The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

In this conversation with drinks entrepreneur and educator Ryan Chetiyawardana, some of the topics we discuss include: The origin story of the name "Mr. Lyan" and how Ryan's family relationships with movers and shakers in the design and fashion world influenced the wide scope and inclusive lens of his bar projects. Ryan's framework for creativity and drink creation, which incorporates input at all levels of the bar team and thrives on the diversity of experience and passion of bar managers, bartenders, and even barbacks. How the question of privilege in the cocktail world has led Ryan to explore everything from eliminating ice from his bar program, to using the "less desirable" cuts of citrus, to exploring the role of sea level rise in a recent bar menu. We also explore how he thinks about cocktail education, including his recent cocktail Masterclass with Lynette Marrero and the one key teaching about balance that might just cause you to rethink the way you approach drink design. Along the way, we gloss over a few other boring little details, like how to use moon rocks as gin botanicals, the decimal point that launched a thousand spinach enterprises, where to grab a drink with David Bowie in London, 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.

In this wide-ranging conversation with bartender and drinks consultant Jon Schott of Riffraff Drink Co., some of the topics we discuss include: The state of the non-alcoholic drinks space, and why language and placement are tricky and need to be dialed in for every unique bar or restaurant menu. Jon's personal journey into sobriety, including a brief detour selling home security systems, and his return to working behind the bar. This also leads us to think about some of the softer nuances of making drinks of all sorts: how hospitality is an ingredient, how to make people feel good before anything goes into their body, and why drinking is ultimately about knowing yourself. Then, we explore some of Jon's favorite hacks for making great non-alcoholic cocktails at home, which he is currently publishing as a series of videos over on the Riffraff Drink Co. Instagram page. Along the way, we explore how to use guest feedback like sonar, the use of clarity as a vehicle for surprise in cocktails, the joys of nose-to-tail mint butchery, and much, much more. You can find Jon pouring FREE samples of his creations over at Umbrella Dry Drinks in Alexandria, VA pretty much every Saturday, and you can reach out or follow along for his awesome instructional videos over on Instagram @riffraffdrink_co. 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 runs down highlights from 2022 by the numbers and recaps some of the big moments from this past year. Then, looking ahead to 2023, he shares what to look out for from The Modern Bar Cart Podcast. On the back end of the show, 6 bartenders are featured from the McClintock Distilling Holiday Bar Room Blitz, a terrific event that helped us to remember just how great it is to be doing things in person after the pandemic. 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 viticultural conversation with SUYO Pisco founders Alex Hildebrandt and Ian Leggett, some of the topics we discuss include: How two born-and-bred Peruvians met and became friends in the world of American corporate finance, then turned their sights on celebrating the flavors and aromas of their beloved home country. What it means for a distillate to be "single-origin," and how Ian and Alex went off the beaten path to find and partner with Pisco producers who are making truly remarkable spirits. How to think about Peru's fascinating Geographic Indication for Pisco, also known as it's Denomination of Origin, which specifies what materials can be used, where grapes can come from, and even how many times it can be distilled. Then we taste through SUYO's inaugural offerings, a fruity, complex Quebranta made in the foothills of the Andes, and a sea-swept Italia bursting with floral and mineral complexity. Along the way, we cover the complicated topic of "purity" in different kinds of spirits, the age-old controversy of Chilean vs. Peruvian Pisco, a potentially record-setting pisco sour performance by Ernest Hemingway, 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.

In part two of this audio essay, Eric zooms in on the recently passed legislation in Washington, DC (Initiative 82) that has eliminated the tipped minimum wage and is slated to take effect on January 1, 2023. Using an analytical framework known as "Stasis Theory," he carefully walks through the definitions, cause-and-effect logic, ethical values, and action points that prompted this change in the way service industry workers get paid. Then, he makes some projections about what the fallout from this new system may look like in our nation's capital.

Eric examines the history and culture of tipping in Europe and America as a way to explore recent legislation in Washington, DC that will change the way that bartenders and other service industry workers get paid. This, of course, will also have significant impacts on the cost and perceived value of dining and drinking out, changing the DC food and drink scene in a major way. This episode begins with a historical and etymological exploration of how and why we tip, with an important meditation on the racist legacy of the tipped minimum wage in the United States. Then, we take a look at two recent ballot initiatives aimed at changing the tipped minimum wage in DC. 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 well-lit and impeccably styled conversation with photographer, drinks educator, and newly-minted author Jordan Hughes, some of the topics we discuss include: Jordan's voyage into the world of spirits and cocktails, including the pours and flavors that first got him hooked on mixology and spirited guides who helped him along his journey. How he thinks about staging and lighting cocktail photos (which you can view on Instagram @highproofpreacher and @cocktailcamera), including one very important tip that will help you take your Instagram game to the next level. The concept and development process behind his new book, Twist, which is chock full of inspiration for anyone who might feel like they're in a "rut" making the same old handful of cocktails. Along the way, we cover the struggles of producing and photographing 10 gin fizzes in a single evening, Jordan's controversial views on vodka, what to drink with Michelle Obama at one of the world's most legendary bars, 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.

In this fascinating deep-dive into the world of cane distillates with Matt Pietrek, author of Modern Caribbean Rum, some of the topics we discuss include: How Matt and his wife Carrie collaborated to create an 800+ page self-published treatise on the rums of the Caribbean: through strategy, structure, and of course visiting so many of the incredible producers who pour their life into this spirit. Then, we get into the weeds on a wide-ranging set of topics related to the classification of rum. And this is really the heart of the book. We talk about: The broad-strokes differences between British-style, French-style, and Spanish-style rums The impact of colonial history and economics on the timelines and styles that were propagated in different islands and regions Why Matt thinks about Rum as a "Meta-category" of spirits that contains multitudes of styles and flavors Along the way, we cover the palletized nuances of self-publishing, the four main decision buckets that dictate the kind of rum that a given producer will bottle, the surprising influence of Canadians on overproof rum bottling strength, 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 investigates the words we use for large groups or collections of spirits and cocktails. 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 eye-opening conversation with Walter Meyenberg, founder of Hanky Panky, some of the topics we discuss include: Why this bar, which is so famous for being a modern "speakeasy," wasn't originally planned that way, and how they evolved from not even charging for drinks to winning international awards for hospitality. What it's like to locate, enter, and drink at Hanky Panky, according to our mixological travel correspondent, Adam Bauer. How Walter thinks about developing individual members of his bar team and building a community of international "friends of Hanky Panky," and why this people-first mentality allowed the program to thrive, even during the pandemic. We also explore some of Walter's other projects, like his bar Casa de las Brujas, which places an all-female bar team in the spotlight, and Liquid Show, an educational initiative launched in partnership with other leading bar figures in Mexico City. Along the way, we cover the books that inspired Walter's approach to hospitality, the design aesthetic behind throne-like bar stools and mirrored tables, foundational memories of being fed and pampered by his Lebanese mother, 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.