{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/65fdb820b5218f001713c89b/691e45458f2dd34e46724ab4?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Saeed “Hawk” House on Bartending, Cocktail Content Creation & Making Drinks Fun Again","description":"<p>Saeed “Hawk” House – better known online as <strong>@cocktailsbyhawk</strong> – joins Damian to talk about his path from Bay Area barback to LA content creator, why he still thinks like a working bartender, and how influencers with real bar chops can shape what guests drink around the world.</p><p>They get into the tension between “what works on Instagram” and “what works on a busy Friday night,” the responsibilities that come with reach, and Hawk’s campaign to make cocktails fun (and drinkable) again.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>In this episode, we cover:</strong></p><ul><li>Growing up in the Bay Area, studying audio engineering and falling sideways into bartending via Burning Man and Chelsea’s nudge behind the bar</li><li>Building foundations at Cantina, Prizefighter, Perch and Mrs. Fish – and what high-volume vs high-craft venues each taught him</li><li>Picking up a GoPro, posting rough early videos and realising a working bartender could step into the influencer space</li><li>COVID as a turning point: brand deals, staying afloat and the decision to leave regular bar work for full-time content creation</li><li>The responsibility of bartender-creators: transparency around paid partnerships and learning to say no to brands that don’t fit</li><li>The inside story of the Batanga “conspiracy” and what it reveals about how online trends drive real-life orders</li><li>Balancing social-friendly recipes with drinks that bars and home drinkers can actually execute</li><li>Why Hawk is less interested in rotovaps and more focused on simple, repeatable cocktails you want four of—not just a one-off spectacle</li><li>How films, food and ingredients inspire his recipes, including a deep dive into his Joker-inspired cocktail build</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>About Saeed “Hawk” House</strong></p><p>Saeed “Hawk” House is a Los Angeles–based bartender, consultant and full-time creator behind <strong>Cocktails by Hawk</strong>. After years in San Francisco and LA bars, he now partners with spirits brands, develops menus, runs a mobile bartending business and shares approachable cocktail content with a global audience.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Find Hawk:</strong> @cocktailsbyhawk on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more.</p><p><strong>Find The Cocktail Academy:</strong> thecocktailacademy.com · IG @welovecocktails · TikTok @welovecocktailsx</p>","author_name":"Damian Cole"}