DRINK MASTERS
NETFLIX
Cocktail Reality Show Concept
White Label Development, 2021
My Role:
Creator, Format Developer & Creative Director.
Led the original concept creation, creative direction, format development, naming ideation, episode architecture, audience strategy, talent identification and visual world-building for the independently developed white-label series concept.
Full original concept deck below.
THE BRIEF
Post-COVID, home bartending and mixology had surged and cocktail culture had gone mainstream. Yet no one had built a premium, internationally competitive reality format around it.
The brief: conceive a high-end cocktail competition series that could travel globally, attract serious talent, and sit alongside the best food and lifestyle programming.
THE CONCEPT
Drink Masters was conceived as the definitive global stage for cocktail culture, blending high-stakes competition with the artistry, theatre and storytelling of modern mixology.
THE FORMAT
The format brought together twelve world-class bartenders and drinks creatives inside a cinematic studio bar environment, where each episode challenged contestants to push the boundaries of flavour, presentation and innovation.
Challenges explored themes including molecular experimentation, botanicals, nostalgia, zero-alcohol innovation, pop culture and reinterpretations of the classics, positioning cocktails as both craft and creative expression.
THE WORLD
Designed as a globally scalable entertainment format, the series allowed for rotating guest judges, premium liquor partnerships and culturally specific challenges tailored to international markets.
Visually, the world of Drink Masters was designed to feel like a glamorous, high-end cocktail bar. Atmospheric , immersive and luxurious, the environment featured glowing back bars, crystal glassware, dramatic lighting and richly layered set design, creating an atmosphere of intensity, craftsmanship and theatricality.
Original Development Deck
Format Development & World Building
Selected pages from the original white-label concept deck exploring the early creative development, audience positioning, naming conventions, visual identity and thematic episode architecture behind the series concept.
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Concept & Creative Direction
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Format & Strategy
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Naming Exploration
Early naming development exploring tone, audience appeal and premium entertainment positioning for the series concept across global markets.
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Format & Audience Strategy
Development of the series structure, audience positioning and international format strategy, designed to balance premium entertainment, global scalability and culturally relevant storytelling.
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Episode Concepts & Challenges
Development of the series structure, audience positioning and international format strategy, designed to balance premium entertainment, global scalability and culturally relevant storytelling.
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THE OUTCOME
What began as a small independently developed white-label concept ultimately evolved into a globally released Netflix Original Series, set within a cinematic high-end cocktail bar world and bringing the creativity, pressure and spectacle of modern mixology to audiences around the world.
The series later continued into a second season.