The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

In this wide-ranging conversation with World’s 50 Best Content Director Mark Sansom, some of the topics we discuss include:

• The myriad ways in which entire segments of the hospitality industry have bounced back from the COVID crisis, as well as the talent- and capital-related symptoms and side-effects that linger on to this day.

• The return of international travel, which dovetails with the launch of The World’s 50 Best Hotels. We dig into specifically how Mark’s organization vets and reviews these venues and what it means to stay at a truly world-class hotel.

• As a sidecar, we also examine the historical and contemporary roles of hotel bars and restaurants - not merely as providing the “board” to the hotel’s “room,” but as engines of profit and innovation that can truly shine with proper investment and human resources.

• All of this, of course, leads us to the question of hospitality in a post-COVID world: what does it mean? And how are the best establishments pushing the envelope. We use the case study of Botanist Bar in Vancouver - winner of this year’s Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award - to illustrate how real hospitality can be an act of natural and cultural ambassadorship.

• Punctuated throughout this chat are the usual tangents that educate and delight, including how Mark tracks the movements of bartenders and beverage directors across time and space, how to think of dehydrators, centrifuges, and rotavaps as “bar infrastructure,” what traditional Thai dish has Mark and me incredibly hot and bothered, 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.

In this frosty deep dive with cocktail scholar and author Camper English, some of the topics we discuss include:

• The story of Camper’s initial tumble down the ice rabbit hole, originating at the legendary New York bar, Milk & Honey, and resulting in a whole slew of at home experiments designed to test the thermodynamics and ergonomics of freezing water.

• The theory and methods behind “directional freezing,” and why Camper insists that you can make clear ice using pretty much any set of tools if you just understand what makes this approach work.

• What we can learn from the way that lakes freeze over in winter, including the structure of crystal lattices and the impact of freezing speed on trapped air bubbles and ice clarity. 

• Then, of course, we dig into some of the techniques and projects from The Ice Book, including: ice tempering and shaping, colored ice, patterned ice, and freezing objects and garnishes INSIDE of ice cubes.

• Along the way, we cover the exothermic implications of adding water to alcohol, a practical take on ice aesthetics, why your freezer is set way too damn cold, and much, much more.

Let’s face it. Being the kind of person who can produce perfectly clear ice is a sign that you have mastered two of the most challenging natural elements: water and temperature - you know, things that have literally shaped the course of human civilization. But beyond that, a clear ice cube in a glass, whether it’s perfectly cuboid or spherical or rough hewn like a crystal wrested from the earth, is a signal that you’re consuming something special. It, like a prism, has the potential to focus and magnify certain ineffable aspects of the experience, and I simply don’t think you’d see the world’s best bar programs emphasizing it if that wasn’t the case.

So if you’re ready to take the leap and start churning out cocktail ice that will drop jaws and elicit delight from your family and friends, be sure to pre-order your copy of The Ice Book today so that it ships as soon as it’s released in just about a month’s time on May 23rd. 

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.

In this Mesquited, not Peated conversation with Whiskey Del Bac Head Distiller Mark Vierthaler, some of the topics we discuss include:

• What it takes for a spirit to be called an “American Single Malt Whiskey,” a term that is currently self-administered by the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, but that’s on track for nationwide federal approval and regulation by the TTB.
• A brief romp through some of the controversies still yet to be resolved regarding the mandatory or prohibited use of certain barrels and finishing techniques.
• The story of Whiskey Del Bac - from esoteric Southwest-inspired furniture, to calibrating against an iconic Scotch brand, to releasing some of the most innovative and distinct American Single Malt offerings on today’s market.
• Mark also walks us through some of the most important process-related decisions he and his team manage, including precise malt smoking, narrow cuts to accommodate small-format barrels, and the ever-crucial question of aging in the desert, where temperatures fluctuate aggressively.
• We wrap up by featuring the offerings in Whiskey Del Bac’s Global Cask Collection, including their Frontera, Normandy, and Ode to Islay annual bottlings.
• Along the way, we pen a love letter to the humble javelina, reenact one of the worst drams Eric ever ordered at a bar, try our hand at designing the ultimate distillery cat, 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.

In this complex, yet surprisingly potent conversation with Brandon and Kim Grilc of The Kazan Room in Kobe Japan, some of the topics we discuss include:

• How this husband and wife duo cultivated their passion for Tiki at one of America’s most celebrated tropical drinks bars, inspiring them to open their own tropical drinks concept in Japan, where they now live.

• What it means to be a “Tiki Snob” or purist, and why Tiki culture is constantly evolving like a living organism.

• The ins and outs of Tiki menu design, including cocktail origins and attributions, glassware and garnish art, and the ever-important indicator scale of drink potency.

• Some of the cultural and logistical differences and opportunities that distinguish opening a bar in Japan vs. here in the United States.

• And how to plan your next trip to the Japanese “Kansai” region and the city of Kobe, where the Kazan Room resides alongside pampered cows, roaring surf, and picturesque mountains.

• Along the way, we cover why it’s hard to quantify a “vibe,” tips for designing the perfect magical Aloha shirt, why three rums are sometimes better than one, and much, much more.

For those of you who would like to get updates on everything that’s going on at The Kazan Room, you can follow them on Instagram @thekazanroom and be sure to pull them up on your favorite maps app when you’re planning your visit.

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.

In this deep dive on the biochemistry and genetics of mint with Abby Bryson and Dr. Björn Hamberger of the Michigan State University Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, some of the topics we discuss include:

• Why mint and other members of the Lamiacea family have been able to evolve in such a diverse array of ecological niches, infusing their flavors and health benefits into the ethnobotanical cultures of people around the world.

• The reason why mint smells even more amazing when you “activate” it, and what these chemical “signals” might indicate in the “universal language of small molecules.”

• We also cover an important class of compounds called “terpenes,” which have become all the rage in certain beverage and cannabis communities recently, but that might also hold the key to certain health benefits.

• Then, we explore Abby’s fascinating research using computational genetics to identify important biosynthetic gene clusters in various mint species.

• And we conclude by peering into what the future might hold for this area of study, including the use of yeast to naturally synthesize flavors and medicines without harming these beautiful plants in the wild.

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.

In this lively chat with David T. Smith, spirits judge, consultant, and author of Gin Tonica, some of the topics we discuss include:

• A history of the Gin & Tonic cocktail, which turns out to be a bit more punk and DIY than it’s often played up to be, as well as a bit more recent than we like to romanticize.

• The ways in which cultural differences in the US and the UK, like the widespread adoption of ice and the proximity to fresh citrus, worked to generate strikingly different conceptions of what we imagine as a “classic” gin & tonic.

• Then, of course, we explore how a few chefs in the Basque region of Spain took this drink into the kitchen in the last 20 years and completely transformed the way the cocktail can look, feel, and taste.

• We also take a moment to zoom out - as we gin nerds like to do - and examine some of the current trends in the gin world, both here in the US, and elsewhere in the world, such as the strategic deployment of local botanicals and the targeted deployment of distillate base AS a botanical.

• Along the way, we answer pressing questions like: why does David know what blood plasma tastes like?, is that a lego piece in your mixing glass?, did you just let Chat GPT write your tasting notes for you?, 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.

In this fascinating conversation with food scientist, distiller, and tamer of yeast, Faye Johnson, some of the topics we cover include:

• How Faye’s childhood exposure to fermented foods and her formal experience testing foods for harmful microorganisms led her to hop-scotch her way through the worlds of cake decorating, cheese making, brewing, and distilling.

• What it’s like to receive samples bearing live, native yeasts in the mail and then test those samples for viable applications in the brewing and distilling world as part of Bootleg Biology’s “Local Yeast Project.”

• How she used her expertise to save a Mid-West brewery from dreaded “flavor drift” by locating and scientifically isolating the precise yeast strain that made their product famous in the first place.

• And what it’s like to compete on a national stage as a contestant on a recent episode of Moonshiners Master Distiller.

• Along the way, we cover how to come to terms with any fears you might have about microorganisms, the ways in which microbial communities working together are like a crowd cheering at a concert, what to do if Faye calls you, “toffee honey biscuit,” 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.

Eric and Ethan review 3 bottles that are each new and noteworthy in their own very unique ways. The bottles in question are:

• Wonderbird Spirits Gin No. 61 (45% ABV)
• Tears of Llorona Extra Anejo Tequila (43% ABV)
• Oak & Eden Wheat & Honey Bourbon (45% ABV)

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.

In this conversation with drinks entrepreneur and educator Ryan Chetiyawardana, some of the topics we discuss include:

• The origin story of the name “Mr. Lyan” and how Ryan’s family relationships with movers and shakers in the design and fashion world influenced the wide scope and inclusive lens of his bar projects.
• Ryan’s framework for creativity and drink creation, which incorporates input at all levels of the bar team and thrives on the diversity of experience and passion of bar managers, bartenders, and even barbacks. 
• How the question of privilege in the cocktail world has led Ryan to explore everything from eliminating ice from his bar program, to using the “less desirable” cuts of citrus, to exploring the role of sea level rise in a recent bar menu.
• We also explore how he thinks about cocktail education, including his recent cocktail Masterclass with Lynette Marrero and the one key teaching about balance that might just cause you to rethink the way you approach drink design.
• Along the way, we gloss over a few other boring little details, like how to use moon rocks as gin botanicals, the decimal point that launched a thousand spinach enterprises, where to grab a drink with David Bowie in London, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In this truly wide-ranging conversation with bartender, spirits maker, and entrepreneur Robby Haynes, creator of the Sunday's Finest Golf Fashioned, some of the topics we discuss include:

• Robby’s rise through the service industry ranks, beginning as a valet standing out in the cold on Chicago winter nights, then eventually manning bars like the legendary Violet Hour.
• What he learned about making cocktails - from carving ice in hotel pans on his first night as a barback to the ways in which mixing a cocktail is like mixing and mastering a record in a recording studio.
• We also chat about his first spirits project: Apologue Liqueurs, which continues to capture rare and often savory flavors like celery root and aronia berry so that professional and home bartenders can jazz up their favorite cocktails.
• Then, of course, we sample and discuss the $150 Sunday’s Finest Gold Fashioned, a product that can be said to truly DEFINE the luxury bottled cocktail category. Robby and I talk about what that means, how it was created, and how to think about a $150 bottle spend, relative to the other costs associated with a night out at your favorite cocktail bar.
• Along the way, we touch on what it means to “nail the center” of a cocktail, how bartenders learn their bar guests’ “love languages,” why you might want to start thinking about cocktails as a “spa experience,” 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.