The Cocktail Academy Saeed “Hawk” House on Bartending, Cocktail Content Creation & Making Drinks Fun Again
Saeed “Hawk” House – better known online as @cocktailsbyhawk – 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.
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.
In this episode, we cover:
- Growing up in the Bay Area, studying audio engineering and falling sideways into bartending via Burning Man and Chelsea’s nudge behind the bar
- Building foundations at Cantina, Prizefighter, Perch and Mrs. Fish – and what high-volume vs high-craft venues each taught him
- Picking up a GoPro, posting rough early videos and realising a working bartender could step into the influencer space
- COVID as a turning point: brand deals, staying afloat and the decision to leave regular bar work for full-time content creation
- The responsibility of bartender-creators: transparency around paid partnerships and learning to say no to brands that don’t fit
- The inside story of the Batanga “conspiracy” and what it reveals about how online trends drive real-life orders
- Balancing social-friendly recipes with drinks that bars and home drinkers can actually execute
- Why Hawk is less interested in rotovaps and more focused on simple, repeatable cocktails you want four of—not just a one-off spectacle
- How films, food and ingredients inspire his recipes, including a deep dive into his Joker-inspired cocktail build
About Saeed “Hawk” House
Saeed “Hawk” House is a Los Angeles–based bartender, consultant and full-time creator behind Cocktails by Hawk. 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.
Find Hawk: @cocktailsbyhawk on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more.
Find The Cocktail Academy: thecocktailacademy.com · IG @welovecocktails · TikTok @welovecocktailsx
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