Alex Day: Bartender Profile

Featured photo source: instagram.com/apday/

Alex Day Bartender Profile Key Takeaways:

• Death & Company Legacy: Alex Day helped build one of the most influential cocktail bars of the 21st century, with locations in New York, Denver, Los Angeles, and D.C.
• Consulting Expertise: Through Proprietors LLC, he has designed bar programs globally, blending creativity with operational excellence.
• Author and Educator: His books, including Cocktail Codex, have become essential resources for understanding and practicing modern bartending.

Known for his precision, creativity, and thoughtful approach to hospitality, Day is more than a Bartender—he is a designer of drinking experiences and a leader in shaping how modern bars operate.

His reputation was built through years of hands-on bartending and has since expanded into entrepreneurship, consulting, and publishing. 

As a managing partner of Death & Company and co-founder of Proprietors LLC, Day has helped transform cocktail programs into cornerstones of hospitality. 

His work reaches far beyond the bar itself, influencing how cocktails are conceived, served, and enjoyed worldwide.

While many bartenders make their mark by standing behind the stick, Day’s contributions span a broader landscape—mentoring others, opening groundbreaking bars, and documenting his philosophy in books that have become essential reading for professionals and enthusiasts alike.

Alex Day's Training and Early Career

Unlike fields with formalized schools, bartending has always been a craft learned through apprenticeship, practice, and immersion in service culture. 

Alex Day began his journey in the early 2000s when cocktail culture was in a period of rediscovery. 

At the time, many bars were shifting away from neon-colored, overly sweet drinks toward classics revived from pre-Prohibition manuals.

Day’s education came through:

• Mentorship – Working closely with leading bartenders and bar owners in New York and Los Angeles, including early involvement at Death & Company.
• Historical Study – He immersed himself in classic cocktail literature, learning forgotten recipes and techniques.
• Practical Experience – Long shifts in bars where technique mattered: proper shaking and stirring, understanding dilution, balancing sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

This self-directed but rigorous path gave Day a deep respect for tradition while encouraging him to push boundaries. 

By focusing equally on technique and hospitality, he distinguished himself as a bartender who could build flawless cocktails while creating meaningful guest experiences.

Death & Company

One of Alex Day’s most influential platforms is Death & Company, first opened in 2006 in New York City’s East Village. 

While Day was not an original co-founder, he became a critical creative partner and later a managing partner, helping to expand its vision.

Death & Co quickly gained legendary status. Its dark, intimate design paired with meticulously crafted cocktails set a new standard for what a cocktail bar could be. 

Guests were introduced to a menu that changed seasonally, employed rare spirits, and showcased house-developed recipes that soon spread across the industry.

Over time, Death & Co expanded into a multi-city brand:

• Denver (2018) – A landmark location inside The Ramble Hotel, merging cocktail culture with boutique hospitality.
• Los Angeles (2019) – Returning Day to his roots, this location embraced West Coast influences while maintaining the bar’s DNA.
• Washington, D.C. (2022) – Solidifying Death & Co as a national leader in cocktail culture.

Each venue balances consistency with individuality, reflecting Day’s belief that great bars should adapt to their local context without losing their identity.

Proprietors LLC

Along with partners David Kaplan and Devon Tarby, Day co-founded Proprietors LLC, a consulting and management company specializing in beverage programs. 

This firm has designed bars and cocktail menus for hotels, restaurants, and independent venues around the world.

Highlights include:

• Crafting beverage programs for boutique hotels like The Times Square EDITION and Ace Hotel.
• Partnering with restaurant groups to design cocktail programs that complement food concepts.
• Training bartenders and managers, ensuring programs are sustainable and not just stylish.

Proprietors LLC established Day as more than a bartender: he became an architect of cocktail programs that integrate creativity, operations, and guest experience.

Alex Day's Publishing

Day’s influence expanded into publishing through a series of books that became benchmarks in cocktail literature:

• Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails (2014) – A comprehensive look at Death & Co’s philosophy, with recipes and insights into bar operations.
• Cocktail Codex (2018) – A James Beard Award–winning book co-authored with Kaplan and Fauchald, explaining cocktails through six root recipes (Old-Fashioned, Martini, Daiquiri, Sidecar, Whisky Highball, and Flip). It simplified cocktail theory for both professionals and hobbyists.
• Death & Co: Welcome Home (2020) – A guide to bringing craft cocktail practices into the home bar, reinforcing Day’s commitment to education.

Through these books, Day has influenced not just bar professionals but also a growing community of home cocktail enthusiasts.

Media Presence

While bartenders rarely dominate mainstream television, Alex Day has appeared in specialized media, shaping discourse around cocktails:

• Industry Press – Frequently profiled in Punch, Imbibe, and Liquor.com, sharing insights on cocktail culture and bar design.
• Guest Appearances – Featured in podcasts and panel discussions on hospitality, entrepreneurship, and cocktail education.
• Documentary Features – Appears in streaming and documentary projects highlighting the rise of cocktail culture and the role of pioneering bars like Death & Co.

Day’s media strategy is consistent with his personality: understated, focused on content and craft rather than celebrity.

Awards and Recognition

Alex Day’s work has been honored across multiple platforms in hospitality:

• James Beard Award (2019) – Cocktail Codex won Best Beverage Book, one of the highest honors in food and beverage publishing.
• World’s 50 Best Bars – Death & Company has repeatedly appeared on this list, cementing its status as a global leader.
• Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards – Death & Co has received awards including “Best American Cocktail Bar” and “World’s Best Cocktail Menu.”
• Thought Leadership – Day has been named among the most influential figures in cocktails by outlets like Imbibe and The Daily Meal.

These accolades recognize both his technical skill and his broader influence on the industry.

Conclusion

Alex Day exemplifies the evolution of bartending in the modern era. 

He represents the bartender not just as a service professional, but as a creator, strategist, and educator. 

His work with Death & Company redefined what cocktail bars could achieve, while Proprietors LLC spread those principles into hotels, restaurants, and independent venues across the globe.

Through publishing, he made the complex world of cocktails accessible to professionals and home enthusiasts alike. 

His influence continues to ripple outward, shaping how bars are built, how cocktails are understood, and how hospitality is experienced.

In an industry that thrives on creativity, rigor, and connection, Alex Day has established himself as a leader who is both visionary and practical—one whose work will continue to shape cocktail culture for years to come.