Who was Pablo Carrizo Hyrc, the Argentine bartender who died in a Colombian traffic accident

Pablo Carrizo Hyrc was remembered by colleagues as “a giant in mixology” and “a great colleague” after the 43-year-old Argentine bartender died in Colombia while traveling to see his seven-year-old daughter.

Carrizo had been working as a gastronomic consultant for a hotel in Medellín. In mid-August, he left by car for Cartagena de Indias, where his daughter lives. His family, employees and friends began searching for him on Aug. 18 after he left the hotel in the El Poblado district to meet his former wife and their child.

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a giant in mixology

They filed a missing-person report the following day. Colombian police announced on Thursday that Carrizo had died in a traffic accident in Montería on that same date. The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by the justice system.

Raised in the western part of Greater Buenos Aires, Carrizo studied business administration at the University of Morón, but cocktail-making shaped his professional life. He worked as a bartender and later as a food and beverage consultant in about a dozen countries before settling in Colombia.

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a great colleague

A close friend said Carrizo had moved to Medellín for a hotel consultancy in El Poblado, known for its restaurants, hotels and cultural offerings. The friend called him “a giant in mixology” and a creator and adviser for several brands, including Onalak Ice, an artisan ice producer for cocktail-making. Colleagues also said he trained with Diageo after arriving in Colombia and led the Colombian edition of World Class, described as the world’s largest and most prestigious mixology competition.

Former colleagues said he helped raise knowledge of mixology, bar trends, flavors and techniques, guiding generations of bartenders who later became bar managers and bar owners. “He was a leader and a mentor for many of us,” his Argentine colleagues said.

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He was a leader and a mentor for many of us.