The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

In this fragrant, vine-ripened deep dive with Birk O'Halloran, creator of Rockwell Vermouth, some of the topics we discuss include: How Birk worked his way up the supply chain over the years, dabbling first in hospitality education, becoming a sommelier, working in the off-premise world, and eventually launching his own wine and vermouth brands. What it means to make an American vermouth, and how...

In this wide-ranging conversation with Porchlight Beverage Director Nicholas Bennett, some of the topics we discuss include: Nick's journey from a beer and shot bar near Montauk to a supper club in Brooklyn, and on through some of the most legendary beverage programs in Manhattan, including Booker & Dax and Amor y Amargo. How making his mom's friend the worst cocktail she'd ever had kick-started a...

In this refreshing and perfectly balanced conversation with Maria Denton, Southeast Regional Manager for Lyre's Non-Alcoholic Spirits, some of the topics we discuss include: How Maria used her career working for one of the world's most prestigious spirits brands and managing one of Washington, DC's busiest bar programs as a timely springboard into her current position with Lyre's. What creating no...

In this eye-opening conversation with Spiritless CEO, Lauren Chitwood, some of the topics we discuss include: How Lauren's experience running events and activations for big spirits brands led her to join forces with her two business partners to solve one of the industry's trickiest problems: what to drink when you're not drinking. What it was like to take Spiritless from a basement experiment usin...

In this spirited discussion with Ian Blessing, co-founder of All The Bitter , some of the topics we discuss include: How Ian's career as a sommelier at restaurants of all kinds (including the legendary French Laundry) led him to ponder and experiment with non-alcoholic spirits and cocktail ingredients. What happens when you decide to side-step ethanol as an extracting agent and instead harness the...

In this fascinating conversation with Mark Sansom, content editor of The World's 50 Best Bars and 50 Best Restaurants, some of the topics we discuss include: How Mark and his academy of experts manage to cover the entire globe in any given year, shedding a flood light not only on bars and restaurants in major markets, but also on regions that traditionally get less attention or acclaim. How The Wo...

In this conversation with Derek Brown, author of the forthcoming book, Mindful Mixology , some of the topics we discuss include: How Derek entered into the low- and no-ABV cocktail space, partially as a function of shifting life circumstances, and partially as a way to deepen the conversation around what a cocktail is or should be. What it means to drink mindfully - we're all aware that this word...

Eric weighs in on the use of the word "mixologist" to describe someone who makes cocktails either professionally or as a hobby. He does this by first taking a good, hard look at this word, "Mixologist," both in terms of its historical usage and its various meanings and connotations. Then, he sizes it up compared to other words used to describe bartenders Finally, he makes a case for why it's a pre...

Eric breaks down the highlights from The Modern Bar Cart Podcast in 2021 and previews what listeners can expect in 2022. Topics include: 2021 by the numbers (downloads, most popular episode) Noteworthy improvements from 2021 (plus an inside look at how the podcast gets made) A look ahead at incorporating video and audience engagement into future episodes Opportunities for live meet-ups and listene...

This episode is the second of a two-part interview with bartender, entrepreneur, and milk punch expert, Eamon Rockey. He's the creator of Rockey's Botanical Liqueur, and if you haven't listened to part I of this episode, you're missing out on a bunch of important background, as well as fun stuff like our featured cocktail, the Rockey's Spritz. If you did tune in last week, you know that we devious...

In this first portion of a two-part interview with Eamon Rockey, creator of Rockey's Botanical Liqueur, some of the topics we discuss include: How Eamon's childhood working in kitchens in Hattiesburg, Mississippi propelled him to the Culinary Institute of America and then into some of the hottest fine dining establishments in New York City. What it was like to take the cocktail program at the lege...

In this fascinating conversation with Andrew Yancey of Tarnished Truth Distilling, some of the topics we discuss include: How Andrew and his team opened up the first and (to-date) only hotel distillery in the US Why the history and lore of the Cavalier Hotel is so important to the brand and its mystique, including Prohibition-era suicides, fresh prepared wild game, and a mysterious FBI file involv...

In this fascinating deep dive with bartender and ice cream fanatic Iain McPherson, some of the topics we discuss include: How a childhood love of frozen treats, a fascination with lucid dreaming, and a stint at Italy's most hallowed gelato university led Iain to explore the largely untapped universe of freeze concentration. Why this process - first pioneered by German "Eisbock" makers - has affect...

In this effervescent and eye-opening conversation with Fever-Tree co-founder and CEO, Tim Warrillow, some of the topics we discuss include: The drinks landscape in 2003 when Tim and his partner Charles set out to fundamentally change the way we approach the oft-overlooked and even-more-oft commodified carbonated mixers category. Why ingredient sourcing has played a pivotal role in Fever Tree's ris...

In this eye-opening conversation with Bar Director Deke Dunne of Allegory here in Washington, DC, some of the topics we discuss include: How Deke transitioned from a life in politics to a life behind bars, starting by working security at perhaps DC's most successful pop-up EVER and then making the switch to bartending. What a surrealist Victorian novel by Lewis Carrol has to do with Ruby Bridges,...

In this wide ranging conversation with spirits expert and cocktail author Kurt Maitland, some of the topics we discuss include: Some notes from the early days of Kurt's spirits adventures, including a Jameson drinking college friend from Hong Kong, a bar with a Dutch name in Brooklyn, and a conference room at an architectural firm. How Kurt came to co-found the Manhattan Whiskey Club, and some cru...

In this cross-over interview courtesy of the Drinks Adventures Podcast , James Atkinson interviews ESPN journalist Baxter Holmes about the NBA's burgeoning wine obsession. It's a perfect little rabbit hole in which to think about the intersection of flavor, popular culture, and the network effect that can occur when a few influential people become evangelists and educators with the power to open t...

In this mailbag episode, Eric answers questions submitted by listeners. The topics include: Why 375ml bottles are less prevalent than 750ml bottles in the spirits space How different "pony & jigger" designs and sizes afford different uses for professional and home bartenders How to access this years  Tales of the Cocktail seminars, and what's in store for next year's event What to do when you're t...

In this barrel-aged deep dive into Bourbon and American whiskey with distiller Lauren Patz, some of the topics we discuss include: How Lauren's roots in Napa Valley winemaking led her to fall in love with the craft of distillation and barrel maturation. Why California in general (and Northern California, in particular) is a burgeoning American whiskey ecosystem bursting with local grain, available...

In this episode, Eric gives listeners his thoughts on Tales of the Cocktail 2021, which is being held remotely for the second year in a row due to the pandemic. He covers the use of new platforms and technology to streamline the event process and provide networking options, which seminars he is excited about, and how to take advantage of both live and pre-recorded events after they occur. This epi...

In this fascinating deep dive on American Whiskey, some of the topics I discuss with author and spirits judge Eric Zandona include: A quick rundown of a few pivotal points in our country's whiskey history, including "The Taft Decision" and the pioneering female distiller who made her mark on the sour mash process. How early geographical and climatic constraints set the stage for the traditional wh...

This episode is a post-mortem examination of a large-scale, milk clarified cocktail that Eric recently helped to create for the wedding of his friend and co-founder, Ethan Hall. We thought this would be useful as an in-the-trenches analysis of how to take a cocktail from concept to reality at an ambitious but technically achievable volume of about 4-5 gallons for roughly 40 guests. This episode is...

In this wide-ranging and pine-scented conversation with Master Distiller Ryan Christiansen, some of the topics we discuss include: How time spent in his father's hardware store as a child led Ryan to appreciate taking complicated equipment apart and bringing people and communities together.  What it was like to build Caledonia Spirits from the ground-up alongside his partner and beekeeper Todd Har...

In this conversation with Dogfish Head Brewery founder Sam Calagione, some of the topics we discuss include: How Sam took his creativity from the writer's workshop to the brewery, scaling Dogfish Head from the smallest commercial brewery in America to a top 20 craft brand over the course of two decades. What it means to make "off-centered ales for off centered people," which requires us to travel...