Ingredients and drinks that surprised me or are worth checking out

Cane & Table's Hurricane

The Sherry Cobbler 

Roffignac at Peychaud’s & Maison Premiere

Raspberry shrub recipe

Bitter gentian liqueurs: Suze and Salers



Southpaw @ Lazy Tiger

Taped holiday cocktail webinar

Need last-minute gear gifts?


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Fratelli Branca is the parent company of Fernet Branca, Carpano Antica, Punt e Mes, and other notable brands. You can find Nicola here on Instagram.

Learn about Fernet coins. "Fernet-Branca coins rapidly came to symbolize bartender community membership. They traveled across oceans and continents to the most remote corners of the world. They not only represented a momentary achievement but an authentic collectible,  jealously guarded as a status symbol and a privilege."

Amari have between 30 & 100 grams of sugar per liter. Fernet has 30 grams or less.

Fernet Cocktails: Hanky Panky, Fernet and Cola, La Petite



Want to read more? Try Amaro: The Spirited World of Bittersweet Herbal liqueurs by Brad Thomas Parsons.

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Check out The Botanist's website and on Instagram.Follow Jeff at @fatherofcupsEquipment Jeff mentions: vacuum sealer, centrifuge, rotary evaporator ("it looks like science"), dehydrator, pocket refractometer (for measuring sweetness) Jeff's house martini is a freezer martini.What in the heck is Lacto-fermentation? Learn more about genever

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Join Nicole Gilbert of J. Rieger & Co and me on November 7th for a virtual class on Thanksgiving and batching. Register here.

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Learn about Jackie and Sorel. Follow Jackie & Sorel on Instagram.

What's in Sorel? North African hibiscus, Nigerian ginger, Indonesian cassia (cinnamon), Brazilian cloves, Indonesian nutmeg, Pure cane sugar, Neutral wheat grain spirits, and deionized water.

An NA version of Sorrel

Check out Fawn Weaver of Uncle Nearest and the Nearest Green Foundation.

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Emma got her start with David Alan, aka "The Tipsy Texan"

The first cocktail Emma remembers taking an interest in is the Dark and Stormy

She mentioned Mayahuel by Phil Ward as one of the pioneer mezcal bars in the US

Agave varietals mentioned: Cupreata, Tepeztate, Cuishe, Madrecuishe, Salmiana

Emma's website, Instagram, and Twitter

The articles I referenced: "The Great Mezcal Heist" and "Mindful Mezcal"










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Beyond the cocktail recipe and technique books I've read, Robert's book A Proper Drink transformed my understanding of how cocktails arrived at where they are. 

Robert recalled a (potentially illegal) seminar conducted by Ted Breaux about Absinthe

Drinks and bottles that were big in San Francisco: Mojito, Pisco Punch, and Pisco Sour, and Fernet Branca

Drinks and bottles that were big in New Orleans: Pimm's Cup, French 75, Ramos Gin Fizz, Milk Punch, Sazerac, and The Hurricane

Robert mentions drinks like Little Italy and Tom & Jerry.

He reminds us that until books like The Craft of the Cocktail and The Joy of Mixology came out, forums like DrinkBoy and egullet were how people learned. He also recommends Straight Up or On the Rocks.

Greg Boehm of Cocktail Kingdom launched Mud Puddle Books which began reissuing and publishing various books.



Robert's latest book is Modern Classic Cocktails. Check him out via his website, Instagram, and Substack.

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Check out Kiowa on Instagram. Before working for Spiribam, she was at The Eveleigh. She is on the board of Another Round Another Rally.

Kiowa's boss is Ben Jones, a descendant of Homere Clément, who founded Rhum Clément. During Clément's lifetime, Mount Pelée erupted, one of the largest eruptions in recorded history, wiping out an entire city.

Hopefully, we can chat again and discuss another product she was very proud of, Chairman's Reserve from St. Lucia.

Learn more about the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) that governs Agricole. The difference between sugarcane vs. sugar beets

Learn about the varietals of sugarcane that can be used

The difference between Rhum Agricole and Cachaça

Why should tipping be abolished?

Kiowa mentions congeners. What are they? They impart flavor into spirits.

When Kiowa mentions Agricole being distilled between 65 and 75 degrees, she is talking about its proofing.

The most iconic Agricole cocktail is Ti' Punch. Kiowa is a big fan of using Agricole in place of gin for a Martini, or as she calls it, a Martini(que)

Kiowa Bryan hails from Vermont originally, where she took her first job in hospitality over 20 years ago. While at The Eveleigh in Los Angeles, she first tasted a Ti’Punch and realized her intended career path advocating for the education of all things Rhum Agricole and the French Caribbean. Since then, she's been lucky enough to spend the last seven years growing professionally into the role of US Brand Manager of Spiribam Fine Spirits Family while the company did the same, expanding into a seven-brand portfolio. In her spare time, she listens to Christmas carols far into February, studies history, and snuggles her dog Martinique Warrilow McFly.

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Kelsey Ramage and Erin Hayes are the co-founders of Black Lagoon.

Kelsey co-founded Trash Collective, which in part focuses on sustainability in hospitality. Check out their sustainability recipe tips. She's also worked at bars like Supernova Ballroom and Dandelyan

Erin is currently the beverage director at Fairmont Century Plaza and has worked at bars like Lost Lake and Three Dots and a Dash.  Check out Erin's ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail called "Rocket Queen" from Livewire, which won best-in-show at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

For tiki drinks, Erin recommended checking out Jeff Berry and Shannon Mustipher. You should also check out Chockie Tom of Doomersive. 

Tying into both Kelsey's work with Trash Collective and Erin's comments about the improved quality of RTDs, many bartenders are now turning to things like "fake lime juice".

Check out Kelsey's Spotify and Erin's for their Halloween tunes.

One drink you can expect at the popup is a riff on the Kingston Negroni.

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Today's episode is brought to you by a handful of my patrons: Drew, Jenine, and Leslie. You can read more about the benefits they're enjoying here.

Follow Ryan and J. Rieger & Co.

The first place Ryan mentions working is Pierpont's. This is where he had both a terrible and life-changing Sazerac. He mentions ingredients like Peychaud's, Old Overholt, and Grand Absenté.

He mentions Mr. Boston cocktail books as well as Dale Degroff's The Craft of the Cocktail.

Ryan talks about visiting bars like Milk & Honey (New York) and Chicago establishments The Violet Hour and Drawing Room.

He mentions bartenders Sasha Petraske and Charles Joly. People mentioned involved in launching J. Rieger & Co include Andy Rieger, Steve Olson, and Dave Pickerell.

Places Ryan has opened include Manifesto and The Rieger (both are now closed) as well as The Hey! Hey! Club and his newer sprawling J. Rieger & Co distillery, bar, and more.

Rieger's Kansas City Whiskey is made unique by having a small percentage of oloroso sherry make up the total. He also mentioned their Caffé Amaro.

When I asked him about menus he loved he mentioned The Violet Hour, Pouring Ribbons (now closed), and The Aviary.



Special thanks to Chris Bay for production and editing support.

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Thanks to my guest stars Arianna Hone and Marshall Minaya.



Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, Cocktail Apprentice Program (CAP), Spirited Awards



Marshall mentioned Normindia gin, which employs Calvados

I discussed a wonderful session on clarifying milk featuring Garreth Howells



We discussed the increased wellness push at Tales involving Seedlip, Arianna's Espresso Martini courtesy of Lyre's, and Livener by Three Spirit. 

Bars: Peychaud's, Arnaud's, Two Schmuck's, Clover Club, Leyenda

People: Dale DeGroff, Dave Arnold, Jeff Berry, Ivy Mix, Dave Wondrich, Julie Reiner, Phil Duff

Brands and organizations: Diageo, Suze, Finger Lakes Distilling, Bar Convent Brooklyn



One term I'd never heard that Arianna mentioned is bump pouring. A quick up-and-down motion while pouring, creates an air bubble that causes a short gap in the stream, allowing one to reposition over another glass and not spill on the counter or interrupt your pour. This helped Arianna pour more seamlessly when moving fast in the Speed Rack competition.

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