A multi-faceted bartending professional Joanna Carpenter (She/Her) is a mixologist, consultant, and educator based in New York City. She has spoken about race and gender equity at Tales of the Cocktail, Bar Convent Brooklyn, Healthy Pour, and others. Over the course of 17 years in the industry, she has worked on all sides of the bar, developed programming with globally recognized venues and brands. 

She is the co-founder of grassroots language organization 86 the Barrier, and her work and advocacy have been featured in SevenFiftyDaily, NPR, and The New York Times, among others.

When not hanging out behind the bar, she is seen on stage. She says, “I want to work for the little half Asian girls gazing at a screen or sitting in a theatre, looking to see themselves. I want to tell superhero stories, risky stories, painful stories, loving stories. I believe rules are made to be broken, so long as we break them with intention and purpose.”

“I search for work that has me dig deep into the crevasses of a character’s spirit so I can splash around in their flaws, fears, wins, and losses.”

HER FAVORITE BOOKS

Critical Race Theory by Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield 

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien

The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil (also read How to Write About Wine on SommelierBusiness.com by Karen MacNeil)

HER FAVORITE PODCASTS

Dare to Lead with Brené Brown

Pod Save America & Pod Save the World from Crooked Media

The Long & The Short of It

The Dreaded Question (here is my episode!)

Joanna will join the 2021 Bartenders Spirits Awards judging panel. The aim of the spirits competition is to provide independent and honest reviews for brands targeting the U.S. bar trade. The judging panel consists of some of the most renowned names in the U.S. bar industry, with extensive expertise in the on-premise industry. The result will be a relevant and practical source of reference for bartenders, bar managers, bar owners, and other industry professionals when making purchasing decisions for their establishments.