Bartender · Food & Beverage

Drinks that start with the season, and end with people.

Chris Grotvedt in a suit, seated in a booth before a golden chain wall
Oslo, Norway

I'm Chris — a bartender and bar manager in Oslo. I've run the bar programme at 5-star hotels, run pop-up bars of my own, designed festival bars for Palmesus, ØYA, and Stavernfestivalen, and spent years behind the bar in some of the city's busiest rooms.

These days I split my time between building new projects, consulting for other venues, teaching cocktail courses, and taking care of events — plus a podcast and drinks columns for the magazines I write for.

Chris Grøtvedt
  • 4× Best Cocktail Program
  • 2025 High West Cocktail Competition global winner
  • Podcast host & drinks columnist
  • Bar & restaurant openings worldwide

Seminars

Menu development, bar setup, PR, and brand building for your team.

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Consultancy

Concepts, menus, and teams with the guest experience at their heart.

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Cocktail courses

Flavour, technique, and the pleasure of making something together.

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Events

Private parties, weddings, corporate and festivals — from the bar to the whole event.

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Projects

Selected projects, collaborations, and work I'm proud of.

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Partnerships

Always open to new partnerships — bars, restaurants, import, and product development.

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The philosophy

"A great drink is a conversation between the grower, the season, and the guest. My job is to listen."

Whether it's a tasting of five drinks for twelve or a festival bar for two hundred, the standard is the same: ingredients at their peak, technique that serves flavour, and a room that feels genuinely welcome.

A smoking cocktail in a wooden cup aboard a small Viking ship, with dill

Background

Experience

Bar Manager

Theatercaféen & Hotel Continental

Running the bar programme at a 5-star hotel house in Oslo — a room with a long history, a full calendar, and guests who know exactly what they want.

Bar Manager

THE THIEF

Bar manager at a 5-star hotel bar with an international guest list — menus, standards, and service built to hold up night after night.

Consultant

COYA

Designed the cocktail menu for COYA, the luxury restaurant group, on a global basis — one menu built to work in every restaurant in the group, wherever in the world it lands.

Consultant

Puente Romano

Worked as a consultant at the Puente Romano resort in Marbella — drinks, service, and standards for a five-star beach house with a full calendar and an international guest list.

Pop-up bars & festival bars

Palmesus · ØYA · Stavernfestivalen

Pop-up bars of my own, and bar areas designed from the ground up — right through to a full drinks programme for festivals such as Palmesus, ØYA, and Stavernfestivalen.

Podcast host & drinks columnist

Podcast & magazines

Hosting a podcast and writing about drinks for several magazines — the people, the trends, and the work behind the counter.

Accolades

Recognised for the work

4×

Best Cocktail Program

3×

Industry Personality of the Year

2×

Best New Bar

1×

Best Bar

2025

High West Cocktail Competition — Global Winner

2014

Havana Club Grand Prix — 4th place, global

2012

National Aquavit Champion

I've had the privilege of working on restaurant and bar openings around the world, including Michelin-starred restaurants, luxury hotels, internationally acclaimed cocktail bars, and innovative hospitality concepts.

My experience spans everything from initial concept development and brand positioning to pre-opening strategy, operational planning, menu creation, team recruitment, training, and the execution of successful launches.

Throughout my career, I've collaborated with internationally renowned chefs, bartenders, hospitality professionals, and leading global brands, gaining valuable insight into different cultures, markets, and approaches to hospitality.

With a strong background in mixology, food and beverage development, and guest experience, I combine creative vision with commercial understanding and hands-on operational expertise. My focus is on building distinctive concepts that deliver exceptional experiences while remaining commercially sustainable.

Whether developing an intimate cocktail bar, launching a high-end restaurant, or contributing to a large-scale hospitality destination, my philosophy remains the same: create memorable experiences, challenge conventions, and turn ambitious ideas into successful hospitality businesses.

Chris Grotvedt shaking hands with a guest across the bar

Let’s talk drinks.

Consulting, collaborations, private events, or a good conversation about what's in season — my inbox is open.