The Buildout

Latest Episodes:

Episode 200 Special: 30+ Years of Craft Cocktail Culture Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

To mark a major milestone, we’re stepping outside our usual format to explore the evolution of cocktail culture over the last three decades — and the very reason this show is possible. Joining us are Mark Pascal and Francis Schott, better known as The Restaurant Guys, who operate New Brunswick's Stage Left Steak and Catherine Lombardi, and are credited with running the country’s longest-standing craft cocktail program. This conversation goes beyond bartending — it’s about ownership, staying power, and the people and places that helped shape modern drinking culture.

Listen: The Restaurant Guys Podcast

Read: 10 Years After His Passing, Sasha Petraske Still Lives On

📧 Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

- The Restaurant Guys: https://www.instagram.com/restaurantguyspodcast/

- Stage Left Steak: https://www.instagram.com/stagelefteats/

- Catherine Lombardi: https://www.instagram.com/catherinelombardirestaurant/

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

Part 3: Mezcal’s Untold Past, Soaring Present, and Fragile Future Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

In the final chapter of our three-part mezcal documentary, we turn our focus to the present and future of the category. Visiting the progressive palenque Lalocura and speaking with its founder, Eduardo Ángeles Carreno, AKA Lalo, we explore how industrialization, monoculture, and loose regulations threaten mezcal’s roots. We also learn how traditional producers are fighting back — and what that means for your next bottle. With insight from Lalo, our travel companion Ivan Vazquez, and voices across Oaxaca, we ask: Can mezcal stay true to itself as it conquers the world? And where — if anywhere — do cocktails fit into that future?

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

- Ivan: https://www.instagram.com/ivan_vasquez_/

- Madre: https://www.instagram.com/madre_losangeles/

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

Part 2: Mezcal’s Untold Past, Soaring Present, and Fragile Future Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

In Part 2 of our three-part mezcal documentary, we travel deeper into mezcal’s past, uncovering the ghosts that continue to haunt the spirit — from government crackdowns and corruption to secret hillside palenques and state-sanctioned Espadín monocultures. Joined by restaurateur Ivan Vazquez and legendary mezcaleros across Oaxaca, we explore how prohibition-era policies reshaped production, erased diversity, and left an indelible mark on the mezcal we drink today. This is a story of survival, adaptation, and the delicate balance between tradition and commerce.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

- Ivan: https://www.instagram.com/ivan_vasquez_/

- Madre: https://www.instagram.com/madre_losangeles/

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

Part 1: Mezcal’s Untold Past, Soaring Present, and Fragile Future Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

In the first installment of our three-part mezcal documentary, we head deep into Oaxaca’s rugged Sierra Sur to trace the roots of this singular spirit. Alongside Los Angeles restaurateur Ivan Vazquez, we visit traditional palenques and meet the maestro mezcaleros working with wild agave, ancestral tools, and techniques at risk of disappearing. This is the story of mezcal before the boom — a spirit once made in secret, passed down through generations, and shaped by place, labor, and fire.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

- Ivan: https://www.instagram.com/ivan_vasquez_/

- Madre: https://www.instagram.com/madre_losangeles/

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

Trailer: Mezcal’s Untold Past, Soaring Present, and Fragile Future Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

Coming July 17, we're sharing a special, three-part miniseries on the Cocktail College feed: Mezcal’s Untold Past, Soaring Present, and Fragile Future.

Together with LA-based restaurateur, Ivan Vazquez, we traveled down to Oaxaca, Mexico to meet with with several maestro mezcaleros,and to better understand what mezcal is all about. These small-scale, traditional producers represent generations of experience and keep mezcal's beating cultural heart alive. They showed us some time-tested techniques that give mezcal its signature character, told us of ancestral practices that are slowly being lost, and shared stories of a time — more recent than you would think — when mezcal production was demonized, criminalized, and even driven underground.

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

The Division Bell (re-run) Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

With some very exciting mezcal programming coming up here soon on Cocktail College, today we're re-sharing an episode we recorded about an important modern classic with one of the early pioneers of mezcal cocktails: Phil Ward. Based in New York, Ward has headed some of the city’s most prestigious bar programs and created some of the most revered modern classic cocktails. Among them, though arguably nowhere near as recognized as it should be, is the Division Bell, a mezcal-based riff on the Last Word and the topic of today’s show. Listen on to learn Ward’s Division Bell recipe — and don’t forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Phil Ward’s Division Bell Recipe

Ingredients

- 1 ½ ounces mezcal, such as Del Maguey Vida

- ¾ ounce Aperol

- ½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino liqueur

- ¾ ounce fresh lime juice

- Garnish: grapefruit twist

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.

2. Shake until chilled.

3. Strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a grapefruit twist (express and discard).

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

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

The Revolver Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

A bold, minimalist blend of bourbon, coffee liqueur, and orange bitters, The Revolver looks like a Manhattan, leans like an Old Fashioned, and tastes like neither. Created by Jon Santer in the early 2000's, it proved to be a slow burn at first but it's since gone on to become a heavyweight among modern classics, featured on menus around the world. Listen on to hear how it all unfolded from Jon Santer himself, including how a debate with jazz musicians would inspire the Revolver's name; how an act of resistance against the local cocktail movement of the time would influence its composition; and how a flaming orange coin tied everything together. Oh, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Jon Santer's Revolver Recipe

- 2 ounces Bulleit bourbon or rye

- ½ ounce Tia Maria coffee liqueur

- 4 dashes "Feegan's" orange bitters (2:1 blend of Regan's to Fee Brothers)

- Garnish: Orange coin

Directions

1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled.

2. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass pulled straight from the freezer.

3. Flame an orange coin over the top using a match then discard.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

- Jon: https://www.instagram.com/mixfit4/

- Liq Pro: https://www.instagram.com/liq_pro/

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

The Aperol Spritz Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

Over the past two decades, the Aperol Spritz has gone from holiday staple to American warm-weather icon — and it’s not hard to see why. The ratios are easy, the color pops on Instagram, and even the most reluctant cocktail drinker will say yes to bubbles and orange slices. But is there more to the Spritz than just aesthetics and low-stakes refreshment? To help us explore that question, we’re joined by Brynn Smith of LA’s Bar Next Door. Listen on (or read below) for Brynn's recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Brynn Smith's Aperol Spritz Recipe

- 1 ½ ounces Aperol

- 3 ounces Prosecco

- 1 ½ ounces club soda

- Garnish: orange slice

Directions

1. Build cocktail in a stemmed glass over Kold Draft ice.

2. Stir lightly with a straw or spoon.

3. Garnish with orange slice.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

- Brynn: https://www.instagram.com/bartendingpretty/

- Bar Next Door: https://www.instagram.com/barnextdoor_/

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

Chilean Pisco Masterclass Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

Today we’re coming at you with another live episode, recorded in front of an intimate crowd of bartenders and producers, for a deep-dive into a very special category: Chilean Pisco. Joining us is Jopus Grevelink of the José Andrés Group, who arrived armed with a custom cocktail recipe designed to kick off your very own Chilean Pisco journey. Listen on (or read below) for Jopus' recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Jopus Grevelink's Carminacha Recipe

- 1 ¼ ounces Chilean Pisco

- ¼ ounce Empirical Cilantro

- ¾ ounce pineapple/apple gum syrup

- ½ ounce fresh lemon juice

- ½ ounce Sudachi juice

- Garnish: Micro Dianthus Flower

Directions

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

2. Shake until well chilled.

3. Strain (double strain optional) over a large rock in a chilled Old Fashioned glass.

4. Garnish with micro Dianthus flower.

📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com

🍸Follow us:

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

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

- Jopus: https://www.instagram.com/jopuss/

- Nubeluz: https://www.instagram.com/nubeluzbyjose/

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

The Gin Basil Smash Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

The Gin Basil Smash is an herbaceous, bright green game-changer, created by Hamburg’s Joerg Meyer in 2008. Equal parts photogenic and palate-pleasing, it’s one of those rare drinks that genuinely deserves the title "modern classic". Joining us today is Joerg Meyer himself, diving into the full origin story, teaching us how to perfect his drink, and how to adapt it for different gins. Listen on (or read below) for Joerg's Gin Basil Smash recipe — and don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!

Joerg Meyer's Gin Basil Smash Recipe

- 60 milliliters gin, such as Rutte Dutch Dry Gin

- 30 milliliters fresh lemon juice

- 20 milliliters Monin cane sugar liquid

- 10 - 15 grams sweet basil (including stems and leaves)

- Garnish: basil leaves/tops

Directions

1. Add basil to a cocktail shaker and muddle well.

2. Add liquid ingredients and ice.

3. Shake until well chilled.

4. Double strain using a cocktail shaker into a tumbler glass with ice.

5. Garnish with fresh basil.