The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 197 - Distilled, The Board Game, with Dave Beck Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

In this well-shuffled, cleanly dealt interview with Dave Beck of Paverson Games, some of the topics we discuss include:

How a trip to Scotland sparked the idea for a game that would challenge players to distill, age, and sell their own spirits...all thanks to an inheritance from a long-lost relative.
Why Distilled is considered a "medium weight, Euro-style game, and what it looks like to make booze using cards, tokens, and distiller avatars.
How the Kickstarter campaign for this product met its funding goal in less than an hour, on its way to eclipsing that goal by over 15,000%.
Which technical distilling processes were creatively mixed into the game mechanics of Distilled, and which needed to be saved perhaps for a future edition, including heads and tales cuts, the Angel's share, and pulling flavor notes from wood.
How the game educates and introduces players to spirits from different cultures, using avatars based on historical distillers from around the world - all with special recipe and abilities.
Along the way, we talk about why American games are so confrontational, the simple joy of summoning elevators, how to order a proper brandy old fashioned at a Wisconsin supper club, and much, much more.
This episode is brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

Episode 196 - The Lagoon of Mystery with Jayme Blaschke Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

In this tropical deep dive with home bar architect and Tiki expert Jayme Blaschke, creator of The Lagoon of Mystery and host of A Moment of Tiki, some of the topics we discuss include:

How a brush with homelessness and an off-hand comment made while floating in a pool spawned a passion for tiki and led Jayme to build and cultivate his beautiful home tiki bar, The Lagoon of Mystery.
A virtual walk-through of some of the building materials, design choices, and escapist landscaping that morphed Jayme's Texas poolside patio into a transportive oasis that plays "Dive In" movies during the summer.
Some thoughts on how to relate to Tiki culture as a white guy - which Jayme and I both are. We offer perspectives and concrete resources that will help you learn about colonialism, appropriation, and how to celebrate Tiki tastefully in the 21st century.
A fun romp through the many genres of island-appropriate music that you can use to flesh-out your Tiki playlist - including exotica, calypso, bossa nova, and modern indigenous compositions that will whisk you away to a tropical landscape.
Along the way, we discuss what kind of Tiki bar could boast a mechanical bull, how to avoid weevils in your bamboo, why NOT to drink green beer with J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis, and much much more.

This episode is brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

Episode 195 - Intro to Japanese Whisky with Nicholas Pollacchi Jun 24, 2021

Show notes

In this fascinating deep dive on Japanese Whisky, past and present, some of the topics I discuss with Nicholas Pollacchi of Shibui Whisky include:

The complicated history of Japanese whisky making, including the sharp left turn that makes this tradition diverge (and reconnect) surprisingly with other world whisky traditions.
How Shibui is looking to help Japanese distillers and master blenders embrace a new, more collaborative mindset and source more compelling cooperage.
Then, we embark upon an ambitious, 7-spirit tasting that spans Shibui's Niigata and Okinawa collections, showcasing wheat, malt, and rice whiskies from some of Japan's best artisan distillers.
During this tasting, we cover the nuances of different grain bases and barrel finishes (including the legendary mizunara oak grown in Japan), as well as different ways to think about Japanese whisky in the greater world whisky landscape.
Along the way, we discuss the difference between whisky and Okinowan Awamori, the effects of colonialism on the Japanese approach to distilled spirits, what to drink with legendary Scotch distiller William Grant, and much, much more.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

Episode 194 - The Fault in Our Spirits Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

Eric examines the ways in which spirits can be identified as either "flawed" or "faulty." Some of the topics covered in this Bar Cart Foundations Episode include:

The similarities and differences between spirits judging and other judged events (like dog shows)
Why it helps to compare spirits by category and style in order to really amplify the good and bad attributes
How to identify potentially dangerous faults in spirits that may be caused by ingredient sourcing, sanitation, or barrel contamination issues.
How to spot less harmful (but still sub-optimal) spirits flaws and trace them back to a particular moment in the manufacturing process
Why craft distillers are the most susceptible to producing flawed spirits,
And much, much more

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

2021 Second Half Preview Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

Eric gives you a few things to look out for during the second half of 2021, including Japanese spirits and cocktails, orchard-to-table drinks and garnishes, and a few surprises and teasers along the way.

Episode 193 - Equiano Rum with Ian Burrell Jun 03, 2021

Show notes

In this eye-opening conversation and rum tasting with Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell, some of the topics we discuss include:

How Ian entered the rum world as a bartender, which led to several career transformations as a brand and category ambassador, then the creator of UK Rumfest, and now as one of the cofounders of a blossoming rum brand.
The fascinating life of Olaudah Equiano, slave-turned-entrepreneur-turned-freedom-fighter-and-philanthropist. He, of course, is the namesake of Equiano rum and the inspiration for both its products and its philanthropic mission.
How rum from the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean is blended with meticulously distilled and aged spirits from Barbados to create the unique flavor profile and multicultural DNA of Equiano's flagship product and its brand new light rum, which I had the privilege of tasting before it even hit shelves here in the US.
We discuss the impact of colonialism and geographic indications on today's rum landscape
We explore the exciting emergence of multi-style or multi-island rum blends, the difference between "nursing" and "doctoring" a drink, how Ian plans to convert Barack Obama into a rum drinker, and much, much more.

Episode 192 - Buck, Yeah! May 28, 2021

Show notes

In this wide-ranging conversation with entrepreneur and ginger beer philosopher Kenny Richards, some of the topics we discuss include:

How Kenny left behind a career in academia to resurrect one of America's most beloved, and yet also most forgotten drinks categories.
What it's like to scale a brewery from a few barrels to a much more ambitious craft operation, and what implications that has on ingredients, people, and process.
We taste through 4 popular (and very different) expressions of Halyard's ginger beers, beginning with Nicole's Extra, followed by Volcano Juice, The Breeze, and Mountain Aid.
We talk about the best ways to use alcoholic ginger beer in cocktails, and especially the numerous opportunities there are to innovate within the buck/mule category.
We discuss what it means to become, be, and remain authentic in the age of peak Hazy IPAs, glitter beer, and hard seltzer.
We cover why Vermonters are constantly stuffing beers in their pockets, the aesthetics of a perfect moonrise, what to drink with Enlightenment philosopher Baruch Spinoza,
And much, much more.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

Episode 191 - Gilded Age Cocktails with Cecelia Tichi May 20, 2021

Show notes

In this fascinating conversation with author and historian Cecelia Tichi, some of the topics we discuss include:

What the Gilded Age is, and why this time period was so important, not only for cocktail culture, but also in laying the groundwork for the seismic events that would follow in the early 20th century
How Gilded Age Cocktails was conceived - and (spoiler alert), it may have happened over the course of a few drinks.
We talk about the equine origins of the word "cocktail" and its interesting ties to concepts like genetic pedigree and mongrel or mixed components.
We consider the influence of universities, private clubs, and trans-Atlantic travel on the spread and cross-pollination of cocktail styles and recipes across continents.
We explore what the Gilded Age has in common with today's world of social media and rapid tech innovation,
We admire the wardrobe and style of the original cocktail influencer, Jerry Thomas
And much, much more

This episode is also brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

Episode 190 - Hawaiian Agricole Rum with Kyle Reutner May 13, 2021

Show notes

In this eye-opening conversation and rum tasting with Kō Hana Rum General Manager Kyle Reutner, some of the topics we discuss include:

How Kō Hana Rum started as a passion project dedicated to Hawaiian heirloom cane varietals, spreading from a small lot to several hundred acres of cane farmed at several locations on Oahu.
What heirloom cane even means - from its pivotal role in the polynesian diaspora to the advent of commodity sugar farming, to recent efforts to resurrect a nearly lost cultural staple crop.
Then we get into the tasting. Boy do we taste. We sample four white (i.e un-aged) agricole-style rums from Kō Hana, all with different flavor qualities and origin stories.
Along the way, we talk about Hawaiian terroir, the primacy of plants in the species-naming agenda of native polynesians, how Kō Hana has diversified its offerings using the only cacao grown in the United States, and much, much more.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

Episode 189 - The Bloody Mary Ritual (Breaking Bloody - Part 5) May 06, 2021

Show notes

Eric is joined by co-producer and travel correspondent, Adam Bauer to discuss the many signature Bloody Mary cocktails served at St. Regis Hotels all around the world. The drinks featured include:

The 7452 Mary (St. Regis, Deer Park)
The Downhill Snapper (St. Regis, Aspen)
The Capitol Mary (St. Regis, Washington, DC)

This episode also touches on a few key tensions within the Bloody Mary world. For example: the tension between ritual and innovation and the impulse to reach for familiar flavors when you're traveling away from home.

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This episode is brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

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