Bar Hacks

Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr. Lyan, returns to the Bar Hacks podcast! Ten years ago, Ryan opened the first bar in what would become the Mr. Lyan empire, White Lyan. This innovative venue set the tone for Ryan and the team's approach to creating bars. On this episode of the Bar Hacks podcast, Ryan shares details of the ten-year celebrations; what it means to him to have reached the ten...

Thank you for being patient during our summer hiatus. We're back with a great conversation with an awesome guest. Global Hennessy brand ambassador Jordan Bushell returns to the Bar Hacks podcast. While Jordan may know people with more Cognac knowledge, we don't know anyone who knows more about this spirit category. More importantly, he's as generous with his time as he is knowledgeable...

Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr. Lyan, is one of the bar world's true visionaries. He opened his first bar, White Lyan, in 2013 and the venue immediately achieved its intended purpose. Beyond being an award-winning bar and one of London's best places to grab a drink, White Lyan started a much-needed conversation about sustainability in the industry. Dandelyan, Lyaness, Super Lyan, Cu...

We can hardly believe that we've reached 100 main episodes! Thank you so much for listening, supporting, spreading the word, and helping us reach this milestone. We're honored and humbled to be able to celebrate 100 episodes with you. To really mark this occasion, we're thrilled to bring you an amazing guest representing an incredible venue. Tako Chang is the manager of brand marketing...

Bartender Michele Mariotti leads an illustrious career. He has worked behind the bars at some of the best hotels around the world, including the Savoy in London and Mandarin Oriental in Singapore. As of 2020, Michele has held the title head of bars at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland. In this role, he heads the programs at 11 F&B venues on the property, overseeing dozens of bar pro...

A few months back, Datassential released a report indicating that static photography is no longer the preference for social media consumers. Rather, video content appears to be king for engagement, sharing, and the potential to go viral. That got us thinking: Who do we know who can help our audience produce video content? The answer: videographer Brooks Quinn! On this episode of the Bar Hacks podc...

Dragos Axinte, the founder of Novo Fogo Organic Cachaça, returns to the Bar Hacks podcast. Axinte and Novo Fogo have been very busy since episode 60 , his first appearance on the pod. On this episode, Axinte shares the details and stories behind three important Novo Fogo initiatives and partnerships: Tree-keeper , with Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, the Un-endangered Forest , and the bra...

You know about RTDs, but what about RTEs? Lynnette Marrero returns to the Bar Hacks podcast, dialing in from a very cool hybrid restaurant-work concept in Cincinnati to talk about Delola, the recently launched premium ready-to- enjoy cocktail brand. The House of Delola was founded by Jennifer Lopez with the mission of launching premium, sophisticated RTE cocktails. The core lineup consists of thre...

We know it's been a few weeks. Between client projects and trade shows we had to take a little break. But we're back! And to make our absence up to you, our loyal listeners, we're bringing you a great chat with an awesome guest. Bob Peters returns to the Bar Hacks podcast for episode 95! Bob has big news to share, and you can hear in his voice how excited he is to share it with everyon...

Austen Asadorian, senior vice president of sales at SevenRooms , and Brian Harper, partner and senior vice president of sales and marketing at Competitive Social Ventures, drop by the Bar Hacks podcast. Hospitality industry heavyweight SevenRooms entered into a partnership with growing hospitality group CSV at the end of 2022. During this conversation the trio discuss what motivates SevenRooms to...

In September 2022, Adrián Michalčík earned the title of Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year. Colloquially, this achievement is known as the Best Bartender in the World. That's a bold and weighty mantle but as you'll learn during this conversation, Adrián is humble and focused on his team and guests. Adrián is the director of mixology at the award-winning Pier 42 inside the Amerikalinje...

We had the honor of sitting down with Anand Virmani, CEO of NAO Spirits and master distiller for Hapusa Gin, the world's first Dry Himalayan Gin. NAO also produces Greater Than, the distillery's first spirit and a traditional London Dry Gin. Anand shares his path through the beverage alcohol world and running a coffee, wine, and cocktail bar of his own. He also explains how he learned about distil...

Industry icon, bar educator, entrepreneur, and bartender Charles Joly drops by the Bar Hacks podcast to chat with host David Klemt. The two discuss Charles' start and his journey from the trenches to opening Chicago's Drawing Room, and also his role at the city's legendary Aviary. Charles also talks about Crafthouse Cocktails , the premium ready-to-serve brand, and his barware label Crafthouse by...

Mark Sansom, content director for the World's 50 Best Bars, drops by the Bar Hacks podcast to share some big news. After years of dialing in the process and waiting out the pandemic, the World's 50 Best Hotels will be revealed at a ceremony in September 2023! If you haven't watched or attended a World's 50 Best Bars ceremony, they truly take great pains to ensure they're the Oscars of bar awards....

Doug Radkey, co-founder and president of KRG Hospitality, stops by the Bar Hacks . Not only is Doug the co-founder and president of KRG, he's also the author of the book Bar Hacks and its followup Hacking the New Normal , and the creator of the Bar Hacks podcast. During his visit, Doug and David talk about their expectations for 2023, what KRG is working on in the new year so far, the importance o...

Bar Hacks podcast host David Klemt speaks with Ronnen Goren, co-founder and director, and John Wilson, design director, from Studio Ongarato . This international design firm with offices in Melbourne, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Toronto specializes in concept branding, placemaking, and wayfinding. There are several valuable takeaways from this conversation. One standout takeaway comes from Goren, who as...

Attorney Marbet Lewis , a founding partner and team manager of the alcohol industry group of Spiritus Law , calls into the Bar Hacks podcast to speak with co-host David Klemt. Since 2004, Marbet has focused on serving the alcohol and hospitality industries. So, she had a front row seat to the rise and eventual proliferation of the experiential hospitality or "eatertainment" trend. Marbet and David...

After everything our industry has been through the past few years and the current struggles operators and hospitality professionals continue to face today, it's wise to look for different business models. One model operators should consider (particularly new, independent, and small chain operators) is the food hall. Bar Hacks co-host David Klemt sits down with Rob Lewis, founder of Spiritus Law ,...

We sat down with Richard Patrick, the co-founder of Mississippi's oldest legal distillery. There are two facts you may find surprising about Mississippi. One, the state didn't repeal prohibition fully until 1966. And two, Mississippi didn't get their first legal distillery until 2010. That's the year Richard Patrick and Austin Evans opened the doors of Cathead Distillery and introduced people to t...

Bar Hacks host David Klemt sits down with Roberta Mariani, Global Brand Ambassador for MARTINI. The two discuss a range of topics, including Roberta's journey through hospitality, lessons learned working at some of the best hotels in London and opening Bar Tremini in Soho, the guest experience, aperitivo culture, and more. Roberta and David also discuss why now might be the best time to introduce...

Ah, the wonders of technology. We had planned a different episode for today now that Bar Hacks podcast co-host David Klemt is back from a trip to Colorado and Oktoberfest at Vail. However, we finally experienced the dreaded unsalvageable recording for the first time since the podcast's inception. However, all is not lost! After all, it's still September and that means it's still National Bourbon H...

Ahead of the big ceremony on October 4, Mark Sansom stops by the Bar Hacks podcast to speak with co-host David Klemt about the World's 50 Best Bars . As the content director for the World's 50 Best Bars, Sansom is uniquely qualified to speak about several aspects of arguably the most influential ranking of bars in the world. Sansom speaks about the impressive voting process , moving the World's 50...

Paul Mathew, bartender, bar owner, and founder of Everleaf, sits down with Bar Hacks podcast co-host David Klemt. In this fun and informative episode, Paul shares his journey through bartending and bar ownership, and his entry into the drinks business. Non-alcoholic aperitif brand Everleaf is the culmination of Paul's many years as a conservationist botanist, knowledge of plants, and nearly 30 yea...

It's the 100th episode of Bar Hacks ! We thrilled to bring you our 80th regular episode, which joins 20 bonus episodes. Obviously, we had to bring you an awesome guest to celebrate this milestone and thank all of you for helping make this possible. We sit down and have a great chat with Chef Kayla Robison , the executive chef at Arnold's Bar and Grill in Cincinnati, Ohio. Arnold's is the city's lo...

Bar Hacks co-host David Klemt chats with Chris Parker about Barfly by Mercer , an independent bar tool manufacturer passionate about providing bar professionals with high quality, long-lasting products priced fairly. Parker is the national sales manager at Barfly which means he travels, visits trade shows and bars, and gets feedback directly from bartenders. Like chefs, bartenders, as we know, are...