Victoria Chow

Victoria Chow is the founder of Sip Straight, a boutique consultancy specializing in cocktail bars and spirits that provides bar consultation, workshops, content development, and judging and sampling services. She is also the co-founder and distiller at Waldgeist Distillery, where she is aiding in reviving a family distillery to produce hyperlocal sipping gins and eau de vies.

Prior to her current work, Chow was the founder and managing director of the lifestyle company The Woods, which comprises a cocktail bar, events and catering arm, canned cocktails, and a media site. She transformed The Woods into the “World's First Nomadic Bar,” which was a pioneer for the artisanal cocktail and spirits scene in Asia upon its opening in 2014. She was acknowledged in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019 and received the WSET & IWSC Future 50 Awards in 2019 for her innovative approach to drink concepts. In 2016, anticipating the burgeoning craft cocktail movement, Chow expanded operations to incorporate KWOON, a canned cocktail brand, and The Woods Annex, a private 8-seater bar that serves as her experimental and educational platform.

Chow was born in California and often traveled between Hong Kong and San Francisco before settling there for secondary school. She attended UC Berkeley, where she studied Mass Communications and Art History. Recently, she relocated back to the SF Bay Area.