The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

In this part two of this natural wine crash course with certified sommelier Joey Fox, some of the topics we discuss include: Why the term "natural" in natural wine encounters some of the same definitions issues as many products in the spirits world. Think "craft" or "small batch" - terms that are ambiguous and somewhat relative. Which multi-thousand dollar bottle of wine has been quietly produced as a natural wine without really any public knowledge. How Joey and other winemakers make progress on their craft and share ideas to advance natural wine in the public view. What the term "biodynamic farming" means, and what it holds for the future of both sustainability and flavor. How Old Westminster winery is undertaking a cool new project with hybrid grapes that could revolutionize the way we think about winemaking in America - a place where controlled denominations of origin aren't held in as high regard compared to elsewhere in the world. What to drink while eating street food in Japan with Anthony Bourdain And much, much more.

In this part two of this natural wine crash course with certified sommelier Joey Fox, some of the topics we discuss include: Why the term "natural" in natural wine encounters some of the same definitions issues as many products in the spirits world. Think "craft" or "small batch" - terms that are ambiguous and somewhat relative. Which multi-thousand dollar bottle of wine has been quietly produced as a natural wine without really any public knowledge. How Joey and other winemakers make progress on their craft and share ideas to advance natural wine in the public view. What the term "biodynamic farming" means, and what it holds for the future of both sustainability and flavor. How Old Westminster winery is undertaking a cool new project with hybrid grapes that could revolutionize the way we think about winemaking in America - a place where controlled denominations of origin aren't held in as high regard compared to elsewhere in the world. What to drink while eating street food in Japan with Anthony Bourdain And much, much more.

In this part two of this natural wine crash course with certified sommelier Joey Fox, some of the topics we discuss include: Why the term "natural" in natural wine encounters some of the same definitions issues as many products in the spirits world. Think "craft" or "small batch" - terms that are ambiguous and somewhat relative. Which multi-thousand dollar bottle of wine has been quietly produced as a natural wine without really any public knowledge. How Joey and other winemakers make progress on their craft and share ideas to advance natural wine in the public view. What the term "biodynamic farming" means, and what it holds for the future of both sustainability and flavor. How Old Westminster winery is undertaking a cool new project with hybrid grapes that could revolutionize the way we think about winemaking in America - a place where controlled denominations of origin aren't held in as high regard compared to elsewhere in the world. What to drink while eating street food in Japan with Anthony Bourdain And much, much more.

Some of the topics we discuss in this fascinating natural wine interview with Joey Fox of Old Westminster Winery. What the term "natural wine" really means - and what you can expect from wines that fall into this category. How Joey worked his way into the natural wine world by way of tea, then coffee, then restaurants, then organic vegetable farming. How native yeast fermentation, lack of chemical additives and preservatives, and lack of fining and filtration can wildly impact the flavor profile of a wine. What the terms "skin contact," "orange wine," and pet nat" mean, and why you're going to start hearing these terms a lot more How natural winemaking practices can take a grape that's usually used to make "cougar juice" (AKA Pinot Grigio), and turn it into something extremely refined and food friendly. Which sparkling wine pre-dates Champagne by over 200 years. And much, much more.

In this continuation of our acid-driven conversation with Charlie Berkinshaw of Element Shrub, we talk about how to use specific acids in the cocktail world. In part I, we discussed citric acid and acetic acid, and in part II, we turn our attention to malic acid and lactic acid.

What's shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to episode 122 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! This is a very special episode. It's kind of a behind the scenes look at what the research and development process actually entails for people in the cocktail world like myself. I'm joined by my good friend and cocktail colleague Charlie Berkinshaw of Element Shrub, and together we debrief a video series we spent about 12 hours over the course of two separate days filming. In this series, we work our way through the four most common acids you'll encounter in the cocktail world: citric, acetic, mallic, and lactic. Now, there's a good chance you've heard some or all of those words in some context before, whether it's on the ingredient panel of some food item or in a high school chemistry class. But, we're examining these compounds through a strictly mixological lens so that you can understand some of the things going on below the surface in your favorite drinks.

In this conversation with Tenth Ward head distiller and absinthe aficionado, some of the topics we discuss include: How Mark came to be the head distiller at Tenth Ward Distilling Co., and why their innovative approach to distilling made absinthe a really attractive choice as an anchor point in their core collection of products. What it's like to build a flavor profile with herbs and botanicals that go through several phases of different distillation treatments. We cover where this can go wrong, and how to know when you finally get something right. Then we jump into the murky history of absinthe, which begins in mainland Europe, makes a splash across the world in the post-phyloxera drinking landscape, and then is forced underground for much of the 20th century. We teach you how to operate an absinthe fountain to louche and dilute your absinthe, with or without the traditional sugar cube. We debate the costs and benefits of the absinthe rinse method vs. the atomizer approach when building a Sazerac. And we even attempt to put to rest some of the apocryphal stories and malicious smear campaigns that kept absinthe out in the cold until very recently.

In this interview with Kevin Peterson of Castalia, some of the topics we discuss include: How Kevin and his wife Jane transformed the bottom level of an old mansion in Detroit into a scent shop by day that converts into an intimate 20-seat cocktail bar by night. Some of the differences between people who approach cocktails from a service industry background and those who come at the subject from a completely different area of specialization. What it's like to pair fragrances and cocktails, and how Kevin thinks about "hacking the signal" of the drink to give guests a truly memorable experience. We also talk about lots of nerdy physiology stuff, including how the brain processes aroma, the difference between orthonasal and retronasal smell, and a whole lot of other things you probably didn't know about aroma and flavor. We talk about our favorite flavor and aroma books, we trade theories about the Platonic ideal of baking spice, and we even find time to grab drinks with the man who changed the Spaghetti Sauce industry forever.

In this Bar Cart Foundations episode, we talk all about the concept of wash lines in cocktails and how to achieve a wash line that emphasizes the quality and intentionality of a drink.

This episode, we're sharing a double feature of two episodes that came out WAY BACK in January of 2018 - that's closing in on two years ago. Part One of this feature is dedicated to our Iki Japanese bitters, and it includes a really cool phone interview with Jennifer Bloeser of Oregon Coast Wasabi. She is literally the farmer who tends these crazy plants, plucks em out of the dirt, and ships them on ice to our team so that we can create these super unique bitters. We also do a little romp through the culinary history and culture of Japan so that you can understand how this island nation and its cuisine has inspired us. Part Two is focused on the cocktails (and other alcoholic libations) of the American Frontier. Of course, our Frontier Sarsaparilla Bitters are another really popular member of the Heritage Collection, so in addition to talking about ingredients that are native to North America, we also do a really cool march through the drinking history of our nation from its inception to roughly the year 1900. This sounds like a long time, but when you zoom out and consider the vast sweep of drinking history, it's a really condensed period when a lot of really important changes happened. And they happened here in America, which makes the cocktail a uniquely American invention.