Emma Janzen

Coming Up

Mezcal: The History, Craft & Cocktails of the World’s Ultimate Artisanal Spirit marked the first clear line in Emma Janzen’s book work: detailed, grounded, and built to account for the cultural weight of what sits in the glass. The later co-authored titles — The Bartender's Manifesto, The Bartender’s Pantry (2024), and The Classic Cocktail Sessions (2026) — extend that same range, with each book keeping her tied to the language of the modern bar. Across those books, the writing stays methodical and exact. Emma Janzen does not treat drinks as isolated objects; she uses them to open onto craft, technique, memory, and the ways cocktail culture gets recorded. That approach carries into magazine work as well, where speed may change but the standard does not. Today, Emma Janzen is author at Imbibe Magazine of Imbibe Magazine and author at PUNCH, while also serving as USA Midwest Academy Chair of The World's 50 Best Bars and as agave spirits judge of New Orleans Spirits Competition and the Agavos Awards. Those roles place her in regular contact with editorial selection, bar-world standards, and spirits judging, with writing and assessment kept in the same field of view.

Where They Are Now

She writes at Imbibe Magazine and PUNCH, and serves as USA Midwest Academy Chair at The World's 50 Best Bars. The combination fits a writer working where reporting and recognition meet: on the page, in selection, and in the standards that shape how the drinks world is read. The reach is broader than one beat or one outlet, but the throughline stays consistent — voice, judgment, and editorial discipline. Emma Janzen’s work lands with rigor and ease. On mezcal or on cocktail culture more broadly, she keeps attention on the labor behind the drink as much as the finish in the glass.

Signature

Emma's signature dishes include The Bartender's Manifesto, The Way of the Cocktail, The Bartender's Pantry, and The Classic Cocktail Sessions. The list shows where her book work lives: in the space between reference and narrative, practical information and the act of reading. It also shows how consistently the bartender’s world remains the center of gravity, with ingredients, technique, and tradition kept close together.

In Their Words “I am an award-winning spirits & cocktail journalist, book author, and photographer reporting on global drinking cultures.” “The Classic Cocktail Sessions is the prequel to The Bartender’s Manifesto, which I wrote with Toby Maloney.”

Honors

Emma Janzen has received James Beard Foundation, Best Beverage Book with Recipes (2025). Emma's honors include Best Beverage Book with Recipes (2025) and Best New Cocktail or Bartending Book. Those recognitions track with the range of the work: books that carry information, attention, and care for the subject. In Emma Janzen’s hands, drinks writing functions as reporting on craft and culture at once, with the glass kept in context.