A New Class Steps Into One of Hospitality's Most Competitive Training Grounds
Every year, bartenders from around the world send in applications hoping for a shot at one of the most respected training programs in the drinks business. Most don't make it. The ones who do spend a week in New Orleans working harder than most people would expect, pouring cocktails by the thousands, learning from the best in the industry, and walking away with something that can't be taught behind any bar on any ordinary night.
The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation has officially announced its 2026 Cocktail Apprentice Program class, and this year's group is the latest chapter in a program that has been quietly building some of the most capable bar professionals on the planet since 2008.
Forty new apprentices — called Red Coats — have been selected from a global pool of applicants. They'll travel to New Orleans this July to work alongside more experienced mentors during one of the most significant annual gatherings in the drinks world. And when it's over, they'll go home different than when they arrived.
What the Cocktail Apprentice Program Actually Is
Eighteen Years of Building the Next Generation
The Cocktail Apprentice Program, known in the industry simply as CAP, is not a hobbyist workshop or a weekend seminar. It's a full-immersion, hands-on program built around the annual Tales of the Cocktail conference, which takes place each July in New Orleans. The conference draws some of the most accomplished figures in spirits and hospitality from across the globe, and CAP drops its apprentices right into the middle of it all.
Since it launched in 2008, the program has worked with more than 600 apprentices from over 30 countries. That kind of reach is rare for any industry training program, let alone one centered on bartending. It reflects just how seriously the Foundation takes its mission of developing talent that can lead — not just pour.
The selected apprentices work across educational seminars and signature events, including Tales Catalyst and the Spirited Awards. Those aren't small gatherings. The logistics are demanding, the crowds are large, and the standards are high. Red Coats execute cocktail service at scale, under pressure, and alongside people who have spent careers mastering their craft.
The Coat System: How It Works
The program runs on a tiered structure built around different levels of experience and responsibility.
The incoming class starts as Red Coats — first-time participants who are there to learn, observe, and execute. They work under the direction of Grey Coats, the returning apprentices who have been through the program before and now take on a mentorship role themselves. Black Coats carry even more responsibility, serving in key positions across the event. White Coats sit at the top of the structure, managing the program and ensuring everything runs the way it should.
This year's Black Coat class includes Aaron Hatchell of Ace Hotel Toronto, Lauren Pileggi of PMA Canada out of Sudbury, Ontario, Antoinette Rangel of The Saloon at Clover Club in Brooklyn, Joshua Thompson of The Corner Store in New York, and Brandon Thrash of Middle Child in Philadelphia, who serves as Lead Black Coat.
The White Coat team managing the 2026 class includes Alexis Belton of Danny's in New York, Richie Delahoyde of Illva Saronno in Dublin, Glenn Eldridge of Pernod Ricard Middle East in Dubai, Kaleena Goldsworthy-Warnock of Proof in Chattanooga, and Trevor Kallies of the JOEY Restaurant Group in Vancouver.
Who Made the Cut in 2026
Forty Red Coats From Across the Globe
The 2026 Red Coat class is as geographically spread as any in recent memory. Apprentices were drawn from cities across the United States, as well as Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Kenya, and Puerto Rico.
Domestic representation stretches coast to coast — New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, Atlanta, San Diego, Providence, Philadelphia, Tampa, Charlotte, and beyond. In cities where cocktail culture has been growing fast, like Austin, San Antonio, and Holly Springs, North Carolina, new voices are being added to a program that has long attracted talent from the biggest markets.
Some names worth noting from the incoming class: Roger Maxwell, who works at Dear Irving on Hudson in New York, brings the kind of refined cocktail bar experience that fits the program's standards. Crystal Mendoza of Death & Co Los Angeles comes from one of the most decorated cocktail establishments in the country. Ray Lam works at San Sabino in New York. Connor Piazza represents The Portrait Bar, also in New York. Lizette Macedo Ortiz comes from Seed Library NYC.
Outside the major metro markets, the class is equally deep. Cassidy Swinsick comes from Cove Lakeside Bistro in Portage, Michigan — a smaller market that often gets overlooked in these kinds of programs. Kenneth Bones works at Attack of the Tatsu in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Max Karlin is behind the bar at Esther's High Dive in Providence, Rhode Island.
The international contingent adds another dimension. Harrison Davis comes from Auckland, New Zealand, where he works at First Mates, Last Laugh. Vetle Peterson travels from Oslo, Norway, where he's at Svanen. Carter Stacey represents Brisbane, Australia, working at Frogs Hollow Saloon. Bear Murphy comes from Bar Planet in Sydney. Annette Mulama is both an educator and a bartender based in Nairobi, Kenya — a city that rarely gets a seat at the table in programs like this, which makes her inclusion worth noting.
From Puerto Rico, two apprentices were selected: Priscilla Chanel of The Tryst Hotel in San Juan, and Edna Lopez of Jungle Bird, also in San Juan.
The Grey Coat Class Brings the Experience
The 20 Grey Coats selected for 2026 come with a different kind of credential — they've already been through the program at least once, and now they're the ones doing the mentoring.
This year's Grey Coat class is even more internationally diverse than the Red Coats. Scott Roe works at The Bamboo Bar at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok in Thailand. Kaleb Barry is based in Dubai, working at Roka. Erika Fajilagot comes from Burnt Ends in Singapore. Ryan Betts is from Palmer and Co. in Sydney. Chris Crowley travels from Cork, Ireland, where he works at American Beverage Marketers.
Stateside Grey Coats include Erin Katz of Pony Up in Denver, Rory Kerwin of J.W. Heist in Bozeman, Montana, Kyle Peete of Napa Valley Distillery in California, Zoo Holmström of Mírate in Los Angeles, Dominique Muñoz of Polite Provisions in San Diego, Aliya Harrison of Dorothea Fine Greek in Albuquerque, De'Qustay Johnson of Mobile Bar ATL, and Quincy Palou of Chyna Club in Las Vegas.
Three Grey Coats come from Montreal alone — Jess Long of Atwater Cocktail Club, Sally Groves of The Coldroom, and Akash Kaliya, who is actually in the Red Coat class working out of Numéro. The Montreal contingent reflects how strong the cocktail scene in that city has become.
What Trevor Kallies Had to Say
The White Coat Manager for the program put it plainly when explaining what CAP actually means for the people who get in.
"The Cocktail Apprentice Program is built on the core pillars of mentorship & community, with the primary goal of advancing careers far beyond the bar," said Kallies. "Each year, we curate a diverse group of forty new Red Coats from a massive pool of global applicants. These individuals each bring unique perspectives and experience to connect and push our industry forward."
He didn't dress it up. The program involves serious work — batching cocktails, running service at scale, executing at an extremely high standard. But that's not the whole picture.
"For these bartenders, acceptance is just the Spark; the real fire begins as they immerse themselves in education and professional growth throughout the week of TOTC," Kallies said. "Of course, there will be batching and cocktail service in the thousands, and at the highest level, the CAP program is ultimately about joining a supportive space & network specifically designed for the next generation of industry leaders to grow and connect. We can't wait to see how they redefine the future of our industry."
That last line isn't just boilerplate. The alumni network this program has built over 18 years is genuinely one of its most powerful assets, and it's one of the things that makes CAP different from other training opportunities in the industry.
The Business of Craft: Sponsors and Partners
Who's Backing the 2026 Class
Programs like this don't run without support, and the 2026 CAP class has backing from some of the heaviest names in the spirits business.
Brown-Forman is serving as the Title Sponsor — a fitting role for a company whose portfolio includes some of the most recognizable American whiskey brands in existence. Campari is back as Presenting Partner. Crown Royal and William Grant & Sons are Supporting Partners. Bartender Magazine, Maison Ferrand, and Tito's Handmade Vodka are serving as CAP Bag Supporters.
That lineup signals how seriously the industry takes this program. These aren't companies writing checks for a logo placement. They're investing in the people who will be behind bars, developing menus, training staff, and influencing how Americans drink for the next 20 years.
Life After New Orleans
The Scholarship Program Keeps the Network Growing
The program doesn't end when the conference wraps up. Following Tales of the Cocktail 2026, CAP members become eligible for the Cocktail Apprentice Scholarship Program — an annual scholarship initiative that has been helping former apprentices pursue additional learning for more than a decade.
The selection process for the scholarship is competitive, but the awards cover a broad range of projects — everything from advanced spirits education to community programming to career development initiatives. Former apprentices who receive funding take that money back to their cities, their bars, and their communities.
That downstream effect is one of the things that makes CAP more than just a week in New Orleans. The education spreads outward. The network keeps growing. The people who went through the program years ago are now the ones mentoring the next generation — sometimes literally, as Grey Coats, Black Coats, and White Coats.
Why New Orleans, and Why This Matters Now
The City That Takes Hospitality Seriously
The choice to hold Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans is not accidental. New Orleans has one of the deepest hospitality cultures of any American city. It takes its cocktail history seriously — the Sazerac was invented there, the French Quarter has been pouring drinks since before the country was a country, and the city's bar scene has long attracted professionals who want to work at a genuinely high level.
For a program centered on professional development in the drinks industry, there is no more fitting backdrop. The city itself is a reminder of what hospitality looks like when it's treated as a craft rather than a transaction.
The 2026 conference is scheduled for July 19 through 24. For six days, New Orleans will once again be the center of the global drinks industry — and the 40 Red Coats who just got the call will be right in the middle of it.
The Bigger Picture
The cocktail industry has changed significantly over the past two decades. What was once a straightforward service job has become something closer to a profession, with its own body of knowledge, its own standards of excellence, and its own career pathways. Programs like CAP are a big part of why that shift happened.
The 2026 class reflects where the industry is right now — global, technically sophisticated, and increasingly focused on mentorship and community as the engines of long-term growth. A bartender in Portage, Michigan and a bartender in Oslo, Norway are now part of the same program, the same network, and ultimately the same conversation about where the craft goes next.
When the week in New Orleans is over, 40 Red Coats will go back to their bars in their cities with something that didn't exist before — a set of skills, a set of relationships, and a clearer sense of what's possible. That's what the program has always been about.
And next year, some of them will come back as Grey Coats, ready to pass it on.
