In this episode of Barvox, we sit down with Sune Urth, Head of Communication and Education at Copenhagen Distillery, author, educator, and former bar manager at some of Copenhagen’s most influential venues.

We talk about cocktail history, Nordic drinking culture, and why understanding drinks is very different from simply memorizing recipes. Sune shares how trends used to move through bars in waves, from Sex and the City making Cosmopolitans explode to the rise of Caipirinhas, and why pop culture has always shaped what guests order.

We also dive into akvavit, what it actually is, why it is Nordic rather than just Scandinavian, and how dill seed, caraway, history, and identity all play into one of the region’s most misunderstood spirits.

Sune reflects on the difference between bar work and office work, why bartending gives you a clear finish line, and how moving into communication, education, and strategy changed the way he thinks about work, knowledge, and hospitality.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why cocktail trends come in waves
• How Sex and the City changed what people ordered at bars
• Why bartenders don’t need to memorize 400 recipes
• The difference between knowing recipes and understanding cocktails
• What akvavit actually is
• Why akvavit is the Nordic cousin of gin
• How history helps bartenders understand the present
• Why AI is a multitool, not a replacement for knowledge
• The danger of too much wrong or unsorted information
• What changes when you move from bar work into office work
• Why hospitality skills transfer far beyond the bar

Sune's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suneurth

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#bartenders #chefs #hospitality