About this Event
MixBurgh Conference 2026
The world's biggest and best thought leaders in craft cocktails and spirits are coming to Pittsburgh.
This event is built for working bartenders, bar owners, distillers, producers, and the writers who cover them. Education first, peers in the room, with talent from around the world. Guest shifts from bars like: Sunken Harbor, Floreria Atlantico, Mother, Porco Lounge, Portland Hunt and Alpine Club, and more!
Meet the best in the craft
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.
Taste widely. A dedicated tasting room with visiting distillers and blind flights. Spirits you can't get poured at home, side by side, with the people who make them.
Build your bench. Bring three or four from your bar and develop the whole team at once. Share ideas with peers from across the country. Go home sharper.
Guest Speakers and Bartenders
- David Kaplan, Co-Founder of Death & Co and CEO of Gin & Luck (Seattle)
- Tato Giovannoni, Owner of Florería Atlántico (Buenos Aires)
- Lance Winters, Master Distiller of St. George Spirits (Alameda, California)
- Camper English, writer and educator at Alcademics (San Francisco)
- Robert Simonson, cocktail writer at The New York Times (Milwaukee)
- Mary Kate Murray, In the Mix (Milwaukee)
- Phil Ward, Death & Co, Mayahuel, Long Island Bar, (Brooklyn, NY)
- Garret Richard, Sunken Harbor, (Brooklyn, NY)
Full list available on our website, MixBurgh.org.
The program
Four parallel tracks of content are available so your team can split up, cover more ground, and compare notes. Feel free to bounce around, you're not locked in.
- Spirits & Distillery. Production from grain and agave to glass. Blind tastings, visiting distillers, and the technical sessions that change how you build a drink.
- Behind the Bar. The work itself. Technique, menu development, service, and the leadership that holds a program together through a busy Saturday.
- The Business of the Bar. What keeps the lights on. Hospitality, technology, margins, and the systems that turn a good bar into a program that pays its people well.
- The Future of Cocktails. Where craft cocktails go next, and what it takes to build a bar scene in a new city.
The Founding Class
MixBurgh is a 501(c)(3) co-op. We're in year one, and expect to grow. This first class will have the most access at the lowest price possible.
Your Conference Pass includes:
- All three days of programming
- Every track: seminars, panels, and tastings
- Access to the distiller tasting room
- First access to future MixBurgh tickets and events
Details
- Dates. November 8-10, 2026 (Sunday through Tuesday)
- Venue. Pittsburgh's Cultural District
- Ages. Attendees must be 21 or older for any session with alcohol service. Responsible service in compliance with Pennsylvania law.
A MixBurgh Foundation event, Pittsburgh's craft cocktail co-op, with support from Visit Pittsburgh.
Claim your pass below.
Event venue & nearby stays
Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, United States
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