One ingredient does not a cocktail make, but it’s a great place to begin. Our guest is breaking it all down for us in his new Youtube channel, and that’s not the only thing on his plate. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time. By the way, did you know I have a weekly newsletter? It is delivered to your inbox every Tuesday with info on what’s I’m drinking, links to new cocktail recipes, and so muc...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 170
It’s not every day that I can say my guest has gone from tanks to tonic. His French 75s now come in a glass, and he’s never looked back. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is the Lush Life Podcast, where every week, we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time. Incessantly curious and globally mobile, Charles Gibb, CEO of Fever-Tree North America, is always ready for a challenge. If you’re planning a start-up in a foreign country, then he’s the one to call. He’s with us...
Oct 20, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Season 5Ep. 169
It’s not uncommon that a Scot would be the UK Brand Ambassador of one of the most iconic whisky brands in the world unless, of course, that brand is Jack Daniel’s, born and bred in the US of A. Cam Dawson proudly flies the flag of the one and only Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky. He is definitely not the only one flying that flag as it is the “biggest selling whiskey in the world.” Plus, it has that added cache that Old Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra was its biggest fan. So today, we discover how Cam be...
Oct 13, 2020•48 min•Season 5Ep. 168
Hello everyone, and welcome back for Season 5 of Lush Life. We begin this season with an author, a speaker, a liveryman at the Worshipful Company of Distillers, Keeper of the Quaich, and, most of all, a champion of whisky. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week; we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time. Eddie Ludlow is all of those things I described and more. He founded The Whisky Lounge , which has been introducing whisky to the world...
Oct 06, 2020•54 min•Season 5Ep. 167
What a year... I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time. I keep thinking of something that my past guest Johnny Livanos told me - his grandfather picked the restaurant business because he knew that everyone would always need somewhere to eat. Unfortunately, he had no idea that we would have a pandemic to contend with, with most of us in some kind of lockdown, making it impossible to visit our favori...
Sep 29, 2020•3 min
What a few months we have had. I can’t ignore that most of the world has been stuck inside while bars and restaurants have had to close because of the coronavirus. Since all bars and restaurants were closed, I know I’ve had to make myself a cocktail or two or many. Thank goodness I had advice from the world’s best - the Lush Life family. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this ...
Jul 28, 2020•19 min•Season 4Ep. 166
When everyone you serve wants a Pina Colada, how do you keep up with global cocktail trends? Our guest’s story proves where there’s a will, there’s a way! I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Daniyel Jones, Global Brand Ambassador for the House of Angostura , criss-crosses the world teaching all and sundry about Angostura Bitters, the most globally distributed cock...
Jul 21, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 165
People may think that nursing and bartending are two worlds apart, but they’re not. They both take care of people, always have a smile, and make you feel better. Our guest was about to follow that path, if he hadn’t found himself behind the bar. Now he has risen to the top and treating people to his cocktail creations. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Vasilis K...
Jul 14, 2020•48 min•Season 4Ep. 164
Usually at this time of year, I am with my Greek-speaking boyfriend drinking greek spirits on our yearly pilgrimage to a greek island. Yet, it took a chat with my guest today to understand that Greek spirit is not only about what’s in your glass, it’s so much more. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Johnny Livanos, founder of Stray Dog Wild Gin , was born into th...
Jul 07, 2020•42 min•Season 4Ep. 163
It’s rare that one would move to another country purely because of how it looked in a film...but our guest did just that and it only took the perfect job opportunity to tempt to return to the UK. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Jack Sotti, Senior Tanqueray Gin & World Class Ambassador at Diageo fell in love with New Zealand after seeing the Lord of the Rin...
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 162
The motto for Hendrink’s Gin is “No other gin tastes like Hendrick’s Gin because no other gin is made like Hendrick’s Gin.” That sentiment could be true about anyone I interview, but it’s especially apropos in regards to my guest today, Hendrick’s Gin UK Brand Ambassador. Sasha Filimonov never set out to be in the hospitality industry, in fact, she was on track to having her dream job when the financial crisis changed all that. Her journey to Hendrick’s Gin UK Brand Ambassador took many twists a...
Jun 23, 2020•35 min•Season 4Ep. 161
Could you imagine getting a job in one of the most iconic bars in the world off of an advert on Gumtree, the global classifieds ads website. Our guest did and it kick-started a career in the industry that would take her all over the world. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Rebekkah Dooley took that first job and never looked back - creating award-winning cocktail...
Jun 16, 2020•48 min•Season 4Ep. 160
We left our guest just as she was finishing up her Diageo Global World Class Competition experience. For those of you who missed part 1, go back to the previous episode and start there! Now is the time to delve into Part 2 of our interview with Lauren Mote and discover where she landed when she brought food, wine and work together. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this indust...
Jun 09, 2020•49 min•Season 4Ep. 159
If you add together the story of winning the Diageo World Class Competition in Canada, then of launching one successful company, and finally, of becoming the first Diageo World Class Global Cocktailian, you’ve just combined a few of the many ingredients that make up our guest today. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Before Lauren Mote had become the Diageo Reser...
Jun 02, 2020•48 min•Season 4Ep. 158
Whether someone gives it to you or you buy it for yourself, a one-way ticket out of town can, in some cases, mean the end of one life and the beginning of a new one. In our guest’s case, this was the start of something great. Landing in London, the light turned green and he was off. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. I met Tomáš Čistý when I was invited to interv...
May 26, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 157
Not everyone has the foresight at a young age to know who British Philosopher Alan Watts is and also to heed his advice when planning their future. Well, our guest did and maybe that’s why he is the brand ambassador of one of the most profitable whiskies in the world. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. My guest, John Wayte, UK Brand Ambassador of Monkey Shoulder ...
May 19, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 156
When you walk into a bar and think this is fabulous. I assure you a whole lot of thought has gone into you having that good time before you’ve stepped through that threshold. For our guest today, it’s been his life’s work to make sure everyone has a good time and his mission is making you leave feeling the same way you came in. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. ...
May 12, 2020•52 min•Season 4Ep. 155
I got chatting to the guy sitting next to me at my Level 2 Wine and Spirit Education Trust class - the place you go when you want to learn about the ins and outs of distillation and the history of some of your favorite spirits. As you do, I sparked up a conversation with the Italian by asking him what he did and then he said I am a bartender at the Connaught Hotel and at that moment I knew we would be friends. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every wee...
May 05, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 154
I met today’s guest under pretty cool circumstances. Picture the sit-down dinner of the UK finals for the Diageo World Class competition - one of the hardest cocktail making competitions in the country. There were eleven finalists and each table of ten was served by one of the competitors for the night. At my table was one of the senior bartenders of the American Bar of the Savoy Hotel - it’s tough to get better than that. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podca...
Apr 28, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 153
I don’t know who said you should never meet your idols, but they got it wrong this time. My guest today is drinks’ podcasting royalty, and from the first moment I contacted this king of the airwaves, he was raring to join the Lush Life family I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. As the Fates would have it, Mark Gillespie, the Host and Executive Producer of WhiskyCa...
Apr 21, 2020•38 min•Season 4Ep. 152
I always say how much I love the spirit world and now during this crisis they have come together to support each other in ways that would have seemed incomprehensible just a few months ago. From making hand sanitizer, to delivering cocktails at home, to supporting the medical workers worldwide, the hospitality industry has stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. Today we meet two who’ve hit a home run. Sorry for the baseball references, but it’s spring after all and I love baseba...
Apr 14, 2020•17 min•Season 4Ep. 151
This is a biggie and I am not ashamed to scream out. It’s Lush Life’s 150th episode and if that weren’t exciting enough my guest is Elliot Ball of among many other bars he runs, the Cocktail Trading Co. ! What does it take to do 150 eps? The support of all of you who listen to the stories that inspire us to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. The best producer in the business (I am biased!) Evo Terra of Simpler Media Productions and Podcast Pontifications and the partic...
Mar 24, 2020•53 min•Season 4Ep. 150
The Bright Young Things were a group of rich, indulgent aristocrats who between the two wars entertained themselves by dressing up, posing and performing. All this gaiety was caught on camera by the incomparable and controversial Cecil Beaton. One thing is for sure, if they were alive now, all their fun would be had at Claridge’s with cocktails conceived by our guest today! Denis Broci makes you feel like a Bright Young Thing when you step into Claridge’s Bar or The Fumoir Bar - two of the glamo...
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 149
20 years ago, a bar was born in New York City that changed the way we drink today. Two years after that, it arrived in London. Fast forward those 20 years and Milk & Honey in London is still open and just as cutting edge as it was all those moons ago. Our guest today not only manages that legacy but is creating his own. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. Pierre...
Mar 10, 2020•58 min•Season 4Ep. 148
The idea of sitting in a trendy Parisian bar in the 11th arrondissement, waiting for the author of many of the world’s best selling food books and the first-ever food blogger, could make anyone’s knees slightly tremblant . Then our guest today walked in with a big smile on his face said Bonjour . I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is the Lush Life Podcast. Every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. David Lebovitz is known to eve...
Mar 03, 2020•53 min•Season 4Ep. 147
Wait right there..this is the second episode of two where we meet a bartender at the top of everyone’s game, so if you want to hear the first part of his journey. Stop and go back to the previous episode. Oh, did I mention Erik Lorincz is that bartender?! I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. So we left Erik at the doors of the Connaught Hotel - wondering whether he w...
Feb 25, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 4Ep. 146
Superlatives were invented to describe our next guest - world’s best, greatest, one and only...there is no list that he isn’t on or has been number one! Today we are in the presence of bartending royalty! I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. I truly believe even if Erik Lorincz hadn’t seen that film on bartending when he was at school, he would have still risen to th...
Feb 18, 2020•59 min•Season 4Ep. 145
Not everyone was born to be in the drinks industry, our guest was, but he just didn’t know how much, until he just happened to sign up with ancestry.com. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. Johnny Neill knew all about his father’s connection to the gin world from as far back as the 18th C, but it took a membership to ancestry.com to find out that the other side of h...
Feb 11, 2020•44 min•Season 4Ep. 144
Have you been to Chicago lately? I think it might be one of the most exciting cocktail towns in the world and I am thrilled that we’re going back to it this week to meet two more of its mixology maestros! I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. Last week, we heard from Shelby Allison of Lost Lake, a tiny slice of Tiki Heaven, in Logan Square. This week we’ll be hearing ...
Feb 04, 2020•22 min•Season 4Ep. 143
When you’ve won Imbibe Cocktail Bar of the year, the Spirited Award for Best American Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail and been short-listed for the James Beard Foundation Award for best bar program, you might rest on your laurels. Well, not our guest today, she’s working as hard as ever. I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. With a father in the military, Shelby...
Jan 28, 2020•39 min•Season 4Ep. 142
