The Speakeasy

In our final Boomerang! from Tales of the Cocktail Greg and Phil sit down with Amir Babayoff, beverage director at Ophelia in NYC. The conversation takes a number of twists and turns around well-crafted martinis about the creative process, the chaos that is New Orleans in July and how this whole crossover series with the Philip Duff show might just come back next year. LINKS Listener Survey For re...

Live from Tales of the Cocktail 2025 Greg and Phil sit down with Sahil Bari of Australian Bitters Co. Together they discuss the creation of a bitters company, how their ingredients are different and what it's like to build a company around botanicals from a specific - and specifically weird - continent. LINKS Listener Survey For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswith...

In a second live poolcast from Tales of the Cocktail Greg and Phil return to talk to Alexandre Gabriel and Matt Pietrek about their new book "The Rum Never Sets - 300 Years of Royal Navy & London Dock Rum," and the rum spinoff it inspired. They discuss common misconceptions about navy strength rum, how the British navy came to be rum's biggest consumer, and what a former programmer is doing re...

In a special live poolcast from Tales of the Cocktail 2025 Greg Benson and Phil Duff of the Philip Duff show take a dip with Guy Brennan and Alan Murungi of Procera Gin. They chat poolside with martinis in hand about Procera's single tree gin, the history of African spirits, and of course the rest of the debauchery they're getting up to at Tales. For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your co...

The high/low, upstairs/downstairs, elevated dive concept has been in the news and on peoples’ minds for a while now, but you know who’s really taking it to the next level? Steve Schneider, one of the co-founders of acclaimed NYC watering hole Sip & Guzzle. Steve sits down with the band to discuss how his partnership with Shingo Gokan crafted their bar’s dual identity, their long history as foi...

THC drinks have come a long way - they don’t taste like someone put a joint out in a beer anymore! Darnell Smith, consultant and entrepreneur, saw these market trends coming together when he founded MXXN, a non-alcoholic thc-infused spirits brand. Darnell sits down with Greg and Damon to talk about the challenges of operating within the patchwork system of US regulation, MXXN’s distinct branding,...

Live from BCB Brooklyn and Industry City Greg and Damon catch up with Lalo González of Lalo Tequila. They stop by Lalo’s booth to discuss the booming market for blanco tequila, where the future of agave spirits is headed, and how they hit on the very distinctive bottle and label design that’s become the cornerstone of the brand. It’s a Boomerang! episode live from our own back yard  Follow La...

There’s so much more to Korean drinking culture than just soju and Haera Shin wants to tell everyone all about it. From the distinctive (and uniform!) green bottles, to the culture of “first place,” “second place” and “third place” to a fermented rice beverage that’s way older than sake, Haera’s enthusiasm is boundless and contagious. She sits down with the band to talk about her upcoming book on...

When Steve Jackson stopped drinking in 2023 he noticed something odd. As much as non-alc drinks have improved over the past twenty years no one was making a zero proof alternative in the premium wine space. He set out to fix that with Society de la Rassi, which offers a high-end drinking and aesthetic experience at 0.5% ABV. Steve sits down with Greg to talk about positioning his product in the ma...

Marcelo Chasi has led a lot of lives: bartender, soldier, fight club enthusiast, salsa dancer (yes, really). And now he’s sitting down with Greg and Damon to talk about the launch of Herradura’s new blanco tequila. They discuss the thinking behind releasing a new clear tequila expression in 2025, what makes this particular flavor distinct, and cocktail trends in New York City and beyond. Plus, Dam...

Wow, the last fourteen years just flew by didn’t they? Greg, Sother and Damon sit down together at Fort Hamilton Distillery in Brooklyn’s Industry City during BCB 2025 to talk about the state of the union when it comes to microdistilling, how NYC bartending has changed over the years and the history of Rye Whiskey in America. They’re joined by Alex Clark, the Co-Founder and CEO of Fort Hamilton wh...

Greg continues his trek across Savannah's riverfront, venturing into Baobab Lounge. Built inside of a former power plant, Baobab's food and beverage program echo its founder's deep appreciation for African culture, while their Kenyan sous chef brings a taste of her family recipes to the menu. GM Vonnie Ciesla walks Greg through their story, their drinks, the neighborhood, and the tale of a very we...

In the second Boomerang! installment from Savannah Greg ventures to the riverfront district to talk with Brittany, aka Bugsy of the Bootlegger bar. They unpack the responsibilities that come with running a bar that is several centuries old and how to make the best Old Fashioned in town. Greg might even come around to smoked cocktails! Listen now. Follow Bootlegger at @thebootleggersavannah Our 600...

Greg returns with another Boomerang episode, this one live from Savannah's Club Bardo with industry luminary Eben Klemm. The two discuss trends in high end hospitality, the state of the union for hotel bars, and what makes the city of Savannah so unique. They also dig into what it takes to hire and train a team to run Hotel Bardo's restaurant, Saint Bibiana. Plus, it turns out Eben was something o...

Jackie Williams is the brains behind Bar Convent Brooklyn, or as we like to call it, BCB. Tasked with running one of the largest cocktail conventions in the world, she has hundreds of stakeholders to juggle and no two work days are alike. She takes time out of her busy schedule to talk with Greg and Damon about 2025’s upcoming festival on June 10th and 11th in Industry City, what goes into making...

Jonathan Adler is a triple threat. Michelin-starred chef, certified sommelier, and now a 50 Best rated mixologist. His latest venture is Shinji’s in midtown Manhattan, which has been racking up praise and instagram mentions alike for its inventive, high technique cocktail program. Jonathan sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about some of the varsity-level moves his team pulls to make these dri...

What’s a Scotch distillery doing making gin? For that matter, what’s a Scotch distillery doing making an unbelievably peated single malt in packaging so dark you can barely read it? Douglas Taylor of Bruichladdich and The Botanist sits down with the band to discuss the iconoclastic whisky distillery, their philosophy behind pushing the envelope with locally sourced barley, how they wound up making...

Is the world ready for a Southside RTD? How are you gonna handle the minty flavor? What the hell is a southside supposed to taste like anyway? These were all questions Meredith Mills-Merritt wrestled with when she found the Original Southside. Based on her mother’s famous cocktail recipe from Oklahoma, Meredith worked in secret to perfect the recipe before launching last year. She discusses the R&...

Ever wanted a barrel of whiskey delivered directly to your living room? George Koutsakis can’t provide that exactly, but he can definitely find one for you to buy. The writer, serial entrepreneur and whiskey lover sits down with the band to talk about a number of his ventures, including Barrel Global, a service that allows organizations and individuals to buy whiskey barrels for a single barrel ex...

Speakeasy fave (and let’s be honest, everybody fave) Colin Asare-Appiah returns to the show to talk about Ajabu, the cocktail and spirits festival he’s been building in South Africa for the past few years. Ajabu is a platform for the African hospitality industry to connect across the continent and beyond, to inspire innovation, collaboration, and creativity, as well as to celebrate Africa and its...

Gilbert Marquez, the literal face of Ilegal, remembers a time when it was gauche to mix Mezcal into a cocktail. Today he sits down with Greg to talk about Ilegal’s new Caribbean rum cask expression, the punk rock history of the brand, and how he connected with Ilegal’s eccentric founder in the first place. The two of them also reminisce about Ilegal’s many pop ups over the years, while Gilbert det...

The fundamental nature of whiskey poses a problem for new distillers - namely that you can’t sell it for at least three years after you make it. Enter Rob Robillard and Ryan La Valle of ASM Capital Partners, an investment firm that finds investors in newly barreled American single malt whiskey so that distillers don’t have to lose money sitting on it while it ages. Since whiskey in a barrel pretty...

“You can’t deny climate change when you live in New Orleans” So says Christa Cotton, CEO of El Guapo bitters as she describes her company’s commitment to doing good while being, well, all her products are non-alcoholic, so slightly bad. She sits down with Greg & Sother to discuss her beginnings working for her family’s distillery, her new line of RTD bitters and soda, and possibly the most met...

In 2015 a happy accident at the Woodford Reserve rickhouse led to the first batch of their coveted Double Double Oaked bourbon. Ten years later, newly appointed Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall was tasked with recapturing the magic. She sits down with the band to talk about her journey to one of the most prestigious positions in American whiskey, what it was like creating and releasing Double Dou...

Alba Huerta has seen a lot over the past eleven years in Houston. She sits down with the band to discuss the evolution of her bar Julep, from a foundation built on classic cocktails in the 2010s to more experimental drinks as she’s watched Houston become a world class city where people expect world class cocktails. Plus, she discusses their annual Derby Day celebration which has become a major eve...