For years, the biggest celebrities in the food and drinks world were the ones with the knives. We know all about celebrity chefs like Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, and Gordon Ramsay. The Food Network, Cooking Channel, and shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Parts Unknown wouldn’t even exist without these household names. But, in recent years, another area of hospitality has begun to reach celebrity status. The humble bartender who for years stood behind the bar at your local watering hole and made your G & T and poured your beer with a smile, is the celebrity chef for the digital age.
The era of Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter just happened to begin around the same time as the cocktail bars began popping up all over the country. With that came celebrity bartenders like Pam Wiznitzer, Christy Pope, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, and Jim Meehan — as well as a treasure trove of Instagram bartenders constantly creating amazing, breathtaking, beautiful cocktails and showcasing them for the world to gawk at.
We scoured the internet to find the best, most swoon-worthy mixologists on Instagram:
One of the most well-known bartenders in Chicago (and beyond), Momose is the former head bartender at the Windy City’s GreenRiver and current creative director at Oriole Chicago. Food & Wine’s Best New Mixologists 2016’s Instagram account is full of beautifully photographed, expertly explained cocktails.
Bartender, writer, and world traveler, Young slings drinks behind the bar at Dante in New York City. His Instagram is full of beautiful, delicious cocktails, but he also takes mouth-watering food pictures and travel photos.
Bar manager at Harvard and Stone in Los Angeles, Aaron Polsky wears many hats. On top of his bartending duties, Polsky also owns Seedlip, the first non-alcoholic spirit on the market. His Instagram account documents his time behind the bar with an almost punk rock feel.
Charles Joly is a global bartending champion, a spirits and cocktail educator, and the founder of Crafthouse Cocktails. On top of selling pre-bottled Palomas and Moscow Mules, Joly is a frequent poster on Instagram. Come for the cocktails, stay for the photos of his cute dog.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BauDu1AFEa3/?taken-by=pamwiz
No list of Instagram bartenders is complete without Pam Wiznitzer, the president of the United States Bartenders Guild and bar manager at Seamstress in New York. Her Instagram is combination of cocktails, travel photos and Wiznitzer’s own wicked sense of humor.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BawgnpzF1fo/?taken-by=pamwiz
https://www.instagram.com/p/BahsoK-FYRs/?taken-by=pamwiz
Instagram is full of Food Porn. But, if alcohol is more your thing then look no further than Melisa Lapido. the Argentinian’s cocktail photos are expertly designed and photographed. They resemble works of art more than mixed drinks.
Tenzin Samdo is the bar director at the ArtScience Bar in Boston. The innovative Samdo is known for his attention to detail, mix of global flavors, and artistic eye. His Instagram is full of his imaginative, exciting, cocktails based on countless hours of research and development.
Author of The Bar Book and bar manager at Clyde Common and Pepe Le Moko in Portland, Oregon, Morgenthaler is one of the most well-known, most respected bartenders in the country. His Instagram is full of cocktails, food, and travel photos from the intrepid mixologist.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaT12yGF-U7/?hl=en&taken-by=beautifulbooze
Migliarini’s Instagram account is titled BeautifulBooze for a reason. Her goal is showcase mixed drinks in the most artistic, beautiful way possible. Not only is each cocktail expertly designed, but it is staged and photographed to make it look more like it belongs in a museum than a bar.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BatmXFgFicI/?hl=en&taken-by=beautifulbooze
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaEfo3EFCdq/?hl=en&taken-by=beautifulbooze
Meehan might be the most famous bartender currently working. That’s why it’s no surprise he delights his forty-thousand followers with one-of-a-kind cocktail recipes and images as well as photos from his drink-mixing travels across the globe.
