The Speakeasy

Booker & Dax is like a mad scientists lab… just with more booze. On today’s episode of The Speakeasy, hang out with Damon Boelte as he chats with bartender at Booker & Dax, Tristan Willey. Hear how he got into this scientific style of bartending and why the tools used at Booker & Dax are not at all for show. Hot drinks, savory cocktails and crazy infusions are all part of the formula at Booker & Dax – and if you weren’t craving a cocktail before this show, you will be by the end of it. Tune in and get the low down on the trendsetting and high quality ways of Booker & Dax. This program was sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons. Music provided courtesy of Knifeshow. “The ideas of tools we use [at Booker & Dax] are basic – though the equipment is complicated can cause advanced issues. The way we view it as as simple as can be – we’re not pulling anything that’s exotic or foreign – it’s just a cleaner way to get to an end result.” [05:00] “I would never make a daiquiri with clarified lime juice. There’s a time and place for clarifications.” [13:00] –Tristan Willey of Booker & Dax on The SpeakeasySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Giuseppe Gonzalez joins Damon Boelte for a raunchy, raw and real episode of The Speakeasy. Giuseppe was the head bartender at Julie Reiner’s well-known Flatiron Lounge and her more recent Brooklyn endeavor, Clover Club. Gonzalez also worked as lead barman at Sasha Petraske’s project in Long Island City, Dutch Kills, where he mixed classically-based cocktails in 19th century saloon-style digs. Since then, he’s opened Painkiller, one of the best tiki bars in the country, and plans on opening Golden Cadillac in the East Village soon. Tune in for some honest insights into what it takes to open a bar in New York City and listen in for a special studio bomb from Steve Schneider. This program was sponsored by Roberta’s “My dream bar is a shitty bar. It’s a bar that was made by people without contractors, architects or designers.” [07:00] “You should not be invested in what a guest drinks. You should not care. There should be a certain degree of creativity and ownership – but long story short – if somebody wants a vodka soda and bitters don’t try to sell them an Old Fashioned. What people drink is personal and what they need at the time.” [18:00] –Giuseppe Gonzalez on The SpeakeasySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick Jarrett is calling in to The Speakeasy all the way from sunny New Orleans! Damon checks in with Nick and talks shop about cocktails in NOLA, the Big Easy mentality, dive bars and beyond. Find out how they make a real Sazerac in New Orleans and why the drinking culture is so alive. Nick talks about some of his favorite rye whiskeys, house cocktails and day drinking routines. Find out why the drinks seem so sweet down south and what Nick has planned for St. Patrick’s Day! This program was sponsored by Fairway Market. “Drinks feels a bit sweeter in New Orleans – I even find myself here with the hot weather preferring something sweeter with more body to it.” [07:30] –Nick Jarrett on The SpeakeasySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the first time, Damon Boelte is talking BEER on The Speakeasy. Tune in as he’s joined by Tristan Colegrove for a conversation about session beers, beer cocktails and other interesting things happening in the world of brews. What’s the perfect ABV for a session beer? What does the future hold for beer cocktails? Get ahead of the curve and listen in for a very insightful conversation on the future of beer culture in America. This program was sponsored by The International Culinary Center. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nico DeSoto, bar manager at Experimental Cocktail Club with global bartending experience, blends culinary technique with cocktail craft. He discusses South American ingredients, small all-creation menus, flash infusions, carbonation, rotovaps, clarified milk punches, and nontraditional glassware. Short sentences highlight travel influence, modern techniques, and the balance of creativity and busy service.

What goes into opening a distillery? From troubleshooting boilers to priming pumps, Bridget Firtle has gotten a lot of training she never expected to while opening “The Noble Experiment”, a distillery in NYC. On this week’s episode of The Speakeasy, Damon Boelte chats with Bridget about opening a distillery, making rum and making moves in the craft spirits industry. If things like sourcing molasses and Island rum variations interest you, then you’ve found the right show to listen to. Today’s program was sponsored by Catskill Provisions “Whiskey is known as the American spirit, but one of the first distilleries in the country was a rum distillery in Staten Island.” [20:00] –Bridget Firtle on The SpeakeasySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Who’s in the mood for whiskey? Tune into the Speakeasy and hear from “master blender” Nicole Austin from Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn. Find out how the small distillery has evolved over the past few years, and learn what exactly a master blender does. Learn about corn whiskey and what makes it different than other spirits and why when it comes to barels size does matter. Small barel distillation is a trickier task, but it makes for some absolutely delicious product. Learn all about small batch whisky on a boozy episode of The Speakeasy. This program was sponsored by Greenhouse Tavern. “I have every intention of sticking with small barels. I’m not trying to out-Jim Bean Jim Bean.” [09:00] “Designing a still is the wheelhouse of chemical engineering.” [18:00] –Nicole Austin of Kings County Distillery on The SpeakeasySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Damon Boelte is back and so is The Speakeasy! On the first episode of 2013, Damon is hanging out with friend and fellow bartender J Rosser Lomax, of a brand new NYC bar called “The Third Man”. Tune in and hear them talk shop and defend the integrity of Platinum Buds. How do restrictions help bar programs? How can bartenders make bitter classic drinks accessible to all? Hear about all of the crazy concoctions J Rosser Lomax has come up with, including Champagne-backs and tons of other crazy ideas. As always, aspiring bartenders and drink enthusiasts will have plenty to walk away with from this one. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch “Creativity and restrictions like each other much more than people think.” 07:00 “America created the cocktail because we were making really bootleg whiskey and had to do something with it.” 12:00 –J Rosser Lomax of The Third Man on The SpeakeasySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s The Speakeasy Cripple Creek Holiday Spectacular!!! By that, we mean Damon Boelte, Aaron Polsky and Mike O’Rourke are hanging out, drinking bourbon and talking shop. Cripple Creek is a pop up bar by Damon & Aaron’s – it’s their vision of the marriage between rock concert and cocktail bar. The menu looks like a set list, the drinks come in plastic cups and the music is loud. Make no mistake, we’re talking about the high-end forward thinking cocktails that these guys are known for. Re-imagine classy drinks on another raucous episode of The Speakeasy. This program was sponsored by Roberta’s Pizza. “We’re rock n roll dudes – we wanted [Cripple Creek] to be more about the drinks and shared experiences with your frieds…getting drunk, having fun and getting sweaty.” [03:00] “As long as you have plumbing and ice you can do whatever you want.” [11:00] –Aaron Polsky on The SpeakeasySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, Damon Boelte is celebrating the 79th anniversary of the repeal of the 18th Amendment, and his two year anniversary on Heritage Radio Network! Joining Damon in the studio is Garret Richard, also of Prime Meats in Brooklyn, New York. Tune in to hear Damon and Garret talk about some Prohibition history, and how it affected to social landscape of cities like New York and Chicago. Later, Damon and Garret talk about modern faux-Speakeasy style bars, and how they helped to revive certain cocktail styles. How did soda fountains affect the evolution of tiki drinks? Learn about World War II’s influence on American bar culture! This episode has been sponsored by Roberta’s. “Any problem anyone had with American society, the Anti-Saloon League had an answer to, and it had to do with getting rid of alcohol.” [4:00] “During Prohibition, you didn’t have access to alcohol if you wanted to do illegal mixology projects, so I think soda fountains took that in a really unique and nice direction.” [21:00] — Garret Richard on The Speakeasy See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.