The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

In this episode, we chat with Ethan Hall, Russell Garing, and Eric Holtzman of the Modern Bar Cart Team to learn about their first-time experiences at Tales of the Cocktail, a yearly hospitality industry summit centered around mixed drinks. Some of the topics we discuss include: How Tales of the Cocktail is structured, including seminars, tasting rooms, brand activations, and other local events The types of people who might be interested in attending this legendary hospitality industry summit Our favorite highlights from the first few days of the 2019 event, including luxury spirits, oysters, and even Champagne sabering An inside look at some of the educational seminars we attended And much, much more

In this episode, we take a comprehensive look at the New Orleans inspired Sazerac cocktail and delve deep into the institution that is Tales of the Cocktail.

In this episode, we give you a comprehensive breakdown on how to approach and prepare garnishes of the citrus variety and beyond.

In this episode, we chat with author and spirits judge Eric Zandona about his new book, The Tequila Dictionary.  Some of the subjects we discuss in this interview include: What it’s like to create a reference book (like a dictionary or encyclopedia) in the spirits world, and how The Tequila Dictionary can be used as a tool by agave enthusiasts. How tequila and mezcal are different. We give you the big-picture overview, and then look into some historical trends and trace these spirits back through the decades. Which label terms and quality indicators you can use to make informed tequila and mezcal purchases next time you take a trip to the liquor store. How technology and commercial interests have prompted a number of changes in the way agave spirits are manufactured and then consumed here in the U.S. What emerging trends we can expect from tequila, mezcal, and agave cocktails in the coming years. And much, much more. You can learn more about Eric and his work by visiting ezdrinking.com, you can follow him @ezdrinking on Instagram and Twitter, and you can purchase your copy of The Tequila Dictionary wherever books are sold.

In this episode, we focus on bitters - bitter cocktails, and more importantly, two new bespoke cocktail bitters flavors we developed for our friends over at Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. and Sagamore Spirit Distillery. Some of the things we discuss include: How to make the Trinidad Sour cocktail, which is one of only a few drinks where bitters make up a large portion of the volume What it means to tell a story with flavor and how to use ingredients to build a narrative around a specific product What to do when flavors are too "matchy" or too far off in left field How use cases and cocktail applications impact the characteristics of the end product And much, much more.  

­ When it was first brought to our attention that the word “mocktail” might be somehow bad or offensive, we was taken completely off-balance because, to us, it had always been a useful way to identify – on a cocktail menu – that a certain drink or category of drinks did not contain alcohol, but functioned (in a manner of speaking) as if they did. In this episode, we set out to investigate this issue to the fullest of our capabilities. This audio essay (and the embedded rant it contains for comic relief) are my way of presenting the debate as we see it, confronting some potentially problematic issues along the way.  

In this episode, we chat with RB Wolfensberger, head distiller at Gray Wolf Craft Distilling, about his new American Agave Spirit: Lobo. Some of the topics we discus include: How his new American agave spirit - called “Lobo” - fits in with the other products in the Gray Wolf portfolio, which we taste and nose as we go. The differences between using an agave heart or “pina” vs. using an agave nectar as the base for a distilled spirit. Why barrel aging agave spirits is traditionally very different than most other barrel-aging approaches, and what RB is doing to kinda shake things up and set his product apart. The challenges of introducing a non-tequila, non-mezcal agave spirit into an American market that takes comfort in traditional agave categories and classifications. An on-air cocktail demo using the Lobo to make a dry, refreshing riff on an agave Manhattan. Meditations on the late, great distiller Dave Pickerel, And much, much more

In this flavorful conversation with Max Lentz and Eli Breitburg-Smith of the Baltimore Spirits Company, some of the things we discuss include: Why brewers make great distillers, and how a dialed in focus on fermentation can enhance the quality of a distilled spirits program. How Max and Eli took traditional mezcal distilling methods and adapted them for making smoked fruit brandies that pay homage to the ancient mezcal tradition and the terroir of the Mid-Atlantic. What the heck it means when you see “PECHUGA” on a bottle of mezcal – believe me, you won’t want to miss this. How to build out your mezcal and amaro collections in a fiscally and environmentally responsible manner And much, much more. During this episode, we sample through Baltimore Spirits Company’s smoked apple brandy and their limited release pechuga-style version, featuring local persimmons, black walnuts and paw-paws. We also nose and taste their three amaro offerings: Szechuan, Coffee, and Fernet.

What’s shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to the official 100th episode of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! That’s right - 100 episodes. A HUGE milestone, to be sure! We are so incredibly grateful for all the great guests we’ve had on over the past two years, and I want to be the first to tell you that we’re just getting started. Now that we’re officially in the triple digits, we thought it might be nice for us to take a little step back and look out at the “State of the Union,” so to speak, for spirits and cocktails. A lot of things can happen in two years, and I think it’s really valuable to take that reflection time to look at what’s happened and where things are headed. This episode, Modern Bar Cart co-founder Ethan Hall takes the reins as the podcast host and grills Eric on the ins and outs of the cocktail world for your entertainment. A look back at two years of podcasting - plus recommendations for folks who might want to try their hand at recording and publishing audio for the world to enjoy. Category-by-category hot takes on the state of various spirits and where they’re headed. Thoughts on cocktail fads like clarified juices, tiki, amari, and speakeasies A bunch of fun new lightning round questions designed specifically for this interview Advice for young people trying to break into the cocktail scene at home or professionally My personal reflections on what Modern Bar Cart has become, and where it’s headed, And much, much more.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into all things carbonated and watery. Some of the things we discuss include: The difference between seltzer, club soda, and sparkling water A little exploration of how CO2 influences our world How carbonation works at a chemical level An abbreviated history of carbonation and how it was initially popularized An in-depth tasting of several popular carbonated water products A few carbonation-adjacent topics And much, much more