Charlotte Voisey on Evolving Tales of the Cocktail and Leading the Culture Shift
In this episode of the Post Shift Podcast, I had the privilege of sitting down with Charlotte Voisey, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. Her journey through bartending, brand advocacy, and now leadership in hospitality gives her a rare lens on how culture, community, and craft evolve together.
Roots in Bars, Wings into Brand Leadership
Charlotte’s story begins behind the bar. She cut her teeth bartending across London, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires before opening Apartment 195 in London in 2002. Over time, she pivoted into brand advocacy-most notably leading the global Brand Ambassador program at William Grant & Sons for nearly 18 years. That time gave her exposure to markets across 40+ countries and deep experience marrying spirits and hospitality globally.
That combined path-bartending + brand leadership-now positions her uniquely to lead Tales of the Cocktail into its next chapter. She sees her role not as a departure from the bar, but as an expansion of influence.
Beyond the Week in New Orleans: The Foundation’s Year-Round Mission
In our talk, Charlotte made a point of pushing past the idea that Tales is “just a July event.” For her, Tales of the Cocktail is a living, breathing platform that must educate, support, and connect the drinks world all year long. She discussed how the Foundation’s mission includes scholarships, grants, education programs, and elevating voices across regions that often go underrepresented.
She also spoke about aligning the interests of different stakeholders-brands, bars, advocates-and helping them find mutual pathways of success. Building those pathways, she noted, often relies more on influence, alignment, and persuasion than authority.
Evolve: A Theme with Personal and Industry Stakes
This year’s Tales theme-“Evolve”-struck a chord. Charlotte explained that evolution isn’t about sudden upheaval, but about consistent, thoughtful adaptation. She sees the role of the event and the Foundation as anticipatory helping the industry stay ahead of changes rather than always reacting.
She emphasized how each stage of a hospitality career has different needs. Some participants want trend insight, others want wellness support, and some are building businesses. The Foundation’s programing aims to reflect that spectrum, with track topics such as Beyond the Bar (wellness & longevity) and Business (HR, recruitment, tangible operations) built in.
Connection & Culture: The Soul of Tales
Charlotte and I also discussed the magic that happens when people gather. It’s often the unplanned conversations, the chance run-ins, the shared tables and late-night chats that become the real value. Tales, for her, is both the calendar event and the connective tissue across the global bar community.
She spoke at length about inclusivity in drinking culture-especially how to make space for those who don’t drink. She said that part of evolution is ensuring everyone feels part of the conversation, regardless of how or whether they imbibe.
And, importantly, Charlotte reminded us that Tales’ place in New Orleans is deliberate. It’s not just the host city-it’s part of the fabric. The event drives economic impact, taps into local culture, and demands that the global industry give back to the city that has hosted it for decades.