Matt Pietrek

Matt Pietrek began his cocktail wonkery in 2007 with a modest home bar that soon grew out of control. Pietrek excels at making complex topics accessible and fun. From the chemistry of fermentation to spirit regulations, from cocktail recipes to rum history, he casts a wide net over little known and overlooked topics. Penning works for books, magazines, and his CocktailWonk.com site, Pietrek was named a finalist for Best Cocktail & Spirits Writer at the 2018 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, as well as Saveur magazine's Best Drinks Blog. Rum is a particular passion, and he serves as the Community Envoy for the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association. With his wife, Carrie, he recently published Minimalist Tiki: A Cocktail Wonk Look at Classic Libations and the Modern Tiki Vanguard, as well as a book about the history of British rum. Now based in New Orleans, he can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @cocktailwonk, or maybe on the barstool next to you.