The New York mixology scene just wouldn’t be the same without Jim Meehan. With a reputation as a thinker, a perfectionist, a savvy businessman, and a mean pen to boot, he’s made his mark on the US mixology renaissance via his post as head barman at New York’s speakeasy-style bar PDT. Meehan calls himself merely a New York City based bar operator, consultant, and writer, but his passion for beverage service has helped him become one of the most celebrated bartenders in the industry.

He didn’t start out with a proverbial silver stirring spoon in his mouth when it came to mixology. Long Island iced teas and Alabama slammers were the name of his game when he began his bartending career in 1995 as a student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

In 2001, he moved to New York City where he honed his skills in fine dining and developed his palate at Five Points restaurant and Pace. Three years later, he got an opportunity to showcase his talent behind the bar at both Gramercy Tavern and Audrey Saunder’s Pegu Club. In 2007, he was named a StarChefs.com New York Rising Star Mixologist.

Meehan is currently a managing partner of PDT, a hidden cocktail lounge attached to a East Village hot dog stand where he features classically inspired seasonal cocktails he develops with his bartenders. PDT and its staff have received numerous awards and accolades, including a 2009 spirit award for World’s Best Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail. The ongoing success of the bar has earned Meehan a second rising star award from Cheers Magazine and a spirit award for American Bartender of the Year in 2009.

Meehan is a contributing editor to Food & Wine's annual cocktail book, GQ.com, Liquor.com, Mr. Boston’s Bartender Guide, and Sommelier Journal. He has created cocktails for spirits companies, lectured and mixed drinks at local and international trade shows, and works with the acclaimed B.A.R. team as a cocktail and spirits educator.