Meet Kate Gerwin, Award-Winning Bartender and host of ‘Free Spirit’
California native Kate Gerwin is widely celebrated as an award-winning bartender and hospitality consultant. For over 20 years, she has been making a splash in the drinks industry by being the first woman and first American to win the Bols Around the World Bartending Championship in 2014. But that’s just the beginning.
In 2015, Gerwin was inducted into the Tales of the Cocktail Hall of Fame Catalyst Awards, which celebrates the contributions of hard-working people to the spirits and cocktail industry and is one of the only “peer judged” awards in the industry.
From 2019-2023, Gerwin was named Drinks International’s “Top 100 Most Influential Figures in the World. She’s a certified advanced master sommelier for some of the top wineries in Napa, consulted on the docuseries “Bar Rescue,” and was a finalist in the Netflix reality competition series “Drinkmasters.”
Kate Gerwin is also co-owner of Happy Accidents Bar in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since opening its doors in 2021, the cocktail bar has claimed multiple awards, including “Best New Bar 2022” at the Liquor Awards and the 2022 Spirited Awards “Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar.” Kate was also awarded “Bartender of the Year” 2023, and the bar just brought home the prestigious “Bar of the Year” 2024 award at the Bar & Restaurant Expo awards in Las Vegas.
Now Kate Gerwin has added “host” to her list of accolades. “Free Spirit” is a new Very Local original series that premiered across the nation on June 18, 2024. In each episode, Gerwin visits different cities and learns about each through meeting with locals and experiencing the culture, history, and ingredients that make every place special.
You can stream “Free Spirit” exclusively on the Very Local app.
How to stream episodes of “Free Spirit” on Very Local
Crimes, Cons and Capers” and more.
Already have the app on your iOS or Android device? CLICK HERE to start streaming the premiere “On the Job” episode instantly.
What is Very Local?
Very Local is a streaming app offering 24/7 access to local news, weather, and original series. It’s free to download on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, or Android TV. Watch it all at home or on the go.