The Speakeasy

Latest Episodes:

The Gin Twins with Ektoras Binikos Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

No one in this industry’s mind works quite like Ektoras Binikos. The man behind Athera Spirits, the distillery that gave us a shisho mastiha and fig leaf liqueur is back on The Speakeasy because he’s gone and done something really radical this time: made a couple of normal base spirits. Ektoras chats with Greg and Sother about what it was like to make gin and a vodka after so many weird creations, how making a London Dry style turned into making two different “twin gins” and how his bars, New York City’s Sugar Monk and Bitter Monk, have evolved as his spirits business has grown.

PLUS Greg’s in New York and Sother’s on the road!? See what inspired this bizarre role reversal, what Sother’s doing in North Carolina, and what locally foraged goodies he’s managed to whip up along the way.

Follow Atheras Spirits at @atherasspirits

Follow Sugar Monk at @sugarmonknyc

Follow Bitter Monk at @bittermonkbrooklyn

LINKS

Become a Regular
For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Make Cocktails, Not War with Jena Ellenwood & Lily Chun Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

How is a bartending competition different from a regular shift? What if there are cameras beaming that competition out to a national audience? And what if NSYNC is in the room watching you make drinks? Those are the conditions Lily Chun and Jena Ellenwood had to contend with on Cocktails Wars, a new competition show on E! and they’re sitting down with Greg and Sother to spill the tea. Hear them talk about the competition (and who won!), what it’s like to show up to a studio call on two hours of sleep, and how someone who’s made a life behind the bar can parlay a media appearance into a second act.

PLUS Greg and Sother break their silence on The Last Ditch. Hear what they have to say about America’s most famous (for the moment) bar.

Follow Jena on instagram at @jena.lane

Follow Lily at @lilsmcc

LINKS

Become a Regular
Support “Spirited Ladies”
For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Bartender Prepares with Nic Hamilton Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Are you playing a character behind the bar? Or just being yourself? Actor, author and CocktailTok celebrity Nic Hamilton joins Greg and Sother to talk about his stage and film career, how his first cocktail video got a million views overnight, and what it’s like to move from online content creator to a regular working bartender. They discuss how being being the bar prepares you for a job on camera (and vice versa), how to craft drinks that the algorithm and human beings alike will enjoy and, for the Regulars, they settle once and for all whether or not Zoomers are drinking less.

PLUS protein in vodka? It’s real, and it’s spectacular.

Follow Nic on Instagram at @nicholas.hamilton and on TikTok at @nic.hamilton

LINKS

Become a Regular
Order Nic’s book, Sipsy-Doozy
For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Best of 50 Best with Emma Sleight Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

What does it take to be one of the 50 Best bars? And what does “Best” mean anyway? Emma Sleight from 50 Best sits down with Greg and Sother to discuss how a bar makes the list, whether she’s still impressed with hospitality and what role these kinds of lists play in the hospitality industry at large.

PLUS, a line of 20% spirits has hit the market. Is this just fad-chasing or something real? Greg and Sother discuss this latest move by Diageo.

Follow The 50 Best Bars at @the50bars

LINKS

Become a Regular
Follow The 50: the50.com
For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Book and a Library with Brett Adams Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Brett Adams just finished writing his second book. Good thing he had a lot of time since his day job is curating a bar with thousands of different bottles. Brett, author of “Raising the Bar” and “The Bartender’s Library” sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about his work as Spirits Curator and Education Manager at the Multnomah Whiskey Library, why he wanted to write such an in-the-weeds book after a much more stripped down debut, and what bottles he would take with him at the end of the world. Want to hear what goes into a $7,000 dram of Japanese Whiskey? Brett has your answers.

PLUS, cocktail names are getting simpler. By a lot. Greg and Sother unpack this latest iteration of the minimalist trend and whether or not it might be an overcorrection.

Follow Multnomah at @multnomahwhiskeylibrary

Follow Brett at @your.daily.brett

LINKS

Become a Regular
Preorder Brett’s Book
For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Most Sustainable Bar This Side o' the Mississippi with Fred Beebe Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

“Sustainable” and “Farm-to-Table” sound good on a business plan, in a press hit and on social media. But what does it actually mean for a bar to be sustainable? Fred Beebe has taken one approach, and focuses on sourcing almost everything at Post Haste in Philadelphia from east of the Mississippi. Fred sits down with Greg and Sother to unpack his decision to source most of the ingredients he uses from somewhere you can drive to in under 18 hours, what that means in terms of common bar ingredients (like lemons and limes) and what it’s like to open a Philly bar as a native New Yorker.

PLUS, can I get that in a man’s glass? Greg and Sother unpack a patriarchal trend that’s once again rearing its ugly head, and how that relates to the future of unreasonable hospitality (as seen on “The Bear”!)

Follow Post Haste at @posthastephilly

LINKS

Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
Bon Appetit’s piece on the end of unreasonable hospitality: bonappetit.com/story/will-guidara-unreasonable-hospitality-criticism
For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Re: Mixers with David Vogel Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Mixers have to fight an uphill battle to make an impression. They’re not as sexy as whiskey or gin, and if you’re starting a new company one question inevitably comes up: Does the world really need another tonic water? Fortunately David Vogel, the Founder & CEO of Badger Bevs has the answers. He sits down to talk about breaking into the business, the R&D required to get the quinine and citrus in his tonic just right, and how working for a pet food company gave him a secret edge in supply chain management

PLUS, new bobbleheads just dropped, and Greg and Sother take a moment to reflect on one of their favorite regional traditions: the beloved local beer of, let’s say less than stellar quality.

Follow Badger Bevs at @badger bevs

LINKS

Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Tree of Life with Damola Timeyin Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

When Damola Timeyin co-founded Bayab Gin he set out to “put Africa on the world’s back bar.” Greg and Sother chat with Damola about what that entails, how his company is aiming to avoid the mistakes of colonialism, and what that means the gin in the bottle actually tastes like. Spoiler, one of his four gin expressions is absolutely bursting with pineapple flavor.

PLUS, a beer heist and a new, slightly less simple way to make simple syrup. It’s news you can use!

Follow Bayab at @bayabgin

LINKS

Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
Read Damola’s substack: theafricanflavourmanifesto.substack.com
For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nod in the Direction of Barcelona with Raj Nallapothola & Àlex Cardona Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

What does it take to get consumers to try Vermouth straight? Not in a Negroni, or a Manhattan or a Martini, but by itself? And would it be any easier if you told them hey, that’s the way they drink it in Barcelona? Raj Nallapothola and Àlex Cardona, the co-founders of LAIE Vermouth join Greg and Sother for the first show of their fall season to discuss the native Catalan ingredients that make this bottle taste like home, why you should really just try vermouth by itself, and why putting it in a cocktail “ruins it.”

PLUS, Greg and Sother catch up on the industry news from their time off the air, including AI in promotional posters and whether or not anyone is impressed with your guest shift.

Follow LAIE at @laievermouth

Follow Àlex at @aborigens

Follow Raj at @rajnallapothola

LINKS

Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
Learn more about Luxardo at luxardousa.com
Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.