The Speakeasy

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon sits and chats with Michael J. Neff of Ward III & Rum House. Tune in to hear how he and his journeymen bartender colleagues turned their dreams into reality with Ward III and what it takes to run a successful bar in New York City. Find out why Michael prefers free pouring over jiggers, and how it changes the drink making process. Why is it so hard to get a goo...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon Boelte checks in with celebrated bartender Toby Maloney of The Violet Hour, a pre-Prohibition era-inspired speakeasy in Chicago recently nominated for the Outstanding Bar Program James Beard Award. Learn how Toby found his way to The Violet Hour and what has influenced his style as a bartender. Find out what it takes to run a successful bar and find out what “Malo...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon sits and chats with James Menite of Don Q Rum. Learn how James went from a normal job to becoming one of New York City’s premiere bartenders. Learn more about why James thinks rum is the next “breakout spirit” and how hospitality is more important than people think when it comes to bartending. This program was sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons . “If you m...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon Boelte returns to the airwaves with the man behind The Dutch’s Spirits, Jonathan Forester. Tune in and learn more about their sugar wash moonshine, aged peach brandy and other old school spirits. Learn about the history of prohibition, small distilleries, the importance of forgotten spirits and the effectiveness of well made bitters. This program was sponsored by...

What does Tiki mean to you? Damon Boelte is joined by “The Tiki All-Stars” on a deliciously rummy episode of The Speakeasy. Tune in as they talk about Tiki Mondays at Lani Kai, make drinks on-air, discuss Tiki culture and elaborate on some of the classic beachy cocktails invented by pioneers such as Dom the Beachcomber and Beachbum Berry. Get in that summer state of mind as the snow falls this win...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon sits down and chats with friend Robert Newton of Seersucker in Carroll Gardens. Hear why he thinks it’s important to feature American foods and wines at his restaurant and how Southern cuisine plays such an integral role in his menu. From catfish to moonshine, Seersucker should be a destination spot for anybody in the area. Tune in and learn more about his cocktai...

What’s the difference between blended whiskey and spirit whiskey? What are the origins of rye whiskey? If you’re at all interested in the history of whiskey, this episode of The Speakeasy is for you. Tune in as Damon Boelte sits down and chats with friend of the show Nick Jarrett over some 1951 Old Overholt Rye Whiskey. Learn more about bonding regulations, excise taxes, the bottled-in-bond act an...

This week on The Speakeasy Damon Boelte welcomes Time Out New York’s infamous food and drink editor, Jordana Rothman. Jordana shares her defining, imbibing “a-ha” moment and gives listeners some insight into likely trends for 2012. Tune in to hear how she came around on challenging spirits like cynar and why she thinks nobody should be excluded from the cocktail movement. Damon & Jordana also...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon sits down and chats with Selena Ricks-Good, the woman behind the popular blog, The Dizzy Fizz. Tune in to hear how she’s trying to make high end cocktails more accessible through the blog and the events that she throws such as The French Spirits Soirée. Hear why Selena thinks some cocktails have too much sugar these days, what place novelty drinks have in cocktail...

On the year-end episode of The Speakeasy, Damon Boelte is joined by Allen Katz and Nate Dumas, partners in the New York Distilling Company. Tune in to hear how the distillery went from fantasy to reality and what the guys have in store for 2012. Find out how they are re-imagining gin and trying to introduce some fresh idea into the world of spirits. Learn more about The Shanty, a bar inside of the...

Trust your barender! Especially if his name is Frankie Cocktails. Tune in to a friendly episode of The Speakeasy as Damon speaks with Frank Cicneros, aka Frankie Cocktails, about his latest venture, The Bourgeois Pig. Learn about his sherry based cocktails and how carbonated cocktails are generally trending. Don’t be that guy at the bar who constantly asks for drink modifications, trust the expert...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon chats with childhood friend and owner of Ba’sik Bar in Wiliamsburg, Jay Zimmerman. Hear what made him want to expand to Williamsburg and find out what challenges come along with opening a new bar in New York. This episode was sponsored by Roberta’s See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sel...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon has a great conversation with friend and bartender Jim Meehan, author of “The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender’s Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy”. Jim discusses his experiences at PDT and elaborates on the bartender vs customer wars. Why do people always ask for vodka? Does vodka have a place in high-end cocktails? Tune in to hear about what it’s like...

This week on the Speakeasy, Damon welcomes an old duo to the studio: Avery and Janet Glasser, the founders of Bittermens . They talk about their revival and re-envisioning of new spirits and liqueurs such as Hiver Amer Cinnamon, Amère Sauvage, Commonwealth Tonic Liquer, and more. From the formulation of the perfect gin and tonic to Avery’s trials and tribulations of trying to make an American Fre...

This week on the Speakeasy host Damon Boelte is joined by Rennaissance man Mayur Subbarao . Not only is Subbarao a cocktail afficianado, a bartender, and a spirit crafter at Bittermens , but he also works by day as an environmental lawyer helping with green energy and building. Tune in for a panoramic discussion on extreme bartending, starting DIY cocktail clubs, and one of Damon’s favorite subjec...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon takes a break from the bar songs and speaks with Brad Thomas Parsons, the author of “Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes, and Formulas”. Tune in to learn more about one of the components of the original definition of “cocktail”; bitters. Find out how all the different variations are related and why it’s so hard to get your ha...

Back by popular demand! Damon Boelte continues the Bartenders Playlist, a selection of great drinking songs for great drinking times. Press play, pour yourself a drink, sit back and relax. This episode was sponsored by Roberta’s . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

On a special episode of The Speakeasy, Damon takes a moment to highlight some of his and his bartender friends favorite drinking songs. Tune in for a very unique Bartenders Playlist and vibe out to some booze-related tunes! This episode was sponsored by Roberta’s See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon is joined by Jim Ryan, brand ambassador for Hendrick’s Gin. Learn more about the popular spirit brand and which cocktails best utilize its many different botanicals. Learn what an “unusual Negroni” is and find out how to best enjoy warm gin on a Wednesday afternoon. This episode was sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.c...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon is joined by none other than the “Rye Girl” herself, Abigail Gullo. Abigail talks about her experience working with Chairman’s Reserve Rum and Bitter Truth and how she fell in love with both products. She also explains how she was introduced to the cocktail world and what. she enjoys most about spirits, bars and bartending. This episode was sponsored by Heritage F...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon drinks some 50 year old cognac and eats oysters with Dana Hale of Island Creek Oyster Farm. Tune in to learn more about the popular and sensual raw seafood that has New York City buzzing. Find out how oyster mating affects taste and how farming is one of the most safe and sustainable ways of raising shellfish and seafood. This episode was sponsored by Cain Vineyar...

Leslie Pariseau, New York Brand Ambassador for Pernod Ricard & Ria Soler, Bar Smarts Manager join Damon Boelte on this week’s episode of The Speakeasy. Learn about some common misconceptions surrounding absinthe and learn more about some of the other products Pernod Ricard has in its portfolio including Pastis. Also find out how the Bar Smarts program is helping educate people in the bar indus...

On a very special episode of The Speakeasy, Damon Boelte is joined by artist and author of “Lush Life, Portraits from Behind the Bar”, Jill DeGroff and her husband, “The King of Cocktails”, Dale DeGroff. Jill and Dave tell incredible stories of their travels and experiences in bars across the world and share their passion for the people on both sides of the bar. Learn how the two met, why they wer...

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon is joined by bartender Brian Floyd of The Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights. Damon & Brian talk about making the transition for “anything goes” to high end bartending service. Brian also discusses The Barman’s Fund, which labels itself “A loose association of Dipshit Do-gooders”. The Barman’s Fund encourages those in the service industry to donate one shifts wort...

This week on The Speakeasy Damon is joined by Cabell Tomlinson, bar director of Frankies Spuntino. Cabell discusses her philosophy behind the cocktail programs at the various Frankies locations, and how Italian apertif style drinks inspire her. Find out why vermouth is so misunderstood and how bitters can be more than just a small element of a complex cocktail. Damon & Cabell mix up a deliciou...