David Kaplan
Co-Founder, Death & Co · CEO, Gin & Luck
Seattle
Death & Co, and the book that reshaped the craft.
MixBurgh 2026: Shaking things up in Pittsburgh
The MixBurgh Conference
November 8 to 10, 2026
Downtown Pittsburgh
Three days of craft, business, and culture for Pittsburgh and every bar within a day's drive of the Paris of Appalachia. The birthplace of the speakeasy, home of the original whiskey rebels, and the place the craft comes back together.
For bartenders, bar owners, distillers, and the teams who run the room.
About MixBurgh
MixBurgh is a nonprofit collective. We work to raise the floor for workers and small businesses while raising the ceiling of education and recognition across the industry, in Pittsburgh and throughout the region. We are supported by Visit Pittsburgh, the City of Pittsburgh, and the collaborative effort of more than 30 bars.
Why MixBurgh
MixBurgh is a straightforward invitation. Meet, learn from, and share a drink with some of the most accomplished people in cocktails, in a city quickly earning its place on the world's cocktail map. Education first, peers in the room, and talent that travels here from around the world.
i.
Learn from the best
Seminars and panels with leading bartenders, distillers, and writers from around the world. Technique, menu, service, and the business of a bar program that lasts.
ii.
Taste widely
A dedicated tasting room with visiting distillers and blind flights. Spirits you cannot get poured for you at home, side by side, with the people who make them.
iii.
Build your bench
Bring three or four from your bar and develop the whole team at once. Trade shifts and ideas with peers from across the country. Go home sharper.
Speakers
The biggest names and thought leaders in the craft come to Pittsburgh for three days, on stage and behind the bar. A world-class cocktail conference, a short drive from home.
Tato Giovannoni
Owner, Florería Atlántico
Buenos Aires · Washington DC
South America's most celebrated bar, now pouring in Georgetown as well. World's Best Bartender, 2020.
Lance Winters
Master Distiller, St. George Spirits
Alameda, California
The distiller behind St. George's cult bottles.
Camper English
Writer & Educator, Alcademics
San Francisco
The writer who gave the world clear ice.
Robert Simonson
Cocktail Writer, The New York Times
Milwaukee
Author of A Proper Drink, and a leading historian of the craft.
Mary Kate Murray
Managing Editor & Photographer, The Mix
Milwaukee
The editor and photographer behind The Mix.
Everyone on the program
Adam Henry
Co-Owner and Cocktail Director, Hidden Harbor
Pittsburgh
Allison Harnden
Nighttime Economy Manager, City of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Andrew Volk
Co-Owner, Portland Hunt + Alpine Club
Portland, ME
Angela Santucci
Content creator, Sip With Angela
Pittsburgh
Ann Walczak
Food and Beverage Journalist, Nashville
Nashville
Arum Krause
Chief Mixologist, Space Bar
Pittsburgh
Camper English
Writer and educator, Alcademics
San Francisco
Christian Kahle
Co-Owner, Lucky Sign Spirits
Millvale and Gibsonia, PA
Dale Vaughn
Founder, MixBurgh Foundation
Pittsburgh
Daniel Conlon
Co-Chair, Hospitality Group, Tucker Arensberg
Pittsburgh
David Kaplan
CEO, Gin & Luck; Founder, Death & Co
New York
Elaine Zedack
Culinary Tourism Lead, VisitPITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh
Elizabeth Menzel
Co-Owner, Space Bar
Pittsburgh
Eva Kobylar
Bartender, Portland Hunt + Alpine Club
Portland, ME
Garret Richard
Chief Cocktail Officer, Sunken Harbor Club
Brooklyn
Jeremy and Angie Jones
Founders, Discover the Burgh
Pittsburgh
Jim Hough
Co-Founder, Liberty Pole Spirits
Washington, PA
Lance Winters
Master Distiller, St. George Spirits
Alameda, CA
Mary Kate Murray
Managing Editor, The Mix
Milwaukee
Massimo Zitti
Founder, Mother
Toronto
Matt Strickland
Master Distiller, Iron City Distilling
Creighton, PA
Mel Babitz
Founder, The Open Road
Pittsburgh
Meredith Boyle
Co-Owner, Balvanera
Pittsburgh
Noah Livingston
Bar Lead, Fig & Ash
Pittsburgh
Phil Ward
Bartender, The Long Island Bar
Brooklyn
Raheem Manning
Director, Nighttime Economy, City of Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Rob Hough
Co-Founder, Liberty Pole Spirits
Washington, PA
Robert Simonson
Cocktail writer, The New York Times
New York
Spencer Warren
Owner, The Warren Bar & Burrow
Pittsburgh
St. John Frizell
Partner, Gage & Tollner and Sunken Harbor Club
Brooklyn
Stefan Was
Founder, Porco Lounge & Tiki Room
Cleveland
Tato Giovannoni
Owner and head bartender, Florería Atlántico
Buenos Aires
Will Groves
Co-Owner, Second Story Spirits
Pittsburgh
The roster keeps growing. More names through the fall.
By the Numbers
The people on the 2026 program, counted: where they come from, what they run, and the honors they carry.
On the 2026 program
$80M
in estimated annual revenue
Combined annual revenue of the bars, restaurants, and drinks producers our speakers own, lead, or work for.
Estimate. Range: $60 million to $110 million.
53%
from the Pittsburgh region
18 of 34 speakers. The other 16 will travel from cities including Buenos Aires, Toronto, New York, San Francisco, and Milwaukee.
32%
women
11 of 34 speakers.
94
James Beard, Spirited Awards, and 50 Best honors
11 awards, 23 rankings, and 60 finalist, nominee, semifinalist, and regional honors for our speakers, their venues, and their books.
14James Beard Foundation
- 1 award
- 8 nominations
- 5 semifinalist honors
Book of the Year, 2019
Cocktail Codex, co-written by David Kaplan
Three nominations, 2018 to 2020
Lance Winters, St. George Spirits
Outstanding Bar Program semifinalist, 2015 and 2017
The Portland Hunt + Alpine Club, Andrew Volk
54Spirited Awards
- 7 awards
- 19 top-four finalists
- 11 top-10 nominees
- 17 regional top-10 honorees
Best American Cocktail Bar, 2010
Death & Co, David Kaplan
Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer, 2019
Robert Simonson
Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book, 2024
The Ice Book, Camper English
2650 Best
- 16 rankings on The World's 50 Best Bars
- 7 rankings on North America's 50 Best Bars
- 3 special awards
No. 3 on The World's 50 Best Bars, 2019
Florería Atlántico, Tato Giovannoni
Altos Bartenders' Bartender, 2020
Tato Giovannoni
No. 22 on North America's 50 Best Bars, 2026
Mother, Massimo Zitti
Not counted above: a Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame induction for Lance Winters, two IACP Awards for Robert Simonson, one shared with Mary Kate Murray, and two VinePair Next Wave Awards for Garret Richard and Gage & Tollner. Counts cover the speakers announced to date. An honor counts when it belongs to a speaker, to a business the speaker owns or leads today, or to a book the speaker wrote.
Guest Shifts
For one night, a visiting team takes a well at a Pittsburgh bar. Six rooms are booked to travel in.
Floreria Atlantico
Buenos Aires
No. 3 on The World's 50 Best Bars, and Best Bar in South America eight times over. Owner Tato Giovannoni took the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award, the one his peers vote on.
Long Island Bar
Brooklyn
Pittsburgh-born Phil Ward pours. He came up through Pegu Club and Death & Co, created the Oaxaca Old-Fashioned, and opened Mayahuel, winner of the Spirited Award for World's Best New Cocktail Bar.
Sunken Harbor Club
Brooklyn
Garret Richard runs the bar, VinePair's Next Wave Bartender of the Year and co-author of Tropical Standard. Time Out ranks the room No. 3 among the best bars in New York.
Mother
Toronto
No. 22 on North America's 50 Best Bars, built on house ferments from its own cellar. Massimo Zitti, World Class Canada Bartender of the Year, leads it.
Porco Lounge and Tiki Room
Cleveland
A seven-time Spirited Awards Regional Top 10 honoree, and the first tiki bar Cleveland had seen since the Kon-Tiki closed in 1976.
The Portland Hunt + Alpine Club
Portland, Maine
A two-time James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program. Owner Andrew Volk co-wrote the book on it, Northern Hospitality.
Stay tuned as we announce more.
Program
Programming runs across four parallel tracks, so your team can split up, cover more ground, and compare notes over a drink. Open any day for the sessions as they stand.
Behind the Bar
Technique, hospitality, and the craft of the shift.
Business of Bars
Ownership, economics, and models that keep neighborhoods served.
Culture & the Future
Where the craft is heading and who it serves.
Distillers & Spirits
Production and provenance, led from the still.
SundayNovember 8
6:00 PM
Kickoff rooftop party at Sienna Mercato
Presented by Bessemer, 6 to 8 p.m.
Before the kickoff
Acacia
hosting Lance Winters, St. George Spirits
Guest shift, from 8 p.m.
Bar Botanico
hosting Massimo Zitti, Mother, Toronto
MondayNovember 9
Behind the Bar
Space Bar
22 Market Square
Business of Bars
Expansive
606 Liberty Ave, 7th floor
Culture & the Future
Peirce Studio
805 Liberty Ave
Distillers & Spirits
Liberty Magic
811 Liberty Ave
10:00 AM
Wellness warmups
Peirce Studio
10:30 AM
Behind the Bar
Behind the Bar with Tato Giovannoni
Florería Atlántico, Buenos Aires
Storytelling through drinks
Business of Bars
So you want to start a bar or restaurant? Launching your dream business
Meredith Boyle, Daniel Conlon, Dale Vaughn
Culture & the Future
The evolution of whiskey
Robert Simonson, Jim Hough, Matt Strickland, Lance Winters
Distillers & Spirits
12:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM
Behind the Bar
Behind the Bar with Massimo Zitti
Mother, Toronto
Fermentation in cocktails
Business of Bars
Leveraging your local destination management
A VisitPITTSBURGH panel with Elaine Zedack, the Laurel Highlands, and Butler County
Culture & the Future
Fireside
Mary Kate Murray, Camper English
Distillers & Spirits
Ready to drink
Christian Kahle, Will Groves
2:30 PM
Behind the Bar
Behind the Bar with Garret Richard
Sunken Harbor Club, Brooklyn
Business of Bars
Marketing: curating trust
Discover the Burgh, Sip With Angela, Ann Walczak
Culture & the Future
Vibe design: interiors, furniture, music, lighting, glassware, and service
Elizabeth Menzel, Julia Petiprin
Distillers & Spirits
Non-alcoholic spirits
Mel Babitz, Will Groves
4:00 PM
Behind the Bar
Behind the Bar with Arum Krause
Space Bar
From kitchen to glass
Business of Bars
So you want to start another bar? When to expand, sell, or partner
Andrew Volk, Adam Henry, St. John Frizell
Culture & the Future
Distillers & Spirits
Unconventional distilling
Lance Winters
5:00 PM
Happy hours around town
5 to 7 p.m.
8:00 PM
MixBurgh Night Out in the Strip District
With Molly's Trolleys
Guest shift
Balvanera
hosting Tato Giovannoni, Florería Atlántico
TuesdayNovember 10
Behind the Bar
Space Bar
22 Market Square
Business of Bars
Expansive
606 Liberty Ave, 7th floor
Culture & the Future
Peirce Studio
805 Liberty Ave
Distillers & Spirits
Liberty Magic
811 Liberty Ave
10:00 AM
Wellness warmups
Peirce Studio
10:30 AM
Behind the Bar
Behind the Bar with Camper English
Alcademics
Soda water science and whiskey highball workshop
Business of Bars
How to make it in cool second and third tier cities
Andrew Volk
Culture & the Future
Tiki Modern
Stefan Was, Adam Henry
Distillers & Spirits
12:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM
Behind the Bar
The future of cocktails
Mary Kate Murray, Eva Kobylar, Noah Livingston, Arum Krause
Business of Bars
Culture & the Future
Finding money: grants, community investment, loans, and creative capital
Dale Vaughn, David Kaplan, St. John Frizell
Distillers & Spirits
The future of distilling: a distillers roundtable
Lance Winters, Christian Kahle, Matt Strickland, Rob Hough, Will Groves
2:30 PM
Behind the Bar
Business of Bars
Engaging the civic layer: grants, marketing, and partnership
Allison Harnden, Raheem Manning
Culture & the Future
Bars and the written word
Robert Simonson, Mary Kate Murray, Camper English, David Kaplan
Distillers & Spirits
Flavor versus taste: the chemistry of yummy and gross
Christian Kahle, Rodrigo Nincao
4:00 PM
Closing keynote
David Kaplan and Dale Vaughn · Peirce Studio
6:00 PM
Taste of MixBurgh Gala
Heinz Hall, 6 to 9 p.m.
8:00 PM
Space Bar
hosting The Portland Hunt + Alpine Club, Portland, Maine
Downtown
Spork Island Trading Company
hosting Phil Ward, The Long Island Bar, Brooklyn
Downtown
The Warren Bar & Burrow
hosting Lance Winters, St. George Spirits
Downtown
Hidden Harbor
hosting Garret Richard, Sunken Harbor Club, Brooklyn
Squirrel Hill
Sessions run 75 minutes with 15 minutes between to move rooms. Sessions may shift before November.
The Footprint of MixBurgh
Five venues downtown in the Cultural District, three tenths of a mile from the first door to the last. Every track, the hotel, and the closing all sit inside one walk.
Heinz Hall closes the week, two blocks from the last room.
Tickets
One ticket covers both days of programming and the Taste of MixBurgh at Heinz Hall. Bring your team and the math gets a lot better.
Most popular
Conference Pass
$149
Both full days, and the closing night.
- Both days of programming
- Every track: seminars, panels, tastings
- Access to the distiller tasting room
- Taste of MixBurgh at Heinz Hall
Limited
VIP Pass
$275
The full run, front row.
- Everything in the Conference Pass
- Opening night reception
- Reserved seating at marquee sessions
- Limited-seat masterclasses
- Priority entry to limited-seat tastings
- VIP lounge and concierge
For Bar Programs
Bring your bar. The fourth seat is on us.
Buy four Conference Passes and pay for three. Develop the whole team at once, and let the people who pour every night learn together.
4 passes for $447You save $149. The discount applies automatically at checkout.
Get the Bar Team Pass
Every conference ticket includes the Taste of MixBurgh at Heinz Hall on Tuesday night. Attendees must be 21 or older for any session with alcohol service. Responsible service in compliance with Pennsylvania law.
Sponsorship
Learn more
Sponsorships still available from $1,000.
Levels run from a single guest shift to naming rights on opening and closing night.
In the Press
The industry is watching Pittsburgh.
VinePair covered Pittsburgh's push to put itself on the cocktail map. The work behind MixBurgh and Space Bar has drawn national coverage from the rooms that set the conversation.
Questions
Is this really built for working bartenders?
Yes. The conference is designed for bartenders, bar owners, distillers, producers, and writers who want programming that meets them at the level of the work they do. Serious enthusiasts are welcome too.
Can I bring my whole team?
That is the idea. The Bar Team Pass gives you four Conference Passes for the price of three. For larger crews, reach out and we will sort out a rate that works.
Where is it, and what about the rest of the week?
The conference runs November 8 to 10 in Downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District. It opens Sunday evening at Sienna Mercato, runs two full days of programming on Monday and Tuesday, November 9 and 10, with evenings out at top bars across the city, and closes with the Taste of MixBurgh Gala at Heinz Hall on Tuesday, November 10.
How do I get there, and where should I stay?
Pittsburgh International Airport is a short ride from downtown, and the conference sits in the Cultural District. The Fairmont Pittsburgh is the official hotel of MixBurgh and sits in the middle of the conference footprint. We also recommend the Atterbury. Both are downtown, walking distance to every venue.