On their internationally acclaimed annual wrap up show Damon, Sother and Greg talk about what the hell just happened and where we go from here. Vaccines, variants, parcades and passing conversations, what did we love, what did we hate and what stayed more or less the same in 2021. Plus, our in-house tastemakers officially declare lowbrow highballs THE drink trend of the year. You can read all about where this freakish train got rolling here. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us...
Dec 16, 2021•54 min•Ep. 460
Andrew Meltzer joins the band from snowy, snowy Poland to talk all things winter - how to make a spicy, delicious cocktail, where cinnamon and nutmeg all came from in the first place and how to winterize your menu… and your patio. For more info from Andrew and to check out his master class head on over the Diago Bar Academy! Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everyth...
Dec 08, 2021•54 min•Ep. 459
On a Speakeasy first, Greg and Sother sit down with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner of the state legislature to talk about where our to-go drinks went, how we can get them back, and what’s gonna happen with the rest of the 2020 leftovers - lookin’ at you outdoor dining. Plus, get involved! Assemblywoman Woerner confirms what we’ve been saying for a long time, that local restaurants need their locals to advocate for them. If you liked what you heard and you want to chime in, you can reach Carrie at ...
Dec 02, 2021•57 min•Ep. 458
Founder of new Brooklyn spot Thief , John McNulty joins us to talk about the trials of opening a bar during a pandemic and how he's hoping we can steal back lost time with the aid of a 12 foot inflatable grinch. Plus, the New York Times reports that there are rats in New York City, who knew? Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOL...
Nov 18, 2021•44 min•Ep. 457
Indigenous visibility advocate and Doom Tiki co-founder Chockie Tom sits down with the band to talk about the troubled past of tropical drinks, what can be done about it and how we can move forward with the fun drinks that everybody loves. Plus, Arby’s has a new curly fries vodka. Hot takes ensue. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our busines...
Nov 11, 2021•41 min•Ep. 456
Industry veterans and long time friends Matt Friedlander and Zak Snyder are finally realizing their dreams of Midori laced Miami Vice’s, Cubano sandwiches and late night sing-alongs in New York’s Lower East Side. Sally Can Wait will fling its doors open to welcome us all on November 17. Plus, where in the world is Greg Benson? Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss every...
Nov 04, 2021•51 min•Ep. 455
Jennifer Querbes of Brandy Sainte Louise dials in with Greg and Sother to talk about launching a brand to 19th century specs, women in distilling and starting a French brandy label as a blond lady from Texas. Plus, movies are back and Greg really doesn’t understand ‘Dune.’ You can see Jennifer’s operations and read all about what they’re up to at Brandy Ste. Louise here ! Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits ...
Oct 27, 2021•43 min•Ep. 454
Tad Carducci of Gruppo Montenegro sits down with the band to talk amaro, Italian spritz culture and the endless quest to discover the secret recipes behind amari. Plus, Mountain Suze! The lowbrow highball craze that’s sweeping the nation and other weird flavor combinations that shouldn’t work but do. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our busi...
Oct 20, 2021•51 min•Ep. 453
Laura Newman joins the band live from Birmingham, Alabama! The US World Class presented by Diageo winning bartender talks building a brand in a smaller city, opening a new bar in a pandemic, and the importance of creating a good life for your staff so that they’ll support you for years to come. Laura has written extensively about the ideas she discusses on the episode and you can find them free at Diageo Bar Academy . Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit dow...
Oct 14, 2021•54 min•Ep. 452
Greg, Sother and Damon finally find a spirit that shuts them up, courtesy of Roberto Rosa and Maestro Dobel ’s new Pavito pechuga tequila. Listen in as they chat about meat in a still, creating something that no one’s ever tried before and creating experiences that are truly new. Plus the grand opening of Sother’s new bar, Cafe de L’Enfer , the inspiration for which you can see here . Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality...
Oct 07, 2021•54 min•Ep. 451
Brewer, innovator and creative ADD enthusiast Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head sits down with the band to talk about the future of craft beer, pumpkin spiced everything and how a modified vibrating football set he bootstrapped into his brewery wound up in the Smithsonian. Sam recently wrote a book about his 26 years at the helm of a very off-centered brewery which you can find here Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and s...
Sep 30, 2021•49 min•Ep. 450
Author, screenwriter, historian and the best kind of nerd Mallory O’Meara sits down with Greg and Damon to talk about her new book “Girly Drinks,” which details the long, long history of female drinking and how we’ve all been talking about it wrong. You can check out Mallory’s podcast, her other works and preorder Girly Drinks here . Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discus...
Sep 23, 2021•49 min•Ep. 449
Chris Boyd of Drink Monday joins the band to talk about the rise of nonalcoholic spirits, the market for healthy choices and how many distillers you have to call before one of them agrees to make a booze-free gin. Plus, some California’s recall election and how Damon can finally drink an Old Fashioned at 9am. Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us each week as we sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 448
Tetsuro Miyazaki of Iichiko Shochu joins the band to talk about the history of this wonderful and unique spirit, how hard it is to get Americans to drink distilled spirits with a meal, and how he’s found a sneaky little workaround. Plus Greg is finally back from his road trip - highlights on Instagram at @100ProofGreg - and the wonders of mold! Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a ...
Sep 08, 2021•46 min•Ep. 447
Grab some sunscreen and join us as founder of Bahamian craft cocktail bar Bon Vivants , Kyle Jones, joins us from the islands! We discuss the slow rise of cocktail culture on the island and talk about the challenges of training bartenders who’ve never made a cocktail, to becoming one of Tales of the Cocktail's nominees for best new international bar of 2020. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, si...
Sep 01, 2021•55 min•Ep. 446
Lauren Mote, the Diageo Global Cocktailian and founder of Bittered Sling, joins the band all the way from Amsterdam to talk martinis, bitters, dating a chef, and the relative merits of Waffle House. Plus, everyone on The Speakeasy is very particular about how they like their eggs, and Damon can drink a surprising amount of water. Don't forget to check out Lauren in, “The Iconic Cocktail - The Martini”. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industr...
Aug 26, 2021•55 min•Ep. 445
Shawn Soole takes some time off of being a podcaster and TikTok celebrity to talk mental health, fighting burnout and how you can make money making drinks in less than a minute. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: Damon Boelte @ DamonBoelte S...
Aug 12, 2021•52 min•Ep. 444
Georgette Moger-Petraske sits down with the band and talks oysters. Did you know a single oyster can filter 40 gallons of water over its lifetime? Did you know oysters are still technically alive when you eat them? Did you know you can fill an entire hour of radio talking about oysters and cocktails? Because you totally can. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospit...
Aug 04, 2021•51 min•Ep. 443
On a special bonus episode of the Speakeasy Greg, Damon and Sother sit down to talk about some breaking news in the industry. As cases rise again and mask mandates loom a number of restaurateurs have taken it upon themselves to institute vaccine requirements. What that means for the industry - and the rest of us - on a special breaking news edition. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down wi...
Jul 28, 2021•26 min•Ep. 442
Marc Farrell , founder and CEO of Ten to One Rum sits down with the band to talk rum culture, what he has in common with Tony Stark and the future of commerce as we all move into the brave new world of hybrid online/irl drinking. Plus: College Bars! Can we go back again? Spoiler alert: no. Image courtesy of Ten to One Rum 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everyt...
Jul 22, 2021•50 min•Ep. 441
Beer writer and homebrewer extraordinaire Mandy Naglich geeks out with Greg about farmhouse styles, subtlety and the future of brewing. Plus a quick checkin on the state of hard seltzer. Spoiler alert, it’s doing just fine. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW...
Jul 08, 2021•46 min•Ep. 440
Gin fan and certified New Yorker Lacy Hawkins joins the band to gab about bees, bikes, the best way to beat the heat with a martini and the benefit of tiny boozy snacks. Oh, and gin I guess too. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: Damon Boelt...
Jul 01, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 439
Alex Showerman of Athletic Brewing joins the band to discuss their new N/A Blood Orange IPA, how brands can change the world and that classic summer love story, bikes and beers Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: Damon Boelte @ DamonBoelte So...
Jun 23, 2021•45 min•Ep. 438
Aubrey Slater and David Suk of Saint Luna spirits regale the band with tales of launching a brand, working in the world of spirits as members of the LGBTQ community and good ol’ fashioned Moonshinin’! Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: Damon...
Jun 17, 2021•56 min•Ep. 437
Amaro distiller and unwittingly vegan meat producer Louis Catizone sits down with Greg and Sother to talk innovation, adventuring into the RTD market and the surprising spots on our bodies that can sense bitter flavors. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 436
Seattle’s Anu Apte sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about flipping concepts, non-stop education and designing a cocktail for a 200-year-old flag with squares cut out of it. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: Damon Boelte @ DamonBoelte ...
Jun 03, 2021•46 min•Ep. 435
In a world where RTDs are everywhere, Bronya Shillo, founder and CEO of Fisher’s Island Lemonade , was one of the first to think ‘huh, this is pretty good. I should put this in a can.’ Now seven years since she sent her first cases to market, Bronya joins the band to talk pioneering in a now very crowded field and what it’s like to be a woman and do something different. #HRN10Years #DrinkingOnTheRadio Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry...
May 28, 2021•59 min•Ep. 434
Sign language interpreter, absinthe maven, ukulele hero, and all-around ray of sunshine, Jessica Graves, sits down with the band to talk makin’ absinthe in the lone star state, and branching out into the exciting world of floral amaro. #HRN10Years #DrinkingOnTheRadio Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss ...
May 21, 2021•51 min•Ep. 433
Jeff Morgenthaler , 25 year veteran of the bartending world talks with Greg and Sother about how bars have changed, how people stay the same and what it’s like to love something and clean up its puke at the same time. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON...
May 13, 2021•58 min•Ep. 432
Mark Barrett of Diageo Bar Academy sits down with Greg and Sother to talk education, how we can make the most of our now extremely online lives and what we can do to never stop learning. Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: Damon Boelte @ Damo...
Apr 29, 2021•51 min•Ep. 431
