Our Team:
Powered by Liquid Productions

The Spirits Authority shares resources, talent, and decades of experience with Liquid Productions—the trusted team behind award-winning events, trade advocacy programs, and world-class education platforms.

The Spirits Authority is built on a foundation of expertise honed over decades of shaping the spirits industry. From award-winning educators to respected brand mentors and operational leaders, our team is united by a single mission: to empower the next generation of beverage professionals through credible, impactful education.

Founded by
F. Paul Pacult

The Spirits Authority was originally conceived by F. Paul Pacult—celebrated spirits critic, author, historian, and founder of BAR 5 Day. His commitment to unbiased education and deep category knowledge continues to guide our mission.

Andy Seymour

Steward and Co-Founder, The Spirits Authority

One of the most respected educators and mentors in the spirits world, Andy has spent over two decades training bartenders at every level—from local heroes to global champions. As the driving force behind Liquid Productions, he ensures Spirits Authority programs deliver real-world insight with hospitality at their core.

Kevin Denton Rex

Director, The Spirits Authority

An industry veteran with experience leading brand education at the highest levels, Kevin has developed training programs for national chains and award-winning bars alike. His leadership ensures that The Spirits Authority remains trade-first, independent, and relentlessly practical.

Misty Kalkofen

Head of Education, The Spirits Authority

One of the industry’s most respected educators and a founding force behind modern spirits training in the U.S. Misty has spent decades bringing deep category knowledge, cultural context, and hospitality-minded teaching to bartenders worldwide.

Shared Expertise: Powered by Liquid Productions

Our team includes the same producers, educators, strategists, and operators who deliver the world’s most prestigious events—from The Oscars to the Emmys—and who have developed and led educational platforms like BAR 5 Day, BarSmarts, and World Class. This shared foundation ensures that every Spirits Authority program is executed with unmatched integrity, insight, and professionalism.

Jon Santer
National Events

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Jon Santer

Jon Santer

National Events

Jon Santer has been in the spirits industry for 25+ years. Between 2006-08 he was the only person to be a part of the opening teams at: Bourbon & Branch, Beretta, and Heavenʼs Dog (the three best bar programs in San Francisco at the time). From 2007-2009 he served as President of the San Francisco Chapter of the United States Bartenderʼs Guild (during which the SF guild grew from 30-130+ members). From 2009-11 he helped grow Hendrick’s Gin to 100k cases while serving as Co-National Ambassador. He, his cocktails and projects have been featured in publications including: GQ, Playboy, Esquire, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, Mr. Boston, foodnetwork.com, Saveur, Punch, The Wall Street Journal, Dale Degroff’s Craft of the Cocktail and The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. His cocktail “The Revolver” has entered the cannon of neo-classics and has been spotted on cocktail lists all over the world as well as in many books and YouTube/Instagram tutorials. In 2008 he was chosen by Bev Media as one of the Top 10 Mixologists to watch in the U.S. His cocktail, “La Luna” took the Chairmanʼs Trophy at Paul Pacultʼs 2011 Ultimate Beverage Challenge. He founded the Beverage Academy at Bourbon & Branch, passed the BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource 5 Day) at the highest level in the top 5% of all time and has since joined the faculty. From 2011 to 2022 he was the founder/owner/operator of Prizefighter in Emeryville, CA. Since opening, Prizefighter has garnered much acclaim, including: Esquire’s Hall of Fame (Best 12 Bars of the last 10 years), Playboy’s America’s Best Bars, Top 100 Bars in the World, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bar Stars. In 2025 he became a mentor in the first cohort of the Raise the Bar Mentorship Alliance.

Sean Kenyon
National Partnerships

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Sean Kenyon

Sean Kenyon

National Partnerships

Sean Kenyon is a third-generation barman whose family has been behind the bar in New Jersey since the 1930s. Over his 40-year career, he’s managed and developed cocktail programs across New Jersey, Texas, and Colorado, while also consulting on national beverage initiatives.

In 2011, Sean opened Williams & Graham in Denver—his lifelong dream. The acclaimed bar has been named one of The World’s 50 Best Bars by Drinks International and earned “American Cocktail Bar of the Year” honors at both Tales of the Cocktail and Nightclub & Bar Show. Sean himself has been named “Bartender of the Year” by both organizations, and in 2022, was honored as “American Bar Mentor of the Year.”

In 2015, he opened Occidental, a punk rock neighborhood bar that’s been recognized by Esquire and Playboy as one of the best in the country. Most recently, in 2025, he brought Williams & Graham to Denver International Airport.

Sean views bartending as both craft and calling—a career built on care, creativity, and connection. He’s proud to make a living doing what he loves, and giving back to his community has always been a priority. He supports and partners with several Denver-based charities.

Jacques Bezuidenhout
Brand Building and Education

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Jacques Bezuidenhout

Jacques Bezuidenhout

Brand Building and Education

Jacques is one of the most widely respected industry educators with over 25+ years working with global spirit brands, hotels and bar groups. He has developed spirits and mixology education for 70+ bars with the Kimpton Hotel Group across the country.

He partnered with the PlumpJack group in creating and launching their first ever cocktail-focused bar projects. In May of 2015 Forgery Bar, the first of these bars was opened in San Francisco’s SoMa district. Wildhawk Bar opened in April 2016. Both bars were awarded Top 10 New Bars in the US at Tales of the Cocktail.

He is an acclaimed spirits taster, and has been a Judge on Paul Pacult’s Ultimate Spirits Challenge as well as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Nola Gielen
National Events

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Nola Gielen

Nola Gielen

National Events

Nola is a career bartender at heart with over twelve years of event work under her belt. One word to describe Nola’s career would be “variety”. She has worked in every style of establishment possible from high volume dive bars (Mothers Ruin, NYC) to the most elite fine dining steakhouses (Jacob’s & co., Toronto, Canada).

Nola thrives in environments that keep her on her toes and was naturally drawn to the world of Events management as they create dynamic challenges and opportunities alike. Nola is a Bar Ready graduate of Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) 5-Day and has completed levels I and II of the American Sommelier Association with special emphasis on blind tasting. Her knowledge of wine and spirits has helped her influence cocktail programs around New York since 2012.

Destinee Almonte
Events Director

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Destinee Almonte

Destinee Almonte

Events Director

Destinee has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, managing bars in New York City and Los Angeles for Rande Gerber's Midnight Oil Company and Gerber Group. She has been a National Brand Ambassador and specializes in executing high profile events and developing and styling cocktails.

Leo DeGroff
Bar and Systems Design / Video Production

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Leo DeGroff

Leo DeGroff

Bar and Systems Design / Video Production

Degroff’s career has spanned over a decade with work experiences ranging from bartending at regarded establishments like BED NY, Pegu Club, and Sweetwater Social to high profile events such as Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) Five Day, Ultimate Beverage Challenge, BarSmarts, World Class Competition, Life is Beautiful, Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, Telluride Wine Festival, The James Beard Awards, Tales of the Cocktail, Copa Jerez, Art Basel, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Las Vegas Nightclub and Bar Show, New York Bar Show, and World Cocktail Week events for The Museum of the American Cocktail.

Leo is also a leader in bar design, event coordination and execution, and restaurant management, including training bartenders/barbacks, assisting in creating cocktail programs, and budget planning. Degroff is a graduate of BAR 5 Day, an award-winning comprehensive training course in spirits and mixology.

Tatiana Moreno
National Events

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Tatiana Moreno

Tatiana Moreno

National Events

Tatiana, now and always a bartender at her core has spent the last ten years learning about her craft with an emphasis on service. Coming from Miami she worked at some of the Best cocktail bars in South Beach such as Sweet Liberty and some influential dives like Macs Club Duece. Her love for learning has taken her to guest bartending all around the world. Her interest in sustainability brought her to work on a program called Project Leftover under the Little Bit Better Agency where in partnership with Diplomatico Rum they implemented sustainable practice in bars like composting and turning food waste into meals for local shelters. Back in 2017 Tati has begun to get involved in the world of beverage operations and events with a multitude of brands and immediately knew this is the direction her career needed to move with a true love for creativity and organization. She continues to grow and learn in this aspect of the industry everyday.

Our Advisory Panel

We’re guided by a diverse advisory panel of respected voices from across the spirits, hospitality, and education worlds. Their insights ensure our approach remains relevant, practical, and connected to the realities of the bar world.

Jon Santer
National Events

Read more
Jon Santer

Jon Santer

National Events

Jon Santer has been in the spirits industry for 25+ years. Between 2006-08 he was the only person to be a part of the opening teams at: Bourbon & Branch, Beretta, and Heavenʼs Dog (the three best bar programs in San Francisco at the time). From 2007-2009 he served as President of the San Francisco Chapter of the United States Bartenderʼs Guild (during which the SF guild grew from 30-130+ members). From 2009-11 he helped grow Hendrick’s Gin to 100k cases while serving as Co-National Ambassador. He, his cocktails and projects have been featured in publications including: GQ, Playboy, Esquire, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, Mr. Boston, foodnetwork.com, Saveur, Punch, The Wall Street Journal, Dale Degroff’s Craft of the Cocktail and The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. His cocktail “The Revolver” has entered the cannon of neo-classics and has been spotted on cocktail lists all over the world as well as in many books and YouTube/Instagram tutorials. In 2008 he was chosen by Bev Media as one of the Top 10 Mixologists to watch in the U.S. His cocktail, “La Luna” took the Chairmanʼs Trophy at Paul Pacultʼs 2011 Ultimate Beverage Challenge. He founded the Beverage Academy at Bourbon & Branch, passed the BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource 5 Day) at the highest level in the top 5% of all time and has since joined the faculty. From 2011 to 2022 he was the founder/owner/operator of Prizefighter in Emeryville, CA. Since opening, Prizefighter has garnered much acclaim, including: Esquire’s Hall of Fame (Best 12 Bars of the last 10 years), Playboy’s America’s Best Bars, Top 100 Bars in the World, and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Bar Stars. In 2025 he became a mentor in the first cohort of the Raise the Bar Mentorship Alliance.

Sean Kenyon
National Partnerships

Read more
Sean Kenyon

Sean Kenyon

National Partnerships

Sean Kenyon is a third-generation barman whose family has been behind the bar in New Jersey since the 1930s. Over his 40-year career, he’s managed and developed cocktail programs across New Jersey, Texas, and Colorado, while also consulting on national beverage initiatives.

In 2011, Sean opened Williams & Graham in Denver—his lifelong dream. The acclaimed bar has been named one of The World’s 50 Best Bars by Drinks International and earned “American Cocktail Bar of the Year” honors at both Tales of the Cocktail and Nightclub & Bar Show. Sean himself has been named “Bartender of the Year” by both organizations, and in 2022, was honored as “American Bar Mentor of the Year.”

In 2015, he opened Occidental, a punk rock neighborhood bar that’s been recognized by Esquire and Playboy as one of the best in the country. Most recently, in 2025, he brought Williams & Graham to Denver International Airport.

Sean views bartending as both craft and calling—a career built on care, creativity, and connection. He’s proud to make a living doing what he loves, and giving back to his community has always been a priority. He supports and partners with several Denver-based charities.

Jacques Bezuidenhout
Brand Building and Education

Read more
Jacques Bezuidenhout

Jacques Bezuidenhout

Brand Building and Education

Jacques is one of the most widely respected industry educators with over 25+ years working with global spirit brands, hotels and bar groups. He has developed spirits and mixology education for 70+ bars with the Kimpton Hotel Group across the country.

He partnered with the PlumpJack group in creating and launching their first ever cocktail-focused bar projects. In May of 2015 Forgery Bar, the first of these bars was opened in San Francisco’s SoMa district. Wildhawk Bar opened in April 2016. Both bars were awarded Top 10 New Bars in the US at Tales of the Cocktail.

He is an acclaimed spirits taster, and has been a Judge on Paul Pacult’s Ultimate Spirits Challenge as well as the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Nola Gielen
National Events

Read more
Nola Gielen

Nola Gielen

National Events

Nola is a career bartender at heart with over twelve years of event work under her belt. One word to describe Nola’s career would be “variety”. She has worked in every style of establishment possible from high volume dive bars (Mothers Ruin, NYC) to the most elite fine dining steakhouses (Jacob’s & co., Toronto, Canada).

Nola thrives in environments that keep her on her toes and was naturally drawn to the world of Events management as they create dynamic challenges and opportunities alike. Nola is a Bar Ready graduate of Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) 5-Day and has completed levels I and II of the American Sommelier Association with special emphasis on blind tasting. Her knowledge of wine and spirits has helped her influence cocktail programs around New York since 2012.

Leo DeGroff
Bar and Systems Design / Video Production

Read more
Leo DeGroff

Leo DeGroff

Bar and Systems Design / Video Production

Degroff’s career has spanned over a decade with work experiences ranging from bartending at regarded establishments like BED NY, Pegu Club, and Sweetwater Social to high profile events such as Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) Five Day, Ultimate Beverage Challenge, BarSmarts, World Class Competition, Life is Beautiful, Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, Telluride Wine Festival, The James Beard Awards, Tales of the Cocktail, Copa Jerez, Art Basel, South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Las Vegas Nightclub and Bar Show, New York Bar Show, and World Cocktail Week events for The Museum of the American Cocktail.

Leo is also a leader in bar design, event coordination and execution, and restaurant management, including training bartenders/barbacks, assisting in creating cocktail programs, and budget planning. Degroff is a graduate of BAR 5 Day, an award-winning comprehensive training course in spirits and mixology.

Tatiana Moreno
National Events

Read more
Tatiana Moreno

Tatiana Moreno

National Events

Tatiana, now and always a bartender at her core has spent the last ten years learning about her craft with an emphasis on service. Coming from Miami she worked at some of the Best cocktail bars in South Beach such as Sweet Liberty and some influential dives like Macs Club Duece. Her love for learning has taken her to guest bartending all around the world. Her interest in sustainability brought her to work on a program called Project Leftover under the Little Bit Better Agency where in partnership with Diplomatico Rum they implemented sustainable practice in bars like composting and turning food waste into meals for local shelters. Back in 2017 Tati has begun to get involved in the world of beverage operations and events with a multitude of brands and immediately knew this is the direction her career needed to move with a true love for creativity and organization. She continues to grow and learn in this aspect of the industry everyday.

What We Stand For

  • Credibility — Built by people who’ve worked the floor, the pass, and the well.

  • Access — Education and insights should be available to everyone in the trade.

  • Independence — We work with brands, but we’re not owned by brands. We serve the industry, not marketing budgets.

  • Empowerment — We give professionals tools to grow, not hoops to jump through.

  • Curiosity — We’re obsessed with what’s next, and we ask better questions to find it.

Ready to connect with industry leaders, educators, and a growing community of trade professionals?