The Speakeasy

Latest Episodes:

We All Need Space Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

Where have all the lesbian bars gone? Greg sits down with Erica Rose, co-founder and co-director of the Lesbian Bar Project, to talk about the dwindling number of these spaces, and what they represent in the first place. The conversation ranges from New York to DC to Berlin to Mobile, Alabama, as they talk about the need for these spaces in the service industry and the queer community, as well as what some folks are doing to save them. Plus, New York’s beloved haze is back, and just in time for the Fourth of July. Stay tuned to find out how much of it wound up in Greg’s lungs this week!

Photo courtesy of Jackie Abbott.

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🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business.

Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

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In Good Taste Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

Ever wondered why certain smells make you think of different flavors? How certain colors and even music affect flavors? Or whether Dijon mustard would be good in a brownie? Mandy Naglich, author of How To Taste joins Greg and Sother to discuss the science of tasting on a chemical, biological, cultural, and competitive level. You’ll have a newfound appreciation for all the hard work your tongue does after this. Plus, it’s the first day of summer in NYC! Greg and Sother talk about upcoming warm weather travel, including an upcoming trip to New Orleans. Stay tuned!

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Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

One Drink Hill Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

John deBary, author of “Drink What You Want” and the upcoming “Saved by the Bellini” sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about, what else? The 90s. Bucket hats, low rise jeans, Melrose Place and how all those relate to fun tasty cocktails abound in this episode. Plus, they talk about two things that have proven surprisingly tricky when it comes to the world of cocktails - taking care of yourself and having fun. Alternatively goofy and serious, this is one chat that pairs well with nostalgia and an old boyband cassette.

Photo credit Aaron Robin (@someonesproblem)

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Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

Be Proud Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

It’s Pride Month and Greg and Damon are joined by Chris Cabrera, longtime industry advocate and LGBTQ+ activist. In a year where Pride feels different from previous ones, the guys discuss what it means to be an ally, what to make of this current moment where civil rights are backsliding, and how the bar community, as a longtime home for queer folks, can continue to offer comfort and space to regroup and fight back. And on Bottled in Bond, Greg and Chris talk about corporate responsibility and rainbow washing, and how big brands can do better and doing right. If you want to check out more of what Chris is doing and see how you can get involved, check out anotherroundanotherrally.org/

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Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

Good To-Go Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

Summer is here in NYC and that means boomerangs, nutcrackers at the beach, and sneaky lil flasks and pouches bearing gifts for friends, family, and maybe just yourself. So of course it’s perfect timing for the band to sit down with Spank & News, the duo behind Trap Kitchen (f/Maxwell Britten) to talk about their new book Trap Kitchen III: The Art of Street Cocktails. To-Go cocktails had a real renaissance a few summers ago (for some reason) and now we’ve a handsome book talking about where they came from, what they look like, and how you too can sip in style with a simple trip to the bodega. And your local liquor store.

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Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

Health, Care May 24, 2023

Show notes

In a jam-packed episode of The Speakeasy, Sother and Greg sit down with Deborah Brenner and Aaron Gregory Smith to talk about their new joint venture between Women of the Vine & Spirits and the USBG. Their mission? Provide support - not just healthcare but honest-to-god resources and support and actual human beings - for bartenders everywhere, whenever it’s needed. How they pulled it off was no easy feat but getting involved is; check out wotvsfoundation.org

Plus, Greg’s been tempting fate and getting chatbots to design cocktails for him. Is his palate still better than a robot, or is he putting himself out of a job? Find out at tiktok.com/@100_proofgreg

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Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

Yes Please! May 18, 2023

Show notes

Fresh off of scoring Number One on North America’s 50 Best bars, Faye Chen and GN Chan sit down with the band to talk about their still young and already award winning SoHo bar Double Chicken Please. A combination watering hole and design studio, GN and Faye talk about DCP’s approach to breaking cocktails and dishes down and then building them up again and building a community around a staff that brings six different languages to the table. Plus, Damon’s on the road again. Listen to where he’s been and what everyone else got up to on spring break by tuning in now.

Photo courtesy of Emmanuel Rosario.

Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

Fifty Best Wishes! Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

The band’s all here! Damon’s back after someone finally made an honest man out of him! And just in time to sit down with Mark Sansom of World’s 50 Best Bars to talk the origins of the list, how it’s put together, the big big task of ranking the 50 best of anything in the first place, and what they’ve got cooking in the next few months (and weeks!) Highlights include the first time the ceremony has ever taken place in Asia, an imminent awards show in Mexico, and the challenge of getting hundreds of Nick & Nora glasses into a city that only has a couple dozen. How did they do it?? Tune in to find out!

Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

Mountain Due Diligence Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

Aaron Polsky, founder of the original alcoholic RTD brand Livewire sits down with Greg and Sother to talk entrepreneurship, the weird things you find yourself doing sometimes when you make drinks for a living, and a certain turf war with a little company called Pepsi. Plus Damon is getting married and Greg became the oldest person on TikTok earlier this month. Tune in to find out what he’s up to.

Photo Courtesy of Rick Rodney.

Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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

An Exchange of Ideas Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

Rum! We Love Rum! I mean, uh, Dawn Davies of the Whisky Exchange sits down with the band to talk about all manner of things, rum being very much one of them. Guilty pleasures, flavor inflation, working for a department store, and the underrated holiday of Mitchmas all get their time on air so tune in. Plus, Sother’s back! Hear about what he’s been up to and if you guessed the correct number of bars he’s opened in our sweepstakes.

Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

The Speakeasy is Powered by Simplecast.

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