Episode 141: The 2026 Imbibe 75, With Kaitlyn Stewart

A conversation about spreading the gospel of good drinks with Canadian bartender, consultant, and author, Kaitlyn Stewart.

Photo: Jayme Lang

January 20, 2026

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Paul Clarke

Hey everybody, welcome back to Radio Imbibe from Imbibe Magazine. I’m Paul Clarke, Imbibe‘s editor-in-chief. And if you’ve picked up the current January/February issue of Imbibe from a newsstand or from your mailbox if you’re a subscriber, then you’ve probably noticed a couple of things. First off, it’s January, which means it’s time for our annual Imbibe 75 coverage of the people and places sure to change the way we drink in the years ahead. As I noted in our previous episode and I’ve pointed out in the pages of this issue, this year, 2026, is Imbibe’s 20th anniversary year. We’ve got lots more anniversary-related coverage planned for the months ahead. But to get things started, we’re taking our Imbibe 75 for this year in a slightly different direction, extending out from our global headquarters in the Pacific Northwest and bringing in people and places from around the globe who are doing great work in their professions and in their communities.

And that brings me to the second thing you may have noticed from this new issue; one of those people doing great work is Kaitlyn Stewart. Kaitlyn is a bartender, consultant, content creator, and now author based in Vancouver, British Columbia. You may have come across Kaitlyn online as Likable Cocktails, maybe you’re one of her almost half-million followers on TikTok or her hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, or maybe you’ve just picked up her book, Three Cheers, which came out in October. However, you’ve first come across Kaitlyn, there’s plenty to discover through her work. And we’re welcoming Kaitlyn Stewart to Radio Imbibe in a conversation with Imbibe Managing Editor Penelope Bass, so she can tell you a little bit more about all of that work herself.

Before we get started, this episode is brought to you by Seelbach’s, home to the world’s finest handcrafted spirits. Seelbach’s curates exceptional craft spirits from emerging distillers across the country, connecting them with discerning drinkers who care about what’s in their glass. Every bottle is tasted and reviewed by the Seelbach’s team so only the finest quality ever makes it into their collection. If you’re looking to discover something new, special and thoughtfully selected, you’re at the right place. Find your spirit at Seelbachs.com.

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Penelope Bass

Hello, Kaitlyn! Welcome to Radio Imbibe!

Kaitlyn Stewart

Hey, thank you for having me. This is such a treat. Stoked to be here.

Penelope Bass

Well, we are so excited to be chatting more with you today. You have a really long resume in the drinks realm, but like a lot of folks who work in the industry, it wasn’t your original focus. I mean, your parents both worked in hospitality so you were raised around that.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Mm-hmm.

Penelope Bass

We want to hear more about how you found your way to bartending and how that evolved into the idea that this could be a career for you.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yeah, you know what, I think it’s like a tale as old as time. You know, you start working a job in a restaurant, whether you’re a busser or a host server, bartender, because it’s a great way to make money to help pay for school. So that’s kind of my forte. I was like, “All right, I’m gonna bartend in the night so I can go to school during the day, make some cash, you know, rely on those tips to help pay for my tuition.” And it kind of came naturally, like you said, my parents have been in hospitality literally my entire life. And, you know, they still are, to a certain extent. So it was really natural for me to kind of like take a job in a restaurant. And I studied film because I did a lot of work in front of the camera as a child. I used to do like TV commercials and, you know, fun stuff like that. So I was always interested in what was going on behind the camera. So I wanted to learn about that. And as I was kind of going in school and bartending at the same time, I realized that there was a lot more to the world of bartending than just mixing cocktails. There was this whole other world of craft cocktail bartending and cocktail competitions and being able to like get creative on a completely different level. And when I started doing cocktail competitions is when I kind of really started to take it seriously and realized that, hey, this can actually, you know, take me all over the world and create these really cool experiences that I never really thought you could do while bartending. So, yeah, it kind of just piqued my interest from there. And I just kept going. And 20 years later, I’m still in the business in some capacity.

Penelope Bass

Doing pretty well in the business it seems. It looks like you took the right path.

Kaitlyn Stewart

You know, but it’s also now it’s like coming, you know, to my 20-year mark, or almost 21 years, actually I’m kind of mixing both of my loves of like film-ish type things and bartending because now I just film myself on my iPhone bartending and post it on the internet. So it’s kind of a full circle in a weird random way.

Penelope Bass

How did it feel to see yourself on the cover?

Kaitlyn Stewart

I mean, I think you saw my face. I was absolutely floored. That is insane. You know, Imbibe was one of those magazines, you know, as like a baby bartender, you look at and you look to it for inspiration. You look to it to see what other cool bartenders around the world are doing. And so to like see my face actually on a cover of that is like kind of mind-blowing and very odd because, you know, like I said, even 20 years later and you know, a pretty decent resume, you still get imposter syndrome and you’re like, why am I, what, what is going on? So yeah, I think that’s a highlight of my, my year. Absolutely.

Penelope Bass

Well-deserved accolades, to be sure. Um, and it’s funny because regular readers- … aware that 2026, this year, is actually our 20th anniversary of the magazine.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Wow!

Penelope Bass

So, kind of hitting our 20-year anniversary together.

Kaitlyn Stewart

There we go.

Penelope Bass

Alright, but this is not the first accolade to be placed upon your shoulders. You were first person from Canada to take World Class Bartender of the Year award in 2017. And I’d also say it’s worth mentioning that that was the first competition you ever entered as a bartender.

Kaitlyn Stewart

I will say I did a few local competitions, but it was my first, like, massive, big international competition. And it’s, it’s one of these things that, like, it was a moment in my, like, bartending life that, in a way, I’m kind of glad that I went into it as naïve as I did, not knowing really, like, the magnitude of what that type of competition could do for your, like, bartending career. So, going into it, I, my, my number one goal was to not only represent Canada, like, on the big global stage, to the best of my ability, but to be 100% unapologetically myself. And I, on those big stages, I’d never really seen a bartender that was, like, like me, you know, I’ve got tattoos, I don’t wear, like, a three-piece suit, and I might not have the most refined bartending style, but I do love hospitality, and I love making people feel welcomed, whether you’re competition mode or just a random Wednesday night of service. You know, I want that person who’s sitting on the other side of the bar to feel welcomed, and to have a good time, and to enjoy a drink. So, going through that competition, I just was myself, and I kept on making it pass round after round after round, and when it came down to the final four, that was the first time that I kind of, like, realized, like, like, I could actually win this? Like, what the heck? And, you know, eight years, seven, eight years later, I’m still on this wild ride of, it just pushed me to another dimension as a bartender, took me to places that I’ve, you know, never dreamed of going, especially as a bartender, and it literally changed my life. And I’m forever grateful for that competition for just catapulting me into a totally new dimension. Yeah, it was wild.

Penelope Bass

It seems like it really marked a turning point in your career.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Absolutely, absolutely.

Penelope Bass

What does the job look like for you today?

Kaitlyn Stewart

You know what? The job definitely is a lot different. You know, I think a lot of people took a hard pivot during COVID, when we kind of were all forced to. And for me, that looked like trading, you know, the bar that I was at for my home bar. And now, I get to nightly be behind the stick, per se, but in a completely different capacity. You know, I’m in my home space, and I’m welcoming people into that bar. And so, on a daily basis, you know, it’s, I still do a lot of, like, consulting and brand education and recipe development for, you different publications and different bars and restaurants around the world. So, on average day is, you know, going, cleaning up the email inbox, seeing what I have to do for the day, and then planning out content. Because I started doing content as a way to connect with people because I didn’t get to anymore from behind, you know, a physical bar. So, now I get to connect with people on their phones as they’re scrolling past my face and listening to my voice on repeat. But it’s really fun for me because I get to share some of the 20 years of knowledge that I’ve gained, you know, and share that with people who might not necessarily be bartenders, but, you know, they’re cocktail enthusiasts. They’re the people who actually spend their hard-earned money at our bars. So, you know, filming content and coming up with ideas and then checking in with, you know, different projects. I, you know, I still consult for a handful of places that, you know, I got to check in and make sure that everything is good with them and always taking on new projects. And, yeah. So, every day is a little bit different, but it still has its kind of, like, ups and downs and ebbs and flows. Still making drinks, but just in a different way.

Penelope Bass

You do still get to play behind the bar now and then when you work guest shifts.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yeah.

Penelope Bass

What are some of the bars where you’ve really loved working a guest shift?

Kaitlyn Stewart

I mean, anywhere that I get to, you know, work with friends or, you know, mates of mine, those are always the most fun types of guest shifts. Just this past year, 2025, I was out in Singapore and I got to do a guest shift at Side Door with Banny Kang and Tryson. And Banny’s my, you know, world-class sister. And that was just absolutely unreal. And also just like the community in Singapore, they’re just, they’re so hungry for that. nd they really show up. Um, and it’s like all, everybody. So it’s like, you know, the guys from Jigger and Pony, from Catbite, you know, everybody kind of like rolled through, even if it was like right before their shift and they had to go out and, you know, work after. They, they appreciate it so much that people internationally are coming in. So that one was really great. I did a really fun pop-up in Taiwan at a place called 90’s Dining Bar. Um, and that was great too. Again, the community was really, really lovely. But yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s, anywhere I get to be with friends is my, is my favorite part. So I could literally be at a hole in a wall. As long as I’m with good people, I am having a blast.

Penelope Bass

That’s awesome. Any spots on your wishlist where you’d really love to get behind the bar?

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yeah, you know, I’m, I’m trying to work something out with my mate Pepe at, uh, FOMA in Mexico City. It’s a fairly new bar. Uh, and, uh, he’s just, he used to, he lived in Vancouver for a spell, uh, he worked Handshake Bar for a minute and then he, uh, just opened his new spot. So I’m, I, I’m really would love to get out there and just go hang out with him and see what they’re doing. Cause it looks like they’re doing some really fun stuff. and yeah, I would love to go and go back to like Sweden and some of like the Nordic countries. Um, it’s been, it’s been a minute since I’ve been up that way. So there’s, there’s always like some little place. There’s like a collab bar, with Chloe. And I would love to do something with her. And yeah, I dunno, just, I’ve, like I said, just hang out with good people is my vibe. So if anybody else there, you know, wants, wants a fun Canadian to be by the bar, let me know I’m available.

Penelope Bass

Well, not that you’re not busy. You just released your first book in October. Congratulations.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yes. Thank you.

Penelope Bass

And it’s called very appropriately Three Cheers, because you present recipe

Kaitlyn Stewart

You got it.

Penelope Bass

groups of three, a classic cocktail, your riff on that cocktail and then a spirit free version of the drink. What inspired this particular concept?

Kaitlyn Stewart

You know, this is a concept that I’ve kind of had in my head for a few years. And it was just one of those things where it’s, you know, like all bartenders. It’s either we want to open our own bar or write a book or, you know, come up with your own spirits line. There’s always something. And it was something that I had in the back of my head. And I just didn’t really know how to bring it to life. And a book agent actually approached me through DMs on social media. And she was like, hey, have you ever thought of writing a book? And I’m like, funny, you should ask. Yes. She’s like, oh, do you already have an idea? I’m like, yes, I do. And I kind of workshopped the idea with her. And she was like, you know what? Like, I think we could very easily, you know, sell this. And I’m like, okay. But for me, I, 20 years ago, I started off as a sober bartender. And for the first four years of my bartending career, I didn’t drink. So it was really, really, really important for me to learn classic cocktails and really get my fundamentals dialed in because I could taste all of my sub-ingredients, you know, my syrups and my juices and all that. So I knew if I followed a recipe, a classic recipe to the letter, that the drink would taste good. And so for me, I always wanted to kind of pay homage to that. So the concept of the book was taking 55 classic cocktails, doing a riff or my variation on, you know, of that drink, not a direct comparison, but just an inspiration off of the classic. And then, you know, starting as a sober bartender, having many sober people in my life. My partner doesn’t drink. My mom doesn’t drink. My sister doesn’t drink. It was really important to also put that non-alcoholic option in there because we can. There’s so many resources now to be able to make really interesting, well-crafted, non-alcoholic drinks that I’m tired of seeing them as like an afterthought. And they don’t, they shouldn’t be. They should be just as equally important as that full strength cocktail that you’re going to find on a cocktail list. Because I mean, inclusivity is, is a massive through line in everything that I do. And I just felt, Hey, this, this recipe doesn’t belong at the back of the book. It doesn’t belong as like a, an afterthought. I want it to be as equally important because why the hell not it’s about time. So that’s kind of where it stemmed from.

Penelope Bass

I love that. Putting an equal importance on the spirit free options

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yeah.

Penelope Bass

because they absolutely are.

Kaitlyn Stewart

And, you know, people are like, Oh, you’re so on trend with this. And I’m like, not drinking is not a trend. It is, you know, people have been not drinking for a long time. We just finally have resources to make it a little more interesting than just like a virgin pina colada or a Shirley Temple. Not to say there’s anything wrong with those because I personally enjoy those myself. But, you know, there, there is this trendiness of it where you’re like, no, it’s actually people have been not drinking for ever. It’s just nobody really thought of them before. So let’s think about them.

Penelope Bass

Well, speaking of the recipes, the book includes 165, which is no small feat.

Kaitlyn Stewart

A little ambitious.

Penelope Bass

How did you choose the classics that you wanted to feature and then riff on? What was that selection process like?

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yeah, you know what? I mean, it was a little all over the place. I definitely wanted to put in some personal favorites in there. But also, you know, it’s like with any menu that you’re writing or book that you’re writing, you want to make sure that there’s a variety because not everybody is a gin lover. Not everybody loves tequila. So, you know, if it was just up to me, I would only have like shaken citrus forward drinks with, you know, light spirits or really funky spirits. So there was a balance of seeing how many stirred drinks versus shaken versus built, you know, dark spirits versus light spirits. But then also just like I have a social media audience that I knew that this book would be sold to, you know, the people that are supporting me. And so for the past like five years, I’ve been able to kind of bounce ideas off of, you know, a massive group of people to see what they like. Because ultimately, it’s not about me, it’s about them. So, you know, getting an idea of like, Oh, yeah, people are really into spritzes, or people are really into, you know, this type of drink, I definitely took a lot of inspiration from the people who follow me. And, you know, I know that not everybody is into 27 Negroni variations, so I’m not going to do 27 Negroni variations. I mean, you kind of have to, you know, take the selfishness out of it and, you know, put a little bit of the thought of like, okay, who’s actually buying this book? And who’s actually going to make these drinks? This isn’t a pet project. This isn’t like an ego project. I’m not trying to write this for the well-seasoned, well-trained bartender. This is for, you know, maybe that person’s mom or aunt and then the junior bartender. But yeah, I think everybody can get something from it. But it was really important to make things accessible and what people want to see.

Penelope Bass

That’s great. And certainly your likable cocktails platform offers you a sizable focus group to pull from.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yeah, it would be a shame not to use them as a focus group, you know? And I mean, I do it in my daily life, too, when I’m creating cocktail menus for restaurants and bars. You know, I check to see where that place’s demographic is. And then I look at my own analytics and demographic and see what tracks with certain areas. And, you know, then you kind of go off that because, again, it’s like you don’t want to be selfish with it and you got to give the people what they want.

Penelope Bass

Well, you have spoken about how you didn’t drink yourself when you first started. How do you think that overall shaped your approach both to recipe creation from the beginning and just the profession?

Kaitlyn Stewart

From the profession side, and I’ve said this a few times now, like that factor of inclusivity and just making people feel welcomed has always been, you know, a primary focus of mine because I’ve always had those people in my life that maybe didn’t get as included as they, you know, should have. You know, my mom jokes and I always touch wood when I say this, but she’s like, you know, if I knew I was on my deathbed, I would, you know, get you to make me every cocktail you’ve ever made because I’ve never got to try one of your drinks. And so that always like sticks in the back of my mind of like, okay, but I can make you something just as good with, you know, probably even more brainpower and thought put behind it because, you know, as many bartenders will tell you, it’s almost harder to come up with a non-alcoholic drink than it is an alcoholic drink. But yeah, that’s always been kind of in my mind of like, okay, yeah, let’s make these interesting enough that it’s not just that juice and soda that, you know, the cranberry soda with a slice of lime that, you know, she’s always getting. Let’s make it interesting. So then when it came to the book too, it was, you know, I want to make drinks that aren’t necessarily carbon copies of the classic cocktail, inspired ish enough that you’re using not just non-alcoholic spirits, but bringing in tea, using lots of teas for the tannic nature, you know, the dryness it adds to your palate, the body, and really thinking about it that way too. Because again, like I don’t want people to have to go out and buy, you know, 30 different bottles just to make, you know, a couple of, a handful of drinks out of the book. You know, I want it to be, like I said, accessible, accessible and a resource. Maybe even if you are a bartender flipping through and seeing, okay, this is how she goes about making a non-alcoholic Manhattan. All right, let’s, I’ll take some inspiration from that and put my own spin on it. So yeah, just, just trying to get creative, but keep it accessible.

Penelope Bass

Absolutely. And I think with folks seeing your own riffs on things, maybe it’ll inspire them to play around with flavors themselves.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Yeah, exactly. You know, like Cocktail Codex laid it out for us really well of like, you know, having like six… keep it? Like, I think it’s really, I think it’s, you know, a classic cocktail and you’re not just looking at for, you know, ingredient for ingredient, but you’re looking at it as that template of like, okay, this one’s got a dark spirit base, a, you know, uh, uh, a, an herbal modifier and a, this and a, that like, uh, and being able to kind of take that inspiration from the components, not just the straight up ingredients. It keeps it interesting and it keeps it, people coming back, for more, I guess, and trying to get a little more creative outside of the norm.

Penelope Bass

All right. Well, looking at the year ahead of us, what is coming down the pipeline for you here in 2026?

Kaitlyn Stewart

That is a great question. And, you know, I, I, every year I write myself a little manifesto, if you will. Um, I’ve been doing it for the last like five or six years and, you know, the last couple of them have been like, write a book, put a book out, do that. And so I, I’m realizing the power of like, just of that manifestation. So, you know, when I, my 2026 one is, uh, definitely going to have travel on it. Cause I would, I want to continue to travel and see more of the world. Um, but also just like continue to grow my, my social platforms and maybe do it in a bit more of like a serious way. Um, a bit more like long format content, um, you know, maybe teaming up with, you know, experts who actually can film and edit a video versus me just doing, doing it on my iPhone in 10 minutes. Um, so I would love to, to, uh, branch out a bit more in, into long format format content and just keep spreading the good word of, you know, why I’ve been in this industry for 20 years and why I continue to stay in it and what I love about it and what inspires me about it and share that with as many people who want to listen.

Penelope Bass

Well, we can’t wait to see it. All of our readers and listeners can follow you on likable cocktails. Uh, absolutely. Everybody grab a copy of three cheers. We have plenty of drinks to be shaken up in the new year here.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Very true. And if you’re doing like, you know, uh, what dry January or what, what have you, we’ve got plenty of options.

Penelope Bass

So many options. Kaitlyn, thank you so much for chatting with us today. It was great.

Kaitlyn Stewart

Thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it.

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Paul Clarke

You can find Kaitlyn Stewart on Instagram at likable cocktails. We’ve got that link for you in this episode’s notes. And once again, this episode is brought to you by Seelbachs, home to the world’s finest handcrafted spirits. Find your spirit at seelbachs.com.

And that’s it for this episode. Subscribe to Radio Imbibe on your favorite podcast app to keep up with all our future episodes. We’ve got tons of recipes and articles for you online at our website, imbibemagazine.com. Keep up with us day to day on Instagram, Pinterest, threads, and Facebook for all of our day to day coverage. And if you’re not already a subscriber to the print and or digital issues of Imbibe, then here’s your opportunity to change that. Just follow the link in this episode’s notes and we’ll be happy to help you out. I’m Paul Clarke. This is Radio Imbibe. Catch you next time.