Camper English

San Francisco, CA USA
13 Years Experience

Professional Experience

I'm a freelance writer, speaker, cocktail judge, and consultant in the San Francisco area focusing on cocktails, spirits, bars, and travel. I've visited nearly 100 distilleries in 20 countries so far. I'm a regular contributor to Saveur, FSR Magazine, Mixology Magazine, Whisky Advocate, and Drinks International, and have contributed to venues including PopularScience.com, Time, Everyday with Rachael Ray, Fine Cooking, and many other publications. My website, Alcademics.com, is one of the most widely read and respected cocktail blogs in the country.

Expertise

Book Author 6 YearsReporter 13 YearsWriter 13 Years

Specialty

Entertainment 10 YearsLifestyle 10 YearsOther, Specify 10 Years

Industries

Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines 12 YearsMagazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B) 10 YearsNewspaper - Local/Regional 12 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

  • San Francisco Magazine (10+)
  • SF Chronicle/SFGate.com (10+)
  • Tasting Panel Magazine (10+)
  • Saveur Magazine (3-5)
  • PopularScience.com (3-5)
  • Drinks International (3-5)
  • Whisky Advocate (6-10)
  • Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine (1-2)
  • Fine Cooking Magazine (10+)

Awards

Legends Award, San Francisco Cocktail Week 2012. Best Writer, Tales of the Cocktail 2011.

Associations

Mediabistro's AvantGuild, United States Bartenders' Guild, BarSmarts graduate, B.A.R. Certified

Other Work History

Published scientific author, computer programmer.

Technical Skills

Scientific research skills from database analysis to image analysis to grant writing.

Foreign Language Skills

Some Spanish and French

Computer Skills

Word, Excel, HTML, ASP, C, C++, Java, JavaScript, SQL, Delphi, Windows XP, Mac OSX. (Former software engineer.)

Equipment

Digital camera, audio recorder, bar tools

References

Available on request.

travel

Last Dash to Aspen
(San Francisco Magazine 5/1/2008)
A 3-page travel story on Aspen.

Cocktails, Bars, Spirits, Wine, and Beer

101 Hot Nights
(San Francisco Magazine (cover story) 2/1/2005)
A 14-page nightlife guide to San Francisco, featuring over 100 bar and club reviews.
Hidden Bars
(Time Magazine 11/1/2007)
Hidden bars were a hot trend in 2007.
Resurrecting Spirits
(San Francisco Chronicle 10/19/2007)
Cover story for the SF Chronicle's Wine section on lost cocktail ingredients.
The cosmo-free zone: Bartending purists demand respect for the art of mixology
(San Francisco Chronicle 10/6/2006)
The craft cocktail movement in San Francisco, focussing on molecular mixology and Bourbon & Branch. This was the cover of the Chronicle's Wine section.
More bars growing own cockatil ingredients
(San Francisco Chronicle 8/30/2009)
The Bay Area has long been home to the farm-forward cocktail movement - initially personified by Scott Beattie, then of Cyrus restaurant, who sourced produce from neighbors' fruit trees for his bar. Lately, more bartenders are doing the gardening work themselves, for the same reason that backyard gardeners seem to have appeared everywhere. The extra effort may not save money, and the drinks may not taste noticeably fresher to the customer, but you can bet they do to the proud garden tender who grew part of your gimlet from seed.
Pairing the Cocktail with the Cocktail Dress
(San Francisco Chronicle 7/12/2009)
Many cocktail contests now require bartenders to pair drinks with meals or invent them on the spot with a secret ingredient, but a recent competition challenged mixologists around the world with a new pairing: cocktails with cocktail dresses.
Top 5 Absinthe Cocktails
(Epicurious.com 1/1/2009)
Now that absinthe is legal in America, what are you going to make with it?
The Count Comes A-Courting
(San Francisco Magazine 7/1/2009)
Bottle talk with the CEO behind San Francisco's favorite shot, Fernet-Branca.

financial- thrift and savings

Party Like a Rock Star: Even When You're Poor As Dirt
(book 6/1/2005)
This is my first book. See the website for excerpts, reviews, and ordering information.