The Speakeasy

Ektoras Binikos, co-founder of Sugar Monk , jumps into the studio with Damon and Greg to talk about the joint he runs up in Harlem and a new line of bitter experiments he’s been working on since the pandemic. Inspired by the flavorful food and drinks of his native Greece, there are a few concoctions he’s been cooking up - including one that comes wrapped in gauze… don’t believe us? Tune in! Plus,...

Renowned cocktail writer Robert Simonson returns to claim his five-timer red velvet, beef jerky-stained jacket and chat about his new book “ Modern Classic Cocktails .” What makes something a modern classic? Whose drinks made it into the book? And what does this have to do with hot dogs?? Tune in to find out. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wi...

It’s Bee’s Knees Week and the air is buzzing! Sam Nelis of Barr Hill joins Greg and Sother to talk about how they’re helping the pollinators and making some damn tasty gin in the process. Wanna get involved? Post a picture of a drink this week on Instagram and tag @barrhillgin with the hashtag #beeskneesweek. The good folks up there in Vermont will plant 10 square feet of pollinator habitat for ev...

Tamika Hall, co-author of “ Black Mixcellence - A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology ” sits down with the band to talk about the long lost legacies of black mixologists old and new… and the complicated legacy of the word “mixology” in the first place. Plus, do you want ten dollars? Sother tells you how with a little help from the King of Beers. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Joi...

The band catches up with Samantha Reiner , the General Manager of Porchlight in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Is it a neo-dive? Is it New York with a southern accent? Or is it just fun? Tune in to find out, and to see just how dirt cheap their happy hour cocktails are. Plus, the industry lost a legend this week; Sother, Damon and Greg pay tribute to the legend that was Brother Cleve.  Please SU...

The Speakeasy is back! The band catches up with each other and with Claire Matern , founder and CEO of Joni , a new 0 ABV RTD. The quartet talks about the history of verjus, how to get just the right amount of bubbles into a can, and whether or not the kids are going as crazy as we did. Plus, whipped cream is illegal now! Or is it??? Tune in for some very scholarly, definitely not binding legal ad...

Josh Davis of Brown and Balanced shares his thoughts on creating welcoming spaces in the hospitality industry, growing up competitive, and creating opportunities for young, hungry black and brown folks in the hospitality industry. Plus, Josh and Sother both just got back from New Orleans and, of course, have war stories to share. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as...

Murder, Mayhem and Whiskey! What else do you need? Steph Shen , the Global Brand Ambassador for the Dublin Liberties Distillery sits down with the band to talk about Irish Whiskey’s lawless past, its bright future, and the absolute best spot in all of Europe to get murdered. Plus, Damon bought the farm. Literally. He bought a farm. Don’t worry, he’s fine.  Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you...

Jill Cockson , owner, proprietor and industry veteran joins Greg and Sother to talk about sustainability - what it really means, how to put it into practice and how a lot of us are using that word wrong. The conversation veers into ownership, accountability, respect and yes, healthcare. Plus, the band finally talks about espresso martinis and leaves just as bewildered as when they arrived. Please...

An overdue episode with noted bartender and newly minted author Toby Maloney . He's here to talk to us about the need for differentiation in the bar world and his new book The Bartender's Manifesto . He also reflects on how he's practically worked at more well-known bars and watering holes than most people visit in their lifetimes.  Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week...

Dr. Nicola Nice is back on the show to talk about what she’s been up to with her gin and her ongoing fight to give women the primacy they deserve in the pantheon of cocktail history. The ongoing battle to right the wrongs of people who wrote it wrong continues this summer at a seminar in New Orleans that Greg and Sother can’t wait for. Plus, tiny bars in the Pacific Northwest - turns out they’re j...

Travis Tucker from Ketel One pops in to chat with Greg and Sother about botanical vodka, RTDs, innovating in a very traditional category and how there’s always new stuff to learn. Plus, Nashville hot chicken! Why putting a lot of it in your body at once is a good idea with no negative downstream effects whatsoever. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down wit...

Fire up a cigar and mix yourself a Creole Cocktail as Chris Hannah joins us from the crescent city to talk about spending 14 years behind the bar at Arnaud’s, the blender daiquiris at Manolito , the joys of sugar rimmed cocktails, and being top 4 in three different categories for Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail. Plus, the Speakeasy also made it to the top 4 again for a Spirited Award, wil...

Kate Gerwin sits down with the band to talk all about the happy accidents that brought her bar in Albuquerque its name - how she wound up with a distiller’s license, why she’s able to pay her staff a living wage and what all that astroturf is doing on the ceiling. Plus, it’s the west coast show! The band is scattered up and down the left coast this week, and for once, none of them are out there op...

The Speakeasy gets fancy this week when Austin Hennelly from LA’s Michelin Starred restaurant Kato joins the band to talk about all the things you need to think of when it comes to fine drinking including custom glass straws, custom glass straw holders, a timer for a sloe gin fizz and the rigor that goes into an NA program that doesn’t suck. Plus, Sother’s in a good mood! Find out why! Finally, th...

Bartender, distiller, rum enthusiast, NYC native and man about town Jelani Jah Johnson joins the band to talk about his illustrious career, share some stories, and recount the chance encounters that turned out to be pivotal moments on his journey to the first (legal) distillery in Manhattan since prohibition. And why barbacking rocks and everyone who thinks they’re too good for it is wrong. Plus t...

Cole Newton , owner of Twelve Mile Limit and the Domino in New Orleans joins the band to talk about his new bar, his new book and his new job as the President of the USBG. A lot of great talk about the future of our industry in this one. Plus, Sother and Damon have been galavanting around the western US and Greg has… not. As mentioned on the show, Greg’s friend and second generation cheesemonger C...

Harrison Snow and Brother Cleve sit down with the band to talk about their new venue, Lullaby ; what it’s like to get a concept up and running during the pandemic; what they missed the most while everything was shut down and how to get things up and running again. Plus, Zoom cocktail classes - love em or hate em they’re here to stay. And a martini that tastes like a Piña Colada? Not as crazy as it...

Derby season is upon us, and this week Elizabeth McCall and Chris Morris join the band to chat about all things bourbon, horses and what they have in common (hint: it just might be limestone). Plus, the real reason everyone loves the Kentucky Derby: hats. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around...

It takes a solid guest to make some solid wiggles and that’s exactly who the band sits down to talk with today. Jack Schramm , head bartender at Pernod Ricard , owner of Better Drinks at Home Inc. and founder of Solid Wiggles sits down to talk about jello cakes, weird bartending techniques and how to think about eating booze. Plus, the flavor we all never knew we wanted until we got it: Smokonut....

Alejandro Russo from Candela Mamajuana joins the band to talk about a Caribbean drink that may or may not have… interesting health benefits. Hear how he got started, what all goes into it, and what it’s like to go into business with your mom. Beware of falling coconuts. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits expe...

Philip Duff (with one L) joins the band from Old Duff Genever to talk Dutch spirits, the next class of bartending conferences, Rip Van Winkle, porn star martinis, Teslas and honestly just about everything, including what you shouldn’t say on a podcast. Hilarity ensues. The Speakeasy is not brought to you by State Farm. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down...

Chrissy Wittman from The Prisoner joins Damon and Greg from wine country to talk about winemaking, labelmaking and how to make tasting and tasting rooms more accessible to the people. Plus, we’re none of us 22 anymore, unfortunately. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss...

Jen Morales and Jason Stitt dial in from Cincinnati, Ohio to talk Mixicles , the world’s first frozen home mixology kit (that we know of anyway): how they made it, what they’re working on now, some R&D tricks of the trade and the wide array of things you can put these frozen little beauties into. Plus, we get to the bottom of the secret ingredient in Erin Rose ’s famous New Orleans iced coffee...

David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum recently released their weighty tome, The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails , and we had the opportunity to dive into some deep rabbit holes with them. Plus, we discuss the dangers of wooden stills, the difficulty of managing dozens of spirits industry professionals' submissions for the book, and the unknown parts of American whiskey history. Please SUBSCRI...