Originally from Huntsville, Alabama, Matt Ray is one of the Experience Team Leaders at the Sazerac House, a three-story interactive experience sharing the history of New Orleans as told through the stories of its cocktails, with complimentary cocktail and spirits samples and a fully functioning Sazerac Rye distillery. As an Experience Team Leader, Matt trains and educates team members, leads virtual and in-person tastings and guides guests through the Sazerac House.

Before joining the Sazerac House, Matt was the beverage director at the Ace Hotel. He previously worked for some of the most well-respected bars in New Orleans as a bartender with the Cure portfolio of bars and restaurants. His skills as an educator were honed during his time as an English and Social Studies teacher for three years at a local high school.

In addition to his work with guests inside the Sazerac House, he also worked with the Sazerac House team in 2020 to create informative and fun virtual cocktail tastings for guests around the world.

Matt was drawn to the cocktail world because of the abundance of great stories in spirits history, and he believes that the only thing as good as a truly great cocktail is a great story to pair with it. In his role at the Sazerac House, Matt pairs the great cocktails and spirits represented there with the stories and legends that make them so compelling, guiding guests through the Sazerac House by introducing them to the amazing history of cocktails in New Orleans.