The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 253 - Winning Dry January with Jon Schott Jan 10, 2023

Show notes

In this wide-ranging conversation with bartender and drinks consultant Jon Schott of Riffraff Drink Co., some of the topics we discuss include:

The state of the non-alcoholic drinks space, and why language and placement are tricky and need to be dialed in for every unique bar or restaurant menu.
Jon's personal journey into sobriety, including a brief detour selling home security systems, and his return to working behind the bar.
This also leads us to think about some of the softer nuances of making drinks of all sorts: how hospitality is an ingredient, how to make people feel good before anything goes into their body, and why drinking is ultimately about knowing yourself.
Then, we explore some of Jon's favorite hacks for making great non-alcoholic cocktails at home, which he is currently publishing as a series of videos over on the Riffraff Drink Co. Instagram page.
Along the way, we explore how to use guest feedback like sonar, the use of clarity as a vehicle for surprise in cocktails, the joys of nose-to-tail mint butchery, and much, much more.

You can find Jon pouring FREE samples of his creations over at Umbrella Dry Drinks in Alexandria, VA pretty much every Saturday, and you can reach out or follow along for his awesome instructional videos over on Instagram @riffraffdrink_co.

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Episode 252 - Year in Review 2022 Jan 01, 2023

Show notes

Eric runs down highlights from 2022 by the numbers and recaps some of the big moments from this past year. Then, looking ahead to 2023, he shares what to look out for from The Modern Bar Cart Podcast.

On the back end of the show, 6 bartenders are featured from the McClintock Distilling Holiday Bar Room Blitz, a terrific event that helped us to remember just how great it is to be doing things in person after the pandemic.

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Episode 251 - SUYO Single Origin Pisco Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

In this viticultural conversation with SUYO Pisco founders Alex Hildebrandt and Ian Leggett, some of the topics we discuss include:

How two born-and-bred Peruvians met and became friends in the world of American corporate finance, then turned their sights on celebrating the flavors and aromas of their beloved home country.
What it means for a distillate to be "single-origin," and how Ian and Alex went off the beaten path to find and partner with Pisco producers who are making truly remarkable spirits.
How to think about Peru's fascinating Geographic Indication for Pisco, also known as it's Denomination of Origin, which specifies what materials can be used, where grapes can come from, and even how many times it can be distilled.
Then we taste through SUYO's inaugural offerings, a fruity, complex Quebranta made in the foothills of the Andes, and a sea-swept Italia bursting with floral and mineral complexity.
Along the way, we cover the complicated topic of "purity" in different kinds of spirits, the age-old controversy of Chilean vs. Peruvian Pisco, a potentially record-setting pisco sour performance by Ernest Hemingway, and much, much more.

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Episode 250 - Just the Tip (Part 2) Dec 08, 2022

Show notes

In part two of this audio essay, Eric zooms in on the recently passed legislation in Washington, DC (Initiative 82) that has eliminated the tipped minimum wage and is slated to take effect on January 1, 2023.

Using an analytical framework known as "Stasis Theory," he carefully walks through the definitions, cause-and-effect logic, ethical values, and action points that prompted this change in the way service industry workers get paid. Then, he makes some projections about what the fallout from this new system may look like in our nation's capital.

Episode 249 - Just the Tip (Part 1) Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

Eric examines the history and culture of tipping in Europe and America as a way to explore recent legislation in Washington, DC that will change the way that bartenders and other service industry workers get paid. This, of course, will also have significant impacts on the cost and perceived value of dining and drinking out, changing the DC food and drink scene in a major way.

This episode begins with a historical and etymological exploration of how and why we tip, with an important meditation on the racist legacy of the tipped minimum wage in the United States. Then, we take a look at two recent ballot initiatives aimed at changing the tipped minimum wage in DC.

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Episode 248 - Getting Twisted with Jordan Hughes Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

In this well-lit and impeccably styled conversation with photographer, drinks educator, and newly-minted author Jordan Hughes, some of the topics we discuss include:

Jordan's voyage into the world of spirits and cocktails, including the pours and flavors that first got him hooked on mixology and spirited guides who helped him along his journey.
How he thinks about staging and lighting cocktail photos (which you can view on Instagram @highproofpreacher and @cocktailcamera), including one very important tip that will help you take your Instagram game to the next level.
The concept and development process behind his new book, Twist, which is chock full of inspiration for anyone who might feel like they're in a "rut" making the same old handful of cocktails.
Along the way, we cover the struggles of producing and photographing 10 gin fizzes in a single evening, Jordan's controversial views on vodka, what to drink with Michelle Obama at one of the world's most legendary bars, and much, much more.

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Episode 247 - Modern Caribbean Rum with Matt Pietrek Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

In this fascinating deep-dive into the world of cane distillates with Matt Pietrek, author of Modern Caribbean Rum, some of the topics we discuss include:

How Matt and his wife Carrie collaborated to create an 800+ page self-published treatise on the rums of the Caribbean: through strategy, structure, and of course visiting so many of the incredible producers who pour their life into this spirit.
Then, we get into the weeds on a wide-ranging set of topics related to the classification of rum. And this is really the heart of the book. We talk about:
The broad-strokes differences between British-style, French-style, and Spanish-style rums
The impact of colonial history and economics on the timelines and styles that were propagated in different islands and regions
Why Matt thinks about Rum as a "Meta-category" of spirits that contains multitudes of styles and flavors
Along the way, we cover the palletized nuances of self-publishing, the four main decision buckets that dictate the kind of rum that a given producer will bottle, the surprising influence of Canadians on overproof rum bottling strength,
And much, much more.

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Episode 246 - Boozy Collective Nouns Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Eric investigates the words we use for large groups or collections of spirits and cocktails.

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Episode 245 - Hanky Panky: An Unintentional Speakeasy Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

In this eye-opening conversation with Walter Meyenberg, founder of Hanky Panky, some of the topics we discuss include:

Why this bar, which is so famous for being a modern "speakeasy," wasn't originally planned that way, and how they evolved from not even charging for drinks to winning international awards for hospitality.
What it's like to locate, enter, and drink at Hanky Panky, according to our mixological travel correspondent, Adam Bauer.
How Walter thinks about developing individual members of his bar team and building a community of international "friends of Hanky Panky," and why this people-first mentality allowed the program to thrive, even during the pandemic.
We also explore some of Walter's other projects, like his bar Casa de las Brujas, which places an all-female bar team in the spotlight, and Liquid Show, an educational initiative launched in partnership with other leading bar figures in Mexico City.
Along the way, we cover the books that inspired Walter's approach to hospitality, the design aesthetic behind throne-like bar stools and mirrored tables, foundational memories of being fed and pampered by his Lebanese mother, and much, much more.

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Episode 244 - Drinking Like Mad Men: Midcentury Cocktails with Cecelia Tichi Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

In this Midcentury cocktail retrospective with American Studies professor Cecelia Tichi, author of Midcentury Cocktails: History, Lore and Recipes from America's Atomic Age, some of the topics we discuss include:

The historical backdrop for the society and culture of the mid-20th century: that is, a nation simultaneously traumatized by decades of war and economic depression and invigorated by economic prosperity and technological revolution.
What drinking trends accompanied life in the big city, as well as those that took hold in the emerging, cookie cutter suburbs and the more upscale exurbs, where wealthy elites lived and vacationed.
What the ballooning size of cocktail glasses (from 3 to 4 ½ ounces) and certain published entertaining guides meant for casual gatherings, in particular: how much one would be expected to take down over the course of an evening.
We also examine certain bibulous subcultures like the aforementioned beat generation, commuters with access to bar cars on their train commute home from work, African Americans who relied on the famous Green Book when seeking entertainment and lodging on the road, and many other facets of mid-century life.
Along the way, we cover the allure of an emerging Tiki culture, the surprising influence of the Playboy Bar Book, whether or not Don Draper and the cast of Mad Men managed an accurate portrayal of this drink-soaked era, and much, much more.

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