Whiskey is now, of course, once again very popular but along with the adoration, the proliferation of bourbon bars and the ubiquity of the Old-Fashioned, comes an unintended side effect: nostalgia for a time that never existed.There is now a tendency among drinkers, bartenders, brands, writers and historians to glamorize the 19th century roots of American whiskey. Even worse there’s a popular idea that the way whiskey was made in the 1800s was pure and should be the model for today’s distillers....
Jul 30, 2019•29 min
Along with the Vespa scooter and the Ferrari, the Negroni is one of Italy’s greatest modern inventions. The three-ingredients aperitif (the basic recipe is equal parts Campari, gin and sweet vermouth) has recently become a best-seller in America. But where did it come from? And why is it suddenly on just about every bar menu in the United States? On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum, discuss the history of the Negroni and how it...
Jul 05, 2019•27 min
One of the most popular drinks in craft cocktail bars at the moment is the simplest: the Highball. Generally, it’s a refreshing mix of whiskey and club soda, which is delicious on a hot afternoon. While many bartenders and drinkers discovered their love of the bubbly concoction in Tokyo bars where Highballs are a downright sensation, their history is much longer and they can actually be made from a variety of ingredients. On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts Da...
May 21, 2019•21 min
After years of being lost in a sea of Coke and other mixers, rum is finally emerging as a sipping spirit. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? And can rum actually attract whiskey drinkers and collectors? On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum discuss these developments, including the rise of collectible pot still rums and the associated snobbery, as well as the recent fiery debates on social media between rum aficionados. If you ...
May 07, 2019•24 min
Before there were fancy craft cocktail bars, Americans learned to drink in dive bars. These humble establishments are a sacred tradition, dispensing affordable shots of potent whiskey and pints of cold beer to the thirsty masses. They likely date back to a subterranean Buffalo joint that opened in the mid-1800s along the banks of the city’s canal. Soon the term and style of bar spread across the United States. The popularity of dives usually ebbs and flows with the state of the country’s economy...
Mar 29, 2019•26 min
There are few drinking institutions more revered or storied than the Irish pub. Traditionally, back in the old country, these bars were the center of their respective communities, often also serving as the post office, grocery store and, even, funeral home.On this episode of award-winning podcast, Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum are joined by Sean Muldoon and Tim Herlihy, the co-authors of the new book, “From Barley to Blarney: A Whiskey Lover’s Guide to Ireland,” to ...
Mar 09, 2019•31 min
The recipe for making Scotch is pretty simple: malted barley, water and yeast—that’s it. Talented distillers and blenders across Scotland transform these humble ingredients to produce delicious whisky. But Scotch is also one of the most heavily regulated spirits on the planet. The Scotch Whisky Association has very strict rules and regulations that you must follow if you want to call your spirit Scotch. (At the top of the list, of course, is that the whisky must be made and aged in Scotland!) As...
Feb 15, 2019•27 min
The Hot Toddy started out as a relatively simple drink: sugar, booze, hot water and possibly some grated nutmeg.Over the next roughly 300 years, that definition stretched to include a whole host of ingredients—everything from apple cider, honey and fresh lemon juice to a kitchen cabinet full of spices. While those drinks are certainly warming on a cold evening are they still a Hot Toddy?On this episode of award-winning podcast, Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum discuss ...
Jan 27, 2019•21 min
From spirits and craft beer to spiked seltzer, on this episode of award-winning podcast, Life Behind Bars, hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich looked into their crystal Martini glasses to divine what you’ll be drinking in 2019. The duo also dissect the biggest drinking trends of 2018, share some of the spirited events they’re looking forward to attending this year and forecast the future of a number of liquor categories. So pour fix yourself a drink and enjoy the discussion. Cheers! Life Behi...
Jan 18, 2019•32 min
Before the ball drops on New Year’s Eve listen to the year-end episode of podcast Life Behind Bars. Hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich recount the highs and lows of 2018, including some of the biggest bar openings of the year, the noteworthy new books that were published, their favorite Half Full stories and remember some friends who passed away this year. Pour yourself a glass of Champagne and enjoy the discussion. Cheers! Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah Rothbaum and its S...
Dec 28, 2018•32 min
Forget the holiday season, it’s punch season! Seriously. For centuries, people have been making big bowls of Cognac punch for their friends and family. Why? It’s not only delicious but much easier to make than other traditional seasonal drinks, like Eggnog, Hot Buttered Run or Tom Jerry, and you can mix up a batch ahead of time. And when it comes to punch, there is no one more knowledgeable than David Wondrich. In fact, he wrote the book on the historic beverage.On this episode of Life Behind Ba...
Dec 08, 2018•23 min
For decades, Kentucky, Scotland, Ireland and Canada dominated the whiskey business. Few bars carried any whiskies made anywhere else and that was really just fine with most drinkers. But over the last decade, these distilling stalwarts have been joined by an ever-growing international selection of bottles from India, Japan Scandinavia and seemingly everywhere in between. On this episode of Life Behind Bars co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum discuss this growing trend, share their favorite...
Nov 29, 2018•25 min
The stars of the rebirth of the cocktail are legendary bartenders, like Jerry Thomas , Harry Johnson and Harry Craddock , who worked decades and decades ago. Their drink books are now back in print and their signature cocktails can be found on bar menus around the world. But there are several important bartenders who made major mixological contributions that have been largely lost to history. This episode of Life Behind Bars is about Duncan Nicol, who ran San Francisco’s famed Bank Exchange unti...
Oct 24, 2018•26 min
The history of rum usually begins and ends with the Caribbean. It makes sense since the region is home to many famous brands and has been producing the liquor since the 1600s. But that’s really only part of the spirit’s long story. There is strong evidence that people were making spirits from sugarcane 1,000 years earlier in India. This distilling knowledge ultimately traveled with sailors, explorers and traders, and it was brought to the Caribbean and Brazil where it flourished. If you love to ...
Oct 11, 2018•24 min
The legendary New Orleans drink had a lovely history about how it was originally made with Cognac, but thanks to the massive destruction wrought on European vineyards by phylloxera, Americans were forced to replace the French spirit with rye whiskey.Sadly, this history is not true. On this episode of Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum discuss the complicated history of the Sazerac and try to finally set the record straight about its origins.Life Behind Bars features Half...
Aug 24, 2018•30 min
During the winter of 1989, Donald Trump went to war with Trader Vic’s.The New York outpost of the famous tiki bar chain was located in the legendary Plaza Hotel, which Trump owned at the time. In an attempt to close the establishment, he reportedly said it had “gotten tacky.” He continued by saying “Trader Vic’s does not fit in with the image of the hotel that I want to achieve.”This lead to an uproar with even former President Richard Nixon issuing a statement about how much the bar meant to hi...
Aug 16, 2018•26 min
The beautiful simplicity of the Tom Collins recipe—gin, sugar, lemon juice and club soda—makes it hard to believe that someone had to actually convince the rest of us to give it a try. It’s the perfect drink for a hot summer afternoon.But the British bartender John Collin popularized the recipe in the early 19th century. Yes, it was originally called a John Collins but over time morphed and became known as a Tom Collins. It’s a good story full of odd twists and turns, and is the subject of the n...
Jul 12, 2018•25 min
Summer party hosts, a word of advice: forget about serving cocktails.Parties should be fun for the guests as well as the host and making drinks for a large groups is hard and sweaty work. So, put away the shaker, the bar spoon and the strainer. You won’t need them. Instead, at your next event make a big bowl of delicious punch, which can be prepared in advance and is the original session drink!Over the last decade, the drink’s reputation has greatly improved—from fraternity house staple to the d...
Jul 02, 2018•27 min
From no standing at the bar to no yelling to no hats, over the last two decades, craft cocktail bars from coast to coast have been posting their own etiquette guidelines. But are any of these rules actually necessary or worth following?To answer this question, Life Behind Bars hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich are joined by veteran Portland, Oregon, bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler, who just published "Drinking Distilled: A User’s Manual."Listen to the episode to find out if you need to chang...
Jun 01, 2018•31 min
There are have been hundreds of cocktail books published over the last 200 years. While a lot of the drinks listed in them are familiar (like the Old-Fashioned and Daiquiri) or versions of those classics, there are also dozens and dozens of other recipes that are completely unfamiliar. Are they lost classics that could be the next Martini or Manhattan? Or are they just filler put in to pad these books?This episode of Life Behind Bars, hosted by Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich, tries to answer t...
May 07, 2018•29 min
From Long Island Iced Tea to frozen cocktails to Grasshoppers, there’s a whole class of drinks that don’t get much respect from modern bartenders or drinkers. But in the right bar and under the right circumstances, they are the perfect thing to mix up and enjoy.On this episode of Life Behind Bars, hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich reveal their favorite guilty pleasures and where they like to enjoy them. (Yes, even cocktail experts drink guilty pleasures from time to time.) So if you’ve ever...
Apr 17, 2018•22 min
Frequent flyers not only know how to pick the perfect seat and the fastest TSA line but also where to find the best drink in an airport.On this episode of Life Behind Bars, Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich discuss the history of inflight cocktails, including even the bars built inside the cabins of zeppelins. The hosts also share their favorite spots to grab a drink during a layover and the secret to making a delicious Old-Fashioned after takeoff.Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah...
Mar 28, 2018•29 min
From Dublin and Belfast to Chile and Mongolia, you can now find Irish pubs around the world. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, on this episode of Life Behind Bars we go on an international pub crawl of our all-time favorite Irish bars.Hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich are joined by Irish pub expert Tim Herlihy from the episode’s partner Tullamore D.E.W. (Herlihy even once barnstormed across America visiting Irish bars in all 50 states in just 30 days. He’s also working on an Irish whiskey...
Mar 09, 2018•21 min
Was rye more popular than bourbon at the turn century? Was the Manhattan cocktail created for Winston Churchill’s mother? Was tequila ever bottled with a worm? On this episode of Life Behind Bars, hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich debunk some of the most commonplace cocktails and spirits myths out there. Enjoy a drink while they set the record straight!Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah Rothbaum and its senior drinks columnist David Wondrich as they discuss the greatest barte...
Feb 08, 2018•34 min
Get out that bottle of single malt whisky in the back of your liquor cabinet, which you’ve been saving for a special occasion. This Thursday is the 259th birthday of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns. He’s not only the author of some of the most famous Gaelic poems but is also responsible for New Year’s Eve anthem Auld Lang Syne. Historically, the bard is celebrated with bagpipes, recitations of his poems, plates of haggis and glasses of whisky. While he died penniless, in the 1800s the Scot...
Jan 23, 2018•39 min
How can you take your drinks mixing to the next level in 2018? In this episode of Life Behind Bars, hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich come up with a few boozy New Year’s resolutions for themselves and for both professional and home bartenders. From being more patient with new cocktail trends and exploring local drinking cultures to throwing more parties, our hosts may actually have a shot at keeping these resolutions.Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah Rothbaum and its Senior ...
Jan 09, 2018•31 min
Whether you love or hate Eggnog, it wouldn’t be the holidays without a cup of the creamy cocktail. In this episode of podcast Life Behind Bars, hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich discuss the surprisingly long history of the traditional Christmas drink as well as share some of their other favorite seasonal beverages, including a flaming German punch and the British Tom & Jerry. (FYI The cartoon was actually named for the popular drink.) No matter if you’re the host or a guest, this episod...
Dec 03, 2017•22 min
Get in the Thanksgiving spirit by listening to a special holiday edition of the podcast Life Behind Bars. Hosts Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich try to solve the age-old problem of what beverages go best with turkey, stuffing and the rest of the traditional meal. They also discuss what the Pilgrims actually drank at the first Thanksgiving in 1621 and what they plan on serving their friends and family this year. Whether you’re a guest or are hosting the meal, you’ll want to listen to this episode...
Nov 21, 2017•22 min
Nearly 84 years after the end of Prohibition, the story of how American drinkers and distillers survived the dry period is, amazingly, still the subject of much attention. Rum runners and bootleggers continue to be the subject of TV shows and movies and modern speakeasies are popular around the world. But the reality of the dry period was certainly a lot less glamorous and a lot more dangerous for the common drinker who was risking his or her own life with every contraband cocktail. On this epis...
Nov 16, 2017•39 min
The Manhattan cocktail has been a star since it appeared on the scene more than 100 years ago. But despite being enduringly popular, it’s hard to figure out the drink’s early history, including who is responsible for its iconic recipe or its name. On this episode of Life Behind Bars, we discuss the myths, legends and lore surrounding the Manhattan, including one theory that it was created for Winston Churchill’s mother, Jennie Jerome. We’ll also reveal our personal recipes for the drink.Life Beh...
Oct 25, 2017•28 min
