Show de Vie Podcast

Sal Chavez has adapted beautifully to shut down. Despite all of the challenges in launching a brand during COVID, he finds a way to bring his Michoacán Mezcal, La Luna , to the lips of many. It's no wonder that he continues to bring amazing products to the hospitality industry because he grew up in it. We chat basketball, music, and returning to your roots.

Jesse Hubbard has been a cocktail slinging, ex-moshing, creator for his entire life, but like many, has really dove into his passions during shutdown. With a background in radio, production, and bartending, where does the passion go when you can't be behind the bar? Back to the roots......Punk Rock. Pairing punk rock with cocktails seems like a no-brainer, but Jesse finally articulated it with his...

Ryan Perry is the master blender for Heaven's Door whiskey . The collaborative project with Bob Dylan is one of many in Ryan's career. With his sights set on big city opportunity as a kid living in rural Michigan, the goals kept getting bigger, and the achievements more vast. We chat being present, retirement (or lack thereof), and blending whiskey with your sense of smell.

Ismael Gomez, founder of Laika Spirits , has brought some of the rarest and delicious spirits into the States. From a love of Sotol with Flor Del Desierto , Cruz de Fuego Mezcal , or Tuxca with Balancan , his affinity for the esoteric and seemingly unattainable flavors allow us to taste them en masse. But what makes this expanding catalog of spirits function, how have things changed in shutdown, a...

Casa Lumbre's Cesar Sandoval has achieved a lot in a little time because of one key personality characteristic: transparency. Ask him whatever, he's an open book of knowledge, compassion, and drum fills. His latest chapter with Abasolo Mexican Whiskey and Nixta Licor de Elote bring him into the fields of corn running throughout Mexico. With a little bit of shaking and a little bit of stirring, cor...

Khrys Maxwell is well known in the agave world. His dedication to production transparency, science, and digging into the details is bar none. But many people don't realize his dedication to music and education help fuel his passions. How's shutdown life? And where do you go when you're paving your own road? We chat KISS, teaching, love, and loss.

Jorge Gaviria has devoted years to understanding the culture, the people, and the logistics around corn production. The resulting project, Masienda , is now the industry leader in providing quality masa, heirloom corn, and tortilla cooking accessories. The journey to this amazing project is steeped in deep analysis, introspection, and travel. What started as a moment of translation, turned into a...

Red Parker is one of the founders of El Buho Mezcal , a truly accessible spirit and the result of an intimate relationship with the Jimenez Mendez family in Matatlán. Red is a brilliant guitar player, and his love of creativity has drawn him to entrepreneurialism, music, and of course.....mezcal. We chat Nirvana, community, and learning things over again.

Gabriel Gilberto Velazquez Zazueta is a Renaissance man of design. Whether it's designing the beautiful items for Tuyo   or co-hosting the agave-centric podcast Hey Hey Agave, he has his mind on design. After studying design in CDMX, an amazing opportunity brought him to the US and a whole new life began. Most recently Gabriel has joined the team at El Buho Mezcal. We chat about citizenship, love,...

Back on September 19th 2019, when things were a little different, I had the opportunity to sit down with the amazing Silvia Philion, founder of Mezcaloteca. This beautiful and quaint Mezcaleria in Oaxaca Centro reminds me of a past life, a former glory, and many other emotions that are almost overwhelming. But in the midst of this feeling today, Sylvia's story is an incredible one, and I hope you...

The world of whiskey has been forever changed by Compass Box, but the brand is knocked into the stratosphere by folks like Kerrin Egalka. Good with numbers, cats, cocktails, and conversation, we chat about this interesting time and her recent experiences in Houston on lockdown. Listen for some Black Sabbath, Pickles, Nintendo, and whiskey chat.

The world of whiskey wages on even despite the world seemingly being at a halt. In this week's chat, I sit down with one of the world's favorite whiskey men, Adam Harris. As he sits and sips some Booker's 25th Anniversary Bourbon in Houston, we ponder life, film, and what we can do to think about one's self in these times. We chat QT, Brad Pitt, Squirrels, and more.

The Covid19 world is new and different. So I'm taking the time out, in reverence to Social Distancing, to do some remote chats on Instagram Live. This is the first of many with my good friend Antonio Matta. He's a great bartender, and manager with an astute interest in all things agave. We chat Metal, horror, and more.

It has been a very serpentine road for Cinco Sentido's Leslie Cobos. Spending much of her youth in Ciudad de Juarez and El Paso, her Mexican heritage paired perfectly with her affinity for hospitality. With a formative move to Fort Worth, the challenges of understanding American culture, learning English, and fitting into the new environment met her head on. After leaving the world of politics dis...

Dalla's Charlie Moore has worked in many different areas of the hospitality industry, but like many others, whiskey became his true calling. With early days in Iowa and a bit of troublemaking intermixed, Charlie shuffled jobs for a bit before finally falling in love with hospitality. His love of people, learning, and structure combined perfectly to provide a larger sense of purpose. And as Dallas'...

Graciela Angeles Carreño is one of the leading mezcaleras in the Mezcal world. As a subject of the new film Agave: Spirit of a Nation, her motherhood is explored and her incredible mezcal Real Minero is captured with a beautiful lens. However, as the category expands rapidly, and her visibility increases, what does a notable figure from Santa Catarina Minas do with this added level of fame? We cha...

The job of an interviewer, at least a good one, is to offer up some vulnerability for your guest to hopefully encourage the same for them. It's not an easy job, but Kris Hart is the man for the job. With his successful show Whiskey Neat, and his gargantuan whiskey event the Houston Whiskey Social, what makes the man tick? The proud father was thrown into the role very young in life but now reflect...

Benedicte Hardy has been representing the delicious flavors of Cognac for 30+ years. Her family has a legacy of making some of the finest Cognac's in the world. With the recent release of Hardy Legend 1863 , the brand tries to modernize the elegant spirit and help bartenders get creative with Cognac. The introduction of Cognac into American culture is an interesting story, and a brilliant history...

For Noble Oak's Tom Johnson, a serendipitous moment drove him to the hospitality industry and another to bike across the country to end up in Seattle. Each chapter of his life becoming clear eventually, but there is no master plan. A thoughtful, funny, and experience hospitality vet, Tom never thought that whiskey would end up bringing him the largest opportunities yet. We chat Baby Yoda, Twitter,...

Without the efforts of Compass Box creator John Glaser, the world of Whisky wouldn't be quite the same. A lover of literature and wine, John Glaser has challenged assertions about flavor and providence in Whisky. He's continued to fight for transparency in the wake of much controversy. And now, with the latest release of Myth's and Legends, he takes almost a textbook approach, but not exactly. We...

As the first master distiller for Don Julio, Marco Cedano was just a man doing his job. As the element of celebrity has been attributed to master distillers now, his new Tequila, Tromba, brings him a whole new level of recognition. After a chance meeting with a few key Canadians, the new brand was born and his son Rodrigo became an essential piece of the plan. With astute business acumen and under...

Jose Cortes of Tequila Herradura has deep roots in the agave fields. As a 3rd generation Jimador, he learned the lifestyle and pride garnered by harvesting agave. After years in the fields, his passion for learning and expanding his opportunities drove Jose into academia. His business acumen led him to learn English, receiving Tequila Expert status, and now being the director of VIP and Trade at C...

Amando Alvarez is a young Mezcalero hailing from the small town of Santa Maria Ixcatlán, Oaxaca. He is a 6th generation producer using very ancestral techniques. As we sit at his palenque outside of town and reflect on how the world feels about Mezcal, a simpler reality sets in. Amando does what he loves and what he knows. The balance of nature, tranquility, and community is unparalleled in this i...

Guadalajara native Alan Ruesga-Pelayo has hospitality in his blood. As a helper with his parents social events, and a lover of conversation, the perfect stage was set for Alan to excel in the bartending community. After moving to meet his sister in Washington DC, a necessity to learn English and a great deal of opportunities in hospitality started to pave his career. Some years later, a chance mee...

John Campbell has lived on the wee island of Islay his entire life. Ensconced in the culture of Scotch production, fishing, and shepherding, Mr. Campbell couldn't represent the tradition of Laphroaig any deeper. Working his way through all positions at the distillery, John now travels the world talking about the delicious world of peat, and the exceptional liquid that is Laphroaig . What has the 2...