Derek Brown––named 75 people to watch by Imbibe magazine––leaning against his former bar, the Columbia Room.

IMBIBE

Imbibe 75 Person to Watch: Derek Brown

Showing people the pleasures of drinking mindfully well, and helping those looking to cut down or eliminate their alcohol consumption.

Different cocktail glasses for mindful drinkers.

VOGUE

How to Practice Mindful Drinking

“It is a self-led strategy to drink or not drink alcohol in relation to your goals, health, or otherwise,” says Derek Brown, a bartender turned mindful drinking expert who is the author of Mindful Mixology and a NASM-certified wellness coach.

Mindful drinker, Derek Brown, leaping in a black and white image.

Food & Wine

Bartending While Sober is Pretty Hardcore

Derek Brown's new company, Positive Damage Inc., leans into his punk rock past to help Americans think and drink more mindfully.

Cocktail pioneer Derek Brown pouring a non-alcoholic drink.

WASHINGTON POST

Cocktail pioneer Derek Brown’s new message: Sophisticated drinks don’t require alcohol

Brown sees his shift and his new book — which is chock-full of balanced, bright drinks that bear little resemblance to the too-sweet concoctions that have tainted the rep of “mocktails” — as part of a continuum.

Illustration of mindful drinker, Derek Brown.

VOX

Becoming a “mindful drinker” changed my life

The controversial term may be new, but the goal is the same: Drink less. And I do.

Derek Brown––mindful drinker––leaning against his former bar, the Columbia Room.

CNBC

49-year-old was an award-winning bartender, now he practices ‘mindful drinking’—here’s how it changed his life

For 22 years, Derek Brown dominated the hospitality industry in Washington D.C. as a bartender and even owned his own bar in the nation’s capital until 2022.

But despite his success, Brown’s relationship with alcohol was a bit complicated.