Life Behind Bars with Noah Rothbaum & David Wondrich

Latest Episodes:

It’s Time to Change Your Cocktail Game. Here’s How to Do It. - Life Behind Bars Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

The greatest bartenders in the world bring disparate ingredients and flavors together to create new cocktails—and they do it seemingly with ease.

On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum talk about the art of cocktail creativity and how the pros make it look so easy. They also offer advice and tips from their own lives to help inspire you to experiment with some new drinks.

So fix yourself a cocktail and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah Rothbaum and its Senior Drinks Columnist David Wondrich as they discuss the greatest bartenders and greatest cocktails of all time. It won the 2018 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for the world’s best drinks podcast.

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Hunt is On for Rare Vintage Spirits - Life Behind Bars Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

Never mind Pappy Van Winkle and Sazerac 18-Year-Old Rye Whiskey: Some of the most sought-after bottles of liquor are the dusty, obscure ones hiding on liquor store shelves and in the back of home liquor cabinets.

Over the last few years, bartenders and drinks enthusiasts alike have become increasingly interested in locating forgotten bottles that are like a shot of liquid history. On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum talk about how the trend started and suggest a few notable vintage bottles that might still be out there. They also share some of their favorite experiences drinking decades-old spirits.

So fix yourself a drink and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Can the Roaring Twenties Teach Us about Post-Pandemic Life? - Life Behind Bars Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

From the cocktails to the speakeasies to The Great Gatsby, there are few periods in history as celebrated in modern culture as the Roaring Twenties.

As we look forward to the end of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s worth exploring how the Roaring Twenties followed the last global pandemic: the 1918 Spanish Flu. On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum examine this joyous decade and set the record straight on a number of common misconceptions about it. Spoiler Alert: It was not the golden age for cocktails.

So fix yourself a drink and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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How to Avoid Overhyped and Overpriced Bourbon - Life Behind Bars Feb 14, 2021

Show notes

You can buy bourbon as young as a few years old and as old as 30 years. But what is the perfect age?

Half Full columnist and whiskey authority Lew Bryson tried to answer this question in a recent article he wrote, which went viral. On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, Bryson joins co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum to talk about what inspired his piece. The trio also share their own preferred bourbon age and how they ferret out American whiskey bargains.

So pour yourself a whiskey and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Vodka is No Laughing Matter for Dan Aykroyd - Life Behind Bars Jan 12, 2021

Show notes

Dan Aykroyd can make you laugh at any moment.

His comedic sense of timing, of course, has been honed from his years on Saturday Night Live and his roles in a long list of smash-hit movies, including Ghostbusters, Spies Like Us and the Blues Brothers. But when it comes to his Crystal Head Vodka brand, he’s as educational as he is entertaining. This is no vanity project or fluffy celebrity endorsement.

On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, Aykroyd joins co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum to talk about the latest release from Crystal Head, the bars he ran with John Belushi in New York and the early days of the House of Blues.

So mix yourself a drink and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Closing Time: Running Out the Clock on 2020 - Life Behind Bars Dec 29, 2020

Show notes

Thankfully 2020 is finally drawing to a close.

On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum discuss what they are planning to drink during the rest of the year and the appeal of starting the new year out with a run.

They are also joined by Knob Creek® ambassadors Amanda Gunderson and Tim Heuisler to chat about a new jogging program for professional bartenders that they are helping to organize, which starts on February 28 and lasts for 12 weeks.

The 100 bartenders from across the country will be split into four teams and trained by a top running coach. The goal is for everyone to be able to run a 9K, a 12K or a 15K distance on May 22. (These distances, naturally, honor the three main ages of Knob Creek® Bourbon.)

Bartenders can start signing up for the program on January 3 and can do so by reaching out on Instagram to brand ambassadors Heuisler (@Theuisler), Gunderson (@CaliforniaBourbonGirl), Adam Harris (@MrAdamHarris) and Beth Burrows (@BourbonBella).

So fix yourself a whiskey cocktail and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Forget Eggnog. Hot Buttered Rum is the Drink of the Holidays. - Life Behind Bars Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

We have all certainly earned a decadent treat this holiday season. While you could whip up a big bowl of Eggnog, there’s another traditional (and no-less rich) concoction we recommend: Hot Buttered Rum. This delicious mix of dark rum, hot water and—you guessed it—butter is historic and delightfully appropriate for the season.

On this episode of the podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum are joined by award-winning Half Full columnist Wayne Curtis to debate the different methods of making Hot Buttered Rum and to discuss why rum has historically played such a significant role in holiday drinks and desserts.

So fix yourself a cocktail and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Life Behind Bars features Half Full’s editor Noah Rothbaum and its Senior Drinks Columnist David Wondrich as they discuss the greatest bartenders and greatest cocktails of all time. It won the 2018 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for the world’s best drinks podcast.

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Single Malt Battle Royale: The U.S. vs. Scotland - Life Behind Bars Dec 21, 2020

Show notes

Scotland has claimed ownership of single malt whiskey for years. But the spirit is now made around the world, including in the U.S., which boasts a thriving industry of its own. Can Scotland maintain its supremacy in the face of ever more competition?

On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum are joined by Matt Hofmann, co-founder, managing director, and head distiller of Westland Whiskey; Becky Paskin, award-winning Half Full columnist; and Iain McPherson, pioneering Edinburgh-based bartender and bar owner. While enjoying a dram of whiskey, the panelists discussed if American single malt could ever rival—or even surpass—Scotch.

So pour yourself a glass of single malt whisky and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Building a Whiskey Empire in 85 Years - Life Behind Bars Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

In December of 1935, America’s whiskey industry was on life support.

While Prohibition was finally over, the future for distillers was, to say the least, incredibly bleak. After 13 long years of being out of business, would people still want to drink bourbon and rye? Would the Great Depression ever end? Would the temperance movement succeed in getting Prohibition reinstated?

In the midst of these turbulent times, entrepreneurs saw an opportunity. The Shapira family, which ran a small chain of five-and-dime stores across Kentucky, took a leap of faith and invested in a nascent whiskey business.

On this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum are joined by Max Shapira, president of Heaven Hill, to talk about how his family built one of America’s largest independent whiskey companies and turned Evan Williams and Elijah Craig bourbons and Rittenhouse Rye into best sellers.

So pour yourself a glass of whiskey and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Is it Sacrilege to Use 15-Year-Old Bourbon in Cocktails? - Life Behind Bars Dec 09, 2020

Show notes

It takes courage to create cocktails with older whiskies, but it’s more than worth the effort.

To help you overcome your fears of ruining a dram, on this episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum share some tips and advice for using mature spirits in mixed drinks along with a chaser of spirited history.

They are also joined by Knob Creek® ambassadors Amanda Gunderson and Tim Heuisler who offer insights and their favorite recipes featuring older bourbons.

So fix yourself a whiskey cocktail and listen to this episode of Life Behind Bars. Cheers!

Edited by Alex Skjong

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices