The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

In this fascinating deep dive on Japanese Whisky, past and present, some of the topics I discuss with Nicholas Pollacchi of Shibui Whisky include: The complicated history of Japanese whisky making, including the sharp left turn that makes this tradition diverge (and reconnect) surprisingly with other world whisky traditions. How Shibui is looking to help Japanese distillers and master blenders embrace a new, more collaborative mindset and source more compelling cooperage. Then, we embark upon an ambitious, 7-spirit tasting that spans Shibui’s Niigata and Okinawa collections, showcasing wheat, malt, and rice whiskies from some of Japan’s best artisan distillers. During this tasting, we cover the nuances of different grain bases and barrel finishes (including the legendary mizunara oak grown in Japan), as well as different ways to think about Japanese whisky in the greater world whisky landscape. Along the way, we discuss the difference between whisky and Okinowan Awamori, the effects of colonialism on the Japanese approach to distilled spirits, what to drink with legendary Scotch distiller William Grant, 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 examines the ways in which spirits can be identified as either "flawed" or "faulty." Some of the topics covered in this Bar Cart Foundations Episode include: The similarities and differences between spirits judging and other judged events (like dog shows) Why it helps to compare spirits by category and style in order to really amplify the good and bad attributes How to identify potentially dangerous faults in spirits that may be caused by ingredient sourcing, sanitation, or barrel contamination issues. How to spot less harmful (but still sub-optimal) spirits flaws and trace them back to a particular moment in the manufacturing process Why craft distillers are the most susceptible to producing flawed spirits, 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 gives you a few things to look out for during the second half of 2021, including Japanese spirits and cocktails, orchard-to-table drinks and garnishes, and a few surprises and teasers along the way.

In this eye-opening conversation and rum tasting with Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell, some of the topics we discuss include:   How Ian entered the rum world as a bartender, which led to several career transformations as a brand and category ambassador, then the creator of UK Rumfest, and now as one of the cofounders of a blossoming rum brand. The fascinating life of Olaudah Equiano, slave-turned-entrepreneur-turned-freedom-fighter-and-philanthropist. He, of course, is the namesake of Equiano rum and the inspiration for both its products and its philanthropic mission. How rum from the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean is blended with meticulously distilled and aged spirits from Barbados to create the unique flavor profile and multicultural DNA of Equiano’s flagship product and its brand new light rum, which I had the privilege of tasting before it even hit shelves here in the US. We discuss the impact of colonialism and geographic indications on today’s rum landscape We explore the exciting emergence of multi-style or multi-island rum blends, the difference between “nursing” and “doctoring” a drink, how Ian plans to convert Barack Obama into a rum drinker, and much, much more.

In this wide-ranging conversation with entrepreneur and ginger beer philosopher Kenny Richards, some of the topics we discuss include: How Kenny left behind a career in academia to resurrect one of America’s most beloved, and yet also most forgotten drinks categories. What it’s like to scale a brewery from a few barrels to a much more ambitious craft operation, and what implications that has on ingredients, people, and process. We taste through 4 popular (and very different) expressions of Halyard’s ginger beers, beginning with Nicole’s Extra, followed by Volcano Juice, The Breeze, and Mountain Aid. We talk about the best ways to use alcoholic ginger beer in cocktails, and especially the numerous opportunities there are to innovate within the buck/mule category. We discuss what it means to become, be, and remain authentic in the age of peak Hazy IPAs, glitter beer, and hard seltzer. We cover why Vermonters are constantly stuffing beers in their pockets, the aesthetics of a perfect moonrise, what to drink with Enlightenment philosopher Baruch Spinoza, 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.

Historian Cecelia Tichi discusses Gilded Age cocktails, their ties to social media, and influences from universities and clubs. She explores the equine origins of the word 'cocktail,' the evolution of mixology, and the similarities between the Gilded Age and today's tech world. Tichi also shares insights on cocktail influencers, historical recipes, and the exclusivity of cocktail culture during that era.

In this eye-opening conversation and rum tasting with Kō Hana Rum General Manager Kyle Reutner, some of the topics we discuss include:   How Kō Hana Rum started as a passion project dedicated to Hawaiian heirloom cane varietals, spreading from a small lot to several hundred acres of cane farmed at several locations on Oahu. What heirloom cane even means - from its pivotal role in the polynesian diaspora to the advent of commodity sugar farming, to recent efforts to resurrect a nearly lost cultural staple crop. Then we get into the tasting. Boy do we taste. We sample four white (i.e un-aged) agricole-style rums from Kō Hana, all with different flavor qualities and origin stories. Along the way, we talk about Hawaiian terroir, the primacy of plants in the species-naming agenda of native polynesians, how Kō Hana has diversified its offerings using the only cacao grown in the United States, 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 is joined by co-producer and travel correspondent, Adam Bauer to discuss the many signature Bloody Mary cocktails served at St. Regis Hotels all around the world. The drinks featured include: The 7452 Mary (St. Regis, Deer Park) The Downhill Snapper (St. Regis, Aspen) The Capitol Mary (St. Regis, Washington, DC) This episode also touches on a few key tensions within the Bloody Mary world. For example: the tension between ritual and innovation and the impulse to reach for familiar flavors when you’re traveling away from home. **** 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 stimulating still dialogue with Dr. Eric Stroud of Mohawk Spirits Distillery, some of the topics we discuss include: The differences between traditional and vacuum distillation - that is, distillation that takes place in the presence of high heat vs. distillation that takes place at room temperature but under high pressure. How Dr. Stroud secured a grant from the American Distilling Institute that allowed him to fabricate and test ancient still designs found in alchemical and medical texts from the Renaissance and Enlightenment. What it’s like to test glass stills with zig-zags and coils and chambers that seem to be in all the wrong places. The implications of Dr. Stroud’s compelling test results for the craft distilling community, as well as what new experiments are on the horizon. The virtues of working with native North American fruits and berries, What to drink with a late Renaissance alchemist, 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.

Some of the topics we cover in this wide-ranging conversation with spirits writer, educator, and judge Billy Abbott include: How Billy took the leap from a career in computing and database management to pursue his passion for whisky, and what the past decade has looked like for him following that drastic vocational shift. What it means to be a generalist in a world teeming with whisky specialists, and why it pays to take a curious, humble, and omnivorous approach to learning and teaching about spirits. Then we take a slight left turn and talk about Asian spirits, including how Billy became one of the first Awamori Jinbners, his thoughts on Shochu and Bajui, and the tricky business of introducing large markets to spirits they know nothing about. But that’s not all. We give you the inside scoop on BIlly’s new book, we cover some exciting new spirits producers and trends in Europe and the UK, and we even wax poetic on the importance of sandwich ergonomics in the age of COVID. 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.