Catherine Manabat started off in the beverage industry as a bartender at 21C Cincinnati and has worked her way through several positions within the distilled spirits industry, including sales manager for Watershed Distillery and cofounder of HomeMakers Bar in Cincinnati. These days she’s the hospitality manager at New Riff Distilling Company in Newport, Kentucky, where she’s tasked with visitor education and with creating cocktail menus that rotate seasonally twice a year.
“There are some people who will only taste our whiskey through the vehicle of a cocktail, especially if they’re starting out in a new category of a spirit,” Manabat explains. “Whether it’s whiskey or rye or bourbon or what have you, it’s really a lovely way to meet people where they
