If you aren’t familiar with this awesome human then you are truly not paying attention! Emma Janzen is an award-winning book author and journalist who reports on global drinking cultures for outlets including The New York Times, PUNCH, The World’s 50 Best Bars, and more. The recipient of two James Beard Foundation awards and two Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, she co-authored The Way of the Cocktail with Julia Momosé, The Bartender’s Manifesto with Toby Maloney, and The Bartender’s Pantry with Jim Meehan; authored Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit; and has contributed to other texts including The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails by David Wondrich. Currently the USA Midwest Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Bars, a spirits judge for the New Orleans Spirits Competition and the Agavos Awards, and a Writing & Media and Books Co-Chair for Tales of the Cocktail, she has also been included in the Drinks International Bar World 100, an annual list of the industry’s most influential people, since 2023. Up next: She is currently finishing her second book with Toby Maloney, called The Classic Cocktail Sessions, which will publish Spring 2026 via Clarkson Potter; and she’s working on a second edition of her first book, Mezcal, which will publish in 2027 via Quarto Publishing.
Bartender Atlas: Where were you born?
Emma Janzen: Austin, Texas
BA: What city do you work in?
EJ: I live in rural Michigan at the moment – a temporary move by way of Chicago – but I’m on the road a lot for book work and bar visits these days, so the airport feels a lot like my second office.
BA: Where do you go out to eat and drink on your days off?
EJ: I don’t live in an area with great f&b options, so when I’m home I’m usually pouring over one of my many cookbooks and whipping something delicious up myself, alongside a good freezer martini! The kitchen is my happy place – where I go to be totally creative without worrying about scrutiny, and where I blow off the most stress – and we live on a bit of land out here so in the summer we grow a lot of our own vegetables, so it’s a real joy to spend my free time scheming up delicious meals.
BA: What do you do outside of work on your days off?
EJ: If I’m in a foreign city and able to tack on an extra day or two for myself, I’ll usually set out on foot and get lost exploring the architecture and sights and smells. I love wandering around a new place and soaking it all in without having to adhere to an agenda or list of things I “must” do. (Though these excursions do normally also include some time spent looking for the city’s best gin martini, of course.) When I’m home, I’m usually hanging out with the family, exploring the great antique malls in the area, or fucking around on Spotify, because in an algorithm-fueled world I still find a lot of satisfaction in making good playlists from scratch.
BA: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
EJ: My mom taught me that the best way to live your life is to not look left or right – not look at what everyone else around you is doing – and just focus all your energy on creating the life (or career, or whatever) that you want for yourself. It makes so much sense to me – when you waste energy worrying about what other folks are doing or what they’re achieving, that’s time and effort you could be using to make your life richer or more enjoyable. I am my own worst competition in so many aspects of life, and this is probably why! Ha.
BA: What’s something you’re excited about?
EJ: I’m really excited that the weather is finally warming up in this part of the world. The winters here are so cruel, but the summers are marvelous!
RETURN TO ALL HOSPITALITY GEMS
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Posted May 12th, 2025
