Best Sherpa Consulting Group Podcasts (2025)

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Bonus: Blind Spots to Breakthroughs 1:13:34

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4d ago1:13:34

1:13:34

What if the very habits that built your success are now capping it? We dive into five leadership behaviors that start as strengths and quietly harden into ceilings: rigid thinking, people pleasing, over-reliance on hustle, perfectionism, and impatience. Our goal isn’t to shame your wiring; it’s to layer the right skills on top so you adapt, delegat…

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#132, Edmund Weil, co-founder, Nightjar, Oriole and Swift bars, London 2:10:18

6d ago2:10:18

2:10:18

Edmund co-founded Nightjar, a speakeasy cocktail bar with live music, in London with his life and business partner, Roisin Stimpson, in 2010, with its first head bartender being Marian Beke. Nightjar quickly stormed the lists of nominations, Best Bars, and more, and a lot of that success was due to Marian's incredible cocktail presentations, in bes…

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#131, Steven Yeng, co-founder, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 1:48:12

13d ago1:48:12

1:48:12

I met Steve at Cologne Bar Symposium earlier this year, which also hosted the first-ever launch of Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey outside the USA. We chatted a bit and I attended his seminar; to say Steve's life is fascinating is like saying Elon Musk is a decent engineer. From a childhood of wealth in Cambodia with servants and bodyguards, to con…

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Episode 8 - Leading Through Dreams: Unlocking Purpose, Retention, and Performance 25:58

17d ago25:58

25:58

What happens when a leader flips the script and focuses on helping team members achieve their personal dreams instead of just company targets? Dane Espegard, who manages the largest division of Cutco, discovered a revolutionary approach that transformed his team culture and dramatically improved retention of top talent. After attending a Matthew Ke…

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#130, Ken Aufiero, Director of Spirits, United States Beverage and NY liquor-biz legend 1:53:38

20d ago1:53:38

1:53:38

Our mutual friend (and PR guru) Laura Peet suggested I have liquor biz lifer Ken on, and he was a great guest! We chatted about the liquor industry, recent developments like GLP-1 inhibitors, the effects of phone-based gambling on drinks sales in bars, the Seagrams curse, and a whole bunch more, while I was drinking a Fre Damm Tostada a non-alc bee…

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#129, Sarah Morrissey, award-winning NYC mixologist, bar manager and Substack author 1:52:08

27d ago1:52:08

1:52:08

Sarah Morrissey is a little bundle of joy on the NY bar circuit, but also a skilled mixologist who's had her bar programs reviewed in the likes of the New York Times on multiple occasions, shepherded bar programs to James Beard and Tales of the Cocktail nominations (and wins) and is rightly respected by all who know her. She's done stints at Le Vea…

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Episode 7 - Struggle Creates Strength: Why Great Leaders Don't Rescue 38:58

2M ago38:58

38:58

The most profound leadership paradox might be this: your desire to help others can actually harm their development. In this thought-provoking exploration of engaging and developing team members, Reed Moore and Chase Williams unpack why well-intentioned leadership behaviors often backfire. When you consistently solve problems for your team, you're u…

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#128, Robin Robinson, liquor brand Sherpa, consultant, spirits expert and author of “The History of Whiskey in 100 Bottles, Barrels and More” 1:51:45

2M ago1:51:45

1:51:45

Return guest and one of my favorite people, Robin Robinson is back! He's a sales & marketing guru, a brand sherpa, a truly gifted storyteller and spirits expert - and he's just written another book, so back on The Philip Duff Show he comes. We talked storytelling, Star Wars, some of the mindbending facts he's unearthed for the new book (First use o…

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#127, Miguel Lancha, global beverage consultant, former head of beverage for Jose Andres Group 1:41:29

2M ago1:41:29

1:41:29

Miguel became a mainstay of the burgeoning Spanish cocktail scene in the early 2000s, and we met in 2008, when he brought a crew of Spanish bartenders to the Bols Bartender Academy, which I had founded in Amsterdam. We stayed friends and soon after he moved to the USA, where we reconnected after I moved to NY in 2012. Miguel had a wild ride, from h…

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#126, Christian Balke, founder, SIP Advocacy Program (Pernod-Ricard worldwide), Team Leader, Advocacy & Education, Pernod-Ricard Deutschland 1:57:31

2M ago1:57:31

1:57:31

Me and Christian met almost twenty years ago; when I was still living in the Netherlands, my friend Robin Weiss asked me to help judge the Havana Club Germany bartender contests, and Christian was involved even back then. In the next few years we hung out at Havana Club contests in Sylt, Dusseldorf, Havana itself and several other cities I can't re…

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#125, BONUS, Amir Babayoff, beverage director, Ophelia Lounge, NYC (collab dual-cast with The Speakeasy podcast) 36:38

2M ago36:38

36:38

This is the last of our Tales-recorded episodes, and our final collab with The Speakeasy! Amir, originally from Tel Aviv, runs the cocktail program at one of Manhattan's hidden gems, the amazing Ophelia Lounge on top of the Beekman Tower, one of NY's last remaining true Art Deco skyscrapers, overlooking the UN. He was down at Tales helping us at Th…

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#124, Francois Monti, author, drinks writer, vermouth fanatic 1:55:59

2M ago1:55:59

1:55:59

Francois escaped growing up in Belgium and, God help us, working in banking, to become a drinks writer, relocating to his beloved Spain and becoming an in-demand consultant to brands and bars, a World's 50 Best Bars Academy Chair, a drinks writer, drinks book author, and one of the two or three most expert and authoritative voices in the industry o…

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#123, BONUS, Sahil Beri, master blender (and interim CEO), The Australian Bitters Co. (collab dual-cast with The Speakeasy podcast) 18:18

2M ago18:18

18:18

Sahil was down in New Orleans to re-launch Australian Bitters Co. in the US, and also because Australian Bitters Co scored both gold and silver medals in the New Orleans Spirits Competition, so me and Greg Benson of The Speakeasy lured him into our makeshift podcast studio and talked about the benefits of having royal family license plates, taking …

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Episode 6 - Leading with Purpose: How to Keep Organizations Focused Amidst Growth Part 2 36:20

2M ago36:20

36:20

The pursuit of organizational growth often misses the mark when it becomes the primary goal rather than a byproduct of powerful vision. In this transformative conversation with Pastor Dan Shields, we explore why companies and churches that obsess over becoming "Fortune 500" or "megachurch" status are often destined for disappointment. "God decided …

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#122, Jake Burger, mixologist, London bar owner, Portobello Road gin distiller, raconteur 3:10:53

3M ago3:10:53

3:10:53

Jake's one of the OG's of the UK bar scene, first making waves by winning multiple cocktail and bartending contests (including one where he won a £10, 000 diamond) when based out of his native Leeds, working in Leeds' top bars and then opening one of his own, then moving to London and opening beloved industry hangout The Portobello Star bar, co-fou…

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#121, BONUS, Alan Murungi & Guy Brennan, Founders of Procera Gin (collab dual-cast with The Speakeasy podcast) 30:49

3M ago30:49

30:49

Down in New Orleans during the Tales of the Cocktail festival, I helped Procera, a luxury gin from Kenya, to run a private hospitality House, which came complete with a pool, so myself and Greg Benson of The Speakeasy had the bright idea to interview the Procera founders, Guy and Alan, while drinking martinis on the rocks, in the pool. Yep, we inve…

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#120, Alexandre Gabriel & Matt Pietrek, authors of “The Rum Never Sets”, a history of naval rum (collab dual-cast with The Speakeasy podcast) 28 July 2025 54:54

3M ago54:54

54:54

Myself and The Speakeasy Podcast co-host Greg Benson were both in New Orleans last week at the Tales of the Cocktail festival, and so were Alexandre Gabriel, master distiller and blender at Maison Ferrand & Planteray rum, plus Matt Pietrek, spirits author & publisher, who lives in the Crescent City. AND Alexandre and Matt had just published (with M…

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#119, Christian Delpech, 19 x world champion flair bartending, bar director Presidente Miami, bar consultant 1:30:00

3M ago1:30:00

1:30:00

I first met Christian, who is Argentinian, in 2000, at the Quest for the Best world bartending championships in Orlando. I'd competed in Quest and Roadhouse and other contests like those quite a few times, but when many of us saw Christian that year - who competed in the Rookie division - a lot of us just decided to retire from competition and beco…

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#118, Ian Burrell, global rum ambassador, author, “Rum: A Tasting Course”, founder, UK RumFest, co-founder Equiano Rum, EduTainer 2:45:51

3M ago2:45:51

2:45:51

I've judged many a cocktail contest with Ian, and he's got a new book out AND just been awarded the Lifetime Achievement award by Tales of the Cocktail, so it was time for us to catch up over a rum or two. Having played basketball in his native UK, and rapped - he still gets royalties from a song of his featured on the soundtrack of "Space Jam" - I…

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#117, Timo Janse: opening bar manager, door 74 bar; owner, Dutch Courage bar, Perfect Serve Barshow and RevolutionCherry; co-founder, Flying Dutchmen Cocktails bar, Belly of the Beast bar, Amsterdam Cocktail ... 2:01:07

3M ago2:01:07

2:01:07

Timo has been a friend for almost two decades now: first he was the bartender who served me, then my employee, then my bar's manager, and then a bar owner in his own right, before founding a bar show, and several other excellent bars. We could have gone for four hours. We've known each other through multiple marriages, got to know each other before…

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Episode 5 - The Reluctant Leader: Finding Your Path Through Others' Encouragement Part 1 24:51

4M ago24:51

24:51

Leadership seldom begins with confidence and clarity. For Dan Shields, lead pastor at Valley Real Life, it started with resistance. "I was what's called the reluctant leader," he shares, describing how leadership opportunities kept finding him despite his protests. This compelling conversation explores how sometimes our strongest resistances point …

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#116, Kristiane Westray, UK-based drinks writer and LGBTQIA+ proponent, who also runs FAR too much 1:35:34

4M ago1:35:34

1:35:34

Krissy is a hilarious person that I got to know judging spirits contests together, and an accomplished drinks writer as well as being an outspoken proponent of the LGBTQIA+ community, so I wanted to catch up with her just as we round out Pride Month. We had a great chat, not even that much about that community, because we both had a lot to catch up…

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#115, DNN - Duff News Network 1:09:10

4M ago1:09:10

1:09:10

It's been a minute since we went over the news, and I've been rocketing around the world doing interesting things, so here's a DNN episode! We cover bar shows like BCBrooklyn, the Gulf Bar Show, the upcoming BCB London, the risers and fallers in the annual Millionaires List of million-case-selling liquor brands, Pernod's restructuring, the tiny coc…

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#114, Lorenzo Antinori, founder, Bar Leone (HK), #2 W50BB 2024, #1 Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024 2:24:10

4M ago2:24:10

2:24:10

I've known Lorenzo since his days bartending at The Savoy in London, and have also had the pleasure of his drinks during his stint at Argo Bar (HK). Now he's opened Bar Leone, which is the fastest-ever to get to #1 in Asia's 50 Best Bars and #2 in World's 50 Best, after opening in June 2023. He's also about to open Montana bar in HK together with h…

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Episode 4 - Eyes Up: Stop Walking in Circles as a Leader 32:50

5M ago32:50

32:50

What separates truly exceptional leaders from the merely competent? The ability to see and shape the future—to craft and communicate a compelling vision that inspires others to action. In this thought-provoking episode of the Sherpa Leadership Podcast, hosts Reed Moore and Chase Williams dive deep into the transformative power of vision in leadersh…

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#113, Hayden “Woody” Wood, cocktail entrepreneur, world champion, author of 10 cocktail books (and Guy Fieri’s tour buddy) 1:57:24

5M ago1:57:24

1:57:24

Woody, a New Zealander, has been a fixture in Australian bartending for as long as I've been in the business, and he built his flair bartending and cocktail catering firm into a massive business there, wrote ten best-selling cocktail books, toured with Guy Fieri, burned out, came back, and has now founded a new solution to revolutionise the import-…

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#112, Josh Harris, founder, Trick Dog (San Francisco), Pig & Punch, and forthcoming Quik Dog 1:55:40

5M ago1:55:40

1:55:40

Me, Josh and a bunch of other people (including Julio Bermejo and Mauro Mahjoub) were together in Yerevan for Yerevan Cocktail Week (YCW), so I took the chance to tape an episode with Josh, who I always run into at Tales of the Cocktail, but never get to sit down and chat with. Josh is best known for Trick Dog cocktail bar in SF, a perennial award …

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Episode 3 - When Gifting Becomes a Legacy: Mike Monroe's Story of Loss and Leadership - Part Two 43:23

5M ago43:23

43:23

"I don't take advice from people that I wouldn't switch places with." This powerful declaration from Mike Monroe sets the tone for a conversation that cuts through typical leadership platitudes and reaches into the heart of what truly drives success: relationships. Mike explores the transformative concept of the Scout Mindset versus the Soldier Min…

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#111, Patrick Pistolesi, owner Drink Kong and Nite Kong, Rome, co-founder NIO Cocktails 1:48:28

6M ago1:48:28

1:48:28

Taped live in an annoyingly child-ridden park on a lovely day in NYC, myself and the rock 'n' roll Irish-Italian Rome-based cocktail bar owner Patrick Pistolesi cracked some all-American tariff-free beers, washed 'em down with mezcal and 'Murican single malt whiskey, and talked about Japan, billionaires, awards, his adventurous Irish mum, bars, coc…

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#110, Ektoras Binikos, founder, Sugar Monk, Bitter Monk and Atheras Spirits 1:51:50

6M ago1:51:50

1:51:50

Ektoras Binikos opened Sugar Monk cocktail bar in Harlem just 9 months before the COVID lockdowns kicked off, after a career in both art and mixology, having emigrated to Manhattan from his native Greece. While weathering the storm of the lockdown, he and his team started making and selling amaros and liqueurs, and this venture has blossomed into a…

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#109, Tony Sachs, Philip Duff Show regular, drinks writer, bon vivant 2:45:39

6M ago2:45:39

2:45:39

Regular listeners will know New York drinks writer Tony Sachs, who occupies a place in The Philip Duff Show universe somewhere between "henchman" and "drinking buddy". It's been a while since we convened to drink our way through the literal lakes of booze Tony is sent on a daily basis, and because he was off to drink Direct Martinis from the hand o…

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#108, Warren Bobrow, creator KLAUS THC beverages, cocktail book author, cannabis advocate 1:35:15

6M ago1:35:15

1:35:15

Warren has written six cocktail books - including on cannabis cocktails, as well as more conventional cocktail tomes - and he was way ahead of what is now a trend of quitting alcohol, back in 2018, during Tales of the Cocktail, which is like quitting skydiving mid-jump. He's recently created a range of delicious cocktail-inspired THC beverages name…

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#107, Rob Husted, flair bartender, competitor & judge, co-creator “Shaken & Stirred” flair documentary 2:16:16

6M ago2:16:16

2:16:16

Me and Rob have known each other since the early early days, back when I was still a competitive flair bartender in the 1990s, and together with fellow OGs Dean Serneels and Deborah Richards, he's just created and premiered the world's first documentary about flair, "Shaken & Stirred", so it was high time we had a chat. We talked about the wild net…

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Episode 2 - Leadership's Crucible: Moving from Managing to Stewardship - Part One 48:53

7M ago48:53

48:53

What separates a manager who merely assigns tasks from a leader who cultivates autonomous, confident problem-solvers? Michael Monroe, a Christian strategist, marketer, and digital innovation expert, joins us to unpack the crucial transitions from managing to leading to stewarding. Drawing from his extensive experience building remote teams since 20…

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Episode 1 - The Leadership Ladder: Mastering Individual Performance 33:57

7M ago33:57

33:57

Leadership isn't what most people think. Many aspiring leaders believe reaching a management position means escaping hard work, but the opposite is true - leadership demands more responsibility and a completely different skill set than individual contribution. In this foundational episode of the Sherpa Leadership Podcast, Reed and Chase explore the…

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Episode 0 - Welcome to the Climb 13:38

7M ago13:38

13:38

Leadership is one of the most influential forces in any organization. It determines culture, performance, and long-term success. But great leadership doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built through intentional growth, skill development, and a commitment to serving others. We created this podcast because we know leadership can feel isolating. Whether …

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#106, Hayden Lambert, owner, Above Board (Melbourne), jet-set bartender 2:40:11

7M ago2:40:11

2:40:11

Hayden's been a mate for ages, and his bar, a gorgeous, tiny, stripped-back speakeasy-type Mecca in Melbourne, is almost ten years old and has been winning awards and getting on lists quite a lot, so it was time we got together and shot the shit. This tiny little bar in Australia's second city got #100 on the overall World's 50 Best Bars list - not…

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#105, Jonathan Downey, cocktail bar empire builder and hospitality entrepreneur 1:12:10

7M ago1:12:10

1:12:10

Without Jonathan and the London-based international Match Bar Group he built, spanning 40+ venues at one time or another, cocktails in the UK would look very different today. Jonathan, a cheerful Mancunian former lawyer, invested heavily in bartending expertise when building his group: his first head bartender for Match bar was the legendary, late …

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#104, Nico de Soto, co-owner Mace (NY), Danico (Paris) Kota Pandan Liqueur, globetrotting bartender & consultant 1:57:14

8M ago1:57:14

1:57:14

I've known Nico since his time at Experimental Cocktail Club Paris around 2008, and he's very much the mixologist's mixologist; most people would say - I agree - that he's one of the two or three best mixologists working today. He just launched Kota Pandan liqueur with a banging party in Mace NY, so the next day we sat down to talk bars, pandan, aw…

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#103, Salvatore Calabrese, bar maestro, The Donovan Bar, Velvet by Salvatore (London), Igiea Terrazza (Palermo), Stravinsky (Rome), author, public speaker 1:28:03

8M ago1:28:03

1:28:03

Few people in the cocktail world are as well known as Salvatore; you don't even have to say his surname before people begin talking about his many achievements in bartending, dating back forty years to his youth on the sun-kissed shores of the Amalfi Coast. He really is the Maestro, and it's been a privilege to call him a friend for several decades…

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#102, Maxwell Britten, award-winning NY beverage director, cocktail book author & documentary producer 1:28:15

8M ago1:28:15

1:28:15

Maxwell is an old friend who came to prominence with the drinks program he curated at Brooklyn's amazing Maison Premiere, winning James Beard awards, World's 50 Best Bars listing, and Tales of the Cocktail awards, to name but a few. (It is also, and to this day, a magnificent place for dinner or a cocktail). He's also co-authored a cocktail book an…

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#101, Dolph Lundgren, MA (Chem. Eng.), karate champion, vodka entrepreneur, Hollywood movie star 1:08:28

8M ago1:08:28

1:08:28

It's nomination season! If you enjoy The Philip Duff Show, take a minute to throw our hat in the ring for an award that is guaranteed to annoy everyone - link to nominate us for "Best Broadcast, Podcast Or Online Video" here: https://spiritedawards.secure-platform.com/a (Nominations deadline is February 13th, at 1159pm New Orleans time!) Dolph's be…

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#100 David Gluckman, creator of Baileys, Tanqueray TEN, The Singleton, etc., author of “That Shit Will Never Sell” (2nd edition) 1:35:06

9M ago1:35:06

1:35:06

Nominate The Philip Duff Show for the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards - “Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series” category: https://spiritedawards.secure-platform.com/a David’s a legend in the liquor business, ever since he and his business partner came up with the idea for Baileys Irish Cream, easily the most succesful liquor brand c…

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#99, Adam Montgomerie, former bar manager, Hawksmoor New York 1:46:44

9M ago1:46:44

1:46:44

Adam, a native Scot, spent a decade working for the Hawksmoor group, including a five-year stint opening and running the bar at their first-ever US branch here in New York, and he's just moved back to London, so I thought we'd have a chat. It was a lot of fun and we got into a ton of different stuff, including US tipping culture, the "Sopranos"-esq…

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#98, Caitlin Bartlemay, Master Distiller at Clear Creek Distillery and McCarthy's Oregon Single Malt 1:36:16

10M ago1:36:16

1:36:16

Caitlin makes some of America’s best eaux-des-vie, as well as America’s first-ever single malt whiskey, McCarthy’s. (American Single Malt was only recognized by the US government’s TTB as a legal category about a month ago, but McCarthy’s started distilling in 1985. ) This is a nerdy one. It was a great chat, though, discussing Caitlin’s unconventi…

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#97, Oisin Davis, owner, Great Irish Beverages (Ireland), ex-bartender, drinks writer, brand consultant 2:34:54

10M ago2:34:54

2:34:54

I'm not sure exactly where me and Oisin met, but we definitely had a drink to hand! Born in New Jersey, he moved to Ireland when he was just 10, so he's lived there for far longer than I have - in fact he moved there more or less precisely as I left - and has done far more cool stuff there than I ever did, from running great Dublin bars and music v…

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96, Steve Schneider, co-owner Sip & Guzzle (NY), Elysian Cafe (Hoboken), Employees Only (Singapore) & The Odd Couple (Shanghai) 3:00:48

10M ago3:00:48

3:00:48

Ever wondered what'd happen if I sat down with Steve Schneider for three hours over half a bottle of whisky and numerous beers? Wonder no more! Steve's been a friend since his time bartending (and later managing) Employees Only NY, and I've had the pleasure of drinking with him in EO Singapore, which he co-founded. His newest place, Sip + Guzzle in…

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#95, Giuseppe Gallo, ex-London bartender, founder of the Italicus rosolio and Savoia vino aperitivo brands AND Roma Bar Show 2:21:41

10M ago2:21:41

2:21:41

Giuseppe's an old friend, so when I heard he'd be in NY we made time to sit down and catch up over a negroni or two. Yet another Italian bartender transplanted to London, Giuseppe worked at some of the OG cocktail bars back in the day, was the global ambassador for Martini & Rossi, founded onpremise agency Italspirits, created Italicus and Savoia a…

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#94, Alex Kammerling, London cocktail OG, author, liquor entrepreneur and training consultant 2:37:19

10M ago2:37:19

2:37:19

Simon Difford once described Alex as being an even better mixologist than his mentor Dick Bradsell, and it was in the pages of Simon's print magazine CLASS than I first came across Alex, first being written about, and then as a writer for CLASS himself. After bartending at the birth of mixology's Second Golden Age in 1990s London, Alex went on to w…

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#93, Mark Reynier, talking about Waterford Whisky and Renegade Rum entering (and hopefully exiting) receivership 55:03

11M ago55:03

55:03

Mark, founder of the ground-breaking terroir-driven Waterford Whisky in Ireland and Renegade Rum in Grenada, is going through the grinder of both being in receivership*, and made time for a chat with me. Mark is very open on the 'pod about the factors that led to the current situation, and there are some real nuggets in here, such as Waterford bein…