The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

A bi-weekly cocktail podcast covering the tools and techniques that make great drinks. If you’re looking to take your cocktail game to the next level, this is the podcast for you.

Episode 299 - Cane Dawgs with Maggie Campbell 07/02/2025

Bonus: Rare Benedictine Tasting 06/17/2025

Episode 298 - Above the Clouds with Charles Joly 05/27/2025

Episode 297 - In the Weeds with Charles Joly 05/05/2025

Episode 296 - The Mind of a Blender with Nancy Fraley 04/10/2025

BONUS: Ginspiration 03/29/2025

Episosde 295 - State of Gin, 2025 with Bobby Freeman 03/07/2025

Episode 294 - AI Cocktails (Part 2) 01/24/2025

Episode 293 - AI Cocktails (Part 1) 12/21/2024

BONUS: ASMR Rare Chartreuse Tasting 11/25/2024

BONUS: ASMR Rare Chartreuse Tasting Courtesy of the illustrious , author of , , and other fine bibulous publications, I and a group of friends were treated to a rare Chartreuse tasting after we had wrapped up all of our work at the American Distilling Institute’s annual conference and trade show this past August in Baltimore, MD. Our casual panel of tasters included: , author of and Sara Sergent, botanical savant and owner of in Park City, Utah Joe Barber of Stargazey Spirits and in the UK And , creator of Here’s a (hopefully) somewhat complete list of the stuff we tasted, which may explain our silliness toward the end: The standard Green Chartreuse and Yellow Chartreuse - but these were both taken from the soleras or “infinity bottles” of David T. Smith, so they felt a bit more special Liqueur d’Elixir - A tribute to one of the early proto-variants of Green Chartreuse - this is essentially a half-step between the elixir vegetal and Green Chartreuse 9iere Centennaire - A tribute to the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Order of St. Bruno (also known as the Carthusians) Chartreuse Verte VEP (that’s the fancy green Chartreuse) A bottling by the French Order of master Sommeliers from 2018 - which is a small batch, custom variant of Yellow Chartreuse Tarragona, which is another Chartreuse recipe, celebrating either Tarragon (the herb) or the formulation that the monks made when they were in exile in Spain for a couple decades in the early 20th century Three variants of Chartreuse Genepy (the traditional, intense, and abrupt) And finally, a lovely Florio Amaro bottled in the 1970s, provided by yours truly. Other topics we discuss include: The Carthusian monk documentary entitled Into Great Silence The mythical “beast of Gevaudan” that ravaged the French countryside once upon a time The taxonomy of the Artemisia botanical family A whole bunch of strong cocktail-related opinions about Chartreuse and genepy, And much, much more /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/34116171

Episode 292 - Flavored Whiskey: Breaking the Taboo 11/08/2024

Episode 291 - Crushing Your Next Cocktail Competition 10/25/2024

Episode 290 - Intro to Awamori with Jeremy Webb 10/15/2024

Episode 289 - The Bartender's Pantry with Jim Meehan 09/26/2024

Episode 288 - Your Tasting Notes are Bullshit 09/12/2024

Episode 287 - Rum A Tasting Course with Ian Burrell 08/24/2024

Episode 287 - Rum A Tasting Course with Ian Burrell In this, sweet, funky, and occasionally grassy conversation with Ian Burrell (), author of , some of the topics we discuss include: Why Ian takes a “flavor-first” approach to rum (in general, but especially in this book), and how these flavors are gateways to history, geography, culture, and conversation. The different ways that rum can be categorized, and why these categories are a gateway to all the delightful exceptions that will bamboozle and delight your palate and your brain. We also discuss the three primary types of rum drinkers and the ways these different mindsets and preferences weave through the contemporary story of rum as we experience it at our favorite bars and distilleries. Ian offers a glimpse into some of the completely unique features of RUM: A Tasting Course, including how to make a DIY aroma kit to practice your nosing skills, how he learned about some of the more “illicit” styles of cane spirits being produced around the globe, and how to read a rum label in a way that gives you clues as to what’s in the bottle. We also explore how rum is the most global spirits category of all and why it can benefit from a “complex-systems” approach that introduces people to many different levels of description on their journey to understand and enjoy the bounty of world cane spirits. Along the way, we riff on why it’s awesome to know the shoe size of your favorite rum blender, the elaborate heist that Ian has planned in order to secure a barrel or two from Foursquare Distillery, which sex act is most comparable to the experience of drinking Campari, and much, much more. Every conversation with Ian is both a joy and a complete reinforcement of WHY he is truly THE Global Rum Ambassador. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to give him a follow on social media and look into preordering his new book, Rum A Tasting Course, which will be available in the US about a month after this podcast goes live. /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/32725687

Episode 286 - The Case of the Quantum Coaster 07/11/2024

Episode 285 - Letters from Flavor Camp with Reece Sims 06/21/2024

2024 Second Half Preview 06/06/2024

Episode 284 - Foraged Spirits with Tony Gugino 05/23/2024

Episode 284 - Foraged Spirits with Tony Gugino In this down-to-earth conversation with distiller and outdoorsman of Eighth District Distilling Co., some of the topics we discuss include: How Tony’s childhood exploring and fishing in Upstate New York inform the way he moves through the natural world and experiments with botanicals in his spirits. The attributes and attentional faculties that separate experienced foragers from everybody else, and why foraging is less about memorizing plant names than it is about developing spatial awareness and being in open dialogue with the world around you. Then we use Tony’s recent victory as a contestant on Moonshiners: Master Distiller as a case study for how to build a foraged spirit from the ground up, analyzing not just the ingredients he used, but how he braided them into a cohesive, symphonic product. We also delve into foraging for bartenders, specifically: using seasonality and natural harvest cycles as a way to break out of the cloistered, “riff on a classic” approach that can place some bartenders in a creative rut. But foraging isn’t just for distillers and bartenders--it’s for everyone, so we conclude by offering some advice for home bartenders who have the option to start experimenting with foraging at a truly intimate scale. Along the way, we cover all the reasons why I was jealous of Tony when I first met him, how to make salt - yeah, you heard me…salt, the connection between Mulberries, Silk, and Connecticut’s textile industry, and much, much more. Featured Cocktail: The Golden Ghost This episodes’ featured cocktail is: The Golden Ghost. To make it, you’ll need: ¾ oz Espadin Mezcal ¾ oz Blanco Tequila ¾ oz of clear Creme de cacao ¾ oz genepy (which is a green alpine liqueur from France) 1 dash of orange bitters Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir until well chilled and properly diluted, then strain into a Nick & Nora glass, garnish with a flaming star anise pod, and enjoy. The Golden Ghost is a Bijou riff minted by bartender Brian Evans of the bar Sunday in Brooklyn sometime around 2018. Instead of 1.5 oz of gin, you’ve got a split base of mezcal and tequila, which kinda tracks. Some of those mineral agave flavors can act like botanicals. The ¾ oz of creme de cacao nods to some of the deeper more confectionary notes that a good sweet vermouth will provide in the Bijou cocktail, with the genepy standing in for Chartreuse to tone down both the proof point and the pour cost. /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/31432512

Episode 283 - Spilling the Tea on American Single Malt 05/09/2024

Episode 283 - Spilling the Tea on American Single Malt In this American, singular, and distinctly malty conversation with Tyler Pederson (), master distiller at , some of the topics we discuss include: How Tyler came to be an American Single Malt distiller and what it’s like to develop a resilient supply chain of farmers and malt houses that can sustain itself year after year. Why distillers use the “hot steep” method to conduct sensory analysis of different barley strains, plus a hands-on demo where we compare three different samples from Westland’s barley portfolio. The difference between a “single malt whiskey” versus a true single varietal whiskey, plus what it takes to get a farmer to take a risk cultivating a varietal they’ve never grown before. And what the rules and standards submitted for approval to the TTB by the could mean for the styles and varieties of spirits that will be available on shelves and behind bars for the foreseeable future. Along the way, we pursue other interesting tangents, like why you don’t see much barley growing in the South, how the Japanese concept of Kaizen plays into running a distillery, Tyler’s personal thoughts on whether or not Bigfoot is real, and much, much more. It’s entirely possible that this hot steep experiment and side-by-side tasting is the first time the process has been laid out and recorded for the public to see outside of a distillery or a brewery or a malting house. And because I’m super excited about that, I carefully recorded the whole process, and will be live on our YouTube channel within an hour or so of when this episode hits the podcast apps. Featured Cocktail: Malted American Trilogy This episode’s featured cocktail is the Malted American Trilogy. To make it, you’ll need: 1 oz American Single Malt Whiskey 1 oz Applejack A couple dashes of Orange bitters Some kind of dark, brown sugar - either a quarter-to-half an ounce of rich demerara or panela syrup, or a dark brown sugar cube. Combine these ingredients in a cocktail mixing glass with ice - and of course, if you’re using that sugar cube, do your muddling with the bitters and a splash of soda water first. Give everything a good stir, mixing until the drink is properly diluted and chilled, then strain into a rocks glass over a single large cube, garnish with an orange twist, and enjoy. The American Trilogy cocktail was developed at the famous NYC cocktail bar, Little Branch, in 2006, and it traditionally employs rye whiskey, rather than American Single Malt. But simple cocktail formats like this modified Old Fashioned are a great opportunity to test the character of a whiskey - so why not give it a shot with American Single Malt (which is beginning to play the role today that rye whiskey played when the drink was invented)? /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/31211362

Episode 282 - RTD Redux 04/25/2024

Episode 281 - A Few Last Words with Paul Clarke 04/11/2024

Episode 281 - A Few Last Words with Paul Clarke In this Seattle cocktail retrospective with Paul Clarke, Editor in Chief of Imbibe Magazine, some of the topics we discuss include: How Paul began his drinks journey in the early days of the cocktail renaissance and became a regular at the ZigZag Cafe, a Seattle cocktail den that rose to prominence thanks, in large part, to a bartender named Murray Stenson. The fascinating gravitational pull that Murray exerted, both within professional hospitality circles and on the community of cocktail enthusiasts who congregated at his bar. How Murray resurrected The Last Word cocktail from the pages of a forgotten 1950s cocktail book and why his quest for the weird, wonderful, and esoteric extended far beyond cocktails. We also examine hospitality through the lens of an old-school bartender, someone who understood that the people are more important than the drinks - and we try to collect some takeaways for young bartenders who are just starting out on their hospitality journey. Along the way, we consider the merits of large vinyl collections and a lifelong fascination with music, the simple pleasure of spilling “your unique weirdness” to the bartender after a couple drinks, why Murray was “too cool” for awards ceremonies, and much, much more. Paul and I pulled up a seat during our recent spirits judging stint at the American Distilling Institute’s annual International Spirits Competition to explore the legacy of one of the cocktail renaissance’s most beloved bartenders: Murray Stenson. Upon his passing in September of 2023, Murray was memorialized for the major part he played in bringing The Last Word cocktail back onto the world stage after decades of obscurity, but he also played a massively important role in stewarding the overall cocktail culture of Seattle for many years. So this conversation, like its cocktail namesake, is an equal parts mix of history, elegy, technique, and idiosyncrasy. Featured Cocktail - The Industry Sour This episode’s featured cocktail is the Industry Sour. To make this Last Word variant, you’ll need either ¾ oz or 1 oz each of the following: Fernet Branca (A minty, alpine amaro from Italy) Green Chartreuse Simple Syrup Fresh Squeezed lime juice Combine these ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, give ‘em a good, hard shake until the drink is properly chilled and diluted, then strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and enjoy. Developed by St. Louis bartender Ted Kilgore in 2011, I think of the Industry Sour as an offspring of The Last Word, designed, as its name implies, specifically for nerdy cocktail bartenders who are “in the know” about esoteric ingredients like Chartreuse and Fernet. In this case, the Fernet kind of stands in for the gin, which works (since it’s a dry botanical liqueur). And instead of the double-shot of sweetness AND nuttiness from the usual Maraschino liqueur, the Industry Sour takes a half-step back with the use of plain ol’ simple syrup--something that any good cocktail bartender will have within arm’s reach For me, the only real shame is that the pearlescent green color of The Last Word is replaced by a kind of muddy brown in this riff - but again, it seems fitting. Anyone can walk up to something as beautiful as The Last Word and understand they’ve got something special, but it takes a true cocktail acolyte to really appreciate the complex, aggressive symphony contained in the brownish soup of the Industry Sour. /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/30779718

Episode 280 - Cocktail Futurism 03/22/2024

Episode 279 - American Agave with Gian Nelson of Jano Spirits 02/26/2024

Episode 279 - American Agave with Gian Nelson of Jano Spirits In this groundbreaking, down and dirty conversation with of , some of the topics we discuss include: How Gian found his home in the creative and multidisciplinary workspace of the wine and spirits industry and why he’s selected Agave Americana as the canvas on which he expresses his passion. An overview of the different types of agave spirits currently being produced here in the US, specifically: the differences between using imported agave syrup vs. actual farmed or wild agaves. Why Mexico is becoming the “Old World” of Agave spirits production, and how American and other international producers are responding to a lack of shared knowledge across borders with characteristic punk rock innovation. What it would mean for a bartender or beverage program in Mexico to import American Agave spirits specifically to feature on their sipping or cocktail menu. And How many thousands of pounds of pinas it takes to make just ten cases of agave spirits. Along the way, we meditate on the mystical nature of inulin conversion, celebrate the influence of Chicano flavors and cultures, learn how to get your neighbor to let you dig up their agave plants, and much, much more. Featured Cocktail: The Batanga This episode’s featured cocktail is the Batanga. To make it, you’ll need: 2 ounces tequila (generally, a silver tequila is utilized, but you can feel free to substitute with any agave spirit of your choosing) 1/2 ounce lime juice 3 ounces Cola Salt for rimming the glass. Begin by slicing a fresh lime, squeezing it for juice, and rubbing a spent half around the rim of a highball glass. Next, rim the glass with salt and fill it with ice. Since this is a built drink in the style of a Cuba Libre, all you need to do is add your agave spirit, lime juice, and cola to top (in that order), and, important to the ritual of this drink, stir it with the knife you used to cut the lime. Garnish simply with a lime wheel or a nice lime twist and enjoy. /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/30109408

Episode 278 - Dusty Booze with Aaron Goldfarb 02/13/2024

Episode 277 - Nomadic Distilling with Devon Trevathan of Liba Spirits 01/30/2024

Episode 277 - Nomadic Distilling with Devon Trevathan of Liba Spirits In this roving, wanderlustrious conversation with Devon Trevathan of Liba Spirits, some of the topics we discuss include: Why Devon has chosen to cultivate a welcoming and mindful relationship with discomfort while traveling, and how this has allowed her to become a sponge for the sights, flavors, and sensations that make different cultures and destinations unique. A working definition of “Nomadic Distilling,” which forgoes stability and a permanent facility in favor of flexibility and the ability to sample widely from multiple ingredient streams and spirits categories. Devon’s thoughts on the notion of Terroir (spoiler: she don’t like it) and the ability to celebrate and mash-up different spirits traditions from around the world by embracing the role of the guest or outsider. Then, of course, we explore the Liba Spirits portfolio, including a Tyrolean gin from the Dolomites, a botanical rum from New Orleans, and a first-of-its-kind American aperitivo made with a bourbon base. Along the way, we explore the perplexingly cozy lunch habits of Austrians, wax poetic on the flavor of green ants, explain why cold brew deserves a place in your next Americano spritz, and much, much more. Featured Cocktail: Jägertee Inspired by Devon’s travels in Europe, this episode’s featured cocktail is Jägertee, which is an Austrian winter warmer cocktail. Is it 70 degrees here in Washington, DC as I write this? Yes. But we’ll just pretend that we’re having normal January weather and that the planet isn’t trying to kill us. To make a batch of Jägertee you’ll need: 250 ml / 1 cup tea (your choice, but I’d recommend black tea here) 250 ml / 1 cup spiced rum (Austrian Strohrum is traditional, but any will do) 250 ml / 1 cup red wine 250 ml / 1 cup plum brandy, schnaps, or any other liqueur to hand 250 ml / 1 cup orange juice 2 to 3 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 2 lemon slices Sugar to taste (depends on how sweet your other ingredients are) Combine all these ingredients in a medium saucepan over low-to-medium heat, warm the mixture gradually until it just begins to simmer, then cut the heat, strain out the solids (or don’t…you do you), and enjoy! Jägertee means, essentially, "Hunter’s tea" in Austrian. Presumably, this is because, after a long, harrowing hunt, it’s pleasant to warm up with a comforting, spicy, winey brew, and NOT because the Austrains endorse consuming uppers and downers before brandishing firearms. One interesting thread to follow here is that rum is extremely popular in the German-speaking world. If you go back to my interview with Brett Steigerwaldt, you’ll learn about the importance of Rum verschnitt in the early parts of the 20th century, so it’s not a complete surprise to me to see a spiced or flavored rum product popping up in a traditional Austrian drink. /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/29715893

Episode 276 - Cocktail Theory with Dr. Kevin Peterson 01/19/2024

Episode 276 - Cocktail Theory with Dr. Kevin Peterson In this heady, fragrant chat with Dr. Kevin Peterson, author of , some of the topics we discuss include: Why his time testing combustion engines in a laboratory made Kevin the perfect person to analyze the classic cocktail families for their ideal dilution, temperature, and ingredient ratios How bartenders can use the notion of “olfactory motifs” rooted in memory, nature, and music to design cocktails that thrill at a more three dimensional level--not just on the taste buds. What tips and tricks Kevin has drawn from the perfumery world to punch up the impact and blast radius of his drinks, including atomized spritzes, scent strips, and even service temperature manipulation. The sense in which bartenders are like magicians, constantly manipulating attention and generating novelty, and how you can apply these principles to both cocktail construction and service. And why, at the end of the day, cocktail service and consumption involves a whole bunch of complex systems that are constantly colliding, leaking information, and changing the way we play the game. Along the way, we provide tips and tricks to make your friends and bar guests say “I can’t UNsmell that,” probe the koji-fermented link between pineapple, aged cheese, and sharpies, uncover why Kevin doesn’t want to be known as “the cricket guy.” And much, much more. Featured Cocktail: The Everlasting Daiquiri To make it, you’ll need: 2 oz rum (Kevin recommends Gosling’s Black Seal) ½ oz Fresh Lime juice ½ oz turbinado simple syrup Prior to construction, you’re gonna want to chill down your rum AND a champagne flute in the freezer. Both need to be ice cold. Then, add your liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with 3 large ice cubes, shake for (according to Kevin) 12 seconds, then strain into your Champage flute over a smaller ice cube. So if you’re using large, 2” cubes in the shaker, plop a smaller one from a standard ice tray or ice maker into the flute before you strain. /episode/index/show/modernbarcart/id/29561128

Episode 275 - The Way Forward 01/09/2024

Episode 274 - Izarra: The "Chartreuse" of Basque Country 12/14/2023

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

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