Bar Management, Bar Inventory, Bartending, Culture, Liquor, Management
21 Bar Industry Blogs You Should be Reading
By Brie Shelley
By Brie Shelley
When it comes to creating a craft cocktail or running an efficient bar, there are variety of online resources available. But if you’re in the bar industry, navigating your way through hundreds of websites probably isn’t the best use of your time.
At BevSpot, we appreciate quality info and great writing. If you’re looking for some cocktail inspiration, if you want an expert’s opinion on the newest craft beer, or if you have a thirst for other alcohol related info, we suggest you check out these 21 bar industry blogs.
Thirteen years ago, a young bartender in Northern California was struggling to learn craft bartending skills. He stumbled through old books and self-taught himself through trial and error. In 2012, he and his wife decided to create a website dedicated to teaching bartenders the necessary skills. This way, other bartenders could fine-tune their skills without having to spend years behind the bar.
Purpose: to help bartenders and enthusiasts learn the art of craft bartending and to provide bar education
Average frequency: 4 articles/week
Types of content: cocktail recipes, podcasts, bar business/bar career blog posts
Liquor.com is a digital publication dedicated to good drinking and great living. They consider their publication to be their reader’s experienced drinking buddy who knows what to drink where, when to stir and when to shake, when to shoot and when to sip, and when to splurge and when to save.
They’ve won multiple awards such as the 2012 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for Best Cocktail Writing and Best Cocktail Author, and the 2013 James Beard Award for their “How to Cocktail” video series.
Purpose: to entertain, inspire, and educate enthusiasts and the merely curious about cocktails and spirits
Average frequency: 6 articles/week
Types of content: cocktail recipe library, spirits brand directory, bar guides, videos, lifestyle articles, slideshows, guides
Buzztime is a company that produces interactive entertainment for bars such as bar trivia, digital cards, and sports games. Their blog is dedicated to helping the bar industry in a variety of areas such as promoting, operations, and customer service.
Purpose: to give bars tips for improving their business
Average frequency: 1 article/week
Types of content: marketing your bar, industry trends, bar promotion, bar and restaurant operations, customer service, social media, bar entertainment
For more than 30 years, Nightclub & Bar has been engaging beverage decision makers and helping them grow. They provide bar managers with the tools they need to grow their businesses and consider themselves the go-to resource for the on-premise professional.
Purpose: to provide users with the most current information in the industry and offer promotion ideas, operational best practices, expert advice, and recipes
Average frequency: 26 articles/week
Types of content: cocktail recipes, operations, training & management, promotions, news, top rated lists, awards, bartender of the month
A “cocktail scratch pad,” this blog’s author, Elana, is constantly creating and testing cocktails. She’s been running the blog for 5 years and is a big believer in creating her own bar syrups, garnishes, and bitters. Her blog was a finalist for Saveur’s 2014 and 2015 Best Cocktail Blog and it was featured on Serious Drinks list for the Top 8 Cocktail Blogs you should be reading.
Purpose: to provide readers with new cocktail ideas and to guide users to the best bars
Average frequency: 4 articles/week
Types of content: cocktail recipes, curated alcohol industry articles, barware recommendations, gift guides, bar guides
Looking for a cocktail guide? Then you’ve come to the right place! Tuxedo No.2 gets straight to the point with its simple yet aesthetic layout. The blog is run by Meredith and Chrissy, and is a result of endless trials, gross outcomes, a beautiful concoctions. The blog recently was a 2015 Saveur Best Spirits or Cocktail Coverage finalist.
Purpose: to provide readers with straightforward, easily searchable cocktail recipes
Average frequency: >1 article/week
Types of content: cocktail recipes with photographs
Started in 2013 by Talia Kleinplatz, this blog is dedicated to “illustrating the magic of shared experience that can occur in the presence of a great cocktail and a talented bartender.” The title of her blog refers to her and her husband, her favorite drinking buddy. Two for the Bar was a finalist in the Saveur 2015 Blog awards for Best Spirits or Cocktail Coverage.
Purpose: to equip bartenders with cocktail recipes and to provide coverage of alcohol related events
Average frequency: 1 article/week
Types of content: cocktail recipes, interviews, craft cocktail challenges
Morgan and Alice were tired of people constantly asking them what they should drink and how they should make it. They decided to create a blog to help answer these questions. Their blog was nominated for the 2015 Saveur Blog Awards under the Best Spirits or Cocktail Coverage.
Purpose: to give bartenders and the average drinker interesting cocktail ideas and recipes
Average frequency: 1 article/week
Types of content: cocktail recipes with photographs
Adam Levy has always been a “beer freak,” traveling far and wide to attend craft beer festivals and visit breweries. As he got older, he grew fond of whiskey. When he discovered that many international alcohol competitions resulted in 83% of competitors winning a medal. He decided to start his own spirits competition and later on, his own wine competition. Once he became recognized as an expert in beer, wine, and spirits, he decided to create a platform to share his knowledge.
Purpose: to provide instructions for cocktail creation and to teach readers about the alcohol industry
Average frequency: 4 articles/week
Types of content: news about the alcohol industry, cocktail recipes, informative articles about beer, spirits, & wine
Started by a few guys who like sitting around drinking beer, Andrew, Ben, Karl, Ryan, and Steve write opinion pieces about beer and the beer industry. Basically, If they drink it or visit it, they write about it. This blog mostly focuses on the the Chicago area, where the guys are from. They also write beer news pieces such as beers discontinuing, distribution expansions, and new beer book releases.
Purpose: to provide readers with detailed reviews on beer, breweries, bars, brewpubs, and beer events
Average frequency: 2 articles/week
Types of content: beer reviews, beer news, brewery information, event recaps, interviews
After two friends moved to Chicago, they decided they wanted exercise their interest in beer and teamed up with two other guys to start the Hop Review. Recently, the blog was a 2015 Saveur Blog Awards finalist for the Best Beer Coverage category.
Purpose: to serve up great beer banter, industry news, and great interviews
Average frequency: 2 articles/week
Types of content:
brew reviews, brew news, brewery information, beer travel stories, event recaps
Michael Kiser started Good Beer Hunting in 2007. As a writer and a photographer, he travels the world to visit breweries and capture their stories and passions.
Purpose: to create a better future for craft beer through critical, creative, and curious beer stories
Average frequency: 2 articles/week
Types of content: interviews, photo essays, event and festival recaps, videos
CraftBeer.com was created on behalf of U.S. craft brewers to celebrate the best of American beer. The authors hope to communicate authenticity, creativity, passion, and excitement for the craft beer industry. CraftBeer received Best-in-Class recognition in 2014 from Interactive Media Council, Inc in the Food/Beverage category.
Purpose: to energize and engage craft beer enthusiasts and arm them with the resources to be active and educated appreciators of the ever-expanding craft beer movement
Average frequency: 27 articles/week
Types of Content: craft beer basic info, library of beer styles, list of breweries, food+beer recipes, beers news, beer blogs
Draft aims to provide a 360-degree view of the modern beer drinker’s lifestyle by tapping into the freshest flavors, unique experiences, and emerging trends in beer, food, travel and leisure.
Purpose: to provide people with current, accurate, and creative coverage of beer and other areas of life enjoyed by our readers
Average frequency: 9 articles/week
Types of content: beer reviews, basic beer guides, cooking with beer recipes, city beer guides
Eater started in 2005 as a self-proclaimed restaurant rumor mill. Now, it’s the source for people who care about dining and drinking in the world’s best food cities,
Purpose: to provide food and beverage news and dining guides from across the country
Average frequency: 104 articles/week
Types of content: maps, forums, drinks (wine, spirits, beer, coffee & tea, recipes, reviews, taste test, spirit guides), reviews, videos, longform features
They’re obsessed with everything food, drink and travel. They began as an email newsletter based in NYC back in 2003. Soon, they expanded to LA, Chicago, and San Francisco. Now, they’re working to help their readers find the hidden speakeasies and stay on top of the best dive bars and burger joints.
Purpose: to report a never-ending feast of amazing pictures and newsy content to help readers stay informed about everything that’s worth caring about
Average frequency: 14 articles/week
Types of content: industry trends, restaurant design, drink reviews, other (travel, entertainment, tech, health, etc)
According to the founders, VinePair is creating a new way to talk about wine, beer, and cocktails. They promote drinking as a time to relax, celebrate, and have a good time. Their content aims to take the stress out of ordering a drink.
Purpose: to remove anxiety, pretension and insider language from the world’s oldest beverages
Average frequency: 28 articles/week
Types of content: alcohol history and 101, infographics, booze science, wine picks, booze news, videos
ShakeStir is the world’s largest online community for bartenders and spirits industry professionals. They provide useful content for those in the alcohol industry. In order to look at any of the content, you need to make an account and a profile.
Purpose: to provide users with an interactive online and offline platform to market their professional achievements, exchange ideas, and raise awareness about the cocktail industry both among bartenders and the customers they interact with
Average frequency: 2 articles/week
Types of Content: blog features, cocktail recipes, jobs board, brand reviews, interviews, events, competitions
Imbible is the ultimate guide to drinks culture. They launched in 2005 and have received numerous awards such as their most recent 2014 Tale of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best Cocktail Writing and their 2012 James Beard Journalism Award for Best Wine, Spirits or Other Beverage Writing.
Purpose: to tell readers about everything they need to know about the people, places, flavors and culture of drinks around the world
Average frequency: 12 articles/week
Types of content: recipes (cocktails & spirits, food), cocktail & spirits articles, wine & beer articles, alcohol-free articles
This online magazine focuses on narrative journalism (written and visual) about wine, spirits, and cocktails.
Purpose: to capture the ethos that’s driving drinks forward by connecting beverage to tradition and place and expressing the passion to innovate and have fun
Average frequency: 12 articles/week
Types of content: wine articles, cocktail articles, spirits articles, places articles, videos, city guides, recipes, alcohol glossary, news
Here at BevSpot, we’re obsessed with helping the beverage industry. We work alongside the best bar managers, beverage directors, and sommeliers. We constantly update our blog with new cocktail ideas, interviews with professionals, and helpful bar management tips.
Purpose: to provide valuable, informative content to inspire and educate bar managers, beverage directors, bartenders, bar owners, and industry enthusiasts about everything they need to know about the restaurant and bar industry
Average frequency: 5 articles/week
Types of content: industry culture, bar management, & craft blog posts, video, interactive guides
We know, quite the list. Although you might not check all 21 of these bar industry blogs every day, you might find some better suit your personal tastes and/or profession. Have an industry blog that didn’t make the list? Leave it in the comments!
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