Barcode Mixer

🍸 NOW POURING: Never Masters, Forever Students A mid-prep sit-down with Joe Canton — Head Bartender of Bar Kaiju 🥂 With 16+ years behind the stick, Joe shares: • How his dive bar days shaped the foundation for one of the best bars in the country 🏆 • What Miami’s rapid development has felt like, both professionally + personally 🌆 • Why Kaiju’s work is showing up on bar menus nationwide ✨ A dee...

🍸 NOW POURING: Aperitivo Break Pull up a chair with Valentino Longo 🇮🇹 — Owner & Operator of ViceVersa Miami . With 20 years in the game, Valentino opens up on: • Why becoming the best is a continuous act 🔁 • Blending Italian culture while creating something new 🍷 • Bringing Aperitivo culture to life in Miami, true to its roots 🇮🇹☀️ An episode for slowing down, sharing a sip, and savoring t...

🎙 Purpose over Passion This week we sit with Tom Lasher-Walker — a legend behind the stick 🇬🇧🍸. From iconic bars across the UK & NYC to Miami stints at Jaguar Sun and now Owner-Operator of The Scapegoat in Miami Beach 🏝. We get into: • Miami’s need for bar culture & true third spaces 🪑 • How he sets his team up for success 💪 • The mental health & empathy lessons no one teaches you,...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “Tears of a Clown” Now live on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🎭🍸 This week, we go full circle with Alex Alfonso — a mentor, a legend, and what we lovingly call a “grandfather bartender.” Alex was one of the first people Ray ever worked with in this business nearly 20 years ago , and now he’s back on the mic — not just as a friend, but as a distributor and OG storyteller with decad...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “Look on the Brightside” Now pouring on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🍻🌞🏈 This week, we pull up a barstool with Mike Radigan , owner-operator of The Brightside — a beloved neighborhood sports bar that's quietly bridging the gap between Old and New Miami . We talk: 🍀 The wild story of how the space fell into his lap 🥃 What it’s like to win the liquor license lottery in Florida...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “Accidental Hospitality” Now playing on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 💨📝🍽️ This week, we introduce someone who’s become a quiet force behind the scenes — our “Angel Producer” and dear friend Nick Jimenez . As the Cigar Program Director at El Vecino and head of PR for the Ariete Hospitality Group , Nick’s journey into hospitality wasn’t part of the plan — it was an accident rooted...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “Giving it Back” Now streaming on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 💼🌱 This one’s special. We sit with our dear friend and former mentor Zuni Melendez — someone who shaped Jorge’s early steps in the industry and whose journey from hostess to Director of Operations is a masterclass in leading with heart. Zuni shares how she built her career not by obligation — but by intention. Not be...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “Rebel With a Cause” Now live on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🍸🌍🇺🇦 This week on Barcode Mixer , we sit down with our friend Dima , bar manager at Medium Cool Lounge — a true rebel in the best sense of the word. Originally from Ukraine , Dima came to America with nothing but his profession on his back. In this powerful conversation, he shares: 🌍 What it means to start over from...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “Spirit of the Unicorn” Now streaming on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🦄🍸 This one’s for the real ones. We sit down with Juliette Saputo , a true unicorn in the hospitality world — someone who’s only ever known this life, and made it her own with grace and grit. From her legendary 9-year run at Gramps to now leading the charge as Bar Manager at the Freehand Miami Beach (home to R...

Now serving on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🍸🗣️ We’re joined by the electric Susan Strom — a Miami Beach golden era bartender , turned spirits distributor , now stepping into her voice as a motivational speaker and soon-to-be TED Talker . In this rapid-fire, idea-packed session, we talk: 🌴 The legacy of Miami’s ‘90s bar scene 🥃 How cocktails become metaphors for life 💡 And what it means to cra...

This week on Barcode Mixer , we sit down with Fabio Crista — a bartender whose path has been anything but linear. From flying planes ✈️ to diving into crypto 💻, Fabio eventually found his true calling behind the bar — and fully committed when he made the move from Spain to the U.S. . We explore: 🌍 The contrasts between European and American bar culture 💭 The personal beliefs and shared roots th...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “The Mad Hatter” Now streaming on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🌀🕯️ Our longest episode yet. Our favorite conversation so far. We sit with The Mad Hatter — a scientist in her method, an artist in her spirit. What begins as a conversation about craft becomes something more... ✨ A meditation on purpose 🧠 A deep dive into consciousness and creativity 🌍 And how, in these strange ti...

Now pouring on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🥃🔥 Back in the mix: Frank & Kevin of FGM , our dear friends and industry insiders on the distribution and brand marketing side of spirits. In this comeback conversation, we dive into: 📦 The real stories behind bringing bottles to bars 📊 Current trends, shifts, and challenges in the spirits world 💡 What it takes to represent brands like Dos Hombr...

This week on Barcode Mixer , we sit down with Elizabeth Hernandez , the only female bartender at the world-renowned Café La Trova — a cornerstone of Little Havana and a fixture on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. Elizabeth shares her journey of: 🎨 Balancing art and bartending as creative expression 🌺 Honoring her heritage, culture, and identity 🍹 Upholding the timeless legacy of the cantinero tra...

Now live on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🎧🌙 In this episode, we sit down with Luisangel Ramirez , a native Miamian and rising bartender apprenticing under the masters at the iconic Swizzle Bar in Miami Beach. Luis brings a deep sense of rhythm to the craft — shaped by his roots in music , family , and the city that raised him. Every pour, every stir, carries the weight of intention. We talk: 🎶...

🎙️ NEW TWO-PART EPISODE — “The Pastor Pt. 1 & 2” Out now on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🕊️🥃 This one runs deep. We sit down with Daniel Ortiz , longtime friend of Ray from the NYC days — once a pastor, now walking his path through the world of restaurants, healing, and self-discovery. Over two sessions, this conversation unfolds across time and emotion: 💔 From divorce, addiction, and burnou...

🎙️ NEW EPISODE — “Get Lost, Get Found” Now streaming on Spotify & Apple Podcasts 🌍🍸 This one’s close to the heart. We sat down with our dear friend and former coworker Kayla Walden , a bartender, storyteller, and true embodiment of going with the flow. From packing up her car in Iowa to starting fresh in Miami — and now getting ready to backpack through Europe for three months — Kayla shares...

We took Barcode Mixer on the road for this one — straight into the heart of Shojo’s Dojo , where we sat down with the incredible duo behind it all: Haidar & Mari . This episode is a journey through: 💘 Their love story 🧑‍🍳 Their backstories in food & beverage 🍶 How they fell in love with sake 🏮 And what it means to build a hospitality space rooted in intention, curiosity, and care. We...

One thing that matters to us a lot is health. Hospitality being at the core of what we do, it is important that we keep health at the center of it. Our goal is to nurture people, and the best way to do that is to always make sure that you are nurturing yourself. Exercise being at the top of it, we interview our cycling coach Kaylei Blackmoon-Ibarra from Rhythm and Release. We talk about her days a...

For this episode, we do our first tasting episode which became a whole movie upon itself getting to know the wizard behind it all, Janet Diaz-Bonilla. We will be tasting her Cuban made rum which is produced in Panama but along the way you will hear how that came to be. This is a story of resiliency that shows the strength and passion that one must have to become a fighter in the first place. It's...

We have been making these episodes ahead of our release schedule so we can build the show out the same way we build our bars and let me tell you it has all been divine timing. What better time historically than to bring in our money guy for a talk about what we should be doing with our money and how it relates to all of our decisions and life choices. Couldn't be happier to introduce our friend an...

It would only be appropriate for Ray and Jorge to sit in and do a full-on Spanish interview with our fellow asere Victor Benitez. Victor is a traditionally trained Cuban cantinero and all-around Miami bartender. You can find him at El Vecino in Downtown Miami where you can also find his line of cigars. Tap into the Spanish, and join us on the occult journey that Victor has gone through to bring us...

Name a better time in history to have a conversation with a Serb...

So we sat on the idea for this show for maybe a good year? Before it came to light at least, but a special shout out is given to TV's Nicole Muniz. While we were getting ready in our own way to get started, it did take a minute to become official. Our friend Nicole asks Ray one night at the bar, "why haven't you gotten started already?" The rest was history.

We get down to business with bar regulars turned good friends, fellow industry mavens Frank and Kevin from FGM Wine and Spirits. They brief us how their side of the business takes shape and how it influences our experiences behind the bar. We also talk about how health consciousness and consumption trends have changed the business at large. We talk past and future and there is a lot of similaritie...