About

Hello! I’m Matt Pietrek. Thanks for your curiosity about my site!

Cocktail Wonk is where I share my passion for all things drinking related, be they cocktails, bars, mixology, tiki, spirits, and spirited history.  I share my thoughts and experiences extensively on social media and have a surprisingly robust following on Instagram.

Some highlights of my spirited journey:

• Tales of the Cocktail 2018 Spirited Awards finalist for Best Cocktail and Spirits Writer, alongside writers from the New York Times, Washington Post and The Daily Beast.
• Saveur Magazine 2018 Best Drinks Blog finalist (announcement forthcoming!)
• One of Imbibe Magazine’s Imbibe 75 list of people to watch in 2018.
• Tales of the Cocktail 2017 Spirited Award “Top Ten” finalist in the Best Cocktail and Spirits Publication category.
• PUNCH (punchdrink.com) contributor.
• Bourbon+ (bourbonplus.com) contributor.
• Rum Master and columnist at Bevvy.co.
• Panelist at Tales of the Cocktail 2018.
• Author and Rum Reviewer for the Webby Award winning Distiller as a member of their tasting table
• Authentic Caribbean Rum tour of Jamaican rum distilleries alongside Martin Cate, Camper English, and Wayne Curtis
• Credentialed media at Tales of the Cocktail 2015 – 2018.
• Media guest at Bacardi Legacy Global Finals 2016
• Press trips to Cuba, Martinique, & Guadeloupe
• Dubbed “America’s foremost rum blogger” by noted author Fred Minnick in his book, Rum Curious
• Selected by Fred Minnick as a primary fact checker for his Rum Curious book.
• Guest judge at Miami Run Renaissance 2016
• Featured in Punch’s Home Bartending Goes Hardcore
• Featured in Chilled’s 7 Instagram Accounts to Make You Thirsty
• Toured every major American bourbon distillery in Kentucky
• Visited twelve Scotch whisky distilleries in Islay and Speyside
• In-depth sherry immersion trip in Jerez, Spain
• The first author to visit and write about E&A Scheer, the global rum powerhouse.

I’ve previously authored a number of books and articles on Microsoft Windows, reverse engineering, and software development, and been recognized internationally as one of the world’s foremost experts on the topic.

I now use my ability to immerse myself in the world of spirits, cocktails, and bars. Much as I did when writing about Windows, I immerse myself in a topic, demystify it and then teach what I’ve learned in a straightforward manner.

An integral part of the Cocktail Wonk experience is Mrs. Wonk (aka, Carrie in her civilian life), who provides storytelling wisdom, extreme copy-editing and much of the funny. She’s actually a much more entertaining writer, but I’m the one with the free time.