Brian Summers

Tuning Spoon Founder/ Spirits Educator/ Cocktail Culinarian/ Compassionate Leadership Implementer

Brian Summers formed his working philosophies back in 2006, as part of the first wave of classic cocktail bartenders in Los Angeles. Brian trained under the tutelage of Sam Ross, original head barman of NYC’s Milk & Honey as part of the opening team of Comme Ça. This was first cocktail bar in L.A. with an elevated ice program, rejecting just about all of the drinking norms of the time, and strictly adhering to a compendium of pre prohibitionary classics that have become ubiquitous today. This served as a passport for his career as he went on to contribute to the success of some of Los Angeles’s most ground-breaking and influential craft cocktail institutions. From there, Brian spent almost a decade serving as a brand ambassador for some of the most reputable spirit brands in the industry, and spearheading cutting-edge bar programs across multiple properties and markets. Brian has had the tremendous privilege of working alongside and learning from some of the most renowned chef’s and beverage professionals in the industry, gaining mastery in multiple modalities of the craft. Brian has traveled to Scotland to train extensively in the production of Single Malt Whisky getting the chance to roll his sleeves up staging shifts at The Balvenie Distillery. He has also traveled to Cognac, France gaining intimate knowledge in the production of Cognac. Brian’s unparalleled body of experience and personal warmth lend invaluable credibility as well as potent capital when it comes to cultivating brand saliency and advocacy where influence is most meaningful. Tuning Spoon leverages an unrivaled industry literacy combined with an emphasis on genuine warmth and depth to build community, collaboration, efficacy, and growth.