The Speakeasy

On the first episode of 2018, Damon is joined in studio by John Tebeau, a Brooklyn writer, artist, and bartender. He began a series of bar illustrations in 2013 out of an appreciation of architecture and community gathering places, later reporting on and writing about what made those bars special. Tebeau also works as a bartender at one of New York’s great neighborhood bars, Fort Defiance in Red Hook, Brooklyn. His new book, Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, is due out in March. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the season finale, Damon and Sother welcome back Allen Katz from the New York Distilling Company, who last appeared on The Speakeasy six years ago. Allen is one of the nation’s leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails. He is the Director of the Spirits Education & Mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York and is at the forefront of industry training in New York and around the country. And today, he brought some rye with him. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Damon and Sother welcome Italian spirits expert Giuseppe Gallo, creator of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto. Made at a family-owned distillery in Moncalieri, Torino, Italicus is a blend of bergamot peel, Cedro lemons, chamomile, lavender, gentian, yellow roses, and Melissa balm. Tune in as they sample this expression of the "original aperitivo." The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show, Damon and Sother are joined by Bianca Miraglia of Uncouth Vermouth, who may or may not be wearing a shirt – the magic of radio! Tune in to hear them talk about how vermouth is in fact wine, why you shouldn't fear blue (or pink) drinks, and more! The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Micah Melton was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa and began his studies in computer science before finding his calling in the culinary arts. While attending Culinary Arts school he began working in bars to pay the bills and fell in love with the beverage side of the industry. Micah was part of the opening team that envisioned and created the opening menu at the Aviary. He studied and trained in the kitchen at Alinea restaurant for the opening of the new bar concept. His role at the time of opening was the 'ice chef' -- probably the only one in the world -- charged with creating over 30 types of ice for the bar program. The program now boosts an impressive 39 varieties of ice. Micah currently serves as Beverage Director of the Alinea Group and is in charge of the cocktail, non-alcoholic, beer, and spirits menus at The Aviary & the Office Chicago, The Aviary & the Office NYC, Next Restaurant, Roister and Alinea. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author, musician, world-traveller, and professor of whiskey—Bernie Lubbers travelled the road for 20 years performing comedy before getting into the bourbon business. Originally hired by Jim Beam to promote their Knob Creek brand, Bernie took it upon himself to delve into the rich history and heritage of American Whiskey and the whiskey men and women who forged that legacy, and along that way earned the title of The Whiskey Professor and was awarded Whiskey Ambassador of the Year by Whiskey Magazine’s Icons of Whiskey Awards. Mixing his talents for music and comedy with his passion for America’s “native spirit”, Bernie today holds the position as The American Whiskey Ambassador for the largest single-site whiskey distiller in the world—Heaven Hill—where, among many things, he has championed bottled in bond spirits, helping to preserve, promote, and revitalize the category. His book, Bourbon Whiskey: Our Native Spirit is available wherever boozy books are sold. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reunited and it feels so good! Damon and Sother are back together again, and this week on The Speakeasy they're joined by Shanna Farrell, an interviewer at UC Berkeley's Oral History Center, where she does many things but specializes in contemporary cocktail culture. She is the author of the new book is Bay Area Cocktails, and the co-host of The Prix Fixe, a new podcast about the intersection of food and drink. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon is back! He and Sother are joined in the studio by Claire Bertin-Lang, the founder and president of CBL Liquid Consulting. Claire has over a decade's worth of experience in the hospitality industry, with a focus on spirits and food & wine events. A native New Yorker, she began tending bar at one of the city's classic dives at the age of 19. After college, she worked both on the brand side and for agencies executing major projects, beverage programs, and trade and consumer events. Claire started her own company, CBL Liquid Consulting, in 2011. In addition to working with The Cooper Spirits Co. and House Spirits Distillery on consumer and trade events, she serves as the Beverage Director for Eat Drink SF and runs all Mixology for the StarChefs.com International Chef’s Congress. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on The Speakeasy, Sother is taking the reins again, and is joined in studio by acclaimed barman Jim Meehan, whose new book Meehan's Bartender Manual is a magnum opus of mixology. Meehan is best known for his pioneering work at PDT in New York's East Village. Though he now lives in Portland, Oregon, Meehan recently opened a new bar called Prairie School in Chicago’s Fulton Market. Also sitting in is Cory Bonfiglio of Beer Street. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on The Speakeasy, Sother is flying solo in the host chair. He's joined in studio by John Little, CEO and master distiller of Smooth Ambler Spirits, and Antonia Fattizzi, founder and president of Cork and Tin, a strategic partner for emerging beverage alcohol brands. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.