Bartender at Large

Competing on a national stage can be nerve-racking as it is, but it gets even more complicated and intense when it has to be done virtually, as it was this year for World Class. To hear more about how it felt to compete, we are joined by someone who was smack dab in the thick of it, the 2021 US champion for the United States, Adam George Fournier. So tune in and listen in as he shares his experien...

For this episode of the show, we are joined by draft cocktail wizard, Ben Scorah, co-founder of Road Soda & Lima Limon Cocktails. Since there seem to be so many questions around draft cocktails, we decided to bring on an expert and pioneer in the field who could give us an informative and thorough primer on all of the basics and fundamentals of a successful draft program. This is definitely not on...

For this week's episode we are joined by Kansas City bartender and the co-founder of J. Rieger & Co. distillery, Ryan Maybee. Maybee is a pioneer for craft spirits and cocktails in the Midwest, so he has plenty of insight to share with us. During our chat we discuss the story behind the founding of his distillery, and the work that went into revitalizing a lost style of American whiskey. And we al...

For this special episode, we partner up with our friends at Diageo Bar Academy to learn more about the educational opportunities that they are offering today's bartenders. Joining us is bartender turned marketing manager, Cassandra Ericson, so tune in as we discuss the many ways that their site is helping to educate industry pros at all levels --no matter where they happen to be in their career. I...

This week we are joined by co-founder of Æcorn Aperitifs, Claire Warner (formerly of Belvedere Vodka, and Tales of the Cocktail: Best International Brand Ambassador for 2015,) and we discuss the inspiration behind her line of non-alcoholic aperitivo. Although, the brand only launched a few years ago, this specialized line has forced many in the industry to rethink what they knew regarding the zero...

For this week's episode we are joined by Jabin Troth, the founder of the social media juggernaut, Licensed to Distill. So tune in as he shares with us how the network was created and how it went from a small idea into a full-fledged business with over 1.1 million followers on Instagram. In addition, he provides lots of valuable insight into what it takes to create content that will stand out in to...

This week we are joined by bartenders and entrepreneurs, Nick Hogan and Shannon Michelle, of Mover & Shaker Co. Their business creating premium bartender attire and barware has been doing so well as of late that it is easy to forget that the company is only a few years old. So join us for this week as we discuss how they were able to blaze their own trail by focusing on the unique needs of today's...

It seems that whenever you want to hire, there are just never enough bartenders to choose from, as all of the best talent already seems to be working somewhere else. Much too often this leads to endless poaching of bartenders from bar to bar, which only makes it that much harder to build a sustainable program. But what if there was a way to train quality craft bartenders en masse, thereby making s...

In this week's episode we retrace the career trajectory of Sullivan Doh, Global Brand Ambassador of D'Usse Cognac. During his career in the world of spirits and hospitality, he has worn many hats, including but not limited to, shaking drinks as a bartender, owning an award-winning Paris bar, and now educating the world on the Cognac category. So tune in as we share Sullivan's story with all of you...

Changing jobs can be a stressful enough in the bar world, and those issues are only magnified in a COVID world. There are many layers to sort out for yourself as you pivot from bartender to brand ambassador to brand consultant like this week's guest, so we have a feeling that this episode will be particularly pertinent for those considering a career shakeup. So join us this week as Brooke Arthur (...

Running a magazine that is geared towards the cocktail business is a feat all in itself, but what do you do when the bars you cover are all shut down due to quarantine? In other words, how do you ensure the survival of an industry magazine when the industry itself has taken such a brutal hit? To help us better understand the struggles that face today's cocktail press we are joined by Hamish Smith...

Many of us in the bar business only mingle with attorneys when we are having legal troubles or serving a lawyer at the bartop. Which means that much too often bartenders are opening bars and entering business arrangements without someone in their corner handling the legal issues surrounding the paperwork. To help us make some sense around this oft confusing topic, we are joined by Daniel Eun, a st...

This week we are joined by Salvatore Calabrese, one of the most iconic and acclaimed bartenders of the modern era. In addition to creating the Breakfast Martini and authoring over a dozen books, he is also the man credited with fathering one of the most renowned versions of the Martini that the world has ever seen: The world-famous Duke's Martini. So tune in this week as Mr. Calabrese shares his p...

It is hard to find another category in the bar world that is both as mysterious, yet as historically rich as vermouth. While bourbon and rum trainings and seminars are a dime a dozen, finding one on vermouth can be a difficult task. Which is why this week we are joined by world-renowned expert on the subject, Roberta Mariani, who is the Global Ambassador of Martini. So tune in for this week's epis...

Flipping through old cocktail books for research and development can be very intimidating, especially when these books date back to the 1800s and earlier. Oftentimes the verbiage is ambiguous and the measurements are archaic. Because of how daunting this can be on this week's episode we discuss collecting vintage bar guides and cover how best to recreate classic recipes. To help aid  in the conver...

This week we are joined by Reid Mitenbuler, the author of Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America's Whiskey. So tune in as we trace back to bourbon's early days and its place in US history. In addition, we discuss the many myths surrounding this noble spirit and why they can be every bit as important as the facts.  Learn more: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/315539/bourbon-empire-b...

For this week's episode we are joined by Chris Cabrera, National LGBTQ+ Portfolio Ambassador for Bacardi. Cabrera is the first ever person to hold this newly created position in the industry, so we have a lot to talk about, as we discuss what the role entails and why it we believe it will soon become the norm for brands around the world. SUPPORT US ON PATREON:   Get early access to episodes, exclu...

For this week's episode, we are joined by acclaimed bartender, James Beard Award winning author, and the chief operating officer of Gin and Luck (Death & Company, Proprietors LLC) Alex Day. He is no stranger to creating and recreating incredible cocktails either for his bars or for his books, which is why when we got him to sit down with us, we decided to discuss and examine the philosophy of what...

This week we are joined by James Beard Award-nominated writer, Julia Bainbridge, author of Good Drinks: Alcohol-free Recipes For When You're Not Drinking For Whatever Reason. In this episode we discuss the true potential of non-alcoholic cocktails and as well as how to create them. In addition, we also discuss why showcasing them on your menu is not only good business, but also great hospitality....

For this week's episode we sit down with CEO and co-founder of Siponey, Amanda Victoria, (formerly of St. Germain, Lillet and Belvedere Vodka) and discuss her journey into entrepreneurship and the launch of her own ready to drink cocktails. Launching a new spirits company in such a competitive market is already hard enough, but to do so during a global pandemic just takes it all to a whole new lev...

This year has been a rough one for everyone, especially those of us in the hospitality industry. Which is why we wanted to be sure to take a moment to share just how important you are to us here at the show.    Learn More: https://www.patreon.com/BartenderAtLarge     ______________________   Join us every Monday as acclaimed bartender, Erick Castro, interviews some of the bar industry's top talent...

In this episode of the show, we take a look at the issues of exploitation and imperialism surrounding tiki culture and bars. We all love a well-made Mai Tai, but how do we make sure that our level of appreciation does cross the line and become disrespectful. To help better understand and explore the issues surrounding this we are joined by Bay Area bartender, Samuel Jimenez (co-founder of the Paci...

For this episode we are joined by Adrienne Stillman, the author of Spirited: Cocktails from Around the World. This book of hers, which was just released, is an impressive collection of over 600 recipes and is packed with loads of history and information. Putting together a encyclopedic book like this is no simple feat, so to help us learn more about what the process was like we got a behind the sc...

So many of us in this industry live our lives as though we are indestructible. Working way too much, staying up until all hours and always on the move, but what happens when the unexpected strikes and you are forced to shift priorities? That is exactly what happened to this week's guest when he was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer a couple of months ago and his entire world was tu...

While the industry as a whole has made some progress in regards to sexism, unfortunately there is still a long ways to go in regards to achieving true equity. One does not have to look very hard to find instances of overt sexist language in popular spirits publications or even demeaning imagery in the marketing of whiskey itself. To help us explore this issue more in depth, we are joined by Becky...