Kenneth McCoy was quite literally raised in the New York bar business. His father owned four bars in Manhattan in the 70s and 80s during which time Kenneth began his bartending career. With over 20 years in the business, he has worked at some of the most renowned spirits bars in New York, including The Bridge Café, Dylan Prime, Grace & Le Zinc. A founding partner of Ward III in TriBeCa & The Rum House in Times Square.

As Public House Collective’s Chief Creative Officer, Kenneth steers the marketing initiatives of PHC’s own entities, as well as oversees the growth of additional revenue generating channels through brand extensions, co-sponsorship opportunities, and portfolio management, among others. Never far from the bar, Kenneth is also responsible for all cocktail development for current and new projects and is often sought out as an expert in the field for interviews and media appearances.

I’m not quite sure when the exact moment I fell in Love with rum was but I love brown spirits and I worked in a lot of bars that had extensive spirits lists, I wanted to taste and know as much as possible about whiskies , rums, brandies , I feel it was a natural progression of curiosity.

The Rum industry is moving in a wonderful direction I believe it’s really finding its place and getting the respect and admiration it deserves you have a lot of great people making great products and it’s only going to get better with time, the future for rum is wide open.

I feel the consumer wants to know more about rum, age statements, production, where it’s from, with education on both ends, one the consumer as well as the industry, the category can only get bigger & better, I feel rum is headed in the direction of whiskies, I believe it will be the next consumer obsession but it has to be transparent enough for people to buy into, people want a story and rum most certainly has a very rich and historic tale to tell.

I’m not quite sure I have specific people I feel are mentors , I’ve learned so much from everyone I encounter in this business every day and one of the things I always aspire to do is surround myself with people that are smarter than me and that I can learn and grow from, but to name a few I’d say my business partner Ryan Burke has had a big effect on me as well as Frank Stilo brand ambassador for Banks Rum , My Father The Real McCoy, My Girlfriend Sophie and countless others I’ve encountered along the way, I’m lucky to be in this business and thankful every day.

We need to start taking care of ourselves better in the bar business it’s a tough business and it can really overpower you but it’s a business that we are lucky to be in and we must respect it and realize we are fortunate enough to make a living in such a social way. There’s more to life than booze and I know it’s easy to get caught up in it, believe me I know, but get out and take care of YOU, walk in nature, go see art in a museum, a play, take a yoga class, box, run, make someone you love a meal, spend time with yourself and people you love let’s all be more appreciative and respectful of one another and look out for each other, peace.