David Kaplan

Bio:

David Kaplan has worked in hospitality since the age of 13. In the summer of 2006, at 24, he opened Death & Company in Manhattan’s East Village—helping spark the modern cocktail movement. At the 2010 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, Death & Co received honors including America’s Best Cocktail Bar and World’s Best Cocktail Menu.

In 2018, David and Alex Day formed Gin & Luck, the cocktail-anchored hospitality group behind Death & Co and a growing roster of destination-driven ventures across the U.S. Today the company spans four U.S. Death & Co locations (New York, Denver, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.), an online retail platform, and the expanding Midnight Auteur Hotels portfolio—including Municipal Grand by Midnight Auteur in Savannah. In 2025, Gin & Luck continued its national growth with Close Company Nashville, Close Company Atlanta, Close Company at The Venetian in Las Vegas, the first international Death & Co locations in Melbourne and Brisbane, and a fifth U.S. Death & Co under construction in Seattle.

David is also the co-author of three award-winning, best-selling cocktail books: Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails, Cocktail Codex, and Death & Co: Welcome Home. He recently launched Fashioned by Death & Co, the company’s education platform designed to bring Death & Co’s approach to technique, hospitality, and craft to a broader community.

David runs Gin & Luck as CEO, working alongside COO Alex Day and a talented team of operators and creatives. When not on the road, he lives in Seattle with his wife Jenna, daughter Aria, and their dogs, Stella and Doug.