The Speakeasy

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon is back! He and Sother are joined in the studio by Claire Bertin-Lang, the founder and president of CBL Liquid Consulting. Claire has over a decade's worth of experience in the hospitality industry, with a focus on spirits and food & wine events. A native New Yorker, she began tending bar at one of the city's classic dives at the age of 19. After college, she worked both on the brand side and for agencies executing major projects, beverage programs, and trade and consumer events. Claire started her own company, CBL Liquid Consulting, in 2011. In addition to working with The Cooper Spirits Co. and House Spirits Distillery on consumer and trade events, she serves as the Beverage Director for Eat Drink SF and runs all Mixology for the StarChefs.com International Chef’s Congress. 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.

This week on The Speakeasy, Sother is taking the reins again, and is joined in studio by acclaimed barman Jim Meehan, whose new book Meehan's Bartender Manual is a magnum opus of mixology. Meehan is best known for his pioneering work at PDT in New York's East Village. Though he now lives in Portland, Oregon, Meehan recently opened a new bar called Prairie School in Chicago’s Fulton Market. Also sitting in is Cory Bonfiglio of Beer Street. 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.

This week on The Speakeasy, Sother is flying solo in the host chair. He's joined in studio by John Little, CEO and master distiller of Smooth Ambler Spirits, and Antonia Fattizzi, founder and president of Cork and Tin, a strategic partner for emerging beverage alcohol brands. 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.

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother are joined in the studio by Alla Lapushchik and Jane Danger, co-authors of the new book The Bourbon Bartender: 50 Cocktails to Celebrate the American Spirit. They have also co-written the book Cuban Cocktails: 100 Classic and Modern Drinks, in addition to being top shelf New York bartenders. 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 this week's episode of The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother are joined in studio by bartender and baker Leslie Feinberg of Prohibition Bakery and bartender Brian Grummert of Subject Bar. Prohibition Bakery makes delicious alcoholic cupcakes based on classic cocktails, which are available at their store in the Lower East Side and at Subject Bar, a neighbor and partner of the bakery, which also offers cocktails in their traditional liquid form. 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.

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother are joined by Andrew Meltzer, who was named 2016 U.S. Bartender of the Year by the United States Bartender's Guild (USBG), following two days of heated competition at the global finals in Miami. 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 are joined in studio by Matteo Luxardo and mixologist and brand ambassador G. Franklin of Luxardo, a family-owned company founded in Zara, a port city on the Dalmatian coast of what is now Croatia. Girolamo Luxardo, a Genovese businessman, and his wife, Maria Canevari, moved to Zara in 1817. It was Maria who began perfecting "rosolio maraschino," a liqueur produced in Dalmatian convents since medieval times from special maraschino cherries. Canevari's liqueur was of such high quality that it gained the attention of connoisseurs, and her husband founded the Luxardo Distillery in 1821 to produce her original Maraschino. Not long afterwards, the Emperor of Austria awarded the Luxardo liqueur the highest honor "Privilegiata Fabbrica Maraschino Excelsior." The distillery remained under the family's control and prospered by exporting the liqueur to aficionados around the world. The Maraschino liqueur became an essential cocktail ingredient internationally, and is found in classics such as the Last Word, Martinez and Hemingway cocktails of the late 19th and early 20th century. The distillery also expanded to create other fruit-based and herbal liqueurs such as Bitter, Limoncello and Amaro Abano. 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.

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother are joined in the studio by James Beard Award-winning author Brad Thomas Parsons. His latest book, Distillery Cats, features thirty profiles adorable distillery and brewery cats, plus fifteen cocktail recipes. It's the purr-fect read for any spirit and/or cat lover.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week's episode of The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother are joined by Sam Gauthier of Boilermaker. Sam is a former audio engineer turned bartender. He talks about his career, bar life in NYC, Boilermaker, and Ti' Punch! 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.

This week on The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother are joined by Amanda Schuster, a hooch writer/consultant and editor in chief of the online magazine Alcohol Professor. She is also the author of the new book New York Cocktails. 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.