The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

The object of our investigation this episode is the word, "smooth." We hear used all the time to describe drinks, and yet, most of us would have a hard time pinning down exactly what it means. Some of the topics we'll cover in this hit piece against the word "smooth" include: How and why Eric became suspicious of this word as a descriptor in the spirits and cocktail world A brief history of the sm...

During this episode, you'll hear stories and flavor advice from the five bartenders who competed in this battle to raise money for their respective charities and nonprofits. And then at the end, we'll give you a quick rundown of everything we've learned by observing, organizing, and even emceeing several cocktail competitions in the past few months.

This episode is part 1 of two part story about cocktail competitions. In this edition, we'll head to Loudoun County, Virginia, where our friends at Catoctin Creek Distilling hosted their second annual Battle of the Bartenders. We hear the origins stories and strategies of six bartenders from Northern Virginia as they prepare to face one another in a cocktail competition featuring three rounds of s...

In this Dry January conversation with Modern Bar Cart Co-Founder Ethan Hall, s ome of the topics we discuss include: What we're excited about for 2020, and what Ethan is excited about being based out of DC for the first time in several years DC bar trends, as well as noteworthy closings and areas of the city we're excited to explore again Nerdy cocktail and cooking toys we've picked up over the pa...

Before our annual holiday break, we share with you some of the highlights of this year in the form of stats, important current events,and  emerging trends. Then, we unveil a few new lightning round questions that we're going to be working into the mix in 2020.

In this crossover interview with Chris Sands of the Uncapped Podcast and Braeden Bumpers of McClintock Distilling, some of the things we discuss include: A little Modern Bar Cart company history, including how our bitters are made and why we're still cranking out podcasts after two and a half years. A discussion of whiskey tasting notes, and the strange world of online spirits reviews How Braeden...

Some of the topics we discuss with Victoria Vergason of The Hour during this interview include: How Victoria used her globe-trotting career in international finance to build a colorful and diverse collection of vintage glassware and bar tools. The various changes in glassware size and shape as we moved from the golden age of the cocktail, to prohibition, and beyond. Why cocktail pitchers and roost...

Some of the topics we discuss with Minimalist Tiki Author and rum ambassador Matt Pietrek Include: How Matt tended a rum hobby while working as a software engineer, and then blew that spark of interest into a full-fledged career as a rum author, historian, and consultant. Why intellectual honesty and a thirst for verification set great cocktail writing and scholarship apart from the merely good st...

In this part two of this natural wine crash course with certified sommelier Joey Fox, some of the topics we discuss include: Why the term "natural" in natural wine encounters some of the same definitions issues as many products in the spirits world. Think "craft" or "small batch" - terms that are ambiguous and somewhat relative. Which multi-thousand dollar bottle of wine has been quietly produced...

In this part two of this natural wine crash course with certified sommelier Joey Fox, some of the topics we discuss include: Why the term "natural" in natural wine encounters some of the same definitions issues as many products in the spirits world. Think "craft" or "small batch" - terms that are ambiguous and somewhat relative. Which multi-thousand dollar bottle of wine has been quietly produced...

In this part two of this natural wine crash course with certified sommelier Joey Fox, some of the topics we discuss include: Why the term "natural" in natural wine encounters some of the same definitions issues as many products in the spirits world. Think "craft" or "small batch" - terms that are ambiguous and somewhat relative. Which multi-thousand dollar bottle of wine has been quietly produced...

Some of the topics we discuss in this fascinating natural wine interview with Joey Fox of Old Westminster Winery. What the term "natural wine" really means - and what you can expect from wines that fall into this category. How Joey worked his way into the natural wine world by way of tea, then coffee, then restaurants, then organic vegetable farming. How native yeast fermentation, lack of chemical...

In this continuation of our acid-driven conversation with Charlie Berkinshaw of Element Shrub, we talk about how to use specific acids in the cocktail world. In part I, we discussed citric acid and acetic acid, and in part II, we turn our attention to malic acid and lactic acid.

What's shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to episode 122 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! This is a very special episode. It's kind of a behind the scenes look at what the research and development process actually entails for people in the cocktail world like myself. I'm joined by my good friend and cocktail colleague Charlie Berkinshaw of Element Shrub, and together we debrief a video series we spent...

In this conversation with Tenth Ward head distiller and absinthe aficionado, some of the topics we discuss include: How Mark came to be the head distiller at Tenth Ward Distilling Co., and why their innovative approach to distilling made absinthe a really attractive choice as an anchor point in their core collection of products. What it's like to build a flavor profile with herbs and botanicals th...

In this  interview with Kevin Peterson of Castalia, some of the topics we discuss include: How Kevin and his wife Jane transformed the bottom level of an old mansion in Detroit into a scent shop by day that converts into an intimate 20-seat cocktail bar by night. Some of the differences between people who approach cocktails from a service industry background and those who come at the subject from...

In this Bar Cart Foundations episode, we talk all about the concept of wash lines in cocktails and how to achieve a wash line that emphasizes the quality and intentionality of a drink.

This episode, we're sharing a double feature of two episodes that came out WAY BACK in January of 2018 - that's closing in on two years ago. Part One of this feature is dedicated to our Iki Japanese bitters, and it includes a really cool phone interview with Jennifer Bloeser of Oregon Coast Wasabi. She is literally the farmer who tends these crazy plants, plucks em out of the dirt, and ships them...

This time around, we catch up with Dan Marlowe, who's a really talented bartender currently heading up the brand new tavern program at BlueDyer Distilling Co. In this spirited conversation, some of the topics we discuss include: How Dan worked his way through the bartending ranks to take the helm at the brand new tavern program at the BlueDyer Distillery. Why a "barkeep" is a bit different than a...

In this spirited interview with John Ravis of Maximo Mezcal, some of the topics we cover include: How John made the move from shucking oysters, to tending bar, to consulting in the business world, to ultimately helping found a Mezcal brand designed to elevate the American palate. Why Maximo Mezcal is as much a DC brand as it is Oaxacan How the mezcaleros and funders behind Maximo Mezcal have balan...

In this episode, we do a close reading of David Wondrich's extremely influential new article, " Plato & Aristotle Walk into a Bar - A Meditation on the Daiquiri ." Some of the topics we discuss include: Platonic and Aristotelian ideals of matter, logic, and metaphysics How to make a proper Caipirinha The strengths and weaknesses to a top-down vs. bottom-up bar program What embodiment biology and p...

In this episode, we talk about the confluence of cocktails, boats, and the high seas. In addition to the history of cocktails, boats, and culture, we also cover a number of helpful tips to help you make better drinks next time you go out for a cocktail cruise.

In this interview, we sit down with Derek Brown and Bob Yule, co-authors of Spirits, Sugar, Water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World . Some of the other topics we cover include: How Bob and Derek fused their expertise on opposing sides of the bar to create this book as a tribute to a ten part cocktail seminar series at the National Archives. Why and how we experience historical "echoes...

In this episode, we interview Tory Pratt, founder of Pratt Standard Cocktail Co.   Some of the things we discuss include: How a childhood spent in and around the catering industry gave Tory the inspiration to start her own company and taught her to approach cocktails from a culinary perspective. What it means to get back to the true roots of a traditional cocktail ingredient, and why it sometimes...

In this episode, we answer user submitted questions about spirits and cocktails. Specifically, the topics we cover include: Why moonshine is illegal, and also why legal distillers can sell products called "moonshine" The difference between the dry shake and reverse dry shake method for creating egg white cocktails How to create your own house made orgeat and falernum with an eye toward shelf stabi...