Philip Duff

Philip Duff, global drinks consultant, educator and former spirits brand executive, explores the topic of the latest zesty drinks and bartender branding.⁠ ⁠ @philipsduff ⁠ ⁠ Link in bio for the full feature.⁠ ⁠ #hospitalitynewsme #citrus #middle_east #hospitality

Happy World Cocktail Day, everyone! Here's me having an ice cold martini* a few weeks ago, on Bondi Beach. *Gin, obvs, 'cos @worldginweekofficial is looming! #worldcocktailday

@worldginweekofficial from June 13 - 20

Breaking news! @forbes .com announces @worldginweekofficial (June 13-20, 2026). ⁠ ⁠ A big thanks to @retromannyc for breaking the news on our client’s festival, an unprecedented celebration of gin, in his in-depth story. ⁠ ⁠ World Gin Week was founded by spirits expert @philipsduff and @finegk of @theivorypeacock (New York), a noted bar serving 1,200 gins, one of the world’s largest selections.⁠ ⁠ Its mission is to foster a deeper appreciation of gin through experiential events and educational activities. Bars worldwide are creating special gin menus, gin cocktails and promotions. In addition, World Gin Week will host bar pop-ups, tastings and world-class educational seminars led by luminaries such as @kingcocktl , @nydistilleryman , @mightyschneidey , Natasha Bahrami and others.⁠ ⁠ Top-ranked bars across North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia are participating, including @sipandguzzlenyc (New York), @barleonehk (Hong Kong), @handshake_bar (Mexico City), @hero_nairobi (Nairobi), @atlasbarsg (Singapore), @theconnaught Bar (London), @concreterosebar (Houston), @maybe_sammy_sydney (Sydney), @trickdogbar (San Francisco), @room207nyc (New York), @causeeffectcpt (Cape Town), @thisisthebarbershop (Sydney), @barmadonnabk (New York), @shakerato_bar (Amsterdam), @lenlen.nyc (New York), YOI (at @capellakyoto ) and others. ⁠ ⁠ “I think gin still requires more awareness…Customers are blown away [that it] actually tastes really, really good. So that's kind of the genesis where this is coming from,” says Finegan.⁠ ⁠ “We're encouraging bars to build in charitable donations because it’s the right thing to do and because giving back is now a firm fixture of modern drinks festivals like ours,” says Duff.⁠ ⁠ Who’s ready to raise a glass to this iconic juniper spirit? We are!⁠ 📸: @_mr.visuals

Something exciting is coming! Join us for World Gin Week, a worldwide celebration of cocktails, creativity, and community. Expect a weeklong lineup of gin experiences, special menus, guest shifts, tastings, collaborations, and more🍸 Stay tuned. Cheers! #WorldGinWeek #GinCulture #CocktailCommunity #NYCEvents #GinLovers

It was high time we did an episode with the irrepressible Drew Schenck, my friend who I met via @creativedrunk and who I helped create the award-winning @moonbirdgin and @goatzspicedrum brands. Drew's had a hell of a life, from Army engineer to real estate investor, whitewater raft guide and now hospitality group owner AND liquor brand owner - enjoy! Link in bio and swing by one of his Dram & Draughts if you're in NC!

How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything! Bar Leone just did a two-night residency at the mega-elite (even for New York) ZZ's Club, and their branding was 🧑‍🍳 💋 perfect. This is the new standard for guest shifts. From the custom (for ZZ's) smoked olives, to the menus, the entry to the space and the napkins, everything was perfect. Swipe to see it all, and bonus: all the excellent stickers from Giorgio Bargiani's equally epic recent Connaught pop-up at Cibaria in Sydney during the Maybe Festival!

Its King's Day, so time to have a Dutch man on the podcast! Native Amsterdammer Eric went from making basketball his life - in the USA - to slipping sideways into hospitality after returning to the Netherlands. He went on to narrowly avoid working with Andrew Nicholls (😉), winning the global Bacardi Legacy contest in 2018, and moving to Mexico City to open bars in 2019. His second bar, Handshake, debuted at #25 on the overall 50 Best Bars list just six months after opening in 2021 and took out the #1 spot in 2024. We talked about his career, how Employees Only's Keith Ketler "discovered" Handshake (and why you should always stay open late for a foreign visitor), how overnight success works, why they work in 90-minute "blocks" at Handshake and why he's opened Shakerato bar in Amsterdam. Enjoy! Link in bio and Stories, don't forget to Like, Follow and Subscribe...

Last Australia photo dump! 1 & 2. Maybe Sammy's Hunter made some deeeelish Ocean Martinis at Flaminia. 3. The Maybe Festival drink token. 4 & 5: Justin reppin' Montana bar hard at Maybe Sammy. 6. Gleaming Hickson House Gin display at Barrelhouse Cellars, lovingly maintained by the legend Ben Davidson. 7 & 8: Long time listener, first time caller, at Enmore's finest, a truly great bar. 9 & 10: Finished with a Bartender Cocktail at Palomino.

Maybe Festival abides! 1. You know you've made it when you're a cartoon sticker with a bubble gun. 2. Or a lemon sticker. 3. All killer, no filler, regardless of the guest shift. 4. Ladies and gentlemen, the people who made it all possible! 5. Giorgio can now pour two martinis at once, which still isn't enough for the insatiable thirst of Manly drinkers. 6, 7 & 8: Smoke & Bitters stone cold killin' it. 9. The Sip + Guzzle menu. 10. Steve asking Elayne why he had to fly in economy light. 11. Elayne reppin' her portfolio.

Scenes from Sydney! 1. A mega trend in Australia that has inexplicably never made it abroad: a-la-minute fresh-pressed Granny Smith apples & whiskey. 2. All I ask for is a hot chick with a martini, and a Manhattan for myself. 3. Caterpillar Club answered the call* for "something with Ocho and passionfruit. 4. Every coat check should also br a martini bar. 5. The Cantina abides #IYKYK. *Mrs Duff's call.

Day 1 of Maybe Festival in the books! We gathered at Acapulco El Vista, with the glittering gorgeousness of Circular Quay behind us, for a day of short pithy sessions MC'd by Sam Bygrave of Boothby. 1. The stage. 2. Someone mistakenly allowed Stefano to use the mike. 3. Steve dropping reality bombs. "Just make the tickets!" 4. Sketchy Bartenders talk about keeping it real online. 5. I made Sam laugh! 6. Josh Harris and the Trick Dog Menu Roadshow! 7 & 8: Kindly sponsors kept us hydrated, in my case with an Elijah Craig Old Fashioned with local heroes, the Australian Bitters Co. aromatic bitters. 9. Finished up with an Elijah Craig (& Fernet) cocktail - with biscotti! - at Caffe Fernet, and exclusive (unless you know Barney) pop-up at Level 30 Bar on the 30th floor of the W Sydney, the world's largest W, with 1000 (!) rooms. 10. OK, one last drink; with Eric van Beek manning the shakers at a packed-out Maybe Sammy, this banger had me at "tequila and absinthe..."