Buy Back Podcast

Synopsis: This week, Nancy from Twisted Tequila Tastings takes John back to school and gives him a solid education on Tequila. Nancy is the founder of Twisted Tequila Tastings, a curated tequila experience with three select tequila experiences. Who better to open John's eyes to the worlds of tequila? ... Unless she brings out the blindfolds, that is...

Twisted Tequila Tastings: https://www.twistedtequilatastings.net/

Bars Fondly Mentioned

The Alcove (Queens, NY): https://the-alcove.food-menu.net/Copper Kettle (Queens, NY): RIPDulce (Manhattan, NY): https://www.dulcenewyork.com/Street Taco (Manhattan, NY): https://www.streettacony.com/location/street-taco-gramercy/
Arte Agave, New York's Premiere Tequila and Mezcal Festival: https://arteagave.com/arte-agave-new-york-2026

Tequila's Fondly Mentioned

Don FulanoMijentaOcho PlataLALOEl TesoroPantalones Organic

Synopsis: Alex rises from the gravely busy business of being a dad), and regales us with tales of Haunted Irish Bars! Grab a beverage of your choosing or follow Alex's recommended drinking list (listed before each tale in this episode) as he tells stories of Ireland's first cereal killer, (Not the Lucky Charms!), turncoat revolutionaries, and paintings from beyond the pale. All this, with a sprinkling of your regular "Tall Man" and "Girl with the Lillies" haunts. Sit back, relax, and don't forget to lock up after the last customer leaves.

Haunted Bars:

Kytelers Inn (Kilkenny, Ireland): https://www.kytelersinn.com/

Darkie Kelly's Bar (Dublin, Ireland): https://darkeykellys.ie/

The Brazen Head (Dublin, Ireland): https://brazenhead.com/

Grace Neill's (Donaghadee, UK): http://graceneills.com/

Kell's Irish Restaurant & Pub (Seattle, WA): https://kellsseattle.com/

Other Bars Mentioned:

Sean's Bar (Athlone, Ireland): https://www.seansbar.ie/

Kapi's Pub (Uxbridge, MA)

Synopsis: All around the globe, bartenders, servers, chefs, and more work hard to keep your restaurant experiences enjoyable and memorable. But we're also no strangers to the spirits that linger long after you go home to your beds. Whether we're stocking up and doing side work in the morning, or restocking to the hum of fridges at the end of the night, we know that we're not always alone. Welcome to The Buy Back Halloween Special 2027. Time to clock in, and maybe never clock out.

Returning Guests and their HauntsShea and Bar Louie (closed) (California)Aria and Mosaic: https://mosaicastoria.com/ (Queens, NY)Lizz and Old MKE: https://www.instagram.com/oldemkepub/ (Racine, WI)Jeremy and Hattie's Tap and Tavern: https://www.hattiesclt.com/ (Charlotte, NC)Bailey and unnamed bar on St. Anthony, Main: (Minneapolis, MN)Alex and Arch Street Tavern: https://www.archstreettavern.com/ (Hartford, CT)Steve and The Castle: https://www.castleloungeredding.com/ (Redding, CA)Peter and unnamed two floor bars: (New York, NY)Courtney and Jack's Fire Department: https://www.jacksfiredepartment.com/ (Queens, NY)Heather and The Liberty Bar: https://www.liberty-bar.com/ (San Antonio, TX)Liv and The Mirkwood Public House: https://www.mirkwoodpub.com/ (Arlington, WA)Omar and The High Noon Restaurant and Saloon: https://www.instagram.com/highnoonabq/?hl=en(Albuquerque, NM)Connor and Bum and Kel's Lakeside Tavern (closed):  (Sullivan County, NY)Tristan and Uva: https://www.uvanyc.com/ (New York, NY)Melissa and Le Pavillon: https://www.lepavillon.com/ (New Orleans, LA)Allie and The Upstate Lounge and Cafe: https://theupstatelounge.com/ (Hartford, CT)Pat and his former job which we don't want to put him on blast for: (New York, NY)Marcos and Cousin Larry's: https://www.cousinlarrys.com/ (Queens, NY)AND Popcorn Jack to close us out.

Three-time guest Arianne returns this week and brings along her longtime friend, server and pop-up chef Omar Vallecillo, to The Buy Back table! Omar has walked the fine line between front of house and back of house since he was a young kid growing up washing dishes in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After a brief stint shucking oysters in New Hampshire, and then a quick return to New Mexico, Omar took the subway to NYC and hopped to front of house and has worked serving "Lower West Side Girlies" their espresso-tini's ever since. His real passion, however, lies in food. Omar has recently started hosting and cooking for pop ups in Astoria, Queens, at the Ditty, bringing authentic Mexican recipes to New York City! All this AND John has the audacity to ask the WORST question ever.

Omarcillo's Table: @omarcillostable

Book Here:https://omarcillosdiadelosmuertos.rsvpify.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgRzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwyNTYyODEwNDA1NTgAAaenptAy4YCqddYD4joWSX-osFAxNWmlKLA9v2WwjoLHPpYMoBUaAjcDbQ0EXQ_aem_K44gyhHxQZ6XOd-4HxnMOQ

Where: The Ditty https://thedittybar.com/ 

Location Recording: Jack's Fire Dept. (Queens, NY)   https://www.jacksfiredepartment.com/

Bars *Fondly* MentionedAmerican Bar (New York, NY) https://www.americanbarnyc.com/Greenwich Treehouse (New York, NY) https://www.greenwichtreehouse.com/Keens Steakhouse (New York, NY) https://keens.com/Blake's Lotaburger (Albuquerque, NM) https://www.lotaburger.com/menu/High Noon Restaurant and Saloon (Albuquerque, NM) https://www.highnoonrestaurant.com/

Buy Back Book Club:Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara

Rachel moved from the Ukraine to Florida as a small, vodka-drinking baby. She learned English at 7, but until then, successfully communicated her needs by biting other children. She reversed snowbirded to New York in 2021 to attend a prestigious college and said, "Ya know what? Forget this!" Since then she has gotten really into fishing. Wait, this is not a fishing podcast, it's a bartending podcast. Then why has Rachel spent so much time working and drinking at bars that have a fish theme? It was probably the vodka...

Recording Location: Saluggi's East (New York, NY): https://east.saluggis.com/

Job Location: Flyfish Club (New York, NY): https://www.flyfishclub.com/

*NEW* Job Location: Ambassador's Clubhouse (New York, NY): https://ambassadorsclubhouse.com/newyork/

Bars (Fondly) Mentioned: FIsh Bar (New York, NY): https://www.instagram.com/therealfishbar/?hl=enBaker Falls (New York, NY): https://bakerfalls.com/Made Hotel (New York, NY): https://madehotels.com/Lillie's Victorian (New York, NY): https://www.lilliesnyc.com/Oscar Wilde (New York, NY): https://www.oscarwildenyc.com/Undisclosed Location in Financial District: I'llNeverTell

Bar Recs:Romeo's (New York, NY): https://romeosnyc.com/Schmuck (New York, NY): https://www.schmucknyc.com/Bar Snack (New York, NY): https://www.barsnacknyc.com/Conall's Public House (New York, NY): https://conallspublichouse.com/Old Town Bar (New York, NY): https://oldtownbarnyc.com/Juke Bar East Village (New York, NY): https://eastvillage.jukebarnyc.com/

Shout Outs:Chris @ Four Twenty Five (New York, NY): https://www.425parkrestaurant.com/Allen @ Capon's Chophouse (Hackensack, NJ): https://www.caponschophouse.com/Matt @ 169 Bar (New York, NY): https://169barnyc.com/

Synopsis: Allie was born on the night of a hurricane. Some say they named the hurricane Allie after her. 16 years later, her journey in restaurants began. In our DOUBLE SHOT of a season premiere, John sits down with his former student? Kind of. Now Allie works in multiple restaurants, fronts the wedding band Black Ties and Bourbon, and in her own words, "she's going to be farting anyways..."

Show Notes

Location: The Upstate Lounge and Cafe (Hartford, CT): https://theupstatelounge.com/Black Ties and Bourbon Website: https://www.blacktiesandbourbon.com/Bar

Recs:

Conspiracy (Middletown, CT): https://www.conspiracyct.com/

The Laurel (West Hartford, CT): https://www.thelaurelrestaurantandbar.com/

Cubbyhole (New York, NY): https://www.cubbyholebar.com/

Bars (fondly) Mentioned:

Sparrow Pizza Bar (West Hartford, CT): https://www.sparrowpizzabar.com/

Rebel Dog Coffee Co. (Plainville, CT): https://www.bistrotwenty4.com/

Bistro Twenty 4 (Plainville, CT): https://www.bistrotwenty4.com/

The Hideaway (Simsbury, CT): https://hideawaysimsbury.com/

Spigot (West Hartford, CT): https://www.spigotcafe.com/

Every time Shaelan O'Connor thinks she's out, they pull her back in. Bartending defined her 20's, and she couldn't imagine her life without restaurants, but her sights have always been set on the big screen. This week, Shae and John look at unique chapters of their lives in the restaurant industry, from youngin's, hostessing and driving pizzas (respectively) and looking up to those COOL servers (who, unbeknownst to baby Shaelan and baby John, had no idea what they were doing) to being old AF now dealing with rosacea and diverticulitis. Brush your teeth, folks, because it's time for the Season 7 Finale of The Buy Back!

Never once did Liv think that her job to earn some quick cash as a barista would turn into a career as a bartender. Come with us to the state of Washington where Liv balances both motherhood and like... eight other different jobs. She radiates a joy and a positivity that'll have you smiling this whole episode, and just wait til you get a BINGO on your card, that's when the real fun starts...

This week, you get Part 2 of Bartender (and Author) Jack Terry. From Key West, to Montana, from Pennsylvania to New York City, Jack's been everywhere and done it all. In this week's episode, Jack unites Hooters' waitresses, a wing of the Pentagon, the cast of Dexter, and a guild from the World of Warcraft under the banner of a single cause: Rum. Join us as we talk about the burden of "being a regular," and finding balance in a hectic world where drinking is so accessible. See you at the bar! 

Ladies and Gentleman, Regulars and Patrons, prepare to be amazed as the world wanderer, the tall tower of tonics, the cocktail codex himself, Popcorn Jack, appears on The Buy Back Podcast this week. This week, he enchants listeners with tales of travelling side shows, elevations of immeasurable heights, and maybe shines a light on John's own future!