About TipsyTech

Note: We are not a bartending school, a trade school, nor any other kind of accredited or licensed educational institute. This is a series of informal community-based cocktail discussions led by industry personalities for avocational purposes. We do not purport to represent any trade organization or industry standard, nor do we offer any type of approved industry training or certification.

The series received the critic’s choice award for “Best Tippler Teach-In” in the Austin Chronicle’s ‘Best of Austin 2010’ issue. The Fall 2011 session begins on September 13th and opens with the origins of alcohol in pre-modern medicine, travels through cocktail history from the golden age of the 19th century to the “noble experiment” of Prohibition and its aftermath, and concludes with the modern cocktail renaissance that has taken place over the last decade. Throughout the period we will discuss each major category of spirits, covering the history and styles of the spirit followed by a discussion and demonstration of cocktails featuring that spirit. 

David Alan

David Alan is a professional bartender and restaurant specialist who has spent over 15 years in the food & beverage industry. He publishes the Web site tipsytexan.com, and writes regular columns on spirits and mixology for Edible Austin and L Style/G Style. He has judged, organized, competed in and won numerous cocktail competitions, including the Bacardi Legacy Showcase and the national final of the 2011 Cocktail World Cup. Alan is a charter officer and current chapter president of the Texas chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild. He is half of Tipsy Texan with partner Joe Eifler. The Tipsy Texans have served coffee and cocktails at venues as diverse as the Governor's Mansion and University of Texas tailgate parties, from Big D to Big Bend. Their recipes appear in the book Pastry Queen Parties by chef Rebecca Rather. In 2010 Alan established Tipsy Tech:The History and Practice of Cocktail Mixology with bartending colleague Lara Nixon.