Kat Bailey, one of the general managers of the Tonga Hut (LA's oldest tiki bar), started mixing tropical drinks there in 2018 after years of slinging martinis alongside wanna be actors and crafting menus for karaoke bars. A lifelong Angeleno, Kat was going to the Tonga Hut years before she actually worked there, and was a huge fan of LA's 90s alt rock scene too, as her devotion to locals the Red Hot Chili Peppers demonstrates. Check out her Tonga mix here, because it truly had a bit of everything: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3yq2g5ZhdBgoWH8GsrMUbb?si=33be0f940e04448b

Nick Elam was deep into the world of tiki long before he was even old enough to drink - carving, painting, and even designing bar menus waiting for the day he could get behind the stick himself. He also learned to play several instruments, even becoming a pretty good surf guitarist on the way. Now he can be found at Huli Huli Tiki Lounge in Powell, Ohio, brainstorming new drink ideas with his bar team and educating his patrons on the wide category of rum. He made us a pretty surftastic (and more!) playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1uYMjOZqJ2a8TkPD4BudYc?si=5ff51443db254fcf

Maria Cabrero actually started bartending as a little girl... for her family! Now she is a co-owner of Cocomama Tiki Room in Cozumel, Mexico, one of several spots she currently or previously owned, including a beach front music venue. Coming from a house full of hosts and entertainers, you could say that bartending is in her blood, as was managing bands. She trained in Italy and brought that style of service back to Mexico, while immersing herself in classic tiki cocktail books so she could offer tropical drinks in her tropical paradise. Check out her Top 10(ish) playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/41S9I1sNeQvPt08cDRW1Lm?si=6726814066ae4898

Michael Stelzner made the pandemic move to Cincinnati and started working at Tiki Tiki Bang Bang. Now he owns the place! A Bay Area kid born with a love of tiki culture and music, he worshipped the Beatles just as much as My Chemical Romance and his parents took him to legendary SF tiki bars as soon as he was legal. He did a stint at Omaha's Laka Lono Rum Club as well as a spot in Lincoln considered for a James Beard award, which made him put aside playing in pop punk bands for a bit. He discusses bringing tiki back to Cincinnati, DJing emo nights, LGBTiki, and more on this episode. Check out his playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4X9NuxAxDZ20ENEHJEBNsB?si=47a19a37578749a5

Nikki Schultz of Los Angeles' Thunderbolt has found synergy in making music, crafting cocktails, and activism, which all have taught her lessons in how to give herself and others emotional space. (A revelatory stint in the funeral arrangement industry brought similar wisdom.) From her start in Minneapolis dive bars and music venues to a period creating drinks in a changing Seattle, she found herself arriving in LA to not only see what it could offer her, but what she could offer it. Turns out becoming part of an award winning bar team was just the beginning. Check out her playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3gokXIdRcj6SKdfQqhLfeR?si=5cb8772588634c3e

LyAnna Sanabria is the beverage director and co-founder of the first Puerto Rican bar & restaurant in Maine: Portland's Papi. We chat about the challenge of educating people about her culture and the ingredients that come with it, playing Nick Drake in a dive bar, and how her love of Chris Cornell touches a lot of what she does. Check out the music you'd here if you went for a ride with her on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6nnEVeQMowEGDFQszeCZn3?si=a2b0f2c0356a4d01

Thomas Moore IV started out chasing $1 tips at the Superdome, and now leads the drink program at the Elysian Bar in New Orleans. Part of the Turning Tables program (which gives opportunities to black and brown bartenders), he graduated from churning out beers to becoming a mentor as well as a competitive (and winning!) bartender. He also makes his own personal soundtracks which inspire his cocktail creations - the latter of which have won notice from Tales of the Cocktail for the Elysian Bar. Check out his Bartender's Menu Mix here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/498TMPLVScvHxebPR4qUBR?si=3675a845158f4784

Claire Swenson was a regular at iconic Minneapolis dive bar and music venue Palmers and eventually wound up on the other side, serving drinks to patrons who considered her "the new guy" for several years. Claire does online radio shows (sometimes from Palmers), plays the rubber chicken in a band, and dishes on proper dive bar etiquette (on both sides of the bar) while also teaching us about the weirder side of music. Check out her special l'il music mix for us here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/56mFLfMnJVKOBWehbEPPc7?si=9b4674a87f7d49cd