The Speakeasy

Kapri Robinson has a story to tell. At Allegory in Washington, DC she weaves together Alice in Wonderland, Ruby Bridges, post-apocalyptic archetypes, banned books, Bad Brains… and of course, delicious cocktails. She sits down with Greg and Sother ahead of the 2026 midterms to discuss how her storytelling and hospitality weave together, what it’s like flipping a menu that complex, how she feels about minimalism, and what it’s actually like to run a bar in the nation’s capital.

PLUS, go vote.

Follow Kapri at @kapri.possible

Follow Allegory at @allegory_dc

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Check out http://bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everyone loves a good wig, especially Oscar Simoza for reasons that will be clear to our video listeners. The Beverage Director for The Wig Shop sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about his journey through hospitality, 90s nostalgia and how he mentors his “kids” behind the bar.

PLUS, does 100% really mean 100%? Greg and Sother dive into a lawsuit that alleges otherwise.

Follow Oscar at @moustache.flex

Follow the Wig Shop at @thewigshopboston

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Check out http://bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do you go from a bartender to building a career and an identity around a type of rum you’ve grown to absolutely fall in love with? And then, once that’s done, how do you walk away? That’s what Kate Perry, National Portfolio & US Market Manager for LM&V is doing right now, and she sits down with Greg & Sother to talk about falling in love with some of the Caribbean’s funkier rums, talking her way into her dream job, and then knowing when it was time to turn the page and walk away.

PLUS, we all know there are too many breweries in this country, but are there too many distilleries too? Greg and Sother discuss.

Follow Kate at @wheninrhum

Follow LM&V at @lamaisonandvelier

Follow Cazimi at @cazimi.vashon

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Check out http://bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What comes first in a premium brand? A great product, or a market niche? That’s the question Brad Parkes, the Co-Founder of Palm Republic Rum is sitting down with us to resolve. He discuss building a premium brand in a category that isn’t always renowned for quality, getting people to change their mind about rum, and bringing a blended product to market in a world that’s a little single origin obsessed right now.

PLUS, Do people become night owls because they’re bartenders, or become bartenders because they’re night owls? Greg & Sother discuss.

Follow Palm Republic at @palmrepublicrum

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Check out http://bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When you’ve already pioneered two advanced techniques that take the bartending world by storm, and been called Cocktail Menu Innovator of the Year by The 50, where do you go next? That’s what Iain McPherson, the owner of Edinburgh’s award-winning bar Panda & Sons is here to talk about. He discusses the difference between high-tech moves that improve a drink and ones that are just impressive to bartenders, how his Scottish & Korean heritage shaped his take on hospitality, and how all of this may have started thanks to his training at a gelato school in Italy.

PLUS, Greg gives a shoutout to a local hero.

Follow Iain at @thecocktailpanda

Follow Panda & Sons at @pandaandsons

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Check out http://bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There are times when we all need a lawyer. Tiffany Hernandez, the founder of Escuelitas and Juliana Manzanarez, the founding attorney of VIA law group sit down in the studio to discuss of the administration’s immigration crackdown is affecting the hospitality industry, and what ordinary citizens can do about it. They run through the laws bar owners and managers need to know when dealing with law enforcement, some of the lesser-known laws people have on their side, and the ways you as a listener can get involved.

PLUS, your annual PSA about pumpkin spice lattes…

Follow Tiffany at @mezcalmistress

Follow Escuelitas at @escuelitasfoundation

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Check out http://bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Running a print magazine in the year 2026 is a choice to say the least. Ryan Foley, Publisher of Bartender Magazine sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about how the magazine has changed since his dad started it, what it’s like running a family business with his mom, what sorts of stories readers of a bartending magazine are looking for, and how physical media is staying current in the digital age.

PLUS Happy Oktoberfest to all who celebrate! Greg and Sother ring in the season by giving traditional German beer styles their flowers and pointing to a possible example of what craft beer can do to refresh its image. And don’t even get us started on pumpkin beers…

Follow Bartender Magazine at @bartendermagazine

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Check out http://bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No one in this industry’s mind works quite like Ektoras Binikos. The man behind Atheras Spirits, the distillery that gave us a shisho mastiha and fig leaf liqueur is back on The Speakeasy because he’s gone and done something really radical this time: made a couple of normal base spirits. Ektoras chats with Greg and Sother about what it was like to make gin and a vodka after so many weird creations, how making a London Dry style turned into making two different “twin gins” and how his bars, New York City’s Sugar Monk and Bitter Monk, have evolved as his spirits business has grown.

PLUS Greg’s in New York and Sother’s on the road!? See what inspired this bizarre role reversal, what Sother’s doing in North Carolina, and what locally foraged goodies he’s managed to whip up along the way.

Follow Atheras Spirits at @atherasspirits

Follow Sugar Monk at @sugarmonknyc

Follow Bitter Monk at @bittermonkbrooklyn

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How is a bartending competition different from a regular shift? What if there are cameras beaming that competition out to a national audience? And what if NSYNC is in the room watching you make drinks? Those are the conditions Lily Chun and Jena Ellenwood had to contend with on Cocktails Wars, a new competition show on E! and they’re sitting down with Greg and Sother to spill the tea. Hear them talk about the competition (and who won!), what it’s like to show up to a studio call on two hours of sleep, and how someone who’s made a life behind the bar can parlay a media appearance into a second act.

PLUS Greg and Sother break their silence on The Last Ditch. Hear what they have to say about America’s most famous (for the moment) bar.

Follow Jena on instagram at @jena.lane

Follow Lily at @lilsmcc

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Support “Spirited Ladies”
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you playing a character behind the bar? Or just being yourself? Actor, author and CocktailTok celebrity Nic Hamilton joins Greg and Sother to talk about his stage and film career, how his first cocktail video got a million views overnight, and what it’s like to move from online content creator to a regular working bartender. They discuss how being being the bar prepares you for a job on camera (and vice versa), how to craft drinks that the algorithm and human beings alike will enjoy and, for the Regulars, they settle once and for all whether or not Zoomers are drinking less.

PLUS protein in vodka? It’s real, and it’s spectacular.

Follow Nic on Instagram at @nicholas.hamilton and on TikTok at @nic.hamilton

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Order Nic’s book, Sipsy-Doozy
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it take to be one of the 50 Best bars? And what does “Best” mean anyway? Emma Sleight from 50 Best sits down with Greg and Sother to discuss how a bar makes the list, whether she’s still impressed with hospitality and what role these kinds of lists play in the hospitality industry at large.

PLUS, a line of 20% spirits has hit the market. Is this just fad-chasing or something real? Greg and Sother discuss this latest move by Diageo.

Follow The 50 Best Bars at @the50bars

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Follow The 50: http://the50.com
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brett Adams just finished writing his second book. Good thing he had a lot of time since his day job is curating a bar with thousands of different bottles. Brett, author of “Raising the Bar” and “The Bartender’s Library” sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about his work as Spirits Curator and Education Manager at the Multnomah Whiskey Library, why he wanted to write such an in-the-weeds book after a much more stripped down debut, and what bottles he would take with him at the end of the world. Want to hear what goes into a $7,000 dram of Japanese Whiskey? Brett has your answers.

PLUS, cocktail names are getting simpler. By a lot. Greg and Sother unpack this latest iteration of the minimalist trend and whether or not it might be an overcorrection.

Follow Multnomah at @multnomahwhiskeylibrary

Follow Brett at @your.daily.brett

LINKS

• Become a Regular
• Preorder Brett’s Book
• For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is on YouTube!
• Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Sustainable” and “Farm-to-Table” sound good on a business plan, in a press hit and on social media. But what does it actually mean for a bar to be sustainable? Fred Beebe has taken one approach, and focuses on sourcing almost everything at Post Haste in Philadelphia from east of the Mississippi. Fred sits down with Greg and Sother to unpack his decision to source most of the ingredients he uses from somewhere you can drive to in under 18 hours, what that means in terms of common bar ingredients (like lemons and limes) and what it’s like to open a Philly bar as a native New Yorker.

PLUS, can I get that in a man’s glass? Greg and Sother unpack a patriarchal trend that’s once again rearing its ugly head, and how that relates to the future of unreasonable hospitality (as seen on “The Bear”!)

Follow Post Haste at @posthastephilly

LINKS

• Become a Regular: http://patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
• Bon Appetit’s piece on the end of unreasonable hospitality: http://bonappetit.com/story/will-guidara-unreasonable-hospitality-criticism
• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at http://youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Check out Quiote Imports at http://quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mixers have to fight an uphill battle to make an impression. They’re not as sexy as whiskey or gin, and if you’re starting a new company one question inevitably comes up: Does the world really need another tonic water? Fortunately David Vogel, the Founder & CEO of Badger Bevs has the answers. He sits down to talk about breaking into the business, the R&D required to get the quinine and citrus in his tonic just right, and how working for a pet food company gave him a secret edge in supply chain management

PLUS, new bobbleheads just dropped, and Greg and Sother take a moment to reflect on one of their favorite regional traditions: the beloved local beer of, let’s say less than stellar quality.

Follow Badger Bevs at @badger bevs

LINKS

• Become a Regular: http://patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at http://youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Check out Quiote Imports at http://quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When Damola Timeyin co-founded Bayab Gin he set out to “put Africa on the world’s back bar.” Greg and Sother chat with Damola about what that entails, how his company is aiming to avoid the mistakes of colonialism, and what that means the gin in the bottle actually tastes like. Spoiler, one of his four gin expressions is absolutely bursting with pineapple flavor.

PLUS, a beer heist and a new, slightly less simple way to make simple syrup. It’s news you can use!

Follow Bayab at @bayabgin

LINKS

• Become a Regular: http://patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
• Read Damola’s substack: http://theafricanflavourmanifesto.substack.com
• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at http://youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Check out Quiote Imports at http://quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it take to get consumers to try Vermouth straight? Not in a Negroni, or a Manhattan or a Martini, but by itself? And would it be any easier if you told them hey, that’s the way they drink it in Barcelona? Raj Nallapothola and Àlex Cardona, the co-founders of LAIE Vermouth join Greg and Sother for the first show of their fall season to discuss the native Catalan ingredients that make this bottle taste like home, why you should really just try vermouth by itself, and why putting it in a cocktail “ruins it.”

PLUS, Greg and Sother catch up on the industry news from their time off the air, including AI in promotional posters and whether or not anyone is impressed with your guest shift.

Follow LAIE at @laievermouth

Follow Àlex at @aborigens

Follow Raj at @rajnallapothola

LINKS

• Become a Regular: http://patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at http://youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Learn more about Luxardo at http://luxardousa.com
• Check out Quiote Imports at http://quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're on summer break this week but we've got an announcement about the community we're building.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The minds behind World Gin Week, Philip Duff and Karl Finegan sit down with Greg and Sother to discuss the inaugural festival which took place this summer in New York City. They discuss the learnings from their first go-round, which was made possible in part by the fantastic staff at Ivory Peacock, their plans for world gin domination, and how to gently change the minds of folks who swear they don’t like gin.

PLUS summer break is upon us and Greg is headed to Iceland. Find out what he’s traveling for and share some of your own summer travel stories with us on Instagram.

Follow Philip at @philipsduff

Follow Karl at @finegk

Follow Ivory Peacock at @theivorypeacock

Follow World Gin Week at @worldginweekofficial

LINKS

• Become a Regular: http://patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at http://youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Learn more about Luxardo at http://luxardousa.com
• Check out Quiote Imports at http://quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nikki McCutcheon started working with Tao Group Hospitality when she was eighteen. Now she's the VP of Beverage in New York and her career has progressed from passing the level two somm exam, to designing cocktail menus, to opening a punk rock sake bar. She chats with Sother and Greg about what’s changed in the world of wine, how she and her team decide which drinks make it onto the menu, and how their tasty instagram snacks and Magnum Mondays work to bring guests (including Sother) through the doors.

PLUS bars around the country are “benefitsmaxxing” by finding clever workarounds for healthcare and wealth inequality. Is it ingenuity, an indictment of a broken system, or both?

LINKS

• Become a Regular: http://patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at http://youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Learn more about Luxardo at http://luxardousa.com
• Check out Quiote Imports at http://quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Greg and Sother are live on the red carpet at Bartending’s Biggest Night! They speak to the winners of the 2026 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, including Amanda Gunderson and Travis Nass who took home Best Bar Mentor for their work with Another Round Another Rally, the team from Allegory in Washington, DC fresh off their win for World’s Best Cocktail Menu, Moe Aljaff from schmuck which snagged the plate for Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar, and the inimitable David Wondrich after he was honored with the Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award.

PLUS Charlotte’s back to reflect on her time as a judge for the Spirited Awards, and she shares a life hack she wishes more people knew: that you can just nominate yourself!

Follow Tales of the Cocktail at @tales_of_the_cocktail

LINKS

• Become a Regular: http://patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit http://nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at http://youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Learn more about Luxardo at http://luxardousa.com
• Check out Quiote Imports at http://quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.