The Speakeasy

Your hosts travel to the southern shore of Lake Erie to investigate the hospitality scene in Cleveland. Guided by native Stefan Was of the Porco Lounge and Tiki Room, Damon and Sother zig zag across the City talking to some of Believeland's most beloved bartenders and restaurateurs. From Ohio City Provisions to the venerable Velvet Tango Room, Cleveland is making its mark on the nightlife landscape.

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Sother went down to this year's Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, armed with a recorder and a dream...a dream to cover the entire festival in-depth. However, due to his jam-packed schedule, only this interview got recorded: a sit-down with Jabin Troth, founder of the world's largest craft cocktail Instagram account, Licensed to Distill. Tune in and give him a follow!

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On Today's show Damon and Sother talk with Charlotte Voisey, Director of Advocacy at William Grant & Sons USA. They discuss the rise of gin in America, respect for cucumbers, and travel tips. Plus, we get some surprise guests at the end of the episode!

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Rob Morton spent 17 years in the music business running marketing departments for record labels and Virgin Megastores, and 6 as a production manager for live action music videos and commercials, before going into bar ownership in 2010. He worked for Idle Hands from 2010-2015, Fools Gold from 2014-present, Voltaire as of 2018, and Paul’s Of Oak Island coming in 2019.

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This week Damon and Sother chat with Freddie Sarkis, Chief Cocktail Officer at Liquor Lab in NYC. They chat about his journey from coffee to cocktails, teaching the basics of bartending, and how to progress beyond Cocktails 101. But first, Damon and Sother give a quick review of their trip to Cleveland.

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On this episode of The Speakeasy, Damon and Sother share their experiences of Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. Then they welcome two NYC gatekeepers - Josh Polina, a doorman at Death & Company and Santi Dady, who handles reservations at Please Don't Tell. They talk about managing customers expectations, what customers shouldn't do in their quest for access, and their philosophies of hospitality.

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Today on The Speakeasy we're talking with Jesse Sheidlower, a lexicographer and bar manager of a very small, high-end cocktail bar in Brooklyn called Threesome Tollbooth. Before bartending he authored The F-Word, a detailed history of the word "fuck". We also can't forget that he's been named one of the 100 smartest people in New York by New York Magazine. We talk about immersive experiences, swear words, and much, much more.

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Today on The Speakeasy we talk with Matt Kourie. He's a cocktail enthusiast, turned home bartender, turned guest bartender, who had turned his one bedroom Queens apartment into a speakeasy, home bar room. Kourie has been organizing successful events in hospitality since 2013. The New York native has brought together over 20k individuals since that time, through his NY Best Wings Festival championships to BBQ events, partnered events with Time Out New York Magazine, the New York Cocktail Expo and more. Kourie is passionate about the focus of hospitality first, as well as bringing people together to grow and learn as a community.

If you're going to New York Cocktail Expo on August 19th, use promo code SPEAKEASY for 20% off.

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Noah Rothbaum is the editor of The Daily Beast’s Half Full section. He also hosts the podcast Life Behind Bars with legendary cocktail historian David Wondrich.

In addition, Rothbaum is the author of the book The Art of American Whiskey: A Visual History of the Nation’s Most Storied Spirit, through 100 Iconic Labels and the associate editor of the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. Rothbaum’s first book, The Business of Spirits: How Savvy Marketers, Innovative Distillers, and Entrepreneurs Changed How We Drink, was published in 2007.

According to Chicago magazine’s chief dining critic, Jeff Ruby, “Rothbaum knows drinking like Newton knew gravity, but he’s not all high and mighty about it, creating laws and whatnot.” And The Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy blog called him “one of the smartest tipplers (and writers on spirits) we know.”

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Damon and Sother are joined by Julie Reiner and Susan Fedroff of Clover Club, Leyanda, Flatiron Lounge, Pegu Club...basically some of the most iconic bars in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

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