The Curious Bartender Podcast

Is the British pub dying? In this episode I’m joined by beer and pub writer Will Hawkes, who has spent years travelling the country and visiting thousands of pubs for his reporting. We talk honestly about where British pub culture stands in the 2020's: the closures, the economic pressures, but also the surprising resurgence of affection for traditional boozers with carpets, darts boards and mu...

Rémy is the founder and co-founder of some of the most talked-about venues of the last five years, including  A Bar with Shapes for a Name ,  Bar Nouveau , and his most recent Paris project,  Abstract . His work is unapologetically high-concept, with design, intent and philosophy baked into every decision. This is one of the most thought-provoking and, at times, intellectually demanding conversati...

Big thanks to all of my guests this year - every one of you brought amazing things to the conversation and I am incredible grateful to you all. Here though are 12 conversations that really stood out - if you like what you hear be sure to check out the full episode if you haven't already. See you next year... 00:00 Introduction 02:50 Sandor Katz - The History of Fermentation 05:50 Serge Valenti...

Gabe Cook (aka Ciderologist) is a cider expert and educator based in the UK. On the episode (recorded at Haywood Cider Farm in Cornwall) we take a deep dive into the culture, history and appreciation of cider, tasting our way through half a dozen English and American ciders. See links below for those producers and products. Find Gabe here - https://www.theciderologist.com/ Tasty Stuff -https://www...

Simon is a writer, publisher and business entrepreneur. He is the founder of Diffordsguide.com , Class Magazine and Difford's Guide to Cocktails book Series which is now in its 18th Edition. To support the show please rate and subscribe - thanks!

Dr. Johnny Drain is a materials scientist turned fermentation obsessive, flavour innovator, and co-founder of the cocoa-free chocolate company pushing the industry to rethink everything it thought it knew about cacao. Johnny’s one of those rare thinkers who can sit comfortably in the worlds of cutting-edge science and high-end hospitality. He’s worked with some of the most boundary-pushing restaur...

In this episode, Richard Seale of Foursquare Distillery joins me for a fast-moving deep dive into the history, culture and technology of rum — from 17th-century Barbados to the modern distillery. Key Topics: Is Barbados the birthplace of rum? Richard explains why the island is the true origin of cultural rum-making — not because it was “first”, but because it produced the earliest consequential, d...

Jeff Morgenthaler has been a defining voice in the bar world for more than two decades. Bartender, blogger, and author, he’s shaped modern drinks culture through his long-running blog — still one of the most valuable resources on bar technique — his years at Portland’s much-missed Clyde Common, and his influential writing, including  The Bar Book . Today he continues to travel, teach, and inspire,...

In this episode of  The Curious Bartender Podcast , we welcome Jota Tanaka, Master Blender for Kirin’s Fuji Gotemba Distillery and Executive Fellow, Kirin Whisky. His career spans brewing, winemaking, American bourbon and Japanese whisky. Jota joined Kirin Distillery Co. in 1988 and after roles in Japan and the United States, including a period at Four Roses Distillery where he helped launch the S...

Camper English is a San Francisco–based drinks writer and educator, best known for his long-running website Alcademics.com, an invaluable resource for bartenders and drinks enthusiasts alike. He’s the author of Doctors and Distillers: The Remarkable Medicinal History of Beer, Wine, Spirits, and Cocktails (2022) and The Ice Book. I sat down with Camper recently in San Francisco to talk about the ci...

Harold McGee is a man that requires no introduction if you are someone who has worked in food and drink in any capacity at all. In 1984 he published McGee On Food & Cooking and brought the science and technology of cooking and flavour to the masses. A second edition in 2004 served as the practical manual for any chef worth their salt, and elevated Harold to the status of godfather - or perhaps...

Today I am speaking with Serge Valentin. Serge is a whisky expert and the founder of a whiskyfun.com - which is widely regarded as the go-to review repository for whisky tasting notes and scores on the internet. Over the past 23 years Serge has tasted over 20,000 bottles ranging from entry level staples to some of the rarest in the world. His scoring system has become the de facto benchmark by whi...

In today’s episode, I’m joined by one of the true mavericks of American distilling — Lance Winters of St. George Spirits . This is a journey that begins in the orchard, with pears, quinces and raspberries destined for eau de vie, and stretches all the way to absinthe, American gin, rum and even highballs built on umeshu and Baller whisky. We trace the roots of St. George back to Jörg Rupf and the...

Charles Denby is the co-founder and CEO of Berkeley Yeast, a company that’s reimagining fermentation through genetics. With a PhD in molecular and cell biology from UC Berkeley, Charles and his team are using genetic science not to replace brewing tradition, but to enhance it — designing new yeast strains that can transform how beer, wine, and even spirits are made. In this conversation, we dive d...

Megs Miller is a bartender, educator, and all-round agave obsessive — whose journey has taken her across multiple continents but most recently to Mexico City, where she runs Salón de Agave, a tasting room dedicated to exploring the depth and diversity of Mexico’s native spirits. In this episode, you can expect to learn about agave species and taxonomy, how different agave species affect the mind a...

Richard Hart is one of the world’s most respected bakers and a celebrated author. He first rose to prominence in the early 2000s while working at the legendary  Tartine Bakery, San Francisco . From there, he co-founded  Hart Bageri  with René Redzepi in Copenhagen, before relocating to Mexico City, where he recently opened his latest venture,  Green Rhino . Richard is also the author of the James...

Dave Broom is one of the most prominent and influential voices in the world of whisky and over the course of his career he has written some of the most important books on whisky and spirits including The World Atlas of Whisky, Whisky: The Manual, A Sense of Place, and The Way of Whisky — works that have shaped the way both enthusiasts and professionals understand flavour, culture, and the people b...

This week I’m joined by Nick Strangeway , one of the most influential British bartenders of the modern era. With almost 40 years in and around the London drinks scene, Nick has tended bar at legendary spots like Fred’s Club, The Atlantic Bar & Grill, and Che, designed drinks programmes for Hawksmoor, Hix, and The Groucho Club, and consulted for venues worldwide. He’s also ventured into spirits...

Henrietta Lovell is the founder and CEO of The Rare Tea company, a tea educator and author of the book Infused: Adventures in Tea. Over a career of more than 20 years Henrietta has travelled around the foothills of the Himalayas, across China, Japan, India, and Malawi, sourcing some of the best teas in the world and learning from the communities that grow them. She has worked with world class chef...

Dale is a bartender, author, brand owner, and the co-founder of the Museum of the American cocktail. In the late 90’s working at NYC’s Rainbow Rooms Dale was probably the most famous bartender on the planet and has remained one of the best loved bartenders to this day.  I sat down with Dale in Manhattan a few weeks ago, looking out over the Empire State Building as the sun went down. The interview...

Today I am speaking with Alexandre Gabriel. Alexandre is the founder of Maison Ferrand, Citadelle Gin, and Plantation—now Planetary—Rum.  Expect to learn how a Burgundian farm boy turned his hand to bartending in New York and then went on to innovate across the categories of cognac, gin and rum. We take a deep dive into the production of Cognac - terroir, grape varieties, distillation, maturation,...

Sandor Katz is ften called a “fermentation revivalist,” Sandor has spent decades exploring how microbes shape our food, our drinks, our culture, and even our sense of place. He has written a number of book son the subject including Wild Fermentation, The Art of Fermentation, Fermentation as Metaphor, and Fermentation Journeys — the latter chronicling his travels to meet fermentation practitioners...

Toby Cecchini is a bartender of some 40 years, the author of Cosmopolitan which remains the best memoir on the life of a bartender, but perhaps best known for inventing the drink by the same name, which defined an era and still attracts love and hate from consumers and bartenders alike. With a storied career spanning decades at some of New York City's most iconic bars, Toby's insights into bar cul...

Joy is a true legend of the spirits industry. As Master Blender at Appleton Estate in Jamaica, she holds the historic distinction of being the first woman ever appointed Master Blender in the world. A trained chemist, Joy’s remarkable sensory talents and scientific rigour have been instrumental in Appleton’s rise to global prominence, making her one of the most respected figures in rum today. I fi...

Esteban is the founder of Casa Endemica which is a stable of brands that includes La Venenosa Raicilla, Derumbes Mezcal, La Higuera Sotol. He has been a major force in championing mezcal outside of he state of Oaxaca (where 91% of mezcal is made) and really led the charge on exposing the amazing spirits of ancestral raicilla (the mezcal of the state of Jalisco). I met Esteban about a year ago when...