If you work in the industry and don’t yet have a subscription to Imbibe Magazine, what the heck are you doing with your life? Imbibe has been around for twenty years and is a great resource for all things drink-related. Plus in this day and age, we truly need to be supporting quality print media – especially when it is independent. Having said all that, Paul Clarke is the Editor-in-Chief of Imbibe and has been for quite some time. We hosted Paul in 2019 as a speaker at Toronto Cocktail Conference where he did a seminar with Ashtin Berry called Communicating Values. We most recently saw Paul at Barcelona Cocktail Fest where he sat on a panel called Building a Bar with Purpose. It was a thoughtful conversation where Paul reminded us “Be sincere and clear in your message and who you are.” Sometimes in the wildness of this life, that’s easy to forget that.
Bartender Atlas: Paul Clark, where were you born?
Paul Clarke: I was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
BA: How far from anywhere is that?
PC: You know it’s not that far from Arkansas so it’s got that going for it.
BA: And where do you work now?
PC: I am the Editor-in-Chief for Imbibe magazine.
BA: Where’s that?
PC: Our home office, our global headquarters is in Portland, Oregon. I live in Seattle, Washington.
BA: How many stops between your hometown in Oklahoma and Seattle?
PC: A million. You know, growing up in the middle of kind of nowhere, you run until you get to an ocean. And I did that and lived in New York City for a number of years. Then I turned around, went all the way to the other ocean to stop there.
BA: You’re the Editor-in-Chief of Imbibe. How would you describe your role in the hospitality industry?
PC: I am an interested observer. We watch what goes on in the hospitality industry. We cover it, obviously, and we engage with it. And we’ve been doing this for 20 years now. One of the things we’ve realized is that, not only do we write a lot of the stories, but that sometimes you see things come back around and realize, oh my God, we influenced that. I just did an interview a couple of weeks ago with a bartender in New Orleans, and he was explaining a cocktail he’d made and I asked: “So what’s the backstory?” He mentioned some ingredients that he came across in a copy of Imbibe from 2007. This is like that weird, almost 20-year, boomerang where you realize, well, we wrote about something, but now it’s kind of out there in the world.
BA: I would imagine you appreciate hearing that, right?
PC: Oh, it’s incredibly gratifying because, you know, sometimes the thing is when you’re a writer or when you’re an editor for a magazine, you only hear from people when you pissed them off. Otherwise it’s dead silence and it’s really gratifying when you have somebody, especially later on, come back and say, yeah, you wrote this thing or you covered this thing and it really changed what I do or changed our bar or even just, there’s a recipe I just served to my friends. That’s awesome to hear.
BA: Where do you go out to eat and drink when you’re in Seattle?
PC: When I travel, I like to hit lots of bars and restaurants. When I’m at home. I’m at home. There are a few different places that I really love. They’re really close to my heart. Probably the bar I go to most frequently right now is called the Doctor’s Office. It’s on Capitol Hill in Seattle. It’s owned by an actual physician.
BA: It’s not just a clever name.
PC: It’s not just a clever name. It’s been around for… well, it opened up at a wonderful time, just like three weeks or so before the pandemic set in. Which is a great time to launch a new business, of course. But it’s one of my favourite places to go. Also, you can frequently find me at places, including L’Oursin, which is a French restaurant but also has an amazing cocktail bar, amazing wine program and also conveniently located near my home.
BA: That always counts. What do you do outside of work when it’s not food or drink related?
PC: Okay, well see, that’s kind of a trick question because not working in hospitality, my days aren’t spent, you know, chopping up things and squeezing fruit. So actually, I love cooking. Cooking is something that brings me a lot of peace, which sounds kind of woo-woo to say. It’s also true. It’s something I do. My wife and I, we like to get out and about around Seattle. I love being outside. Seattle is a great outdoor city. Yes, when it’s not raining. But honestly, even when it’s raining you put on your raincoat, you have your good shoes on and you’re fine. I love getting outside. I’m a passionate walker if those words go together. The idea of taking a three-hour walk is my idea of a good time.
BA: Who’s your favourite fictional bartender?
PC: I was not ready for that well let’s go the creepy way, let’s go the bartender Lloyd from the Shining. He had a way about him.
BA: One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever gotten as a bartender was someone said, oh you kind of remind me of Lloyd from The Shining.
PC: I think that’s great.
BA: What’s the best advice that you’ve ever received?
PC: Oh my God, I wasn’t ready for that one either. You’ve gotta lighten up! Many of my editors who have told me, you know, don’t overthink it. Just calm down, think about the story and think about how you should best tell it and then your voice will come through. I think that kind of advice applies to everything. Don’t overthink it. I mean, obviously you want to apply yourself to a project, you want to engage with it but at a certain point you have to get out of your own way.
BA: What’s something that you’re excited about?
PC: Well, we’re having this conversation in Barcelona with the sun out. It’s a gorgeous day. And I’m excited about the next few weeks of my life because I am sticking close to here. I’m staying in Spain and Portugal mostly. I’m heading to Portugal in a few days. We’ve got an apartment for a few weeks. We have our favourite bars and our favourite restaurants to visit. I have my favourite long walks to take. And I am super, super excited about that right now.
Find Paul on Instagram
RETURN TO ALL HOSPITALITY GEMS
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Posted May 5th, 2026
