About Spirit Forward
Spirit Forward is a Philadelphia based craft cocktail mixology team. We've been doing this since 2014, we work out of Philadelphia and across the surrounding counties, and we've built roughly two hundred bars in rooms of every shape, from a backyard in Phoenixville to the rooftop of the Cira Center.
The idea
Why we do it this way
We're forever living in Les Années Folles, a euphoric time in 1920's Paris when creativity, style and cocktails coalesced into a decade of lavish fun, and we're here to bring that same energy and romance back to bartending for unforgettable parties.
We believe you should never have to sacrifice quality for quantity, especially when it comes to the boozy side of life. Thankfully, we're living in the golden age of cocktails, where even the most novice of drinkers knows their preference between shaken or stirred. So why settle for average service and unaffecting drinks? We're here to bring the romance back to bartending.
A well composed drink goes beyond just taste, so attention to detail is at the forefront of everything we do, from fragrant garnishes and fresh citrus to hand-carved ice and beautiful antique glassware.
The founder
Dan Hamm, founder
Owner Dan Hamm has built, directed and opened over a dozen cocktail programs, from scratch, in the Philadelphia area, in such locations as Alpen Rose, Midnight and the Wicked, 1 Tippling Place, Giuseppe and Sons and Palizzi Social Club (President's Room).
Building a program from scratch means the opening training, the hiring, and unpacking the glassware. It's a different job from working a shift, and it's why a Spirit Forward bar runs the way it does before your first guest arrives.
Dan has been an active force within the Philadelphia bar community for over a decade. He's honed his craft at notable bars, such as 1 Tippling Place, a.bar and Palizzi Social Club. His expertise ranges from classic recipes to methodology, and his passions lie within the world of unique flavor profiles and hyper-local sourcing of cocktail ingredients.
He has placed in cocktail competitions across the country and beyond: second in the world at the Monkey Shoulder Ultimate Bartender Championship, and first place at the Patrón Aficionado Showcase, Bombay Sapphire and GQ's Most Imaginative Bartender, Negroni Week Philadelphia, and the Battle for New York.
- Second in the worldMonkey Shoulder Ultimate Bartender Championship
- First placePatrón Aficionado Showcase
- First placeBombay Sapphire and GQ's Most Imaginative Bartender
- First placeNegroni Week Philadelphia
- First placethe Battle for New York
The team
Twelve years
What twelve years looks like
Weddings at The Deacon, Terrain Gardens, Appleford Estate, and a backyard in Phoenixville for a hundred and sixty four people. A fundraiser for eight hundred at the Loews. Whiskey Fest at Lincoln Financial Field. A concert at Taller Puertorriqueño for a band opening for one of the biggest artists in the world, where we ran the bar in the room and in the lobby.
Corporate bars at the Union League, the Kimmel Center, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and an office campus in Chesterbrook that has us back virtually every year to run a new and fresh concept. Brand activations for Casamigos, Patrón, Bacardi, BetMGM, McLaren, Louis Vuitton, and Estée Lauder. Three trips to Bermuda for Bacardi. And once, a cocktail class between periods at the Wells Fargo Center.
Wells Fargo CenterThe DeaconTerrain GardensAppleford Estatethe LoewsLincoln Financial FieldTaller Puertorriqueñothe Union Leaguethe Kimmel Centerthe Pennsylvania Convention CenterWells Fargo CenterTell us the date and roughly how many people. We'll take it from there.
