What’s shakin’, cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 229 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! This time around, I chat with spirits expert OJ Lima (@neatrockscocktail), one of the co-founders of Taste Select Repeat - a modern liquor store that’s bringing more people into the fold with a focus on diversity and transparency, as well as a heavy emphasis on special barrel picks. In this single-barrel conversation with entrepreneur and spirits educator OJ Lima, co-founder of Taste Select Repeat, some of the topics we cover include: How OJ and his business partner Pierre battled a pandemic and a notorio ..read more

What’s shakin’ cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 228 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! This time around, we have the distinct pleasure of sitting down face-to-face with two guests: Jewel Murray, General Manager and Creative Director at The Gibson, one of DC’s most illustrious cocktail bars Duncan Coltharp, Sales Representative and Cocktail Consultant with Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery in Middleburg, VA. Our topic, if you couldn’t tell from the episode title, is gin. And not gin in general, but the process of creating and launching a gin from scratch in the year 2022. In a spirits ..read more

What’s shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to episode 227 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! I’m your host, Eric Kozlik. Thanks for joining me for the conclusion of our 2-part deep dive on the history, science, and technique responsible for the world’s most popular sour cocktail: The Margarita. If you haven’t already tuned into the first installment in Episode 224, I’d HIGHLY recommend that you take a spin through that audio essay before you proceed on with this one because it lays a lot of important groundwork for what we’re planning on covering this time. The goal of this Part II is to track some ..read more

What’s shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 226 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! This time around, we’re joined by Pádraic Ó Griallais, Founder and Director of Micil Distillery in Galway, Ireland. He and his brother have evolved and scaled a family distilling tradition that dates back to his great-great-great grandfather Micil, who produced illicit spirits on a Connemara hillside near the shores of Galway Ireland way back in 1848. These days, things look a little different for Pádraic and the team at Micil Distillery, but there’s still quite a bit to be learned about Poitín, Ireland’s nat ..read more

What’s shakin, cocktail fans?  Welcome to Episode 225 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! Simon J. Woolf This time around, we dip into the world of wine to discuss a category that’s as new and exciting as it is ancient. That category is none other than “Orange Wine,” and our guest this episode, wine author Simon Woolf (on Instagram @simonjwoolf), has traveled and tasted extensively within the diverse community of orange wine producers. He’s also written an excellent book on the topic called Amber Revolution: How the World Learned to Love Orange Wine, and his journey researching and writing ..read more

What’s shakin’ cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 224 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! I’m your host, Eric Kozlik. Thanks for joining me for this audio essay, where I pick one very specific topic from the vibrant landscape of spirits and cocktails and examine it under the microscope so that you can become familiar with the history, art, and craft that most people aren’t even aware of. The goal of these audio essays is not only to make you a better, more well-rounded drinker and bartender, but also to examine where our chosen topic links up with other nodes in the vast beverage network and try t ..read more

What’s shakin’, cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 223 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! Thanks for joining us for another interview episode, where we track down the best and brightest minds in the spirits and cocktail world so that we can share their secrets with you. This time around, we’re joined by Birk O’Halloran, creator of Rockwell Vermouth. Not only is Birk an accomplished winemaker, but he has also taken the plunge into the world of fortified and aromatized wines, and his journey through this artemisia-scented landscape will be the subject of this episode’s interview. Birk O’Halloran I ..read more

What’s shakin’, cocktail fans? Welcome to episode 222 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! Thanks for joining us for this interview episode, where we track down the best and brightest minds in the spirits and cocktail world so that we can share their secrets with you. This time around, we pull up a bar stool with Nicholas Bennett (@thenickb on Instagram). He’s the beverage director over at Porchlight - a New York bar with a southern accent. Nick has seen it all in the New York hospitality scene, and in this interview, we talk about his archipelagic journey through the enchanted isles of many far-f ..read more

What’s shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 221 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! Maria Denton This time around, we’re joined by Maria Denton, the Southeast Regional Manager for Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits. They’re one of the heavy hitters in the no-ABV product space, boasting a lineup of over a dozen zero-proof spirits and mixers, as well as non-alcoholic sparkling wines and ready-to-drink cocktails. In this refreshing and perfectly balanced conversation with Maria Denton, Southeast Regional Manager for Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits, some of the topics we discuss include: How Maria use ..read more

What’s shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to Episode 220 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast! This time around, we hang out with bourbon lover and no-ABV spirits entrepreneur Lauren Chitwood. She and her business partners created a brand called Spiritless, and their flagship product is Kentucky 74, which they call “a beautifully distilled non-alcoholic spirit for bourbon cocktails.” In this eye-opening conversation with Spiritless CEO, Lauren Chitwood, some of the topics we discuss include: Lauren Chitwood How Lauren’s experience running events and activations for big spirits brands led her to join ..read more