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With weather like this, it’s time to get creative with your cocktails

Is it the winter of our discontent? Or the springtime of our loving? That all depends on whether you subscribe to William Shakespeare’s take, or Led…

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The Bartender Method isn’t just for bars

I was at the giant home repair store for no other reason than it was convenient. I am quite the regular at my local hardware store…

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Being polite and being a pushover are not the same

I sat on my bicycle at the top of the zigzagging trail, pondering the differences between being “laid off,” and being “on vacation.” My final deduction…

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Two legacy families team up to make Marin County cabernet sauvignon

Herb Rowland, 71, owner/operator (along with his wife Debbie) of Pacheco Ranch and Vineyards in Novato, tells a story about how he recently read in a…

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Feeling the love for Valentine’s Day again

It certainly wasn’t a midsummer night’s dream. Firstly, it wasn’t mid-summer, it was mid-winter, and it wasn’t a dream, it was real. Only now, a year…

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Lowering the Bar with the Barfly, Hanson’s “Inked” cocktail kit video

https://www.facebook.com/100001223194810/videos/3891422240908511/

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Democracy is both messy and beautiful

For more years than I care to count I have worked nights. Those are typically the best shifts to work in the restaurant/bar business. And I…

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Marin’s Tyler Florence weighs in on restaraunt industry, cocktails

As we head back into restaurant reopening and the slow march back to normalcy, it is important to consider what parts of that normalcy we might…

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The most beautiful things in life are often quite fragile

It had to be a couple of years ago. It certainly was more than one. I know that because I was standing behind the bar and…

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Despite the drama, it’s possible to miss it all

I received an email from a reader about last week’s column, How bad could it be quickly becomes apparent. “I love reading your Sunday columns, but…

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The Press Loves “Twenty Years Behind Bars”

Top 25 iBooks Bestseller

Top 100 Amazon Bestseller

“more about mixing people than drinks”
Christopher Kimball America’s Test Kitchen

“racy and innocent”
Marin Independent Journal

“insightful writing about bar culture and human nature”
SF Examiner

“the best stories are of the clueless at their worst behavior — often before they’ve ordered their first drink” “juicier reads than you would find in the pages of a family newspaper”
Patch

“a book of riotous stories”
The Bold Italic

“great book, quite funny, and includes recipes!”
Joel Riddell, Dining Around, NewsTalk 910

“I love this book. It's insightful, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and includes expert cocktail recipes, too!”
Erika Lenkert, author of Last-Minute Party Girl and Raw: the Uncook Book

“Served straight up, with humor, irreverence and a one-of-a-kind perspective, Twenty Years Behind Bars takes us up close into the life of bars, bartenders, and those who frequent both. To get any closer, you'd need be an olive in one of Burkhart's martini glasses.”
Kimberley Lovato, author of the award winning cookbook, Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves

All Content Copyright 2026 Jeff Burkhart, All Rights Reserved