S2 Finale - Episode 24 of The Cocktail Guru, Part 2

Alexandre Gabriel was born and raised in France, on a farm in southern Burgundy, where his grandfather taught him how to make wine and distill spirits. In 1989, Alexandre came upon an old Cognac house and built it into what is known today as Maison Ferrand, in the heart of the Grande Champagne region of Cognac. Through his passion and vision, Alexandre turned the small Cognac House into one of the greatest specialists of artisanal spirits today, producing an award-winning portfolio – Ferrand Cognac, Ferrand Dry Curacao, Citadelle Gin, Canerock Spiced Rum, Plantation Rum, and Mathilde Liqueurs. Maison Ferrand also owns West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) in Bridgetown, Barbados, which has produced rum continually since the 19th century. Of the spirits he produces, Alexandre says he thinks of them as “gastronomic paintings,” and to him they are not merely products but the perfect embodiment of history, emotions and experience.

Industry professional for more than 40 years, with experience as a supplier and distributor. John has been a worldwide spirits educator, Founding Director of the USBG Master Accreditation program, o0-author of the USBG Barenders Compendium, Inductee to the Keepers of the Quaich International Scotch Society, Celebrity Chef appearing at food and wine festivals, cooking and hospitality schools, EPCOT and more - cooking with Rum! Leading the Don Q Rum commercial business in the US!

Jacki Schromm is the Regional Spirits Portfolio Ambassador for Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits for the Central U.S. region. She is currently based in Houston, TX by way of Boston, MA. With over 17 years experience working in the hospitality industry, Jacki prides herself on her extensive spirit and cocktail knowledge and passion to share that knowledge with others. Jacki is affiliated with many top tier cocktail programs and competitions, such as Anvil Bar & Refuge and Speed Rack. Her passion for the hospitality shines through every thing she does and hopes to bring joy to those around her!

Originally hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, and currently residing in Lexington, Kentucky, Alan Kennedy has a deep passion for whiskey-making that stems from an extensive career in the culinary, hospitality, and wine and spirits industries. Alan’s journey began in culinary school where he trained as a classical pastry chef and became a certified sommelier, which he credits for building the foundation of his technical expertise.
Alan then moved to the rolling hills of Kentucky, where he has spent most of his career working in whiskey. Training under revered distillers and blenders as he rose through the ranks, Alan gained a vast array of experience, mastering everything from hand picking the grains, to filling and rolling barrels, to learning the meticulous art of blending. As he continued to hone his craft, Alan discovered it wasn’t just the science of whiskey-making that intrigued him, but also the sensorial artistry, and he began to focus on creating whiskeys that had “soul.” Relying on his senses – the feeling one gets on a hot summer day, or the memory a certain scent evokes – Alan has cultivated his own unique whiskey-making style, blending from the heart to create whiskeys that recall a memory or feeling and sharing them with the world.

Today, as the Master Blender for Redemption’s line of bold, rye-forward whiskeys, Alan is dedicated to ensuring that every sip delivers the highest quality and maximum flavor, as well as bringing new and innovative sensorial releases to fans that take inspiration from the past, while reimaging rye for today.

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The House of Angostura’s® Global Brand Ambassador program lies within the purview of Raymond Edwards, the former Chief Mixologist and current Chief Brand Educator for the House of Angostura®. Raymond, once a professional footballer before becoming a bartender, strongly believes in the potential of the distillery – the only one of its kind in T&T. The history of Angostura®, with the legacy of the Siegert family, founders and creators of Angostura® aromatic bitters, colliding with that of the influential rum-producing Fernandes family, is an incredible one. What started as a simple medicinal concoction in the town once called Angostura in Venezuela, created by Dr Johann Siegert, has now spawned a global spirits brand. Today, the distillery offers Angostura® orange bitters, Amaro di Angostura® (an Italian liqueur), a rum for every palate and pocket, and Angostura Lemon Lime and Bitters® in the ready-to-drink non-alcoholic segment – all under the House of Angostura®.

Raymond’s role is to have that history, story and impressive product array, play in the minds of customers around the world – through the central role of the House of Angostura® Ambassadors. “Our Global Ambassadors are the eyes and ears of the House of Angostura®. They decode and distil this knowledge of the brand to thinkers and discerning drinkers. Our legacy has been built on Angostura® aromatic bitters, but we also have some of the most awarded and well-respected rums. These rums are part of the central story of our own lives – from celebrations to losses. Rums that range from Legacy – once the … Read More

Ninth generation family member Lisa Laird Dunn is President and Global Ambassador of Laird & Company, distillers of Laird’s Applejack since 1780. Lisa is the public face of the company, visiting markets across the world to support Laird & Company accounts, representing the brand at trade shows, and organizing tastings, events, and Master Classes. She also champions the company’s spirits among craft bartenders across the U.S. and globally. In no small part, Lisa, who joined the company three decades ago, is responsible for supporting the resurgence of Apple Brandy and Applejack, America’s oldest spirit, in the contemporary craft cocktail scene.

Lisa sits on Laird & Company’s Board of Directors, serves as company spokesperson and is the collector and protector of its centuries of company history. Over the course of three decades, she learned the ropes and worked her way up the ranks. Her deep immersion in production, quality control, accounting, sales, and marketing, as well as product and package development, instilled in Lisa a profound understanding of the entire company.

Along the way, Lisa broke new ground for women in the traditionally male-dominated spirits industry. In recognition of her overcoming many obstacles and serving as a mentor to others, Lisa was honored with the Dame Hall of Fame’s “Pioneer Award” at 2014 Tales of the Cocktail.

Global Brand Ambassador. Entrepreneur. Bartender Extraordinaire, Daniyel Jones has represented the House of Angostura® around the world for the past ten years. He’s crisscrossed the globe from Moscow to San Francisco, Tel Aviv to Argentina, Shanghai to Australia, a combination of over 95 countries and cities globally sharing the beauty of Angostura’s iconic Bitters, Rums and its award-winning Amaro Di Angostura®.
A Spirited Awards Top 4 Nominee for Best International Brand Ambassador in 2023, 2022, 2020, nominated in the Top 10 for 2019 & 2018. Daniyel has worked side by side with industry greats many of today’s current leading industry persons. Appearing in the world’s best bars and having features in a multitude of media publications.
“Growing up with the brands from childhood, I represent The House of Angostura and the Caribbean with such pride and love,” says Daniyel, “There is simply no replacement for Angostura!”
A successful entrepreneur, having operated his own Professional Bar Service Company for six years. Daniyel is a Certified Digital & Social Selling Specialist and is currently pursuing MBA Digital Marketing in Paris, France. “The bar industry relies on education,” he says, “There are new emerging brands every day and they all require the role of industry leaders to share knowledge.”
His personal motto:
“Let your work and reputation be defined by a standard of Excellence.”