{"id":237649,"date":"2026-07-07T17:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/237649\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T17:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:15:08","slug":"pittsburgh-is-mission-control-for-cocktail-tourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/237649\/","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh is Mission Control for Cocktail Tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Spacebarmain2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPACE BAR<\/p>\n

Space Bar<\/a> owners Dale Vaughn and Elizabeth Menzel think Pittsburgh offers some of the best spirits and cocktails in the galaxy.<\/p>\n

In partnership with VisitPITTSBURGH, the couple helms the Mixburgh Foundation,<\/a> a coordinated effort between local bars, restaurants, distilleries and marketing organizations to promote the city\u2019s out-of-this-world food and beverages and attract tourists like a tractor beam.<\/p>\n

Using Pittsburgh\u2019s nationally recognized craft beerscape<\/a> as a template, MixBurgh aims to put our boozy bars on global Top 100 lists and ensure a lasting positive impact on the city\u2019s economic and cultural landscape. National Geographic already named Pittsburgh among its Best of the World destinations<\/a> for 2026.<\/p>\n

The inaugural MixBurgh Cocktail Weekend & Conference, scheduled for Nov. 6-10,, will feature special events hosted by some of the Steel City\u2019s coolest bars and staffed by local and visiting bartenders.<\/p>\n

The event is sponsored by VisitPITTSBURGH, the City of Pittsburgh, the Office of Nighttime Economy and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. It\u2019s open to industry professionals and cocktail enthusiasts alike.<\/p>\n

Education and opportunities for mentorship are key components of the conference, Vaughn says.<\/p>\n

There will be seminars on subjects ranging from distilling, bar design and surviving a downturn led by industry experts such as David Kaplan, co-founder of Death & Co and CEO of Gin & Luck and New York Times cocktail writer Robert Simonson.<\/p>\n

Since launching Space Bar in Market Square two years ago, Vaughn, Menzel and their crew have released more than 140 original beverages that are more like scientific discoveries. New employees spend six months learning about molecular mixology to gain a deeper understanding of ingredients, flavor profiles and mouthfeel. In the back prep area, the centrifuge is in constant rotation, clarifying liquids.<\/p>\n

The Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, a $42 shareable mix of gin, amaro, preserved lemon cordial, Granny Smith apple and Thai basil, is transported to your table inside a bar globe. Once the sphere is opened, three glasses and a housemade brick of Yuzu white chocolate mochi emerge from a dry-ice fog.<\/p>\n

A.I. ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 on practical effects.<\/p>\n

\"Spacebar3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

DALE VAUGHN AND ELIZABETH MENZEL \/ PHOTO BY EVA KOBYLAR<\/p>\n

Vaughn and Menzel, who decided to move from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh after being dazzled during Light Up Night 2017, want every libation-lovin\u2019 being in the universe to keep the Steel City on their radar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been to enough of the world\u2019s best bars to tell you we have some of the best bars right here,\u201d Vaughn says.<\/p>\n

\"Spacebar4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO COURTESY OF HIDDEN HARBOR<\/p>\n

At Space Bar, they hand out cards listing local stellar bars and restaurants such as Balvanera<\/a>, Pusadee\u2019s Garden<\/a>, Bar Botanico<\/a>, Hidden Harbor<\/a>, Fig & Ash<\/a>, The Warren Bar and Burrow<\/a> and Wallflower<\/a>. Think of it as \u201cThe Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide to the Dining Scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vaughn sees big things on the horizon for Pittsburgh bars because he knows people are craving close encounters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want everybody to participate and celebrate our beautiful and unique scene,\u201d he says.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOTO COURTESY OF SPACE BAR Space Bar owners Dale Vaughn and Elizabeth Menzel think Pittsburgh offers some of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237650,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-237649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}