Elevate Your Bar: Expert Cocktail Consulting & Services

A woman with red and pink hair pouring Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey into two shot glasses at a bar.

Bar systems that serve well and sell well

How Can I Help You?

A creamy yellow cocktail in a stemmed glass garnished with a chocolate cigar and a small green plastic fork on top.

Looking to enhance your bar's offerings?

A woman with purple hair and a black cap, wearing a dark shirt and brown apron, stands behind a table with a large ice bucket and small cups of citrus drinks, smiling at the camera.

Planning a special event?

A woman in a lemon-printed dress pours whiskey from a bottle into a glass on a bar counter.

Want to deepen your team's knowledge?

Meet Your Cocktail Expert

With nearly two decades behind the bar, I build bar programs and service systems that work in real rooms, on real nights. I help bars tighten execution, train teams, and create revenue through smart standards and events. I also produce bartender training manuals, PDFs, and atmosphere playlists built for professional service.

Learn more
A woman with purple hair, wearing a flower in her hair and an earring, smiling widely. She has a tattoo on her arm and is holding a yellow apple. The text next to her says "Meet Margie."

Get in Touch

Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Follow us on social

Holiday highballs deserve structure not chaos. This is one of the builds from my winter playbook work and it follows the same system I use behind the bar for every seasonal menu shift. Clean flavors, clear prep, zero wasted motion. If you want your
Holiday highballs deserve structure not chaos. This is one of the builds from my winter playbook work and it follows the same system I use behind the bar for every seasonal menu shift. Clean flavors, clear prep, zero wasted motion. If you want your own holiday hosting to feel like this instead of a panic spiral my full Thanksgiving system is in the link in my bio. Timelines. Prep lists. Zero proof builds. The actual framework I use every year. #holidaycocktails #craftcocktails #bartenderlife #cocktailrecipes #homebartender #seasonalcocktails #winterspritz #njbartender #mmaakcocktail
Holiday chaos is optional. I built a full system that runs Thanksgiving like a service shift. The timelines, the prep lists, the bar setup, the zero proof builds. It’s the way I host at home and the way I teach bartenders to work clean under pressure. The full system is linked in my bio. #holidayhosting #holidayprep #mmaakcocktail #thanksgivingprep #njbartenders #hostlikeapro #holidaycocktails #seasonalsystems #zeroproofideas
Small Business Saturday at Gioia Mia looked a little different this year. We ran a three drink zero proof holiday menu and guests actually got excited about the non alcoholic options. Birthdays, anniversaries and pre show dinners all ended up with so
Small Business Saturday at Gioia Mia looked a little different this year. We ran a three drink zero proof holiday menu and guests actually got excited about the non alcoholic options. Birthdays, anniversaries and pre show dinners all ended up with something festive in their glass. Orchard Hearth Spritz Fireside Fig Fizz Midnight Ember Espresso All built to feel like real cocktails and all pulled straight from the way I think about holiday flavor in Host Like A Pro. If you want this level of attention on your next event or menu, you know where to find me. #montclairnj #montclairfood #gioiamia #holidaymocktails #zeroproof #nonalcoholicdrinks #ritualzeroproof #holidaymenu #njrestaurants #bartenderlife #mmaakcocktail #hostlikeapro #holidayentertaining #mocktailideas
Ran a three drink zero proof holiday menu at Gioia Mia for Small Business Saturday. Big mix of guests all night birthdays, anniversaries, pre show crowds, and the people who just wanted something seasonal without alcohol. The holiday flavors hit hard and the orders kept coming. I had the book with me and ended up talking through a lot of the techniques and ideas behind the menu. Exactly the kind of night that shows what thoughtful flavor work can do for a room. If you want this level of execution at your place, you know how to reach me. #zeroproofcocktails #holidaydrinks #njrestaurants #mocktailmenu #holidayseason #bartenderlife #njfoodie #craftcocktails #nonalcoholic #smallbusinesssaturday #holidaypopup #christmascocktails #wintermenu #ritualzeroproof
Thanksgiving is my Super Bowl. This is the one day I’m fully in my element, running the kitchen, calling the plays, and getting a full table to land hot at the same time. The bird hit its marks, the sides were tight, dessert vanished, and the n
Thanksgiving is my Super Bowl. This is the one day I’m fully in my element, running the kitchen, calling the plays, and getting a full table to land hot at the same time. The bird hit its marks, the sides were tight, dessert vanished, and the night ended the way a good holiday should: people fed, glasses full, and the room still warm after the oven shuts off. #MMaakCocktail #ThanksgivingService #HolidayTable #CraftCooking #KitchenCommand #NJFoodScene #BehindTheLine #HolidayExecution #HostLikeAPro #SaltAndPepper TurkeyDay #SwampMartini
Green Bean Casserole is the unsung hero of my Thanksgiving table. I use a from-scratch mushroom base with thyme and heavy cream, then finish it with fried onions right before service. Prep makes Thanksgiving smooth. #mmaakcocktail #thanksgivingrecipe
Green Bean Casserole is the unsung hero of my Thanksgiving table. I use a from-scratch mushroom base with thyme and heavy cream, then finish it with fried onions right before service. Prep makes Thanksgiving smooth. #mmaakcocktail #thanksgivingrecipes #hostlikeapro #thanksgivingdinner #chefathome #homecook #miseenplace #holidaycooking
It’s the turkey brine you wish you started yesterday. I learned this one from Larry Piaskowy on a Wild Turkey training back in the day. I’ve been brining my birds for years but Larry made it turkey inception. Wild Turkey 101 plus herbs plus heat equals the juiciest bird you’ll ever carve. This is the only way I cook Thanksgiving. #thanksgivingrecipes #thanksgivingprep #turkeybrine #wildturkey #wildturkey101 #homecooking #thanksgivingdinner #holidaycooking #mmaakcocktail #njbartender #holidayhost #hostlikeapro #cookingtips
Chocolate bourbon pot de creme. Thick. Silky. No drama. This year it’s dairy free with oat milk and coconut cream because I’m a bartender and Thanksgiving is about adapting to the moment. Using Wild Turkey again because I always do. It b
Chocolate bourbon pot de creme. Thick. Silky. No drama. This year it’s dairy free with oat milk and coconut cream because I’m a bartender and Thanksgiving is about adapting to the moment. Using Wild Turkey again because I always do. It belongs in my Thanksgiving just as much as herbs and heat. #potdecreme #bourbondessert #holidaydesserts #thanksgivingdessert #wildturkey #mmaakcocktail #thanksgiving2025 #dairyfreeholiday
Aromatics tell the truth long before the turkey hits the brine. Coriander, cumin, rosemary, sage, thyme, peppercorn, onion. Heat unlocks everything. Thanks again to ChefBarkeep for the original Lock in the Love brine that inspired this whole system.
Aromatics tell the truth long before the turkey hits the brine. Coriander, cumin, rosemary, sage, thyme, peppercorn, onion. Heat unlocks everything. Thanks again to ChefBarkeep for the original Lock in the Love brine that inspired this whole system. Wild Turkey forever. #thanksgivingbrine #holidayprep #chefbarkeep #wildturkey101 #kitchenprep #thanksgiving2025 #hostlikeapro #cookingathome #mmaakcocktail
The first time I fell for Wild Turkey wasn’t behind a bar. It was in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, under a canvas tent, glamping with the Russell family for the Behind the Barrel program. That trip rewired me. When Larry Piaskowy demoed his Lock in
The first time I fell for Wild Turkey wasn’t behind a bar. It was in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, under a canvas tent, glamping with the Russell family for the Behind the Barrel program. That trip rewired me. When Larry Piaskowy demoed his Lock in the Love brine on a virtual Wild Turkey training years later, I finally understood what turkey should taste like. Moisture from Larry. Crisp from Alton Brown’s blast roast. I’d already been brining birds, but this combo turned Thanksgiving into turkey inception. Gratitude to Larry Piaskowy aka ChefBarkeep for teaching me the ratios. Gratitude to Wild Turkey for the whiskey that anchors it. Gratitude for every host and bartender who knows prep is the real holiday shift. #thanksgivingprep #bourbonbrine #wildturkey101 #turkeyseason #homecooking #holidayprep #hostlikeapro #mmaakcocktail #thanksgivingrecipes #wildturkey #kitchentips #thanksgiving2025
Holiday highballs deserve structure not chaos. This is one of the builds from my winter playbook work and it follows the same system I use behind the bar for every seasonal menu shift. Clean flavors, clear prep, zero wasted motion. If you want your
Holiday chaos is optional. I built a full system that runs Thanksgiving like a service shift. The timelines, the prep lists, the bar setup, the zero proof builds. It’s the way I host at home and the way I teach bartenders to work clean under pr
Small Business Saturday at Gioia Mia looked a little different this year. We ran a three drink zero proof holiday menu and guests actually got excited about the non alcoholic options. Birthdays, anniversaries and pre show dinners all ended up with so
Ran a three drink zero proof holiday menu at Gioia Mia for Small Business Saturday. Big mix of guests all night birthdays, anniversaries, pre show crowds, and the people who just wanted something seasonal without alcohol. The holiday flavors hit hard
Thanksgiving is my Super Bowl. This is the one day I’m fully in my element, running the kitchen, calling the plays, and getting a full table to land hot at the same time. The bird hit its marks, the sides were tight, dessert vanished, and the n Green Bean Casserole is the unsung hero of my Thanksgiving table. I use a from-scratch mushroom base with thyme and heavy cream, then finish it with fried onions right before service. Prep makes Thanksgiving smooth. #mmaakcocktail #thanksgivingrecipe
It’s the turkey brine you wish you started yesterday. I learned this one from Larry Piaskowy on a Wild Turkey training back in the day. I’ve been brining my birds for years but Larry made it turkey inception. Wild Turkey 101 plus herbs pl
Chocolate bourbon pot de creme. Thick. Silky. No drama. This year it’s dairy free with oat milk and coconut cream because I’m a bartender and Thanksgiving is about adapting to the moment. Using Wild Turkey again because I always do. It b Aromatics tell the truth long before the turkey hits the brine. Coriander, cumin, rosemary, sage, thyme, peppercorn, onion. Heat unlocks everything. Thanks again to ChefBarkeep for the original Lock in the Love brine that inspired this whole system. The first time I fell for Wild Turkey wasn’t behind a bar. It was in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, under a canvas tent, glamping with the Russell family for the Behind the Barrel program. That trip rewired me. When Larry Piaskowy demoed his Lock in