Alex Jump Is Helping the Bar World Feel Better

This article is part of The Spill Awards 2025, covering the best in spirits, cocktails, bartenders and drinks culture. Find all of the stories here.

When I asked our judging panel for a suggestion on “who’s doing good in the drinks world,” I was inundated with the names of several wonderful people. But one name continually popped up: Alex Jump.

Jump is an award-winning bartender, best known for her work at Death & Co Denver. But she’s perhaps even better known for what she does beyond the bar space. Besides her consulting work with Dim Lights Hospitality, Jump is also a long-time advocate for improving mental health within the drinks world and the co-founder (with LP O’Brien) of Focus on Health, a wellness program for the hospitality industry that offers everything from non-alcoholic beverage program consulting to harm reduction training and sought-after mentorship programs (she certainly has the credentials; Jump won the Best US Mentor Award Winner at Tales of the Cocktail 2024).

I figured it was best for Jump herself to tell you about her goals for 2025 — which include the third iteration of the No/Low Tour, a series of non-alcoholic and low-ABV cocktail events across the country — as well as the ongoing mission of Focus on Health.

InsideHook: What led to the creation of Focus on Health?

Alex Jump: LP and I founded Focus on Health based on our own struggles to maintain well-being in this demanding industry. Hospitality professionals pour their energy into serving others, often neglecting their own health and suffering in silence without accessible resources. We wanted to change that. On top of that, so many of the people in this field — women, people of color, queer folks — already face extra hurdles when it comes to health and wellness. We believe hospitality should be a place where everyone can thrive, and our mission is to make this industry healthier, more sustainable and more supportive for the people who keep it running.

What were FOH’s biggest accomplishments of 2024?

Two of our biggest accomplishments were continuing our scholarship program to provide access to professional development for bartenders from marginalized backgrounds and launching a mentorship program to help mentor 12 young bartenders through their first international cocktail competition in partnership with Monin.

No/Low Tour by Focus On Health — A big priority for Focus on Health is the No/Low Tour.

Focus On Health

What kind of feedback do bar professionals give you about what they need and what you and your organization can provide?

Resources and community building are two of the greatest needs we hear our industry asking for. Many of those programs are interconnected — upper-level management education and skills building like tools, harm reduction and overdose prevention, bystander intervention, know your rights workshops and anti-harassment training; mentorship resources such as providing access to conferences and networking, one one-on-one mentorship; providing tools for growth like education on how to read a P&L, write a business plan and professional communication skills. All of these resources are tools that can help our community thrive by ensuring the hospitality industry is a safe and supportive place to work, creating growth opportunities for bartenders of diverse backgrounds and ensuring people feel like their career in the industry is sustainable. The other major thing we hear our community asking for are benefits such as mental health and healthcare, paid time off, paid sick leave and family leave.

What are FOH’s plans for 2025?

FOH has finally hit a great groove in our programming in our fifth year of existence! Our largest plan this year is to continue refining our existing programming: The No/Low Tour, The Professional Development Scholarship Program in partnership with Another Round Another Rally, Joshua Gandee’s no-proof podcast and the Run Club at Tales of the Cocktail in partnership with The Bon Vivant Run Club.

What are some mental health or wellness resources beyond FOH that you’d recommend?

CHOW offers meetings virtually Monday to Wednesday.
Southern Smoke Foundation’s Behind You is a no-cost counseling program offered in California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Ben’s Friends offers daily meetings for people exploring sobriety in the industry.
Khesed Wellness offers free therapy programs for people in Colorado in substance recovery and for people in Southern Colorado who work in hospitality. They also offer a Colorado Restaurant Therapy Program that employers can offer their employees.
Oyster Sunday Benefits offers a variety of wellness benefits that employers can provide their employees.
Another Round Another Rally offers a variety of relief programs for mental health and well-being including Latina Counseling, LGBTQIA+ Counseling and Bevolution Brave Voices workplace violence and discrimination.
741741 is the crisis text hotline.
988 is the national suicide prevention hotline.

What’s your work outside of FOH?

I’m currently pursuing my Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Population Mental Health and Wellbeing. I plan to graduate in 2026 and look forward to continuing my work with FOH, infusing public health into the hospitality workforce. My husband and I are opening a bar in Denver later this year called The Peach Crease Club. In addition, I consult on bars, restaurants and both spirits and NA brands through my own consultancy (Dim Lights Hospitality) and a group called Great Hands Hospitality.

What’s something you’d like to change about the drinks industry?

I would love to see more people thinking deeply about how to change the industry from the inside out. I would love to see business owners thinking about how they can change the industry and the way they operate their businesses, rather than saying, “That’s just how it’s always been.” I would love to see more people talking openly about the struggles of this industry instead of shoving it under the rug, like substance use, wage theft and harassment.

If you are interested in becoming trained in mental health first aid, you can do so here.