, which is based on Dan’s book Living Loaded: Tales of Sex, Salvation and the Pursuit of the Never-Ending Happy Hour (Random House, 2011). Dunn also authored the book, Nobody Likes a Quitter… and other reasons to avoid rehab (Running Press, 2007).

A long-time journalist and raconteur, Dan’s work has appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, USA Today, Maxim, and the LA Times. He’s been a featured guest on Conan, the Adam Carolla Show, the Henry Rollins Show on IFC, and the Mark and Brian Show on KROQ. He is a former staff writer for the Emmy-nominated TV series Talk Soup.

JP FETHERSTON Bar Manager Southern Efficiency

JP Fetherston knows whiskey. So much that he heads a whiskey bar, Southern Efficiency (Washington D.C.), and cycled throughout Scotland, visiting 27 different distilleries before apprenticing at Bruichladdich under Master Distiller Jim McEwan and his team. But that’s wasn’t his first trip to visit distilleries. He’s also traveled throughout the United States, sampling the best of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Before focusing on whiskey, he was a bartender and research director at Columbia Room in Washington D.C., consistently ranked as one of the top cocktail bars in the country. JP has master’s degrees in history from both the London School of Economics and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

SIMON FORD Co-Founder 86 Co. Former Head Global Brand Ambassador Pernod Ricard

Simon is a leading voice of the global cocktail and bar industry with over 20 years experience in bartending, educating on cocktails & spirits and marketing some of the biggest spirits brands on the planet. He is regularly invited to lead education sessions, judge global competitions, and deliver seminars at international conferences such as the NY Food & Wine Festival, Sydney Bar Show, London Cocktail week, The CIA’s International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Tales of the Cocktail among others. His expertise is often requested in the media with appearances on Emeril Lagasse’s “Emeril’s Table,” CNN , Fox, Wall Street Journal Live, and a series of how-to video’s for Liquor.com. He has been featured in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Forbes, Harper’s Bazaar, Wall Street Journal, Men’s Health, the Huffington Post, and was featured on the cover of Tasting Panel in 2012 and called “The guru of the modern brand builders” by Inside F&B. Simon was awarded Best International Brand Ambassador in 2007 and Best US Brand Ambassador in 2009 for his work on Plymouth Gin at the Tales of the Cocktail conference’s Awards, the spirit,

cocktail & bar world’s most prestigious, Simon has now assumed the role of chairman and co-hosts the Awards each year with “Three Sheets” star Zane Lamprey. Simon is now the co-founder of The 86 Company, a spirits company dedicated to creating brands designed in unison with professional bartenders and celebrated distillers from around the world. The 86 Co launched Fords Gin, Tequila Cabeza, Aylesbury Duck Vodka and Caña Brava Rum in September 2012.

DANIELA GALARAZA LA Magazine

Daniela Galarza completed her B.A. at Cornell University before enrolling in the pastry program at the French Culinary Institute (NY). She went on to work in the kitchens of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Troisgros and Georges Blanc in France. When she returned to the states, she worked as a pastry chef for David Burke and Michael White in New York. After working in marketing and product development, Daniela began writing about restaurants for Eater LA. She’s now pleased to be writing about food, wine, beer, and cocktails exclusively for Los Angeles magazine. Follow her on Twitter @superdaniela.

RUSSELL GARDNER Director of Craft Southern Wine and Spirits Certified Cicerone®

Russell began his beer journey about 10 years ago, his interest in beer came from a friend’s home brewing. Shortly after beginning to brew himself Russell got deep into the local beer community as the president of the local Homebrew chapter eventually taking them to Nationals and winning awards for their beers. At the same time he began to work at a brewery as an assistant brewer and eventually worked his way up and became head brewer for Joseph James Brewing Company. Shortly after this he perused opening his own brewery under the name of Backyard Brewing Co. Due to capacity issues Backyard Brewing Co. was put on hold after about a year in the market. In September 2011 Russell passed his Certified Cicerone exam becoming the first Certified Cicerone in Nevada. Working at the time for Block 16 Hospitality as the company Cicerone he then opened Public House inside the Venetian. Public House won “best beer bar” by “Seven” magazine. Throughout his career Russell has pushed the development of craft beer in Las Vegas. He says “my mission is for more people to drink good beer, the more they know about beer the better”

ERIC HAY Beverage Development Manager Wirtz Beverage Illinois

Eric Hay is the Beverage Development Manager at Wirtz Beverage Illinois. A bartender by trade, Eric joined the company after developing the beverage program at the revered Chicago bar and restaurant, Duchamp. Eric also lent his talents to help open the popular Wicker Park spot, Bangers & Lace. His innovative approach to craft cocktails has garnered significant acclaim. Eric is part of a group of esteemed mixologists influencing the beverage industry and elevating the craft cocktail culture. He stands out for his ability to marry super premium spirits, bitters and organic and seasonal ingredients to craft one-of-a-kind creations backed with complexity and balance.

Eric is a veteran of the Chicago-based restaurant group, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Working alongside some of the city’s best, he further honed his craft cocktail skills at one of Chicago’s first and most respected craft cocktail establishments, Bar Deville, where he served up handcrafted classic and specialty cocktails for a number of years.

Eric’s behind-the-bar handiwork has received praise and attention from national and local media. His original cocktail program at Duchamp was recognized as a nominee for ‘Best New Bar Program’ in Time Out Chicago’s 2011 Eat Out Awards. He is also a past winner of multiple WSWA Iron Mixologist Competition awards including 2013’s ‘Best Dessert Drink’ as well as ‘Best In Show’ honors. Furthermore, Eric is a graduate of the Beverage Alcohol Resources Program, holding its highest level of certification “Bar Ready.”

ROBIN LEACH Honorary Judge

Robin Leach always knew he wanted to be involved in the communications world. He edited the class magazine at age 11 and the school magazine at 14! At age 15 he became a general news reporter for The Harrow Observer and

started a monthly glossy town magazine at age 17. Leach moved on to the prestigious Daily Mail as Britain’s youngest page one reporter at age 18. In 1963, he immigrated to America and wrote for a number of publications (New York Daily News, People, Ladies Home Journal etc.) before launching GO Magazine and then was show business editor of The Star and Rupert Murdoch’s worldwide publications for 10 years. Leach began his television career simultaneously on KABC-TV in Los Angeles and WABC-TV in New York. In 1980, he joined CNN’s “People Tonight” and also helped launch “Entertainment Tonight” for which he was roving editor for its first three years. In 1983 Robin created Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous, which ran 14 unprecedented years. Leach has produced and hosted over 500 hours of TV series and specials including the ABC-TV daytime series Fame Fortune & Romance.

He hosted a nightly primetime call-in talk show in 1993 to launch the new Television Food Network, a 24-hour cable channel, for which he also acted as spokesman with cable affiliates until 1998. For 4 consecutive years he hosted MTV’s World’s Most Expensive Video’s Countdown special. He was celebrity judge on PBS’s Master Chefs series and A&E’s Top Ten Celebrity Chefs special. Leach appeared regularly on the syndicated Extra series. Currently Leach is partnering in a new state of the art HD television studio production facility in Las Vegas where he makes numerous guest appearances on programs from the resort playground/gaming Mecca. In addition his Total Vegas Television Company produces Vegas video vignettes for YouTube’s LuxeVegas Channel and the daily Vegas Deluxe website at LasVegasSun.com. His bestselling cookbook, Entertaining With The Rich And Famous in 1992, published by Viking in both hardback and soft cover was followed up by Healthy Lifestyles in October 95. He previously authored three books. Included in his numerous charitable activities is his work with the Alzheimer’s charity Keep Memory Alive and Opportunity Village in Las Vegas.

SAM MERRITT Director, On Premise Sales Beer & NA Beer Education Lead Southern Wine & Spirits Certified Cicerone®

Samuel Merritt is the new Beer Education Lead and Director of Beer and non-alcoholic beverages, on premise for Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada. Samuel began his career selling specialty beer in New York from 1996 to 2006 for the Craft Brewers Guild and the Brooklyn Brewery. After researching the availability of pro beer education for beer sellers in the U.S., he founded Civilization of Beer, the beer education consulting company with goal of closing the gap between beer studies and wine studies in the professional culinary community and returning beer to its proper place at the American table. Samuel is the first in New York City to be named a Certified Cicerone ® beer sommelier. He lives in Las Vegas from with his wife Emily and young daughter Molly.

TRAVIS NASS Spirits Guide The Last Drop

Shake up equal parts nostalgic cocktail curator and modern mixology provocateur and you’ll wind up with Mr. Travis Nass. You’ll find him slinging drinks at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn’s signature bar, The Last Drop where his DIY approach to his own housemade bitters, tinctures, syrups and tonics to keep his craft cocktails on every must-drink list in the nation.

With more than 10 year under his belt buckle, Nass has been mixing drinks since the day he turned 21 and bounced a check to stock his first bar at home. Since then, his dedication to the craft has grown in an unconventional way; honing his craft not behind the bar, but rather inside a professional Japanese kitchen and later, under the tutelage of award-winning Arizona chefs.

Now, as stylish as his signature handlebar mustache and vintage garb, Travis’ drinks exhibit finesse with attention to detail, garnishing not to glamorize, but rather enhance the cocktail experience. Nass’ knack for pairing unique flavors using a culinary touch keeps the West wild about his drinks.

MICHAEL SHETLER Craft Brand Specialist – Spirits & Beer Wirtz Beverage Nevada Certified Cicerone®

Michael Shetler joins Wirtz Beverage Nevada as Craft Portfolio Specialist - Southern Nevada. He has established an impressive reputation in the Southern Nevada market through such establishments as the legendary Rosemary’s as well as Sage. Michael has earned Certified Sommelier, Certified Cicerone®, BAR and BJCP Beer Judge Certifications. Holding varied senior-level industry positions, most recently, Michael was Director of Beverage for the Aria Resort & Casino where he oversaw all 26 beverage outlets and over 300 employees.

TOM CAESTECKER, JR. Chicago Editor TheTastingPanel Magazine

Tom Caestecker, Jr., The Tasting Panel’s Chicago Editor, has been active in the Wine & Spirits Industry for more than eight years – in Sales & Marketing, Public Relations and Copywriting. He has written more than 300 articles and Op-Ed pieces for Chicago Tribune, Examiner.com and trade publications. Tom holds a Master of Arts in U.S. History from DePaul University, and has an Integrated Marketing Certificate from the University of Chicago.

GIL LEMPERT-SCHWARTZ Chairman The Wine Institute of Las Vegas

Gil Lempert-Schwartz, who brings a wealth of wine knowledge to Southern Nevada, founded The Wine Institute of Las Vegas (TWILV) in early 1999 to serve as the premier wine education institution and consulting business in Las Vegas .

Gil is originally from Denmark, spent over 10 years living and working in Hong Kong and has 15+ years of Senior Management experience in the beverage industry. He has also spent over 20 years refining his knowledge and wine tasting skills, specializing in Bordeaux, through partnering in the leadership of one of the most active chapters of the Commanderie de Bordeaux in the world. Traveling to the major wine regions of the world several times a year, he has in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with the making of wine, tasting and selling. Honored by the most prestigious wine societies in France and an officer of the foremost gastronomical society and its wine branch, he is the youngest person ever to hold these distinctions simultaneously. He is the Wine Columnist for the Las Vegas Review Journal and writes a weekly column on wine, which gives the readers insight and knowledge of great value wines available in the local retail market. He is also a Wine Columnist for Las Vegas Home & Design, where he covers wine & spirits and the lifestyle that goes along with it. Gil also writes articles on wine, Bordeaux and other related topics as a free lance writer based in Las Vegas.

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TIM MCDONALD Wine Consultant Wine Spoken Here, Napa Valley

Based in Napa Valley, Tim McDonald founded a full service marketing communications consulting company in 2006, Wine Spoken Here. As a 30 year wine industry veteran, Tim held positions with: E & J Gallo as Marketing Director Fine Wine Communications, Peak Wines as V.P. of Marketing & Communications, Director of Trade Relations with Trinchero Family Estates, Heublein Wines as Director of Trade & Public Relations and sales assignments with Seagram and Heublein.

Tim has experience with all types of Media, National Accounts, Wholesale Distributors, Restaurant, and Retail segments. Tim has served as a Wine Judge at over 100 Wine Competitions here in North America and was recently named Director of Judging for The San Francisco International Wine Competition, where he has been a judge for over 12 years. Tim has spoken frequently on assembled panels at Universities & many wine industry events.

MICHAEL MUSER General Manager & Partner Grace

The son of a professional baseball player, Michael Muser grew up loving the game, but had his sights set on a different sport, that of professional cycling. Born in Chicago, Muser moved at a young age to California, where he was introduced to the sport and began racing competitively as a teenager. Muser will tell you those were the best years of his life, but the realization came that a career as a cyclist wasn’t in the cards. However, as he was racing in Northern California – this country’s greatest wine region – he also worked in the vineyards, and after working his first harvest, he had found his new and lifelong passion.

While studying history and theatre arts at California State University Chico, Muser worked in area restaurants to support himself and took the opportunity to learn more about wine. Upon graduation (1999), he studied with the International Sommelier Guild (ISG), the only formal credentialed wine program in the United States. Muser decided to take a hands-on approach to his studies and left the classroom to spend time traveling throughout Europe; he worked harvest in Burgundy and Champagne, learning first-hand hand the winemaking process before coming to Chicago to finish his last two years of training with the ISG. In Chicago, Muser accepted a position as Sommelier and Wine Director for three of Lettuce Entertain You, Enterprises restaurants, overseeing their wine lists in the Chicago, Las Vegas, and Maryland properties.

After three years with LEYE, Muser joined The Peninsula Chicago (2006), serving as Wine Director and Sommelier and building the beverage lists for the hotel’s three restaurants, its bar and for all catering functions and private events. He developed award winning wine lists and in 2011, Muser was nominated “Best Sommelier” by the Jean Banchet Awards for his work at Avenues, the Michelin two-star restaurant at The Peninsula; the following year, he was honored with the award. Under Muser’s direction, Avenues was also a three-time nominee for Outstanding Wine Service from the James Beard Foundation Awards. At Avenues, Muser met chef Curtis Duffy, and in 2011 the two began plans to open Grace. Muser’s style is grounded and one

rooted in the winemaking process. He cites influence from award-winning sommeliers Alpana Singh, Bob Bansberg, and Wayne Gotts, his mentor and instructor at ISG.

At Grace, expect to see a list that caters to Duffy’s cuisine, echoing his penchant for purity of ingredients. It will be focused on the Loire and Rhone Valleys of France, regions known for wildly expressive wines that are at the same time clean, pure, and honest. Muser lives in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago. In his free time, he’s exploring the world, on the hunt for that next great bottle of wine.

GREGORY NASSER Vice President Ozumo Concepts International

Gregory Nasser was raised in the kitchen by a traditional Lebanese grandma who taught him the specifics of flavor profiles. She passed at the age of 95 when Gregory was 15 years old, but she taught him that the reason to enjoy an espresso with baklava in the afternoon was to enjoy the moments with your family and friends. This has stuck with him for life.

Gregory was professionally trained at the aged of 16 by a Chilean Spanish Chef who he was recommended to by a family friend. Gregory then went on to cook for a catering company until he went off to the University Of Colorado, where he studied Business Management. While in college, Gregory went to Bartending school and fell in love with the flavors of the bar and the amazing pairing abilities beverages have within your meal.

When Gregory returned to San Francisco, he became the Manager of Food and Beverage for the San Francisco Giants. In 2005, he opened a restaurant in Palo Alto, California called Mango Café- a Caribbean restaurant with a great following. There Gregory earned his intuitive MBA in business. Gregory sold the restaurant before the recession in March of 2008 and went on to work for the Grand Café in the Hotel Monaco San Francisco as the AGM of Food and Beverage. Gregory joined Ozumo Concepts as General Manager in March of 2012 and worked his way up to Vice President of the company overseeing 5 restaurants: Ozumo San Francisco, Ozumo Oakland, Usushi, Sonoma Wine Garden, 41 Ocean Restaurant & Members Club.

JUNE RODIL Director of Operations q u i and East Side King

June Rodil is the Director of Operations of Top Chef and James Beard Award winner, Paul Qui’s flagship restaurant, Qui, and the casual dining concept of trailers, brick and mortars, and catering outlets, East Side King. June comes from a wine background and has had the pleasure and honor of being the Beverage Director for the acclaimed Uchi Restaurant Group as well as Congress Austin. She relishes the perfect pairing and believes that this can be accomplished when a chef and sommelier have mutual respect for each other and have the same goal: happy guests.

June’s accolades include: Texas Best Sommelier 2009, Wine & Spirits Magazine Best New Sommelier 2011, Star Chef’s Rising Star Sommelier 2012, and was most recently named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Sommeliers of the Year 2014. She is an Advanced Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and remains diligent in her studies as she prepares for the last level of examination.

ALOYS SCHEER Restaurant Operations Manager Finch and Fork Restaurant

After graduating from Johnson & Wales University in Denver, CO in 2005, Aloys Scheer started his career with the Four Seasons George V as an MIT working in their Gastronomy Restaurant Le V. He then went on to work at the Four Seasons Los Angeles Beverly Hills as a food and beverage manager, where he stayed till 2008. From 2008 to 2010, Aloys worked for the Palm Restaurant as Wine Director and oversaw both wine programs for the West Hollywood and downtown LA locations. During this time, he also achieved his Level II Sommelier Certification from the International Sommelier Guild. From there, Aloys moved on to the Miramar Hotel Santa Monica where he was the Outlets Director and subsequently accepted the position as the General Manager of One Pico at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica. Aloys is currently the Operations Manager at the Canary Hotel in Santa Barbara.

VANESSA TREVIÑO BOYD Beverage Director 60 Degrees Mastercrafted

Vanessa Treviño Boyd “cut her wine teeth” in Chicago and in 2000 moved to New York where she managed wine lists for Japanese and French restaurants—in particular Alain Ducasse at the St. Regis with an 1800-selection list, four Sommeliers, three NY Times stars and two Michelin stars. Her work has been recognized in Food Arts, Santé, The New York Times, The Houston Chronicle, Houston Press and Wine & Spirits where she was a member of the import tasting panel for eight years. In April, 2012 she was awarded ‘Best New Sommelier’ by Food & Wine magazine, in October of that year was named ‘Houston’s Best Sommelier’ by Houston Press, and in 2013 was awarded ‘Best Wine List’ again by Houston Press for her work at Philippe Restaurant & Phil’s Wine Lounge. Vanessa has been a Guest Sommelier at Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience, Pebble Beach Food & Wine, Aspen Food & Wine, the International Pinot Noir Celebration and most proudly at America’s celebration of the wines of Burgundy, La Paulée. Vanessa holds an Advanced Certificate with the American Sommelier Association and is the Beverage Director at 60 Degrees Mastercrafted in Houston, Texas.

KEVIN M. VOGT MS Wine & Spirits Director Emeril’s Restaurants, Las VegasMaster Sommelier Kevin M. Vogt is Wine Director for Chef Emeril Lagasse in Las Vegas and has been working this organization since 1996. In 1999, Mr. Vogt successfully passed the Master Sommelier Exam. Since 2000, Kevin has been a judge for Anthony Dias Blue’s San Francisco International Wine Competition, and a judge for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. He is a wine educator and public speaker and has taught college level wine courses and lectured aboard Crystal Cruise Lines for their food and wine festival events. In 2004, Delmonico Steakhouse became the 88th restaurant in the world to achieve the Wine Spectator’s Grand Award. Kevin graduated from UNLV with a degree in Hotel Administration in 1993.

BRIAN BOWDEN VP Spirits, Beer, Tobacco, Beverages, GMM New Markets BevMo!

Brain Bowden got his start in the alcoholic beverage industry in 1981 working at Liquor Barn in California, where he stayed till 1991 as part of the store management teams in Northern and Southern California. For the next four years, Brian worked in the wine industry representing small Sonoma County wineries with sales and distribution. In 1994, Brain started working for BevMo!, where he is currently the VP of Spirits, Beer, Tobacco, Beverages, GMM New Markets.

Brian has received his CSS in spirits and is currently working towards a Cicerone certification.

TED CARMON Head Spirits Buyer BevMo!

With over 18 years of retail and liquor experience, Ted is the lead buyer for BevMo!, the leading specialty spirits retailer in the western United States with over 130 stores. He is responsible for product selection, category management, promotional activity and all pricing related to the spirits category, which has experienced double-digit comparable store sales growth during his tenure at BevMo!.

A veteran of the retail beverage industry, Ted formerly held key roles in the management of several categories for California-based chains Safeway and Longs Drugs, including category management, centralization and analysis of the spirits and beer. Additionally, he served as a category manager for Southern Wine & Spirits. Ted is a Certified Specialist of Spirits awarded by the Society of Wine Educators.

DAMON BOELTE Bar Director Prime Meats/ Frankies Spuntino

Over the course of his rapid rise, Damon Boelte has worked in various corners of the industry, collecting countless accolades along the way. StarChefs named Boelte Mixologist of the year. Wine Enthusiast included him as one of the top 40 tastemakers under 40. Eater.com called him one of the best bartenders in NYC. Food & Wine won’t shut up about Boelte’s gin & tonic recipe and The New York Times has given him untouchable praise. You can read about him in pretty much every publication with a thirst for great cocktails and spirits, as well as many lifestyle magazines(with a few nods regarding his personal style). While a frequent contributor to Bon Appetit, he also shares his cocktails and techniques with New York Magazine, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time Out, Imbibe Magazine, Businessweek, GQ, Edible Brooklyn and Manhattan, Saveur, La Cucina Italiana, Elle, Vogue, and Travel & Leisure. His cocktail and bitters recipes are scattered amongst the pages of Bitters by Brad Thomas Parsons as well as numerous other cookbooks and cocktail guides.

Boelte has consulted for many bars and restaurants in New York City and beyond, and during his 6 year tenure as the bar director for Frankies and Prime Meats, Boelte has fused to his love of legendary 19th and early 20th century bartenders with modern influences —all while developing his own recipes and methods. He’s consulted on the development of new spirits, taught extensive classes on bourbon, cheese, wine, bitters, and rare spirits, and even developed a trailblazing customer service and classic technique course for Stumptown Coffee baristas based on the 1900 book Harry Johnson’s Bartender’s Guide For Hotels and Restaurants.When he’s not mixing, writing, riding motorcycles or playing shows with his country band, you can hear him talking shop on his radio show, The Speakeasy on Heritage Radio Network, the only show of it’s kind covering the vast universe of all things liquid. Each episode is an entertaining, enlightening, and educational look into the world of spirits, cocktails, beer & wine, but most importantly what it means to be a knowledgeable and welcoming bartender and host, as well as an informed and respectful patron. Each week the live show on Heritageradionetwork.com reaches an international audience of over 500,000. It’s clear to see why he has received all of his praise and accolades over his career; Damon Boelte is a bartender’s bartender.

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NATHAN GREENE Assistant General Manager TAG Bar @ The Linq

A relative newcomer, Nathan Greene has only been working the stick since 2010. But in just a few short years, he has made his mark on the mixology world with his rising talent. After graduating from the Crescent School of Gaming and Bartending’s beverage management program, Greene has devoted all of his time to the cocktail industry, studying and honing his skills while competing in cocktail competitions.

A four-time national cocktail champion and former Nightclub & Bar U.S. Bartender of the Month in May of 2012, Nathan opened Vanguard Lounge and Rx Boiler Room and also ran RM Seafood’s beverage program the last 3+ years. Greene is now opening several new venues in Las Vegas: one, as a consultant and a part-time bartender at the upcoming Imperial just off The Strip; and two, as an AGM for TAG & Squeeze bars, respectively, with Caesar’s Entertainment at the newly developed Linq. He is responsible for all three of the aforementioned cocktail and spirits programs.

Most recently, Greene, along with Roger Gross and Stan Stilwell, formed their own beverage consultancy company, Libation Restoration, LLC, having done bars from Portland to College Station, TX. “Our motto is restoring faith in humanity, one cocktail at a time,” Greene says. “I’m extremely excited for what the future holds.”

ANNE MAGOON Operations Team McCrackenTough

Literally born to be in hospitality, food and beverage; Anne’s mother, before retiring, was a restaurant “front-of-the house genius” and father, a chef. After running around restaurants, as a child, she took her love for the industry to the next level and quickly began climbing the career ladder in the scene. Anne quickly excelled as a barista, a hostess, a server, a floor manager and soon became a very young general manager at the age of 21.

While managing and opening very prominent restaurants in Southern Connecticut and New York City, she strayed towards her other passions and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where she obtained a B.S. in merchandising and marketing. After a brief and successful career in the fashion industry in New York, Anne was subcontracted to work for Nike on the West Coast, and was soon laid-off after the market crash.

Returning to her roots in the Seattle restaurant scene, Anne assisted with the opening of Branzino with Chef Ashley Merriman. It was through her Seattle Chef, Merriman; she was introduced to Chefs Brian McCracken and Dana Tough. Six years later and after opening four popular Seattle restaurants/bars (Spur Gastropub, Tavern Law/Needle and Thread, The Coterie Room and The Old Sage) with McCracken and Tough, Anne is now working as an Operations Director and Sommelier for the innovative Seattle Group. The restaurants/bars have received acclaim from Food and Wine, Gayout, Conde Nast Traveler, Cooking Light, etc. Anne has been featured in several Seattle publications, on New Day Northwest and in Tasting Panel magazine.

Her time off from the Seattle food and bar scene is dedicated to traveling and exploring restaurants, wineries, and distilleries in the U.S. and abroad.

CARLOS CUARTA Independent Bartender

Carlos Enrique Cuarta is a native of Venezuela. He has now been a long time resident of the USA and the great city of Chicago—11 years. From his beginnings in South America to the present he has collected an incredible amount of culture. His enthusiasm for life, and his inexhaustible curiosity are an example to many people he has touched in his career as one of Chicago’s finest bartenders. A note to the reader, Carlos has never worked behind a Chicago bar establishment, however, he has tirelessly pushed the limits as a bartender for many spirit brands, private clients, and catering companies. A notable accomplishment since it takes indisputedly more commitment and perseverance to pursue the art of craft cocktailing on one’s own time and dime.

That kind of tenacity has not gone unnoticed, however. In 2010, Carlos was the recipient of the Diageo Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund, a scholarship that allowed him to continue his spirits education at the prestigious BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource) in New York City. Over the years, during his involvement in the USBG Illinois Chapter, Carlos has been extremely active in supporting his fellow bartenders and mentor, Bridget Albert, at the Academy of Spirits, various charitable organizations, and also mentoring and financially assisting other Latino bartenders in pursuing our great craft. In his spare time, he continues to improve his skills by attending classes put on by the likes of industry icons like Dale Degroff, Steve Olson, and Junior Merino.

Those who know Carlos can personally attest also to his insatiable need to experiment with the elements of the cocktail. At home he is constantly working on various infusions, syrups, cordials and recipes for his own pleasure, but also in preparation for the many projects and competitions he has committed himself to. In fact, Carlos, though grounded in classical mixology, has never shied away from modern challenges. Though he has worked for brands in the Bacardi family, Beam Global, and Diageo, he has also developed cocktail recipes for PepsiCo, Wrigley Gum, and Red Bull.

All in all, Carlos has dedicated his life to raising up the bartending craft and at no expense to his lust for life. In fact, they are one in the same. As Carlos says, “Always be sipping”

JP FETHERSTON Bar Manager Southern Efficiency

JP Fetherston knows whiskey. So much that he heads a whiskey bar, Southern Efficiency (Washington D.C.), and cycled throughout Scotland, visiting 27 different distilleries before apprenticing at Bruichladdich under Master Distiller Jim McEwan and his team. But that’s wasn’t his first trip to visit distilleries. He’s also traveled throughout the United States, sampling the best of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Before focusing on whiskey, he was a bartender and research director at Columbia Room in Washington D.C., consistently ranked as one of the top cocktail bars in the country. JP has master’s degrees in history from both the London School of Economics and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

MAX SOLANO Head Mixologist / Beverage Manager Emeril’s Restaurants / Delmonico Steakhouse

Max Solano, Head Mixologist for Chef Emeril Restaurants and Beverage Manager for Delmonico Steakhouse, began his career with Emeril’s Restaurants in March of 2006 as a bartender at Emeril’s Tchoup Chop in Orlando, FL. He was promoted to Beverage Manager in late 2007 and was relocated to Las Vegas, NV. that December to open Emeril’s Table 10 Restaurant and set up the company’s first mixology program. Since then, Max has become one of Las Vegas’ most exciting and creative mixologists, as well as a student and teacher of the history and development of spirits and cocktails. He is currently pursuing a Master Certification of Mixology, as well, as a Master of Whisky Designation for both American & International Whiskeys.

The “Book Of Whisky,” created by Solano for the famed and award-winning Emeril’s Delmonico Steakhouse, is currently one of the biggest compilations of whiskey in the United States. It includes over 550 selections from eight countries and many allocations of some of the rarest and most highly-rated selections around. Furthermore, many industry experts, today, that have become familiar with Delmonico’s immense program, refer to it as one of the most extensive whisky-based mixology programs in the country. In addition to many accolades and awards throughout his career, in 2011, Solano was awarded Bartender of the Year in the state of Nevada by the Nevada Restaurant Association and Restaurant Bartender of the Year by Vega Seven Magazine.

Delmonico has been named one of the Top 10 Cocktail Bars in the country by Gayot in December 2012 and was inducted into the Bar Hall of Fame in 2013 by Vegas Seven Magazine. Lastly, Solano and his cocktails have been featured on television, magazines and online media such: ABC Television’s The Morning Blend, GQ Magazine, Saveur Magazine, The Tasting Panel Magazine, Las Vegas Weekly Magazine, Imbibe Magazine, Cheers Magazine, Las Vegas Review Journal, Vegas Seven Magazine, Hemispheres Magazine, LA Times and many more.

FRANK STILO Mixologist Standard Hotel East Village

Stilo is an award-winning New York-based bartender who has recently developed cocktail menus for Cafe Noir, Standard Hotel East Village, and is currently consulting. He has been featured in Tasting Panel Magazine and his cocktails have been included in spirits booklets and websites that include Sorel, Ricard, Avua Cachaca and the new Collectif1806 website.

JEREMY MERRITT Head Bartender Downtown Cocktail Room

Jeremy Merritt is the Head Bartender at the Downtown Cocktail Room in Las Vegas. Merritt creates favorite libations such as the Downtown Dill Bloody Mary, the classic Negroni and the Agent Orange. He is also the Director of Beverage and Training at the Future Restaurant Group, Nevada Ambassador for Castle Brands Inc. and member of the USBG. Merritt attended UNLV for Hotel Administration, Food & Beverage Management, and is a Certified Sommelier and is on pursuit of his Master Mixologist Certification.

TRAVIS NASS Spirits Guide The Last Drop

Shake up equal parts nostalgic cocktail curator and modern mixology provocateur and you’ll wind up with Mr. Travis Nass. You’ll find him slinging drinks at Lon’s at the Hermosa Inn’s signature bar, The Last Drop where his DIY approach to his own housemade bitters, tinctures, syrups and tonics to keep his craft cocktails on every must-drink list in the nation.

With more than 10 year under his belt buckle, Nass has been mixing drinks since the day he turned 21 and bounced a check to stock his first bar at home. Since then, his dedication to the craft has grown in an unconventional way; honing his craft not behind the bar, but rather inside a professional Japanese kitchen and later, under the tutelage of award-winning Arizona chefs.

Now, as stylish as his signature handlebar mustache and vintage garb, Travis’ drinks exhibit finesse with attention to detail, garnishing not to glamorize, but rather enhance the cocktail experience. Nass’ knack for pairing unique flavors using a culinary touch keeps the West wild about his drinks.