The Speakeasy

Latest Episodes:

Stay Cool Everybody! Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

The Speakeasy is off this week BUT we have a special announcement. This show is an official media partner of Tales of the Cocktail 2026. Tune in for live updates from the festival and in the meantime enjoy this classic episode from Club Bardo in Savannah, Georgia.

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.

A Kinda Nice Kinda Day Off with Patty Dennison & Ally Marrone Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

What’s harder than building out and opening a new cocktail bar in Williamsburg Brooklyn? Building out and opening a new dance floor underneath the bar you just opened. That’s the task Patty Dennison & Ally Marrone set for themselves when they opened up Kinda Nice and Shenanigans earlier this year and in the next few months respectively. They sit down and talk about the buildout, what makes their partnership special and unique, and why they think the high/dive concept in bars has captured so many hearts and minds (and awards) over the last few years.

PLUS, does it seem like those touchscreen soda machines are everywhere these days? Greg does a shallow deep dive into the history and mechanics of the coca-cola freestyle machine, including how they might be introducing dairy next, and how the answer to “are these things mining my data?” is exactly what you’d expect.

Follow Kinda Nice at @kindanicebk

Follow Ally at @alpal_625

Follow Patty at @pineapple_patt

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 Champagne of Sparkling Wines with Justin Meade Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

How do you innovate in a world built on luxury and tradition? Justin Meade sits down to talk about how Maison Telmont is innovating to make sustainable champagne. That includes shipping their bottles only by sail power, redesigning the glass and the shape of the bottle itself to be lighter, and partnering with organizations like SailGP and the Billion Oyster Project to reduce their carbon footprint while still making great bubbles. Incidentally, the whole thing takes on kind of a nautical theme, which is a bonus.

PLUS, Knicks in Five! Sports are heating up across the country but what does that mean for bars and liquor stores. Some people are betting big, but whether the fans show up remains to be seen.

Follow Maison Telmont at @champagnetelmont

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.

Twenty Years of Imbibing with Paul Clarke Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

The first issue of Imbibe Magazine hit store shelves twenty years ago in 2006. It was a fascinating time to be a drinks magazine because drinks – and magazines – have changed A LOT since then. Paul Clarke, Imbibe’s Editor in Chief sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about the last twenty years in the drinks publication’s history: from its Y2K roots to the heady days of the cocktail revolution in the 2010s to the bad situations we’ve all had to make the best of in 2020 and beyond. Paul gets into what has and hasn’t changed, what modern drinkers want in a cocktail program, and how it’s always important to make sure you’re serving your readers… and your listeners first.

PLUS, Greg went to Canada and guess what’s in full swing up there? It begins with “summer” and ends with “sherry.”

Follow Imbibe at @imbibe

Follow Paul at @cocktailchron

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 Imperfectionists with Matthew Maddy and Milos Zica Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

How does a cocktail menu affect the layout of a bar? How does the floorplan inform your martini spec? These are questions that Matthew Maddy and Milos Zica, the Desinger and Beverage Manager of Williamsburg’s Bar Susanne have been puzzling out. They sit down to talk about designing a bar program almost from scratch, how you build a vibe and feel to a place, their love of raw bars, martinis and seafood towers, and how exactly one becomes a bar designer in the first place.

PLUS, the robot bartenders are here and Greg is… unimpressed. Hear about the latest “tech” from Minneapolis/St. Paul airport as we kick off the Summer of Sherry! For real this time.

Follow Bar Susanne at @barsusannenyc

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.

Consorting with Consultants with Bobby Carey and Tom Hogan May 29, 2026

Show notes

Ever wondered what bar consultants do, and specifically what they do if they’re asked to build a bar inside of a 140 year old Singaporean national monument? Bobby Carey and Tom Hogan of Studio Ryecroft are here to answer that question and more, as they discuss their approach to realizing a high concept venue, building out luxury hotel bars, night clubs and the occasional Irish Pub, and the challenges and joys of working on projects across Southeast Asia

PLUS does washing a cocktail with Fruity Pebbles milk actually… do anything? Sother and Greg weigh in on a trend that may have jumped the milk-washed shark.

Follow Studio Ryecroft on Instagram at @studio.ryecroft

Follow Bobby at @runbobbyc

Follow Tom at @thetomhogan

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.

Tropical Scotch with Stewart Walker May 22, 2026

Show notes

The Scottish Highlands are many things, but “tropical” isn’t usually listed as one of them. However, Stewart Walker, distillery manager of Fettercairn Whisky talks about how they’ve found a way to get passionfruit, pineapple, and other notes more commonly associated with tiki cocktails into their Scotch. Stewart talks with Greg and Sother about Fettercairn’s long history in the highlands, their storied past as makers of blended scotch before they delved into single malts, the unique cooling ring technique that gives them their tropical house style and their advanced age statements, including a 40 year-old scotch whisky that your hosts are lucky enough to try.

PLUS, French citizens consumed more beer than wine recently for the first time in recorded history. Greg and Sother break down what that means and if it has anything to do with the recent resurgence of pregaming in the United States.

Follow Fettercairn on Instagram at @fettercairnwhisky

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.

A Sotol Difference with Aaron Dujovne May 15, 2026

Show notes

Sotol is not an agave product, but it often gets marketed that way to consumers, posing a conundrum for the folks that make it. Aaron Dujovne, Co-Founder of Casa Lotos Sotol sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about differentiating his product from agave spirits, what makes a desert spoon plant unique, how you market sotol to today’s consumer and how the heck this stuff is distilled anyway

PLUS, is Alamo Drafthouse enshittifying? Greg breaks down a recent experience and discusses whether ordering off a screen is the death knell of customer service.

Follow Casa Lotos on Instagram at @casalotos

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.

Long Beach's Secret Japanese Speakeasy with Kevin Lee May 08, 2026

Show notes

At the end of an alleyway, behind a burrito shop, on a relatively unassuming street in Long Beach is one of the newest Tokyo style speakeasies outside of Japan. Kevin Lee, lead bartender of Tokyo Noir sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about the impact of classics on modern bar programs, how to make a high concept cocktail bar accessible to the general public, and what exactly a Tokyo style food and beverage program looks like in the first place… and how to build one from the ground up.

PLUS, Attaboy unionized. Greg and Sother break down the momentous news out of one of New York City’s premiere craft cocktail bars and what it could mean for the rest of the city, and the service industry at large..

Follow Kevin on instagram at @kevinbyunghun

Follow Tokyo Noir at @tokyo.noir.bar

LINKS

Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
Read Vinepair’s article on Attaboy’s Union: vinepair.com/booze-news/attaboy-employees-nyc-vote-to-unionize/
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.

Night at The Museum with Misha Chavez & Bobbi Adler May 01, 2026

Show notes

A Natural History Museum-themed cocktail bar is coming to Bushwick and Greg couldn’t be more thrilled. Misha Chavez and Bobbi Adler join the show to talk about their new concept, discuss the “permanent exhibits” that will adorn their menu, (as well as the special exhibits) and break down all the diverse and wonderful ways they draw inspiration from the natural world. From crystals to zombies to tarantulas that keep tiny frogs as pets, they’re doing their best to create a third space that’s fun and inspiring.

PLUS, a lot of news happened during spring break. Tune in to hear the rundown of the Pernod Ricard/Brown Forman merger that wasn’t, how home distilling was legalized, and the thrilling arrest of the founder of SantaCon found himself behind bars.

AND Sother’s doing an event with Sandwiches of History and Garrett Oliver to benefit Brooklyn Org. Wednesday, May 6th at 6pm at Brooklyn Brewery.

Follow The Museum on instagram at @themuseumnyc

LINKS

Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
Support the Salt Cure Fund at thesaltcurefund.org
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.

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