Cocktails are having a renaissance, and it's not just about what's in the glass. It's about community, culture, and storytelling.
In this episode of Money Isn’t, John Smallwood sits down with Diana Pittet, president of the U.S. Bartenders Guild's Central New Jersey chapter and co-founder of Night Owl Hospitality. Together, they explore how cocktails connect people across time and culture, from Roman taverns to modern bourbon tastings. You’ll discover how whiskey evolved from ancient preservation methods to a refined expression of identity and craft, and why surf trips to Sri Lanka and Brazil shaped Diana’s approach to hospitality.
Diana’s journey from Latin teacher to cocktail educator is as unexpected as it is inspiring. She’s taught graduate seminars on 9,000 years of alcohol history, led walking tours about Prohibition, and built an entire career around the idea that drinks are about more than flavor. They’re about connection. This conversation blends stories from the field with deep dives into whiskey aging, Scotch styles, the Paper Plane cocktail, and the revival of bartending post-Prohibition.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:49 Surfing, Travel, and Cultural Discovery
03:27 Cinco de Mayo, Tequila, and Modern Mixology
05:11 Whiskey and Community Throughout History
11:13 Distilling Whiskey from Grain to Spirit
29:52 Bourbon Cocktails and Their Revival
42:56 Cocktail Culture, Hospitality, and Storytelling
44:32 The Communal Power of Whiskey and Bars
