The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

In this blockbuster Baijiu pairing and Chinese food smorgasbord, some of the topics we discuss with Brett Steigerwaldt and Derek Sandhaus include: The base grains, production methods, and flavor profiles of seven - count em - SEVEN different baijiu categories, including: rice aroma, light aroma, laobaigan, phoenix aroma, strong aroma, sauce aroma, and extra strong aroma. The relationship between b...

In this wide-ranging conversation with Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich, some of the topics we cover include: How Dave transitioned from English professor, to Esquire columnist, to full-fledged cocktail historian, and how that journey brought him to collaborate with Noah at The Daily Beast and on their current Oxford Companion project. The difference between writing about spirits and cocktails in...

In this fascinating conversation with Andrew Hellman of 1pt Co., some of the topics we discuss include: What an infusion IS at a technical level, and why you might consume more of them in your day-to-day life than perhaps you realize. How, with the help of his wife Anna, Andrew used his experience in finance and design to launch a new company aimed at changing the way we think about infused spirit...

This episode is an introduction to a philosophy called "Epicureanism," a word that has become associated with those who seek out good food and drink. We begin by explaining who Epicurus was and what ideas he developed and spread throughout the Hellenistic world beginning in the 300s BCE Then we walk you through some of the important differences between Epicureanism and another philosophy called St...

In this well-shuffled, cleanly dealt interview with Dave Beck of Paverson Games, some of the topics we discuss include: How a trip to Scotland sparked the idea for a game that would challenge players to distill, age, and sell their own spirits...all thanks to an inheritance from a long-lost relative. Why Distilled is considered a "medium weight, Euro-style game, and what it looks like to make booz...

In this tropical deep dive with home bar architect and Tiki expert Jayme Blaschke, creator of The Lagoon of Mystery and host of A Moment of Tiki , some of the topics we discuss include: How a brush with homelessness and an off-hand comment made while floating in a pool spawned a passion for tiki and led Jayme to build and cultivate his beautiful home tiki bar, The Lagoon of Mystery . A virtual wal...

In this fascinating deep dive on Japanese Whisky, past and present, some of the topics I discuss with Nicholas Pollacchi of Shibui Whisky include: The complicated history of Japanese whisky making, including the sharp left turn that makes this tradition diverge (and reconnect) surprisingly with other world whisky traditions. How Shibui is looking to help Japanese distillers and master blenders emb...

Eric examines the ways in which spirits can be identified as either "flawed" or "faulty." Some of the topics covered in this Bar Cart Foundations Episode include: The similarities and differences between spirits judging and other judged events (like dog shows) Why it helps to compare spirits by category and style in order to really amplify the good and bad attributes How to identify potentially da...

Eric gives you a few things to look out for during the second half of 2021, including Japanese spirits and cocktails, orchard-to-table drinks and garnishes, and a few surprises and teasers along the way.

In this eye-opening conversation and rum tasting with Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell, some of the topics we discuss include:   How Ian entered the rum world as a bartender, which led to several career transformations as a brand and category ambassador, then the creator of UK Rumfest, and now as one of the cofounders of a blossoming rum brand. The fascinating life of Olaudah Equiano, slave-turne...

In this wide-ranging conversation with entrepreneur and ginger beer philosopher Kenny Richards, some of the topics we discuss include: How Kenny left behind a career in academia to resurrect one of America's most beloved, and yet also most forgotten drinks categories. What it's like to scale a brewery from a few barrels to a much more ambitious craft operation, and what implications that has on in...

In this fascinating conversation with author and historian Cecelia Tichi, some of the topics we discuss include: What the Gilded Age is, and why this time period was so important, not only for cocktail culture, but also in laying the groundwork for the seismic events that would follow in the early 20th century How Gilded Age Cocktails was conceived - and (spoiler alert), it may have happened over...

In this eye-opening conversation and rum tasting with Kō Hana Rum General Manager Kyle Reutner, some of the topics we discuss include:   How Kō Hana Rum started as a passion project dedicated to Hawaiian heirloom cane varietals, spreading from a small lot to several hundred acres of cane farmed at several locations on Oahu. What heirloom cane even means - from its pivotal role in the polynesian di...

Eric is joined by co-producer and travel correspondent, Adam Bauer to discuss the many signature Bloody Mary cocktails served at St. Regis Hotels all around the world. The drinks featured include: The 7452 Mary (St. Regis, Deer Park) The Downhill Snapper (St. Regis, Aspen) The Capitol Mary (St. Regis, Washington, DC) This episode also touches on a few key tensions within the Bloody Mary world. For...

In this stimulating still dialogue with Dr. Eric Stroud of Mohawk Spirits Distillery, some of the topics we discuss include: The differences between traditional and vacuum distillation - that is, distillation that takes place in the presence of high heat vs. distillation that takes place at room temperature but under high pressure. How Dr. Stroud secured a grant from the American Distilling Instit...

Some of the topics we cover in this wide-ranging conversation with spirits writer, educator, and judge Billy Abbott include: How Billy took the leap from a career in computing and database management to pursue his passion for whisky, and what the past decade has looked like for him following that drastic vocational shift. What it means to be a generalist in a world teeming with whisky specialists,...

Eric walks through his method for cutting back on drinking using a simple tool he calls a "daily accountability journal." This method stands in stark contrast to "booze cleanse" months like "Sober October" and "Dry January." Along the way, he discusses the difference between "dry" and "wet" societies, why we tend to set ourselves up for failure during the holidays, and how you can use the daily ac...

In this Bar Cart Foundations episode, we trace the history of the mint julep and describe some important points regarding its craft. We begin by trying to define what a julep is, where it comes from, and where mint enters into the equation. Next, we place its formulation in contrast to other drinks that were popular during its heyday - that time being the late 1700s to mid-1800s. After that, we ta...

In this barrel-aged deep dive with spirits writer Brent Joseph, some of the topics we discuss include: How Brent came to love Bourbon and used his passion to propel himself into a senior contributor role at Bourbon & Banter. The recent retail experiences that led him to pose the titular question of his four-part article series: "Is Bourbon Broken?" The economic and market forces that have led to m...

Sother Teague is the barman behind the hit NYC bar,  Amor y Amargo (Trans: "Love and Bitters"). He is also the authors of the books,  I'm Just Here for the Drinks and  Let's Get Blitzen . Some of the topics covered in this wide-ranging conversation with Sother Teague include: The origin story of Sother Teague. From a biker bar in Panama City Florida, to the New England Culinary Institute, to tendi...

In this passionate conversation with spirits entrepreneur Mary Sadlier, creator of Coole Swan Irish Cream Liqueur , some of the topics we discuss include: -How Mary spun a career in accounting and finance into a crusade with her dairy farmer husband to revolutionize the Irish Cream liqueur category. -The story behind the Coole Swan brand name, which involves a uniquely Irish geological feature, a...

In this bitter and botanical deep dive with Keli Rivers and David T. Smith, we preview their new book, Negroni , and discuss the ins and outs of this classic equal-parts cocktail. Some of the topics we discuss include: The various origin stories of the Negroni - both the conventional story about count Camillo Negroni, and also some stunningly international accounts that cast doubt on when and wher...

Welcome to another episode of Modern Bar Cart LIVE! This time around, we were lucky enough to have special guest Erin Petrey of Bourbon & Banter join us in person for a tasting of four different bourbons. The goal here was to see how different styles and mash bills affect the flavor profiles of America's spirit and learn to appreciate how different flavors can be mapped onto decisions made during...

In this continuation of our two-part exploration of spice in the Bloody Mary cocktail, Eric chats with food scientist Sarah Kolk of Silver Spring Foods about the chemistry and sensory biology responsible for our experience of spicy horseradish. Then, after a super spicy horseradish tasting, we synthesize some of the things we've learned about chemesthesis, benign masochism, and how spice operates...

Welcome to the latest installment of our  Breaking Bloody series, where we systematically break down the Bloody Mary cocktail to investigate what each of its myriad ingredients bring to the table. This time around, we're getting saucy, maybe a little zesty, and perhaps un poco picante. That's right, we're talking about spice, that flavor that puts some pep in your step and some fire in your belly....