Derek Brown

Derek Brown is an author, NASM-certified wellness coach, and founder of Positive Damage, Inc., a company dedicated to creating a culture of mindful drinking and making room for everyone at the bar with delicious no- and low-alcohol drinks.

Previously, Brown owned Spirited Awards 2017 “Best American Cocktail Bar” Columbia Room in Washington, D.C., and was one of the nation’s top bartenders, named “Bartender of the Year” by Imbibe magazine in 2015. He was also Chief Spirits Advisor to the National Archives Foundation from 2015-2020.

Brown has gained accolades for both his bartending and thought leadership. In 2017, Playboy Magazine named Brown one of "The 10 Entertainers, Thought Leaders and Heroes Who'll Save Us in 2017."

In 2019, Brown published his first book, Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World, and was named 2020 “Author of the Year” at the Nightclub & Bar Show Awards.

Brown changed his approach to drinking in 2018, and decided it was time to be open about his struggles with alcohol and addressed his new appreciation for mindful drinking in a 2020 Vox article entitled, “Becoming a ‘mindful drinker’ changed my life.”

In 2022, Brown published his second book, Mindful Mixology: a Comprehensive Guide to No- and Low-Alcohol Cocktails.

For his advocacy, Brown has been recognized as a leading beverage figure affecting positive change in the global bar industry by Drinks International in 2020 in their “Bar World 100” list and as “one of the most inspirational people and places that will shape how we drink in 2023” in Imbibe magazine’s “Imbibe 75” for 2023.

Currently, Brown is co-founder of Mindful Drinking Fest and authoring a course for NASM on Mindful Drinking. He works with individuals and companies to foster mindful drinking, promote wellness, and proliferate no- and low-alcohol cocktails.