About Us

Meet Paul Kushner

My name is Paul Kushner aka Tubby, and I’ve been making drinks and making people feel at home behind a bar for most of my adult life.

I started bartending at a local bar in Southampton, PA, the way most bartenders do: slinging drinks, learning fast, and figuring out that there’s a lot more to this craft than people give it credit for. I worked my way up to bar manager, and in 2012 I opened Steam Pub, also in Southampton. It’s still going strong today, and it’s still my home base.

If you’ve ever been to Steam Pub, you know the vibe. It’s the kind of place where you walk in as a customer and leave feeling like you were a guest in someone’s home. That’s not an accident. That’s the whole point. Every drink, every interaction, every detail of the experience is something I think about. A lot.

And I do mean details. Don’t try to wing one of my recipes. Don’t free pour. Measurements matter, ratios matter, technique matters. The difference between a good cocktail and a great one usually comes down to something most people would never notice, until they taste it side by side. That precision is something I bring to every recipe on this site.

Bourbon is my first love. Whiskey in general, really. I’ve spent more time than I can count exploring what makes one expression different from another, why the barrel matters, why the mash bill matters, why the water matters. But I love all spirits and all styles of cocktails. If it’s made well and tastes great, I’m in.

Outside the bar, I’m a drummer. I’ve played in bands, I stay up late, I sleep till 2pm, and I have the tattoos to prove I’ve lived a full life on my own terms. None of that changes when I step behind the bar. If anything, it’s all connected. The rhythm, the craft, the performance, it all shows up in how I approach a drink program.

Brian Nagele, my co-founder and close friend of nearly 20 years, brought the digital vision that turned our shared passion for the bar world into MyBartender. Brian comes from the industry too, having opened his own bars in Philadelphia and spent decades working with major beverage brands. He built the platform. I fill it with drinks worth making.

Together we started MyBartender in 2020 to share what we know with people who love this stuff as much as we do, whether you’re a home bartender trying to level up your cocktail game or a pro looking for your next great recipe.

What you’ll find here.

Recipes that actually work, written by someone who has made them hundreds of times and won’t publish them until they’re right. Honest takes on spirits, bars, and the culture around drinking well. Tips and techniques from someone who has spent decades behind the stick, not just reading about it.

No fluff. No shortcuts. Just good drinks.

Pull up a stool.

Paul Kushner Co-Founder, MyBartender