Updated: Mar 29, 2020
We at Cocktails For You go to bars to see bartenders. Here's our list of bartenders we love & suggest you go out of your way to see in action or meet.
This list is simply OUR OPINION. There’s only 2 of us running this platform & we can’t be everywhere around the world. We have been served a drink by these bartenders.
This list is NO particular order so there is NO rank included but these people might just change your life.
1. Enrico Gonzato
Why? One of the greatest hosts you'll ever experience who will predict your every need & want. Signature #Vivimiscelato included.
Bar: Dandelyan, London
2. Vitaly Alexey
Why? A 5-star experience wrapped in business casual, slinging classics or original cocktails with a permanent smile.
Bar: The Duchess, Amsterdam
3. Brian Silva
Why? One of the godfathers of the London bartending scene. It's getting a drink from your favourite uncle. Get a negroni!
Bar: Balthazar, London
3. Mariia Baranets
Why? The Queen of Ukraine with the unforgettable smile, all are equal in her bar & leave mesmerised. If looks could kill & her drinks could bring you back from the dead.
Bar: Yellow Room at Happy End Restaurant, Moscow
4. Remy Savage
Why? Possibly the best throw in the business not to mention a double shake that can shatter glass. The most polite man you'll ever meet yet one of the iconic thinkers of our time.
Bar: Artesian, London
5. Mido Yahi
Why? Makes meatballs like your mama used to & happens to be Beyonce's BIGGEST fan. Those are apparently his weaknesses so now you can imagine the drinks!? If you’re insulted it means he likes you!
Bar: Cafe Moderne, Paris
6. Dominykas Faustas
Why? Have you ever met the devil monkey who can throw jiggers & shakers in every direction yet somehow nothing ever hits the ground? You've found your man.
Bar: Secret
7. Moe Aljaff
Why? Scrappy underdog who's became a bartender to avoid being homeless now owning his own place. Come a guest & leave a Schmuck!
Bar: Two Schmucks, Barcelona
8. Shane Nolan
Why? The gatekeeper of Cork, known by many & loved by all he will make sure you get the full Irish experience. You'll be drinking stour & doing shots of Gin in no time.
Bar: SoHo Bar & Restaurant, Cork
9. Zadok Jaring
Why? Wearing a t-shirt with "You've met Zad!" on the front & running a Hell's Angels bar in the heart of the Red Light District in Amsterdam. The rest speaks for itself.
Bar: Excalibur, Amsterdam
10. Vainius Balcaitis
Why? He know everything about that spirit, everything about that jigger, everything about the stool you're sitting on & is all about them details.
Bar: Apoteka, Vilnius
11. Denzel Heath
Why? Ever seen 'Coyote Ugly'? Now wrap that in a Tiki-shirt, pump it full of tattoos & give it a bottle for laybacks.
Bar: Secret
12. Marian Beke
Why? Creativity has no borders in the mind of Marian with everything possible out there a combination he can use to make a cocktail that will blow your mind away from every direction.
Bar: The Gibson, London
13. Damien Guichard
Why? Sense of humour drier than a nuns vagina. Cant dance, has a weird moustache & is a Frenchman trying to convince the Germans he’s one of them. Hates any cocktails with nutmeg garnishes
Bar: Mr Susan, Berlin
14. Nikos Gartzolakis
Why? The “machine” of Baba Au Rum. The epitome of “humble & genuine service”
Bar: Baba Au Rum, Athens
15. Didier Van Den Broeck
Why? The worlds most infectious personality & equally a ticking time bomb of emotions. If a Zombie was a cocktail! The Duracell bunny has nothing on this guy.
Bar: Dogma, Antwerp
16. Maros Dzurus
Why? The “Terminator” of bartenders. 300 Cocktails in 10 minutes & make it look beautiful? Send in 'the' Maros!
Bar: Himkok, Oslo
17. Blaze Montana
Why? If a man could combine the term Jack-of-all-trades with crouching Tiger hidden Dragon. He can flair, he makes delicious drinks & is also a Ninja behind the bar. You think you need something, turns out you already have it!
Bar: Front & Cooper, Santa Cruz
18. Marco Corallo
Why? Sade described him best “Smooth Operator”. Calm, collected & with heart & soul that is genuinely open.
Bar: Caesar Palace, Dubai
19. Julian Short
Why? Reserved, polite yet genuine. He remembers all, respects all & everyone treats him the same way. Diplomat through & through!
Bar: Sin & Tax, Johannesburg
20. Evgeniy Shashin
Why? The co-creator of the "FIHULI" movement that started combining flair bartending & service in Eastern Europe. Don't ask him to pick up a shaker because he can do it a million ways.
Bar: Korobok, Moscow
21. Walid Merhi
Why? The worlds angriest bartender happens to also be one of the worlds best. Lightning fast on service, deadly delicious drinks & proudly Lebanese heritage.
Bar: Ferdinand, Beirut
22. Tata Kepler
Why? Crazy ginger hair, cigarette in the mouth, pouring beer & Laphroiag in a bar only open on Thursdays & Saturdays. Expect to be greeted with the worst swear words you know & leave with a smile on your face.
Bar: The bar that doesn't exist, Kiev
23. Denis Starodubtsev
Why? If your psychologist served beer, whiskey & cooked burgers. The mans man bartender who steals them from wives & keeps them in his Scottish pub.
Bar: William Lawsons, Almaty
24. William Pineapple
Why? The surname matches the job description. First you see his dreadlocks then the beer & shot in your hand. Can probably take you shot for shot!
Bar: Holiday Cocktail Lounge, New York City
25. Gabriele Sasnauskaite
Why? A voice like a mythological siren that keeps you sitting at her bar forever as you're entranced by her presence. Thank me later because I hope you've learned something
Bar: Artesian, London
26. Anton Martoplyas
Why? You don’t know him when you come into the bar? No worries the brute charisma will shoot through your eyeballs.
Bar: BarDuck, Minsk
27. Sunny Wray
Why? Knows more unique remixes than drinks, makes a banging vegan curry every Friday & only knows how to smile.
Bar: Betty Fords, Barcelona
28. Mario Farulla
Why? 50s Sunglasses, unicorns & blue drinks. Served with a tailor made suit & shoes with no socks. What’s not to love?
Bar: Baccano, Rome
29. Ran Van Ongevalle
Why? Dad jokes were created for this guy. A 50s movie star alive & well in the modern era. If a Golden Retriever & Stephen Hawking made a baby!
Bar: Artesian, London
30. Artem Peruk
Why? Opened the first mezcaleria is Russia semi-illegally, trained a generation of bartenders & happens to also be a better breakdancer than you. Just saying.
Bar: El Copitas, St. Petersburg
31. Julian Lopez
Why? Charlie Chaplin died & was reborn as a bartender. As a bartender he also happened to have one of the best techniques in the world.
Bar: Copperbay, Marseille
32. Michael Callahan
Why? The crab shake, the metrosexual connotations, the meditation before a shift & wherever you’re from he’ll tell you a better story about that place
Bar: Compound Collective, Singapore
33. Ben 'The Fierce' Tua
Why? The honey badger of bartenders because the honey badger doesn’t give a shit. If drunk can be found eating fried chicken in toilets. Does great camera voiceovers.
Bar: Library Nightclub, Perth (Australia)
33. Nikolay Kiselev
Why? Bottle of Mezcal in one hand, flashy apron & a unique 'Cheshire Cat' smile that makes this big man the daddy of the room.
Bar: El Copitas, St. Petersburg
33. Kuba Magnuszewski
Why? Mongoose bartender & undisputed champion of speed competitions. Also undisputed champion of Polish vodka. Your choice which to challenge him with!
Bar: Six Cocktails, Warsaw
33. Spaniard Bernabeu
Why? Is it the intense look, the chiseled demeanour or the precision & flair of a God? We don't know but we cant stop watching...
Bar: M.A.S.H Penthouse