Ben Reed

Ben Reed is one of the industry's best-known mixologists thanks to his high profile as the BBC’s “Shaker Maker” and his colourful career mixing cocktails for the capital’s trendsetters and style leaders.

Ben began his bar career working with Sir Terence Conran to become head bartender for the prestigious downstairs bar at Mezzo. His career really broke during an enormously successful three-year stint as bar manager of London’s premier private members club, the Met bar (where he won cocktail bartender of the year in 1997)

Ben also wrote a column “Barfly” for the Saturday Times magazine for two years and to co-write his first book ”Hollywood Cocktails” – featured in the Times and the Telegraph newspapers top ten purchases for Christmas 99. His own book “Cool Cocktails” published in 2000 – sold out in both the UK and the US in just four months and has currently sold 500,000 copies worldwide. Three more books, “The Cocktail Hour, The Martini, and The Margarita and other Tequila cocktails” were released in 2002. In 2003 he wrote “The Art of the Cocktail” to great acclaim. 2005 saw the release of three more books; “Sunshine Cocktails, Party cocktails and Hangover Cures ” and his latest book "The Bartender's Guide" has just been released by RPS.

Apart from the 13 episode series that Ben presented (“Shaker Maker for the BBC”), Ben has a regular on the Carlton Food Network and has made appearances on; This Morning, GMTV, The Gloria Hunniford Show, UK Style, UK Food and Granada Breeze.

These days Ben is the brand ambassador for Wray and Nephew/Appleton rums, the spokesperson for Funkin' Fruit Purees and a regular trainer for IPB's other bar and brand clients.