Shannon Krol / Phoenix Brand Ambassador
Phoenix Brand Ambassador for The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley
Spirits/Beverage Consultant, Actionable Craft LLC
Shannon Krol is a spirits and beverage consultant with 28 years’ experience in all aspects of the beverage industry. She has worked as a bartender, beverage program developer and manager at new and long-standing concepts, developed drinks for national brands and worked on bar design, menu development and staff training for hotel programs and large-scale events. As an event producer, Shannon has managed teams at music festivals and cocktail events including Arizona Cocktail Weekend and New Mexico Cocktails & Culture.
In 2016 she started her own consulting company, Actionable Craft LLC, which works with leading Phoenix beverage and event industry companies including Liquid Architecture, Rattle & Rum Cocktail Creative and M Culinary Concepts.
Since starting her own business, Shannon has worked with The Cocktail Collaborative, a non-profit founded by Phoenix cocktail expert and U.S. Bartenders Guild Director and President Kim Haasarud that gives beverage professionals a brick and mortar space to develop their craft.
Shannon started working with The Perfect Purée at New Mexico Cocktails & Culture, a spirits festival produced by a leading woman of the liquor industry, Natalie Bovis. “The Perfect Purée became the go-to ingredient for the back-of-the-house team to create ‘on the fly recipes,’ ” Shannon says. “The flavors were on point and weren’t washed out by the other ingredients in the cocktails. They’re also great to use in combination with each other when you’re looking for that extra layer in a cocktail.”
Shannon is always experimenting and recently created a new favorite flavor combination with Pear and Thai Basil & Black Pepper. “It’s kind of tropical with a pear backbone. It has a refreshing spring feeling to it and goes with almost any spirit,” she says.
As a brand ambassador for The Perfect Purée, Shannon pushes the message of flavor and creativity.
At an event for Sipsmith Gin, Shannon used The Perfect Purée zests to make an oleo saccharum (citrus oil syrup) for a punch. She explained that “when you make an oleo as the base of a punch, you use zest and sugar and peels. The Perfect Purée Lemon and Orange Zests are great for ready-made oleo saccharum punch bases. They’re bright and pop with citrus, providing that backbone of flavor necessary in a punch.”
Shannon is inspired by health and wellness. She’s an advocate for staying healthy and doing things that bring her and others joy. “The industry is a community that fulfills our need for connection to one another and the simple act of acknowledging a person with a smile while passing them a cocktail across the bar can make someone’s entire day,” she says.
When she’s not working behind the bar or traveling, Shannon is a stained glass artist and jewelry designer.