Make this your first stop at Portland Cocktail Week!

Pick up your PDXCW pass in The Jupiter Hotel lobby next to the DreamTENT. Grab a cold bevy, thanks to our friends at Diageo Bar Academy and Diageo World Class.

A physical pass/badge is required for anyone attending PDXCW events. This includes Student, Bartender, Industry, Media, Educator, and Staff.

Sign up for your pass online before you arrive, then pick it up at Registration. Learn more about Registration & Passes here.

Location: The Jupiter Hotel, 800 E Burnside Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Sponsored by: Diageo Bar Academy and Diageo World Class

First launched in 2011 to train bartenders in Pacific Asia, Diageo Bar Academy is an accredited bar training platform that has trained over 115,000 staff worldwide. Teaching foundational level courses to advanced, world-class workshops, bar professionals in over 40 countries can access their training. They've been raising the bar for over a decade and, for many years, helping to bring Portland Cocktail Week to life! Learn more here.

Featuring:
Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos

Education Classes are for pre-assigned Student Pass holders and Bartender Pass Auditing.
Location: DreamTENT, The Jupiter Hotel, 800 E Burnside Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Sponsored by: Lush Life Productions

Join your friends at Amaro Montenegro and Mezcal Derrumbes as we deconstruct the infamous M+M. Amaro aficionado, Tad Carducci, and Mezcal Derrumbes ambassador, Adhel Martinez, will unearth the histories, talk terroir and postulate on the Italian and Mexican cultural parallels that make Montenegro + Mezcal a magically delicious mash-up on its own or as the base to innovative cocktails.

3-Hour Educational Workshop for pre-assigned Student Pass holders.
Location: TBD
Sponsored by: Amaro Montenegro and Mezcal Derrumbes, Spirit of Gallo

Ever speed date a whisky? We’re having some fun with this one, giving you the opportunity to learn about Canadian whisky in 5-minute increments! After your rye romance blossoms, your team will participate in speed challenges and try to stump Dave Mitton, Canadian whisky’s soulmate.

Kaitlyn Stewart will be joining in on all the fun, and we’ll get to talk with her about the development and writing of Three Cheers, releasing October 7th!

3-Hour Educational Workshop for pre-assigned Student Pass holders.
Location: TBD
Sponsored by: Lot No. 40, J.P. Wiser's

Two-Day Educational Workshop for pre-assigned Student Pass holders.
Location: TBD
Sponsored by: Zacapa Rum

Attendees will begin the day with a keynote discussion on “Bar Nightmares,” and how to avoid living in your own FOH themed horror movie. The afternoon will feature three rotating breakout sessions—Water + Whiskey: The Impact of Water on Tasting Spirits, Spritzes Go Wild, and Orange You Glad You Came to This Class?. These hands-on sessions will showcase Campari America’s portfolio, reinforce trade advocacy, and deepen practical skills through engaging, Brand Ambassador-led activations!

Full-Day Educational Workshop for pre-assigned Student Pass holders.
Location: TBD
Sponsored by: Campari Academy: Campari, Aperol and Espolón Tequila

Featuring:
Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos

Education Classes are for pre-assigned Student Pass holders and Bartender Pass Auditing.
Location: DreamTENT, The Jupiter Hotel, 800 E Burnside Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Sponsored by: Lush Life Productions

Opening a brand-new beverage program for a bar or restaurant is a labor of love and a lot of work. In this class we will cover developing your opening cocktail menu that works for your physical space and theme. Tips on hiring and training a cohesive bar staff, give examples of the seemingly endless shopping, checklists, and all the little, random things it takes to get the doors open without losing your mind in the process.

Featuring:
Colleen Hughes
Beverage Director and Head Mixologist for the Tonidandel Brown Restaurant Group

Education Classes are for pre-assigned Student Pass holders and Bartender Pass Auditing.
Location: The Arium at Jupiter NEXT, 900 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
Sponsored by: Lush Life Productions

Colleen Hughes, Beverage Director and Head Mixologist for the Tonidandel Brown Restaurant Group
Colleen Hughes is a multi-award-winning, James Beard-nominated mixologist. For the past 12 years, she has served as the Beverage Director for the Tonidandel-Brown restaurant group in Charlotte, North Carolina, creating, opening, and managing multiple cocktail programs. Currently, she has six different bar concepts, ranging from a neighborhood tavern to multiple eco-friendly, anti-wasteful cocktail programs in fine dining restaurants, and an intimate cocktail tasting menu program that delivers modernist cocktails and food pairings on a rotating basis.
A cocktail and distilled spirits expert, she was “Certified BAR Ready” by the Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. Colleen also served for four years as a Director on the National Board of the United States Bartenders Guild and currently serves as the Chair of the National Membership Committee.

Featuring:
Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos
Amie Ward

Education Classes are for pre-assigned Student Pass holders and Bartender Pass Auditing.
Location: DreamTENT, The Jupiter Hotel, 800 E Burnside Ave, Portland, OR 97214
Sponsored by: Lush Life Productions

How is my cocktail list contributing to the financial success of my bar? Why did my liquor cost rise by 3 points last month? Small bars may not have the financial luxury of an expensive subscription to an inventory management platform. But what if you could have that all and more for free? In this session we dig into the nuts and bolts of Excel (and Google Spreadsheets) to automate your most usual calculations, find opportunities to save money (and make money), and ultimately give you and your staff the tools to run a tighter ship. All illustrated by live, real-world examples. Nerd alert, there might be some coding involved. A full suite of spreadsheet examples will be provided to all attendees following PDXCW.

Featuring:
Jared Sadoian
Director of Operations, Cambridge Street Hospitality Group

Education Classes are for pre-assigned Student Pass holders and Bartender Pass Auditing.
Location: The Arium at Jupiter NEXT, 900 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
Sponsored by: Lush Life Productions

Jared Sadoian, Director of Operations, Cambridge Street Hospitality Group
Jared Sadoian is an accomplished manager of hospitality programs, generous mentor to the upcoming generation of young bartenders, and in-demand educator at regional and national events. He currently serves as the Director of Operations for Chef Will Gilson's collection of eight restaurants, bars, and event spaces in the Greater Boston area. Jared's eye on the intersection of drink, service, culture and analytics lent a thoughtful, data-driven approach to the group's heightened focus on hospitality, building and providing tools to help staff deliver an unparalleled drinking & dining experience.

Hospitality has long struggled with the cycle of high turnover, burnout, and constant retraining. This seminar offers a practical solution: a retention-first framework designed to keep talent longer, strengthen culture, and stabilize margins.

At the heart of the session is a 90-day action plan that any operator can implement immediately. We start with structured onboarding, ensuring new hires quickly reach competency while feeling genuinely welcomed into the team. From there, we explore learning journeys—progressive, staged training that integrates cross-training and skill development, giving staff flexibility, growth opportunities, and a sense of purpose.

Beyond skills, we address the critical role of mental health in hospitality. Attendees will learn how to move beyond reactive stress management toward proactive support models: normalizing conversations about wellbeing, designing schedules that prioritize rest, and making resources easily accessible. These practices not only reduce absenteeism but also build sustainable performance.

The seminar also introduces stay-interviews and recognition rituals, tools that replace passive appreciation with structured, ongoing conversations that help uncover risks early and show staff they’re valued. Paired with measurable KPIs—time-to-competency, retention rates, engagement scores—leaders gain clear ways to track progress and tie people strategy to business results.

Attendees will leave with scorecards, templates, and a clear blueprint for creating environments where staff want to stay, grow, and perform. This is not about abstract culture talk—it’s about turning people into your strongest competitive advantage through retention, training, and mental health strategies that work.

Featuring:
Shawn Soole
Principal Consultant, Soole Hospitality Consultants

Education Classes are for pre-assigned Student Pass holders and Bartender Pass Auditing.
Location: The Arium at Jupiter NEXT, 900 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214
Sponsored by: Lush Life Productions

Shawn Soole, Principal Consultant, Soole Hospitality Consultants
Shawn Soole is the founder of Soole Hospitality Concepts (SHC), where he helps bars and restaurants thrive through tailored training, systems, and education. A BNIC-certified Cognac educator and passionate industry leader, he shares insights on business, culture, and creativity as the host of the Post Shift Podcast, inspiring hospitality professionals to grow smarter and stronger.