John deBary is a cocktail book author and bar consultant based in New York City. He got his start behind the bar at the legendary neo-speakeasy PDT before going on to serve as the bar director for the Momofuku restaurant group where he helped to open ten restaurants and oversaw operations at all of the group’s bars.

John was the deputy editor of Food & Wine Magazine’s annual cocktail special issue before writing two books of his own, Drink What You Want: The Subjective Guide to Making Objectively Delicious Cocktails, which was released in June of 2020 and re-released as a deck of cards in February of 2024, and Saved by the Bellini & other 90s-Inspired Cocktails, which was released in April 2023.

He’s also contributed writing to publications such as Eater, PUNCH, Bon Appetit, GQ, Liquor.com, and Food Network. He was also named Food52’s resident drink expert from 2021-2023 where he contributed cocktail recipes and videos. He is a regular on the Majordomo Media podcast Recipe Club, as well as co-host and producer of the millennial culture podcast, Giving Up. A podcast miniseries he recorded for Saved by the Bellini was nominated for a TASTE award in 2024. He is also the co-founder and board president of Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation, an organization dedicated to addressing the quality of life crisis facing workers in the hospitality industry.