Derek Brown

Background

About Derek Brown

I’m an author, award-winning bartender, NASM-certified wellness coach, and founder of Positive Damage, Inc, a company dedicated to creating a culture of mindful drinking and making room for everyone at the bar with delicious no- and low-alcohol drinks. Previously, I owned Spirited Awards 2017 “Best American Cocktail Bar” Columbia Room in Washington, D.C, and was one of the nation’s top bartenders, named “Bartender of the Year” by Imbibe magazine in 2015. I was also Chief Spirits Advisor to the National Archives Foundation from 2015-2020. I’ve gained accolades for both bartending and thought leadership. In 2017, Playboy magazine named me one of "The 10 Entertainers, Thought Leaders and Heroes Who'll Save Us in 2017." In 2019, I published my first book, Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World, and was named 2020 “Author of the Year” at the Nightclub & Bar Show Awards. I changed my approach to drinking in 2018 and decided it was time to be open about my struggles with alcohol, addressing my new appreciation for mindful drinking in a 2020 Vox article entitled, “Becoming a ‘mindful drinker’ changed my life.” In 2022, I published my second book, Mindful Mixology: a Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails. For my advocacy, I have been recognized as a leading beverage figure affecting positive change in the global bar industry by Drinks International in 2020 in their “Bar World 100” list, as “one of the most inspirational people and places that will shape how we drink in 2023” in Imbibe magazine’s “Imbibe 75” for 2023, and awarded the Industry Impact Award at the Bar & Restaurant Expo in 2024. Currently, I’m the co-founder of Mindful Drinking Fest, host of The Mindful Drinking Podcast, and author NASM's Mindful Drinking course. I work with individuals and companies to foster mindful drinking, promote social wellness, and proliferate no- and low-alcohol cocktails.