The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

46:09

Episode 297 - In the Weeds with Charles Joly

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2025/05/05

In part 1 of my conversation with acclaimed bartender Charles Joly, some of the topics we discuss include: The two predominant “schools” of cocktail programs you might encounter in the early 2000s, and how Charles found his home and his voice in the seasonal and ingredient-focused program at a place called The Drawing Room. The conditions and events that led Charles to take on his break-out role on a national stage as the beverage director of the incredibly high-profile bar at The Aviary--a venue

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01:21:03

Episode 296 - The Mind of a Blender with Nancy Fraley

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2025/04/10

In this cask-strength conversation with spirits judge, educator, and master blender Nancy Fraley, some of the topics we discuss include: Nancy’s journey to spirits blending, from Harvard Divinity School, to maritime law, to her apprenticeship under the legendary brandy maker Germain Robin. The story of the first Cigar Blend Bourbon (developed, of course, by Nancy) and how she weaves together factors like fermentation style, maturation humidity, cask finishes, and more to achieve the elusive

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56:56

BONUS: Ginspiration

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2025/03/29

Eric presents selected recordings from the 2024 ADI Gin Summit to provide a few extra perspectives on botanical spirits from some of the world's best category experts, including: David T. Smith - a prolific gin judge and author of The Gin Dictionary and many other excellent cocktail books, Natasha Bahrami - creator of The Gin Room in St. Louis and Gin World, which is an international gin education series for bartenders and other industry professionals), and Virginia Miller - experienced spirits

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01:17:14

Episosde 295 - State of Gin, 2025 with Bobby Freeman

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2025/03/07

In this Navy Strength conversation with Bobby Freeman (@nononsensegin), creator of the hit YouTube Channel, No Nonsense Gin Drinking, some of the topics we discuss include: Bobby’s journey through gin, beginning with the gin & tonic that launched his obsession and all of the stylistic preferences and affinities he’s developed along the way A discussion of recent gin trends in the UK, including the “Pink Gin Bubble” that occurred during COVID and the current obsession with citrus-heavy gins. We

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46:10

Episode 294 - AI Cocktails (Part 2)

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2025/01/24

Eric continues his two part investigation of the rise of Artificial Intelligence in the cocktail and bar world with special guest Rob Nester, creator of the hit podcast, Drinking with Robots. Some of the topics covered include: Why AI and human bartenders have some of the same tendencies, especially when it comes to picking base spirits for cocktails. The role that "cognitive outsourcing" plays in our lives, and how to think about "outsourcing" certain tasks to artificial intelligence. The reason

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25:23

Episode 293 - AI Cocktails (Part 1)

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/12/21

Eric interviews Rob Nester, creator of the hit podcast, Drinking with Robots, about the rise of artificial intelligence in the cocktail space. This is part 1 of a two-part investigation that poses the following question: in what ways might AI transform how we create, enjoy, and perhaps even think about cocktails in the future? In this installment, we talk about Rob's origin story, how he came up with the concept for Drinking with Robots, and the insights he has gleaned about datasets, prompt

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01:01:02

BONUS: ASMR Rare Chartreuse Tasting

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/11/25

Courtesy of the illustrious David T. Smith, author of The Gin Dictionary, Disco Cocktails, 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: Eric Zandona, author of The Tequila Dictionary and The Bourbon Bible Sara Sergent, botanical savant and owner of Alpine

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50:44

Episode 292 - Flavored Whiskey: Breaking the Taboo

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/11/08

Eric leads a panel discussion about flavored whiskey at the 2024 American Distilling Institute Conference and Trade show in Baltimore, Maryland. The esteemed panel includes: Virginia Miller, The Perfect Spot, World's 50 Best Brad Nichols, Flavor Man Sara Sergent, Alpine Distilling Keven Szady, Murlarkey Distilled Spirits We cover a range of important topics in this discussion, all related to the art and craft of bringing flavored whiskeys to market in a crowded and opinionated market. Some of the

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50:20

Episode 291 - Crushing Your Next Cocktail Competition

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/10/25

Eric presents a "soup-to-nuts" crash course on how to crush your next cocktail competition. If you'd like to view this seminar with slides, you can watch it on YouTube. Some of the topics covered include: How to structure your approach to cocktail competitions so that they can help to advance your career goals An overview of the three main types of cocktail competitions (digital, local, and "the big leagues") Spotlights on technical learning, networking, photo and video capture, & social media

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01:02:40

Episode 290 - Intro to Awamori with Jeremy Webb

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/10/15

In this globe-trotting, Japanofilic conversation with Awamori champion Jeremy Webb of Webb's Grainworks, some of the topics we discuss include: The technical definition of Awamori, especially with respect to how its distillate base, koji treatment, and aging practices differentiate it from Shochu and Japanese Whisky. How the history and culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom - a nation separate from the rest of Japan until the late 1800s - impacted how Awamori developed in relation to other traditional

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01:01:36

Episode 289 - The Bartender's Pantry with Jim Meehan

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/09/26

In this wide-ranging conversation with cocktail expert and bar mentor Jim Meehan (@mixography), author of The Bartender’s Pantry, some of the topics we discuss include: How ingredient sourcing and processing ties into the exercise of integrity--not just in sourcing the highest “quality” ingredients, but also exploring how your purchasing power plays into our larger agricultural and economic systems. The way that Jim and his illustrator, Bart Sasso, used procedural graphics to create a

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52:56

Episode 288 - Your Tasting Notes are Bullshit

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/09/12

In this LIVE Seminar recording, Eric identifies two key strains of B.S. that run through contemporary tasting notes. Then, using a concept he refers to as "locating the 'heart' of a spirit," he explores how to generate tasting notes that say accurate things about flavor while also allowing people to connect with the liquid in a glass or a bottle.

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01:15:24

Episode 287 - Rum A Tasting Course with Ian Burrell

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/08/24

In this, sweet, funky, and occasionally grassy conversation with Ian Burrell (@therumambassador), author of Rum A Tasting Course, 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

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01:10:33

Episode 286 - The Case of the Quantum Coaster

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/07/11

Eric investigates the Boce Coaster, descending into a noir mystery narrative to determine if it's possible for a drink coaster to reduce fusel oils in distilled spirits using "quantum tunneling." Buckle up. This is a weird one.

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01:10:56

Episode 285 - Letters from Flavor Camp with Reece Sims

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/06/21

In this campy conversation with Reece Sims (@reecesims), creator of Flavor Camp, some of the topics we discuss include: How camps - like bars - act as intense and intimate “third places,” where people with shared interests or commonalities can gather and thrive. What Reece does to shake up the traditional ruts we fall into when tasting spirits--from the way she sets up the layout of the room, to the way she goes about selecting spirits for any given flight. And did you know: Flavor Camp isn’t

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12:53

2024 Second Half Preview

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/06/06

Eric shares some exciting previews of the episodes to come in the second half of 2024, including sneak previews of "Cocktail Futurism" interviews with Rob Nester (Drinking with Robots) and Jayme Blaschke (Lagoon of Mystery).

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01:06:56

Episode 284 - Foraged Spirits with Tony Gugino

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/05/23

In this down-to-earth conversation with distiller and outdoorsman Tony Gugino 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

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01:23:50

Episode 283 - Spilling the Tea on American Single Malt

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/05/09

In this American, singular, and distinctly malty conversation with Tyler Pederson (@cerealdistiller), master distiller at Westland Distillery, 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

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01:05:31

Episode 282 - RTD Redux

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/04/25

In this RTD redux with Keli Rivers, David T. Smith, and Joe Barber, some of the topics we discuss include: Emerging trends in the post-pandemic RTD (ready to drink) and RTS (ready to serve) cocktail space, including more bottled RTS SKUS, continued innovation by small producers, and marked improvements across the board in stability and flavor. Thoughts on the very real limitations of launching an RTD, such as flavor drift, limited off-premise shelf space, and market saturation. Increased

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40:18

Episode 281 - A Few Last Words with Paul Clarke

The Modern Bar Cart Podcast ·

2024/04/11

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

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