Bartender at Large

It is hard to find anyone else in the spirits business who has done more for the modern rum renaissance then Global Rum Ambassador, Ian Burrell. For over 20 years, he has travelled the globe visiting distilleries, and educating bartenders and rum aficionados. In addition, he is also the founder of UK Rumfest, one of the industry's most prestigious spirits festivals, as well as co-founder of his ve...

Even though the bar industry still in state of uncertainty, a few bars are thriving in the realm of to-go cocktails. The award-winning bar, Navy Strength in Seattle is one of those bars that is not only doing it right, but they are eager to share their recipe for success with everyone else out there. Partly, because they see this as not only an opportunity to get their drinks to thirsty guests, bu...

Join us as take a look behind the scenes of what goes into producing the World's 50 Best Bars list, as well as their charity auction, 50 Best for Recovery, which is raising money to offer as grants to bars struggling due to the coronavirus crisis. We will also be discussing the controversy regarding the ignorant and misogynist statements that were made by an awardee last year that cast a cloud ove...

Maintaining that creative spark can be difficult when you are the onsite manager or operating partner, as sometimes the daily grind of keeping the bar open and guests happy can leave you with no energy for creating cocktails & concepting menus. Which is why for this episode, we wanted to hang out with Joseph Akhavan, owner/operator of Mabel in Paris, a bartender who not only runs an award-winning...

Over the last few years the public has seen a massive influx of canned and bottled cocktails hit the shelves, but what goes into getting those to market in the first place? Well if you are a billion dollar company it is pretty easy to understand how they take off, but how about if you are just a hard-working bartender with some hustle and a dream? Tune in this week for an episode with star bartend...

With the cocktail festival season being thrown into chaos due to covid-19, most events seem to be getting canceled out right. However, Tales of the Cocktail is instead going digital for 2020. What does that entail & how will it affect those "attending" this year? Tune in as we are joined by Caroline Rosen, President of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, as she gives us the lowdown on how things...

Here is part 2 to our episode with bartending legend, Dale DeGroff.    ==============================   Join us every Monday as acclaimed bartender, Erick Castro, interviews some of the bar industry's top talents from around the world, including bartenders, distillers & authors. If you love cocktails & spirits then this award-winning podcast is just for you.   SUPPORT US ON PATREON: Get early acce...

Since we are hitting a huge milestone with episode number 200, we wanted to make sure that we matched that benchmark with a guest of equal stature. Naturally, we thought that there could be no one better suited for the task, than the one and only King of the Cocktail, Dale DeGroff, the acclaimed bartender and author. Due to the fact that this was our first time having this legendary figure onto th...

In the bar industry, it seems that the most common dream is to own your own bar. But what happens when that goal turns into something that you regret, and you find yourself falling out of love with the craft that you have dedicated your life to? These is not an easy situation to deal with particularly when the bar is ranked as one of the best in the world, yet you have never been more miserable. T...

In the bartender world, it seems that the most common dream is to own your very own spot. But what happens when that goal turns into something that you regret, and you find yourself falling out of love with the craft that you have dedicated your life to? These is not an easy situation to deal with particularly when the bar is ranked as one of the best in the world, yet you have never been more mis...

While many cocktail aficionados out there love to drink a well-made tiki classic when they are out for drinks, trying to recreate traditional tiki recipes at home can be a bit overwhelming, even for the seasoned bartender. Since the ingredient count can often climb as high as ten or twelve components (and sometimes even more than that) in some of these cocktails many people just flat out give up b...

This week we are joined by Ivy Mix (co-founder of Speed Rack, and Tales of the Cocktail: Bartender of the Year 2015) to discuss her new book, Spirits of Latin America: A Celebration of Culture & Cocktails, with 100 Recipes from Leyenda & Beyond. In addition, she also talks about her involvement with the Independent Restaurant Coalition, a group working to help local restaurants & bars survive the...

Part two of our episode with Yael Vengroff, Tales of the Cocktail: Bartender of the Year 2018, and beverage director of Spare Room, Genghis Cohen, Mountaineering Club, and Cross Eyed Critters.)   ==============================   Join us every Monday as acclaimed bartender, Erick Castro, interviews some of the bar industry's top talents from around the world, including bartenders, distillers & auth...

Since so many bartenders are creatures of the night with predictable nocturnal habits, the Covid shutdown has really thrown us for a loop. Due to the fact, that for years we have been   staying busy behind the bar by constantly moving and socializing with guests, it has been a particularly difficult transition for many of us to now be sheltered in place with only minimal stimulation. There doesn't...

This week we are thrilled to be joined by the James Beard award-winning author, Brad Thomas Parsons, to discuss his latest book, Last Call: Bartenders on Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time. A book dedicated to the late night rituals & practices of bartenders across the country. So tune in as we discuss what makes that last drink so special.  Learn More: Last Call: https:/...

With the information regarding the Covid-19 shutdown changing from day to day, we decided to link up with Houston bar mogul, Bobby Heugel, so that he could help us decipher what the best plan of action is for today's bars. Many bars & restaurants are overwhelmed with looming bills & an uncertain future, and concerns like this are why this week's episode is a must listen for anyone who might have q...

Vodka tends to be a very misunderstood spirit in the modern craft cocktail movement. In the past, we have done episodes on every spirit you can imagine from scotch to tequila from pisco to baijiu, so we decided that it was finally time to finally get deep with vodka. To help guide us on our journey we were joined by Keli'i Heen of PAU Maui Vodka.   ==============================   Join us every Mo...

With the world currently reeling from the effects of coronavirus, the repercussions are so disorienting that they are leaving most of us in a state of not knowing what to expect next. To help us better understand the changes on the horizon, for this episode we go straight to Shanghai to learn from a local expert as to how the bars are maximizing sales with cocktails to-go, while slowly starting to...

We finally decided to turn the tables on the host of the show, Erick Castro, and have him answers some questions for once. After allowing him to interview guests for nearly 200 episodes, we thought it was time to put him in the hot seat. So tune in and listen as he is interviewed by West Coast bartender, Trevor Easter, of the Snug in Sacramento.   ==============================   Join us every Mon...

With more and more bars are understanding sustainability as a good practice in regards to the environment, many bartenders are beginning to realize that it is good business as well. Because reducing waste behind the bar also reduces costs to your bottom line & that is great news for the financial health of your bar. So tune in this week, as we are joined by a pioneer in sustainable cocktails, Clai...

Welcome back for part two of our interview with famed author and bartender Jim Meehan.   Learn More: Jim Meehan https://www.mixographyinc.com/about.html   Banks 5 Rum https://www.banksrum.com/   ==============================   Join us every Monday as acclaimed bartender, Erick Castro, interviews some of the bar industry's top talents from around the world, including bartenders, distillers & autho...

This week we are joined by famed author and bartender Jim Meehan for an extra special two part episode. Even in today's high-stakes cocktail world, it can be hard to find anyone in the business with as much experience and as many accolades as Jim Meehan. From James Beard awards to Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, there are very few that have even come close to matching his success in the bar...

As bartenders & industry professionals, we work with flavor on a near constant basis, yet so much of what we know about it is based on superstition & conventional wisdom as opposed to hard science. To help us better understand the field of flavor from a scientific perspective, we are joined by Bob Holmes, evolutionary biologist and author of the acclaimed book, Flavor: the Science of Our Most Negl...

Considering the fact that we are going through a bit of an Irish Whiskey renaissance, it is easy to forget that only 15 years ago the whiskey industry in Ireland was only a shadow of its former self. But all of that has change as Ireland's native spirit is back on the rise and ready to reclaim its proper place in the spirits realm. To help us learn about the beautiful world of Irish Whiskey, we ar...

In this business it is so common to see a bar open up win a bunch of awards & then fizzle out within a few years as staff changes & a places loses its appeal. But what is far more rare is to see a bar that has been open 10 or 11 years growing & innovating, while still receiving accolades & taking home awards. This is exactly what the Connaught Bar has been able to do while under the helm of Ago Pe...