The Speakeasy

This week, Damon and Sother sit down with Alfred Cointreau, the sixth generation scion of – you guessed it – the Cointreau family, which has been making the French orange-flavored liqueur brand of the same name for over 150 years. Also joining them are Kayla Mata and Emily Arseneau of Collectif 1806. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sother is back from Miami, where he was named Mixologist of the Year by Wine Enthusiast. He and Damon are joined today by Mike Milyavsky and Anna Gorovoy, founders of Shaker & Spoon, which is sort of like the Blue Apron of cocktail ingredients. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Willy Shine is a proud and dedicated Spirits & Hospitality Professional. Willy has an affinity towards building spirits brands using unconventional marketing, relationships, networking and immersing himself into its history & culture while paying forward the education bestowed upon him. Willy is the Brand Meister for Mast-Jägermeister U.S. – National Brand Ambassador, Head of Brand Education, Trade Advocacy and Mixology. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the first episode of 2018, Damon is joined in studio by John Tebeau, a Brooklyn writer, artist, and bartender. He began a series of bar illustrations in 2013 out of an appreciation of architecture and community gathering places, later reporting on and writing about what made those bars special. Tebeau also works as a bartender at one of New York’s great neighborhood bars, Fort Defiance in Red Hook, Brooklyn. His new book, Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, is due out in March. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For the season finale, Damon and Sother welcome back Allen Katz from the New York Distilling Company, who last appeared on The Speakeasy six years ago. Allen is one of the nation’s leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails. He is the Director of the Spirits Education & Mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York and is at the forefront of industry training in New York and around the country. And today, he brought some rye with him. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Damon and Sother welcome Italian spirits expert Giuseppe Gallo, creator of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto. Made at a family-owned distillery in Moncalieri, Torino, Italicus is a blend of bergamot peel, Cedro lemons, chamomile, lavender, gentian, yellow roses, and Melissa balm. Tune in as they sample this expression of the "original aperitivo." The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show, Damon and Sother are joined by Bianca Miraglia of Uncouth Vermouth, who may or may not be wearing a shirt – the magic of radio! Tune in to hear them talk about how vermouth is in fact wine, why you shouldn't fear blue (or pink) drinks, and more! The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Micah Melton was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa and began his studies in computer science before finding his calling in the culinary arts. While attending Culinary Arts school he began working in bars to pay the bills and fell in love with the beverage side of the industry. Micah was part of the opening team that envisioned and created the opening menu at the Aviary. He studied and trained in the kitchen at Alinea restaurant for the opening of the new bar concept. His role at the time of opening was the 'ice chef' -- probably the only one in the world -- charged with creating over 30 types of ice for the bar program. The program now boosts an impressive 39 varieties of ice. Micah currently serves as Beverage Director of the Alinea Group and is in charge of the cocktail, non-alcoholic, beer, and spirits menus at The Aviary & the Office Chicago, The Aviary & the Office NYC, Next Restaurant, Roister and Alinea. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Author, musician, world-traveller, and professor of whiskey—Bernie Lubbers travelled the road for 20 years performing comedy before getting into the bourbon business. Originally hired by Jim Beam to promote their Knob Creek brand, Bernie took it upon himself to delve into the rich history and heritage of American Whiskey and the whiskey men and women who forged that legacy, and along that way earned the title of The Whiskey Professor and was awarded Whiskey Ambassador of the Year by Whiskey Magazine’s Icons of Whiskey Awards. Mixing his talents for music and comedy with his passion for America’s “native spirit”, Bernie today holds the position as The American Whiskey Ambassador for the largest single-site whiskey distiller in the world—Heaven Hill—where, among many things, he has championed bottled in bond spirits, helping to preserve, promote, and revitalize the category. His book, Bourbon Whiskey: Our Native Spirit is available wherever boozy books are sold. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reunited and it feels so good! Damon and Sother are back together again, and this week on The Speakeasy they're joined by Shanna Farrell, an interviewer at UC Berkeley's Oral History Center, where she does many things but specializes in contemporary cocktail culture. She is the author of the new book is Bay Area Cocktails, and the co-host of The Prix Fixe, a new podcast about the intersection of food and drink. The Speakeasy is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.