The Buildout

Latest Episodes:

Techniques: Solubility Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

Solubility sounds wonky, but it’s really the bartender’s key to moving flavor, color, texture, and aroma with purpose. In this Techniques episode, Eamon Rockey joins Cocktail College to turn it into a toolkit: choosing the right solvent (water, acid, alcohol, fat), when to use time/temperature/pressure (sous vide, vac machine, iSi whipper), and real-world cases (herbs, berry “consommé,” and chocolate) — plus how Rockey’s Botanical Liqueur embodies all of these ideas. Listen on to learn more — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🎧 Related episodes:

(136) Techniques: Preservation

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The Amaro Shakerato Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Can a cocktail really be made from just one ingredient? The Amaro Shakerato says yes — and proves it in this episode. Robby Dow of Wilmington’s Bespoke joins Cocktail College to explore how amari check every classic cocktail box, and why shaking different expressions side by side can lead to wildly different — and delicious — results. Listen on (or read below) to discover Robby's Amaro Shakerato recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Robby Dow's Amaro Shakerato Recipe

- 2 ounces Bràulio

Directions

1. Add Bràulio into a shaker tin with ice.

2. Shake until chilled with Kold Draft cubes — about 7 seconds.

3. Strain into the other side of the tin. Discard ice and reverse dry shake until you hear no more ice chips.

4. Strain into a frozen Nick & Nora or Coupe glass.

5. Rest for a moment before serving or drinking.

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- Bespoke: https://www.instagram.com/bespoke.nc/

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The Air Mail Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

Born in the golden age of aviation, the Air Mail combines rum, lime, honey, and Champagne into a twinkling mix of glamour and effervescence. In this episode, Leanne Favre of Brooklyn’s Dolores joins Cocktail College to explore the drink’s Cuban roots, its place between the French 75 and Old Cuban, and how to reimagine it today. Listen on (or read below) to discover Leanne's Air Mail recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Leanne Favre's Air Mail Recipe

- ¾ ounce honey syrup

- ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

- 1 ½ ounces Probitas rum

- 1 ½ ounces Champagne

- Garnish: lime twist

Directions

1. Add honey syrup, lime, and rum to a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Shake until chilled and strain into a chilled Highball glass with Kold Draft ice.

3. Top with Champagne.

4. Express a lime twist and lean on the rim to garnish.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🎧 Related episodes:

(16) French 75

(13) Daiquiri

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- Dolores: https://www.instagram.com/dolores.bk/

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The Miami Vice Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

Half Piña Colada, half Strawberry Daiquiri, the Miami Vice is a frozen classic that became a symbol of resort culture and blender-fueled excess. Bold, colorful, and built for poolside drinking, it’s also a drink with surprising craft potential. Joining us to explore it is Miranda Midler, head bartender at NYC’s soon-to-open Oriana. Listen on (or read below) to discover Mirandas's Miami Vice recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Miranda Midlers's Miami Vice Recipe

(Half Strawberry Daiquiri / Half Piña Colada)

Strawberry Daiquiri

Ingredients

- 2 ounces white rum, such as Denizen 5 year, Pa’lante Rum, or Bacardí

- 1 ounce fresh lime juice

- ¾ ounce simple syrup

- Handful frozen strawberries, straight from the freezer, pulverized to a puree

Directions

- Blend all ingredients with ice or add to a frozen drinks machine

Piña Colada

Ingredients

- 1 ounce Cruzan Black Strap rum

- 1 ounce Appleton Estate

- ½ ounce Rhum J.M. Agricole

- 2 ounces Coco Lopez

- 3 ounces pineapple juice, frozen to slushee consistency (Dole or fresh squeezed)

- ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

- 45 milliliters water (to dilute)

Directions

- Blend all ingredients with ice or add to a frozen drinks machine

Miami Vice Assembly

- Layer in a chilled Hurricane or Poco Grande glass, with Strawberry Daiquiri on the bottom and Piña Colada on top.

- Garnish with an umbrella, pineapple fronds, toasted coconut, Angostura bitters, or nothing.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

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- Miranda: https://www.instagram.com/mirandamidler/

- Oriana: https://www.instagram.com/oriana.nyc/

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The Monte Carlo Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

The Monte Carlo feels like an obvious extension of the Old Fashioned: whiskey, bitters, and Benedictine for sweetness. Under-ordered but beloved by bartenders, it’s a drink with depth, nuance, and history worth unpacking. Joining us to do just that is Alex Howard, Nashville-based co-founder and beverage director of Martha My Dear and The Ariston. Listen on (or read below) to discover Alex's Monte Carlo recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Alex Howard's Monte Carlo Recipe

- 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters

- ½ ounce Benedictine

- 2 ounces Old Forester rye

- Garnish: lemon twist

Directions

1. Start with a big rock of ice in an Old Fashioned glass.

2. Add bitters, Benedictine, and rye.

3. Stir a few times to chill.

4. Garnish with lemon twist (optional discard).

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

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Techniques: Rethinking Non-Alcoholic Cocktails Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

Once dismissed as “mocktails,” non-alcoholic cocktails are now among the most exciting frontiers in modern bartending. And at Kato in Los Angeles, Austin Hennelly is forging an exciting new path, rethinking NA wine and creating systems that ensure guests who don’t drink are never accidentally served alcohol. He joins Cocktail College to share his wealth of expertise on the category, through quick tips and advanced techniques. Listen on to learn more, and read below to discover one of his simplest recipes. Finally, don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

- Non-alcoholic beer of choice

- ½ ounce lime juice

- ½ ounce non-alcoholic aperitif

Serve over ice with a lime wedge.

📧 Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🎧 Related episodes:

(29) Techniques: Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

(181) Picon Bière

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- Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timmckirdy/

- Austin: https://www.instagram.com/afhennelly/

- Kato: https://www.instagram.com/katorestaurant/

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The Cameron's Kick Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

The Cameron’s Kick is one of the great curiosities of the cocktail canon: a split-base sour that brings Scotch and Irish whiskey together in the same glass. First published by Harry McElhone in the 1920s, it’s a classic with a nutty twist thanks to orgeat. Joining us to unpack its history and execution is Liam Weitz, head bartender at Brooklyn’s Deux Chats. Listen on (or read below) to discover Liam's Cameron’s Kick recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Liam Weitz's Cameron’s Kick Recipe

- ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

- ⅓ ounce (scant ½ ounce) orgeat, such as L’Orgeat Almond Liqueur

- ⅓ ounce (scant ½ ounce) simple syrup

- 1 ounce Scotch, such as Johnnie Walker Black

- 1 ounce Irish Whiskey, such as Bushmills Black Bush

- Garnish: lemon twist

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Shake until chilled.

3. Double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.

4. Express a lemon twist over the top then discard.

📧 Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🎧 Related episodes:

(63) The Boulevardier

(88) The Vodka Y Soda

(163) The (Re)Boulevardier

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- VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair/

- Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timmckirdy/

- Liam: https://www.instagram.com/liamweitz/

- Deux Chats: https://www.instagram.com/deuxchatsbk/

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The Enzoni Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

In 2001, behind the bar at London’s Match Bar, Vincenzo Errico created the Enzoni — a twist on a gin sour that’s since become a modern classic. Soon after, he brought the drink with him to New York’s Milk & Honey, where it took its final shape under Sasha Petraske’s guidance. Today, he joins Cocktail College to share the full story behind his enduring creation. Listen on (or read below) to discover Vincenzo's Enzoni recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Vincenzo Errico's Enzoni Recipe

- 2 ounces gin

- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice

- ½ ounce simple syrup

- ½ ounce Campari

- 6 white grapes

- Garnish: 3 grapes

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker.

2. Muddle, add ice, and shake until well chilled.

3. Strain into a chilled rocks glass with a large cube.

4. Garnish with 3 white grapes on a pick and an optional slice of orange.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

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- VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair/

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- Vincenzo: https://www.instagram.com/vinc.enzo.errico/

- L'Artefatto: https://www.instagram.com/lartefattococktailbar/

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Planter's Punch Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

Planter’s Punch is more than a recipe — it’s a rhyme, a debate, and a cornerstone of rum history. From “one of sour, two of sweet” to its place at Kingston’s Myrtle Bank Hotel, this punch has always been bigger than the sum of its parts. Guiding us through it all is Christian Favier of Charleston’s Seahorse, bartender and educator on the deep ties between rum, history, and culture. Listen on (or read below) to discover Christian's Planter's Punch recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Christian's Planter's Punch Recipe

- ¾ ounce lime juice

- ¾ ounce cane syrup

- 1 ¾ ounces high quality rum, such as Hampden Estate, R.L. Seales 12 year, or Doorly’s XO

- 8 - 10 dashes Angostura bitters

- Garnish: mint sprig, grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Add al ingredients to a large glass with some crushed ice.

2. Swizzle to chill and top with more crushed ice.

3. Serve with a straw and garnish with a mint sprig and grated nutmeg.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

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- Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timmckirdy/

- Christian: https://www.instagram.com/christianjfavier/

- Seahorse: https://www.instagram.com/theseahorsechs/

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The Aviation Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

The Aviation: an early 20th-century classic, pale blue and delicately perfumed, with a reputation that still splits opinion. Gin, lemon, maraschino, and, crème de violette form its elegant frame. And joining us to explore its history and craft is Frank Caiafa, who returns for his third Cocktail College appearance armed with decades of bartending insight. Listen on (or read below) to discover Frank's Aviation recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Frank Caiafa's Aviation Recipe

- 2 ounces London Dry gin, ideally 47 percent ABV

- ¾ ounce lemon juice

- ½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur

- ¼ ounce Crème de Violette, such as Rothman & Winter

- Garnish: cherry, lemon twist, or orange twist

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Shake until well chilled then fine strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.

3. Garnish with a cherry, lemon twist, or orange twist.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

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