Margie “MMaak” Maak is a New Jersey based bartender, bar manager, consultant, and educator with nearly two decades of experience across cocktail bars, live music venues, fine dining, high volume service, and beverage program leadership. Her work bridges hands-on bartending with systems, training, and experiential strategy that improves execution without flattening a bar’s identity.

Margie is an active working bartender. She works behind the bar, inside programs, and alongside ownership to translate real service experience into standards that actually hold under pressure. Her consulting and education work is grounded in what happens during real shifts, not theoretical models or staged overhauls.

Most recently, Margie served as General Manager of Pharmacie Bar + Kitchen, overseeing all aspects of a high-profile downtown cocktail bar, including staff leadership, beverage operations, service standards, and guest experience. Prior to that, she played a key role in strengthening the bar program at End of Elm, maintaining its reputation for quality and thoughtful execution. Earlier in her career, she built and led a successful cocktail program at Maxfield’s on Main, a beloved live music venue, where balancing speed, volume, and quality became a defining skillset.

Margie’s journey into craft cocktails took a formative turn when she was invited to Cocktails in the Country by the late Gaz Regan, where she absorbed the philosophy that hospitality begins with intention, generosity, and a single smile. Since then, she has participated in some of the industry’s most respected educational and experiential programs, including Jack Daniel’s Backstage, Camp Runamok, the Patrón Hacienda, Bar Methods, Behind the Barrel, and Tiki by the Sea.

In addition to her leadership roles, Margie is a lead educator for Allied Beverage’s Behind Bars program and represents William Grant & Sons at major events and activations. Her work spans bartender education, menu development, batching and prep systems, formula costing, dilution modeling, and live event execution. Whether training staff, building programs, or teaching consumers, Margie is known for combining technical rigor with a calm, grounded presence.

Margie’s consulting philosophy is systems-first. Observation before intervention. Clear scope, flat-fee work, and respect for existing culture and leadership. She does not do theatrical rescues or ego-driven overhauls. Her focus is practical improvement, staff buy-in, and guest experiences that feel intentional rather than chaotic.

She works with bars and restaurants looking to tighten execution and raise standards, brands seeking credible, bartender-respected education, and private or corporate clients looking for elevated, hands-on cocktail experiences with substance.