The Speakeasy

Whiskey enthusiast and wrestling producer (not necessarily in that order) Lolo McGrath joins the band to school everyone on the weird parallels between spirits and wrasslin’, working at a tasting room at the end of an alley and how not to be an asshole when you’re tasting. Plus, turning your job into a sleazy 1970s love motel and the bizarre story of how they met Greg back in the cretaceous period...

On a special double album of The Speakeasy the band teams up with Lou and Chava from our sister podcast Agave Road Trip for a very special addition of “Stump The Bartender!” What’s in that repurposed juice bottle Lou mailed us? What’s it made with? And what will it do to everyone’s stomachs? Tune in to find out and stay tuned for Disc 2 coming soon from Agave Road Trip! Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE t...

As Dry January draws to a close - and Greg’s Dry February heats up - the band welcomes Derek Brown , author of “ Mindful Mixology ” and Director of Brand Education at Spiritless to talk low and no ABV drinks. The conversation covers mindfulness, mental health and tracking industry trends, and ends in some surprising places you might not see coming. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Jo...

New Year, Same Smartasses. Greg, Sother and Damon are back to talk about what’s changed and what hasn’t since we’ve rolled over into 2022, plus our guest Kraig Rovensky talks to us all about his non-alcoholic amaro ! Now who do we know who might enjoy that… 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 arou...

On their internationally acclaimed annual wrap up show Damon, Sother and Greg talk about what the hell just happened and where we go from here. Vaccines, variants, parcades and passing conversations, what did we love, what did we hate and what stayed more or less the same in 2021. Plus, our in-house tastemakers officially declare lowbrow highballs THE drink trend of the year. You can read all abou...

Andrew Meltzer joins the band from snowy, snowy Poland to talk all things winter - how to make a spicy, delicious cocktail, where cinnamon and nutmeg all came from in the first place and how to winterize your menu… and your patio. For more info from Andrew and to check out his master class head on over the Diago Bar Academy! Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we si...

On a Speakeasy first, Greg and Sother sit down with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner of the state legislature to talk about where our to-go drinks went, how we can get them back, and what’s gonna happen with the rest of the 2020 leftovers - lookin’ at you outdoor dining. Plus, get involved! Assemblywoman Woerner confirms what we’ve been saying for a long time, that local restaurants need their locals...

Founder of new Brooklyn spot Thief , John McNulty joins us to talk about the trials of opening a bar during a pandemic and how he's hoping we can steal back lost time with the aid of a 12 foot inflatable grinch. Plus, the New York Times reports that there are rats in New York City, who knew?  Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospi...

Indigenous visibility advocate and Doom Tiki co-founder Chockie Tom sits down with the band to talk about the troubled past of tropical drinks, what can be done about it and how we can move forward with the fun drinks that everybody loves. Plus, Arby’s has a new curly fries vodka. Hot takes ensue. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of...

Industry veterans and long time friends Matt Friedlander and Zak Snyder are finally realizing their dreams of Midori laced Miami Vice’s, Cubano sandwiches and late night sing-alongs in New York’s Lower East Side. Sally Can Wait will fling its doors open to welcome us all on November 17. Plus, where in the world is Greg Benson? Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we...

Jennifer Querbes of Brandy Sainte Louise dials in with Greg and Sother to talk about launching a brand to 19th century specs, women in distilling and starting a French brandy label as a blond lady from Texas. Plus, movies are back and Greg really doesn’t understand ‘Dune.’ You can see Jennifer’s operations and read all about what they’re up to at Brandy Ste. Louise here ! Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE...

Tad Carducci of Gruppo Montenegro sits down with the band to talk amaro, Italian spritz culture and the endless quest to discover the secret recipes behind amari. Plus, Mountain Suze! The lowbrow highball craze that’s sweeping the nation and other weird flavor combinations that shouldn’t work but do. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range...

Laura Newman joins the band live from Birmingham, Alabama! The US World Class presented by Diageo winning bartender talks building a brand in a smaller city, opening a new bar in a pandemic, and the importance of creating a good life for your staff so that they’ll support you for years to come. Laura has written extensively about the ideas she discusses on the episode and you can find them free at...

Greg, Sother and Damon finally find a spirit that shuts them up, courtesy of Roberto Rosa and Maestro Dobel ’s new Pavito pechuga tequila. Listen in as they chat about meat in a still, creating something that no one’s ever tried before and creating experiences that are truly new. Plus the grand opening of Sother’s new bar, Cafe de L’Enfer , the inspiration for which you can see here . Please SUBSC...

Brewer, innovator and creative ADD enthusiast Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head sits down with the band to talk about the future of craft beer, pumpkin spiced everything and how a modified vibrating football set he bootstrapped into his brewery wound up in the Smithsonian. Sam recently wrote a book about his 26 years at the helm of a very off-centered brewery which you can find here Please SUBSCRIBE a...

Author, screenwriter, historian and the best kind of nerd Mallory O’Meara sits down with Greg and Damon to talk about her new book “Girly Drinks,” which details the long, long history of female drinking and how we’ve all been talking about it wrong. You can check out Mallory’s podcast, her other works and preorder Girly Drinks here . Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week...

Chris Boyd of Drink Monday joins the band to talk about the rise of nonalcoholic spirits, the market for healthy choices and how many distillers you have to call before one of them agrees to make a booze-free gin. Plus, some California’s recall election and how Damon can finally drink an Old Fashioned at 9am.  Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a w...

Tetsuro Miyazaki of Iichiko Shochu joins the band to talk about the history of this wonderful and unique spirit, how hard it is to get Americans to drink distilled spirits with a meal, and how he’s found a sneaky little workaround. Plus Greg is finally back from his road trip - highlights on Instagram at @100ProofGreg - and the wonders of mold! Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if...

Grab some sunscreen and join us as founder of Bahamian craft cocktail bar Bon Vivants , Kyle Jones, joins us from the islands!  We discuss the slow rise of cocktail culture on the island and talk about the challenges of training bartenders who’ve never made a cocktail, to becoming one of Tales of the Cocktail's nominees for best new international bar of 2020. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RA...

Lauren Mote, the Diageo Global Cocktailian and founder of Bittered Sling, joins the band all the way from Amsterdam to talk martinis, bitters, dating a chef, and the relative merits of Waffle House. Plus, everyone on The Speakeasy is very particular about how they like their eggs, and Damon can drink a surprising amount of water. Don't forget to check out Lauren in, “The Iconic Cocktail - The Mart...

Shawn Soole takes some time off of being a podcaster and TikTok celebrity to talk mental health, fighting burnout and how you can make money making drinks in less than a minute.    Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.  🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the wor...

Georgette Moger-Petraske sits down with the band and talks oysters. Did you know a single oyster can filter 40 gallons of water over its lifetime? Did you know oysters are still technically alive when you eat them? Did you know you can fill an entire hour of radio talking about oysters and cocktails? Because you totally can. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.  🔥🔥Join u...

On a special bonus episode of the Speakeasy Greg, Damon and Sother sit down to talk about some breaking news in the industry. As cases rise again and mask mandates loom a number of restaurateurs have taken it upon themselves to institute vaccine requirements. What that means for the industry - and the rest of us - on a special breaking news edition. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the sho...

Marc Farrell , founder and CEO of Ten to One Rum sits down with the band to talk rum culture, what he has in common with Tony Stark and the future of commerce as we all move into the brave new world of hybrid online/irl drinking. Plus: College Bars! Can we go back again? Spoiler alert: no. Image courtesy of Ten to One Rum 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, s...

Beer writer and homebrewer extraordinaire Mandy Naglich geeks out with Greg about farmhouse styles, subtlety and the future of brewing. Plus a quick checkin on the state of hard seltzer. Spoiler alert, it’s doing just fine. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.  🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospital...