Portfolio
Featured on Bartender at Large
Tyler Zielinski
Founder & Director
Zielinski is a multifaceted drinks professional who has worked in the drinks industry through a balance of journalism, content creation, marketing and bartending for the past decade.
Bar Consultant
Zielinski has worked in the bar industry for a decade. Using his diverse skillset, he offers bars a unique perspective when it comes to consultancy, taking a 360 approach. This includes everything from developing robust bartender training programs and conceptual beverage offerings, to creating a marketing strategy and even leveraging his relationships in the industry for the betterment of his clients.
In 2024, Zielinski’s debut into UK bar consulting saw his client Kiki Lounge (Isle of Man) receive 1 PIN from the prestigious Pinnacle Guide, crack the UK Top 50 Bars list for the first time with nominations for two special accolades (Rising Star bartender and Sustainable Bar of the Year), and most impressively, Kiki’s was named Spirits Business Bar of the Year 2024, beating out the historic American Bar at The Savoy, demonstrating Zielinski’s vast impact across the bar industry.
His general drinks expertise has seen him featured in Bloomberg, Forbes, The Telegraph, Metro UK, Liquor.com and Fast Company, in addition to being a guest on the award-winning bar podcast, Bartender at Large. Tyler has also served as a bar educator and judge for bar awards and cocktail competitions alike, including the Italicus Art of Aperitivo UK Finals 2023, the inaugural World Young Mixologist Competition UK 2023 and the No.3 Gin Unrivalled Classics Cocktail Competition 2024.
In his bartending career, Zielinski was a U.S regional finalist at Woodford Reserve’s Manhattan Experience bartending competition in 2019 while tending bar at Backbar and Fish & Game (Hudson, NY); and an East Coast finalist for Nikka Whisky’s Perfect Serve in the same year while serving as creative director of Lawrence Park (Hudson, NY). In 2021, Tyler was also recognized as a top 4 U.S national finalist in Jack Daniel’s “Try Rye” cocktail competition.
Editorial
Tyler is best-known for his work as a drinks journalist, writing about bars, cocktails and spirits. His stories have been featured in esteemed titles, such as PUNCH, Food & Wine, Eater, London Evening Standard, Class, Condé Nast Traveler, Wine Enthusiast and more; and his work as a multi-media drinks communicator landed him on the shortlist for the IWSC’s Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication in 2022. Tyler is also the soon-to-be author of Tiny Cocktails, which is set to be published globally in February 2025 by Clarkson Potter (Penguin Random House). It's through his travels as a highly regarded drinks writer that he has garnered a robust knowledge about bars and drink culture globally.
Marketing and Advertising
Tyler’s foundational knowledge as a marketer and communicator was shaped while working in media advertising at Carat and Dentsu Aegis in New York City. His first role was working in North American client operations for Procter & Gamble. Working on behalf of the world’s largest advertiser polished his understanding of process, big business and client management before rotating onto ABInBev’s newly acquired business. For ABInBev, he worked as an integrated media planner and buyer, negotiating and planning US media advertising for an array of clients, including Stella Artois, Goose Island IPA and the rest of ABInBev’s Craft portfolio.
After his near-three year stint in advertising, while simultaneously building his brand in the drinks industry on social media, Tyler took this acquired knowledge and served as a marketing strategy consultant, social media expert and content creator for an array of brands and clients, including Diageo, Beam-Suntory, Campari, and smaller businesses, communications and marketing agencies. He did this work in a freelance capacity while working in bars and building his journalism portfolio.