the Cocktail Maven

Lisa Carrington, passionate cocktail creator and alcohol enthusiast living in Phoenix, Arizona.

A rural Washington state farm kid turned city girl. Known by many as simply "The Maven". She loves all things related to alcohol, from history to chemistry to culture. Smoke is her spirit animal especially when it comes in the form of whisk(e)y, mezcal or cigars. She travels in search of the most interesting cocktails and cocktail ingredients.  Lisa is also host of the popular 'the Lushus Life' podcast with her partner in crime Alicia White.

She started as a self-proclaimed foodie with only marginal interest in cocktails. But as the cocktail 'dark ages' came to a close with over-neoned bars giving way to intimate speakeasys, and bad cosmos were replaced by hand crafted cocktails her interests moved to mixology. Using the concepts of the slow food movement to craft cocktails, bitters and syrups by hand with fresh local ingredients she married her passions of food and cocktails together. The Maven name harkens back to Hebrew and loosely translated means someone who wants to share what they know.

True to the Maven ethos she loves to share her passion for cocktails with others.  You will regularly find her teaching cocktail classes, hosting events in her home and collaborating with alcohol brands to create new cocktails.

This website serves as a place to write about her travels, share recipes and interact with other cocktail lovers. You can follow her other cocktail, (sometimes) food, and (often) cigar musings on Instagram and twitter as @Cocktail_Maven