The Restaurant Guys The Jack Rose, Applejack, and America’s First Distilling Family | Lisa Laird
Why This Episode Matters
- Lisa Laird shares the story of America’s oldest distilling family and how Laird’s helped shape the history of Applejack in the United States.
- This conversation connects cocktails, New Jersey history, and the survival of a multi-generation family business through Prohibition, downturns, and the modern cocktail revival.
- Mark and Francis get deep into what makes a Jack Rose great, why ingredients matter, and how Applejack found its way back into serious cocktail culture.
- One of the most compelling parts of the episode is Lisa’s account of how her family bought the company back and preserved the legacy for future generations.
The Banter
Mark Pascal and Francis Schott open the show with an unexpectedly passionate tasting and review of Girl Scout cookies before turning to a far more adult subject: Applejack, cocktails, and New Jersey history.
The Conversation
Lisa Laird Dunn, ninth-generation owner of Laird & Company, joins the show to talk about the Jack Rose, the history of Applejack, and her family’s place in the story of American spirits. Along the way, she explains how the category rose, fell, and returned with the cocktail renaissance, and why products like Laird’s Bonded and Applejack 86 each have a distinct place behind the bar. The conversation becomes especially moving when Lisa shares how her family risked everything to buy the company back and keep it family owned.
Timestamps
- 0:00 – Banter: Girl Scout cookies, Tagalongs vs. Thin Mints, and a call for listener opinions
- 6:20 – Lisa Laird joins: The Jack Rose: origin stories, cocktail lore, and why this drink matters
- 13:40 – The dark years for Applejack, turning off the stills, and the return of classic cocktails
- 20:10 – The cocktail revival, distributor resistance, and how demand came roaring back
- 24:20 – The products and how their use has evolved over time
- 34:00 – Lisa’s family buys the company back: risk, legacy, and carrying Laird’s into the 10th generation
- 44:00 – What is means to “jack” a spirit
- 50:00 – How Laird’s survived Prohibition
- 53:30 – How Catherine Lombardi got booze for her wedding.
Guest Bio
Lisa Laird Dunn is the ninth-generation owner of Laird & Company, America’s oldest distilling family and the makers of Laird’s Applejack. She has helped preserve and grow one of New Jersey’s most historic spirits brands while carrying its legacy into the 10th generation.
Info
Laird & Company
https://www.lairdandcompany.com/
Subscribe: Restaurant Guys' Regular
https://restaurantguysregulars.buzzsprout.com/
Magyar Bank
Stage Left Wine Shop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Our Places
Stage Left Steak
https://www.stageleft.com/
Catherine Lombardi Restaurant
https://www.catherinelombardi.com/
Stage Left Wineshop
https://www.stageleftwineshop.com/
Reach Out to The Guys!
TheGuys@restaurantguyspodcast.com
Follow us on Instagram @restaurantguyspodcast