We asked our female bar managers, bar owners and bartenders about their experiences in the hospitality industry. We also asked them to share a cocktail using a female-led ingredient from the Craft Spirits portfolio. Here, Natalie Smith, bar manager of Metl Bar in San Diego, shares her thoughts with us.  

I have worked in a few other industries and none of them felt like I belong like the bar industry. Being in a leadership role, I feel I help break the stigma that bartending is only a boy’s club. Powerful women are vital to the industry and I’m honored to contribute.

I am often surprised that some people are surprised to see a strong woman behind the bar instead of a man. I work to create an environment where women are encouraged to not only perform all the same job requirements as a male counterpart but also be creative and offer a different perspective. 

I have the honor of working for Metlbar, and other female led bars before, that celebrate women in the workplace. I aim to continue to build on that environment where more women thrive in the industry.