Virginia Miller is global consultant, writer, editor and judge in dining, bars, cocktails, travel, spirits, wine, hotels. She is W. North America Academy Chair for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and W. USA Academy Chair for North America’s 50 Best Restaurants, also on the national James Beard Awards Beverage Committee. Globally, she’s has visited and researched at over 15,000 restaurants, over 15k bars and hundreds of distilleries, wineries, drink production facilities.
WRITING/EDITING
Published in over 60 international publications, her columns/regular outlets include Bon Appetit, Medium, Resy, The Bold Italic, Edible SF, Distiller Magazine, Time Out, American Whiskey Magazine, Whisky Magazine, VOICES, Gin Magazine, Where Traveler, Liquor.com, Google’s Touringbird, Food Republic, Thrillist, etc. She was Zagat SF editor, SF Bay Guardian restaurant critic, Table8 National Editor/VP of Content. She wrote the books The Official Emily in Paris Cocktail Book and Uneasy Elixirs: 50 Curious Cocktails Inspired by the Works of Edward Gorey. In 2007, she launched The Perfect Spot and in 2025, her Substack.
CONSULTING
Virginia consults in dining, spirits, cocktails, drink. She co-created Avion’s Reserva Cristalino tequila with Pernod Ricard’s innovation, marketing and distilling teams and works on multiple spirits projects in Mexico, cutting edge innovation products and blends for different clients. She consults for drink brands and distilleries on long and short-term projects, blending and creating samples with distilling teams, editing and enhancing marketing materials, leading tastings and trainings virtually or in-person.
SPEAKING/MENU CREATION
She speaks and moderates at local and international industry panels and conferences, leads tastings for company and home events and gatherings and advises on menus. Virginia creates drink menus for Michelin-starred chefs like Dominique Crenn’s Golden Poppy in Paris, a multi-month project creating a menu of cocktails and non-alcoholic cocktails with stories and photos.
JUDGING
Virginia judges, is a lead judge, chooses and manages judges, is Chairperson or on the committee in many international dining, food, spirits, cocktails and bars competitions and awards, including SF World Spirits, ADI Craft Distilling, Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, Good Food Awards, IWSC, Nola Spirits Comp, Whiskies of the World, and more.
