You likely recognise Danil Nevsky from his witty Instagram account @cocktailman. He is the founder of Indie Bartender which is a website that contains a bunch of resources for bars and bartenders including a cocktail menu database and a bar industry calendar. He is also co-founder of Broken Bartender which sells all kinds of bar merch including the smallest cocktail shaker ever (which is on a necklace). In 2024 Dan won the Spirited Award for Best International Bar Mentor. He is a person who truly doesn’t stop moving and is always on the go, traveling the world doing not just educational seminars but also guest bartending shifts. We originally met Dan in 2024 while we were in Barcelona and most recently spent time with him again in Mexico City while we were all in town for Barra Mexico. Dan is the real deal. He says it like it is and we admire him for it.
Bartender Atlas: Danil, where were you born?
Danil Nevsky: I was born in Russia, half my family is Ukrainian. Yeah. Fun time. I’ve lived in six different countries. I’m a bit of a professional immigrant.
BA:Where do you work now?
DN: I work for myself. I’m lucky enough to work for myself. I have my own company.
BA: In what city?
DN: In Barcelona, Spain. My focus is bartender education. But I also talk a lot of shit online.
BA: What would you say your job title is?
DN: If I was corporate, I’d be like “the founder”. If I had to describe it in a way, I feel like in that film Everything Everywhere All At Once, I think that’s what I’m doing. I think that, whilst everyone tends to give me different labels, because you win an award, now you’re a “mentor”, which is bullshit. Or you’re an “influencer” if you’re getting hired for Instagram shit. Or you’re a “startender” if you do guest shifts. So, I don’t fucking know. I’m like one of those Eastern European generals with too many medals.
BA: Where do you go out to eat and drink?
DN: Like at home?
BA: Yeah, like in Barcelona.
DN: Honestly, I cook because I’m privileged enough to travel around the world and eat fabulously. That’s why I am 108 kilos and my BMI is way too high. When I’m home, generally I don’t go out simply because that feels like work. But if I would go anywhere, I’d probably end up at a place called El Xampanyet, which is like a Catalan old-school tapas place. One of the few that is still true to what it used to be as opposed to being a tourist hellhole.
BA: What do you do outside of this? Outside of booze? Outside of Instagram? What do you do as a hobby?
DN: So unfortunately, I think I’m a sociopath. I’m pretty much convinced that I have issues. And the reason is that I’m obsessed. Like, maybe it’s the Soviet Union hangover – they’re much more idealistic. So if it’s not looking for new flavours or cooking or whatever, there’s nothing else that interests me that’s not related to our industry. I think if there’s anything I can say beyond that is, I believe that bartending is like anthropology in action. And so I’m now getting worried that I might not be obsessed with bartending as much as I’m obsessed with anthropology. It’s just bartending seems to be the best medium to find that. Does that make sense?
BA: Yeah, oh, that makes so much sense.
BA: Who’s your favourite fictional bartender?
DN: I think everyone probably has the same answer. It’s from Cocktail. Oh, I know Tom Cruise. Yeah, I don’t remember what the name is.
BA: Is it Brian? Or is Brian the guy that trains him?
DN: I think Brian was the guy that trains him. Yeah, for me If you read the book, I don’t know if you’ve read the book…
BA: I never read the book
DN: So the book is amazing.
BA: Okay, good because the movie is not.
DN: But it’s so bad, it’s great. You know what I mean?
BA: Yeah, also I think of Cocktail being the worst movie you should probably see.
DN: But I feel like the older you get and when you rewatch it at different parts of your career, you notice that it actually captures a lot of shit very well. But again, I don’t know if that’s anthropology, like life, as opposed to the movie’s good. Or if I’m just projecting.
BA: It could be all of those. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten and it can be work-related or just life-related?
DN: One of the only people I would consider some sort of mentor to me was a guy called Rob. Ex-TGI Friday’s 90’s bartender, this man did a lot of skating, took way too much ecstasy and was my bar supervisor when I was 18. Rob had this thing that he used to say – it’s a Scottish phrase – you have two ears, two eyes and one mouth, use them in that proportion. Ironically I don’t shut the fuck up.
BA: What’s something that you’re excited about?
DN: Right now, to be honest, I’ve recently become a dad, so as much as I don’t really talk about that so much, for me it’s kind of like that’s become so enveloping that I’m excited about that. I think I read somewhere recently, about how becoming a parent is being in charge of someone else’s childhood. And it’s interesting because the only reference point you have is your own childhood and I think most people in the bar industry have had pretty rough childhoods. So for me, that’s been a challenge because I think it’s a thing where you want someone to have the best of everything. I’m enjoying it, because it’s better than talking about fucking road events.
RETURN TO ALL HOSPITALITY GEMS
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Posted July 19th, 2025
