The Speakeasy

This week on The Speakeasy, host Damon Boelte is in the studio with Chris Balla, beer selector for their common interest oyster bar – Grand Army Bar. Talking all things beer, Chris relates how he developed his palate, where his beverage career began, and thoughts on German beers. Beer cocktails are also on the rise which prompts an in-depth conversation on the various uses of beer in concocted drinks and beer/spirit mixers, plus the guys’ personal favorites lately. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“Why use club soda when you could use beer in there?” [22:15]

—Chris Balla on The Speakeasy

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Steven Andrew Soderbergh is best known as an acclaimed American film producer, director, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. He’s behind a plethora of celebrated films including the Ocean’s Eleven and Oceans Twelve movies and most recently, Magic Mike XXL. What you might not know about him is that he’s also behind a brand new spirit, Singani 63. What is Singani 63? A muscat grape based spirit made in the Bolivian Andes. Sound interesting? Learn more as Damon Boelte interviews Steven on a brand new episode of The Speakeasy. This program was brought to you by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.

“This is not brandy, it’s its own thing. You spend a lot of time explaining what it isn’t to people, rather than what it is. I stumbled upon something nobody had heard of or been exposed to here, yet has this long history. We got the best of both.” 06:00

“The general knowledge level of a bartender is much higher than it was 10 years ago. I look at a bar now completely differently than I did when I first started this process.” [10:00]

“I didn’t get into this to get bought out – I got into this so that people can get it. Hopefully at some point it becomes sustainable.” [16:00]

“I’m the Tony Montana of the spirit world. I’m definitely hitting my own supply.” [32:00]

–Steven Soderbergh on The Speakeasy

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Star bartenders and all-around awesome gals Ivy Mix & Julie Reiner are back on The Speakeasy, this time to talk about their brand new bar – Leyenda in Cobble Hill. With a focus on Central American spirits, Leyenda carries some of the high-quality tradition of Clover Club while shifting the attention to a particular part of the world. Hear how they opened the space and what plans are next for this powerful duo. This program was brought to you by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.

–Ivy Mix on The Speakeasy

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This week on The Speakeasy Damon chats with multi-talented bartender Will Peet of Donostia and the NoMad. The two have a casual conversation about everything from the nature of bartending to the subtleties of Sherry. This program was brought to you by Union Beer.

“Those barrels [For Wine] have been used for hundreds of years, you’re gonna get some really cool s**t from them.” [20:00]

“It’s doing god’s work man [Making Sherry Wine].” [24:00]

— Will Peet on The Speakeasy

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Tune in for a canid conversation between cocktail professionals on this week’s episode of The Speakeasy. Damon is joined by April Wachtel, a phenomenal spirits + cocktail educator. She’s worked for Lani Kai, the Bacardi portfolio, and Solbeso. She is currently teaching recreational cocktail classes at Astor Center, Haven’s Kitchen and ICC and has recently launched her own consulting and education company, Swig and Swallow . This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center.

–April Wachtel on The Speakeasy

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This week on The Speakeasy Damon interviews Jimmy and Eddie Russel of Wild Turkey Bourbon. Jimmy and Eddie talk about their experiences within the company over the past decades and their first experiences with bourbon. The two give their opinions on flavored whiskey, current whiskey demographics, and how the industry has changed and how they view these changes. This program was sponsored by The International Culinary Center.

“I’ve worked here [Wild Turkey] since 1981 and i’ve loved every minute of it.” [5:00]

— Eddie Russel on The Speakeasy

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This week on The Speakeasy, Damon Boelte is joined by bartender, musician and all around great guy Kevin Denton. Denton crafts cocktails that utilize obscure ingredients and modern techniques. Denton worked his way up as a journeyman bartender at establishments steeped in classic and neo-classic form.Denton was born in Lawrence, Kansas in 1979. He earned his Bachelors and Masters of Regional Planning degrees from the Architecture, Art and Planning College of Cornell University in 2001, and 2003. Following a brief period as a land use planner in Philadelphia, Denton moved to New York in 2005 to become head bartender at Danny Meyer’s “Tabla.” He worked as a bar consultant in Siena, Italy, for a boutique, historic hotel. Upon returning stateside, he assisted in opening “Hotel Delmano” in Williamsburg (2008) and shortly thereafter was part of the opening staff at the Tequilaria “Mayahuel” in the East Village.His most recent work experience was as General Manager and Beverage Director for Gramercy Terrace at the Gramercy Park Hotel, where he established the city’s first rooftop bar and restaurant garden. Denton, and his cocktails, have been featured in The New York Times, Esquire, GQ, Details, and Men’s Health magazines. He has also been featured on the Martha Stewart Show, and as a guest Mixologist for the Cooking Channel’s Holiday programming (2012). This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center.

–Kevin Denton on The Speakeasy

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We’re talking Moonshine today on The Speakeasy as host Damon Boelte is joined by Brent Thompson from Sugarlands Distilling Company. Sugarland produces craft quality moonshine and whiskey. The distillery in downtown Gatlinburg, Tenn. is a popular attraction where guests are invited to taste free samples of authentic Sugarlands Shine, take behind the-scenes tours of the production, and purchase a variety of moonshine flavors, mountain merchandise, and apparel.

The distillery also offers live music, Appalachian storytelling, and outdoor adventure tours in the Sugarlands, an area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park historically referred to as “moonshiners’ paradise.” The company is East Tennessee-owned, with a focus on bettering the local community through a variety of events and charitable giving.

Sugarlands Distilling Co. opened its downtown Gatlinburg distillery in March 2014 to perform the age-old craft of distilling fine Sugarlands Shine. Its authentic spirits, barn-house location, and first-class entertainment offer visitors the complete Tennessee moonshine experience. Sugarlands Distilling Co. is a proud, locally owned, community-minded, “give-back” brand. This program was brought to you by Visit Napa Valley.

“We like to say that white corn is for whiskey, yellow corn is for critters.” [08:00]

“A lot of spectators thought this was a flash in the pan and that moonshine would go away. What has happened is that it’s started to stick.” [23:00]

–Brent Thompson on The Speakeasy

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This week on The Speakeasy Damon interviews Jamie Salas, the Milagro Tequila Brand Ambassador. Salas tells us about the evolution of the tequila industry and how the openness of the industry has changed over the past few decades. The two then discuss the expense of producing tequila and how it can be an extremely taxing process. This program was sponsored by the International Culinary Center

“Its a labor of love [Producing tequila].” [50:00]

— Jamie Salas on The Speakeasy

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The one and only Jordana Rothman rejoins Damon Boelte on The Speakeasy for a candid thirty minute conversation on everything from leather aged cocktails to national spirit trends. Jordana, formerly of Time Out New York, has been freelancing, focusing on bigger picture journalism and just finished working on Alex Stupak’s upcoming book with Clarkson Potter. Damon and Jordana asses some of the things going on across the country in the world of cocktails and spirits and give listeners some real insight, tips and takeaways. This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center.

“I have some triggers around the hipster whiskeys that are made [at a facility] in Indiana but the consumer thinks they’re having something distilled and bottled locally. There’s a real lack of consumer education around that. Everybody thinks they’re having one thing but there’a a lot of labeling noise.” [12:00]

–Jordana Rothman on The Speakeasy

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