The Modern Bar Cart Podcast

Courtesy of the illustrious David T. Smith, author of The Gin Dictionary, Disco Cocktails, and other fine bibulous publications, I and a group of friends were treated to a rare Chartreuse tasting after we had wrapped up all of our work at the American Distilling Institute’s annual conference and trade show this past August in Baltimore, MD. Our casual panel of tasters included: Eric Zandona, author of The Tequila Dictionary and The Bourbon Bible Sara Sergent, botanical savant and owner of Alpine Distilling in Park City, Utah Joe Barber of Stargazey Spirits and The Wrecking Coast Distillery in the UK And Reece Sims, creator of Flavour Camp Here’s a (hopefully) somewhat complete list of the stuff we tasted, which may explain our silliness toward the end: The standard Green Chartreuse and Yellow Chartreuse - but these were both taken from the soleras or “infinity bottles” of David T. Smith, so they felt a bit more special Liqueur d’Elixir - A tribute to one of the early proto-variants of Green Chartreuse - this is essentially a half-step between the elixir vegetal and Green Chartreuse 9iere Centennaire - A tribute to the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Order of St. Bruno (also known as the Carthusians) Chartreuse Verte VEP (that’s the fancy green Chartreuse) A bottling by the French Order of master Sommeliers from 2018 - which is a small batch, custom variant of Yellow Chartreuse Tarragona, which is another Chartreuse recipe, celebrating either Tarragon (the herb) or the formulation that the monks made when they were in exile in Spain for a couple decades in the early 20th century Three variants of Chartreuse Genepy (the traditional, intense, and abrupt) And finally, a lovely Florio Amaro bottled in the 1970s, provided by yours truly. Other topics we discuss include: The Carthusian monk documentary entitled Into Great Silence The mythical “beast of Gevaudan” that ravaged the French countryside once upon a time The taxonomy of the Artemisia botanical family A whole bunch of strong cocktail-related opinions about Chartreuse and genepy, And much, much more

Eric leads a panel discussion about flavored whiskey at the 2024 American Distilling Institute Conference and Trade show in Baltimore, Maryland. The esteemed panel includes: Virginia Miller, The Perfect Spot, World's 50 Best Brad Nichols, Flavor Man Sara Sergent, Alpine Distilling Keven Szady, Murlarkey Distilled Spirits We cover a range of important topics in this discussion, all related to the art and craft of bringing flavored whiskeys to market in a crowded and opinionated market. Some of the specific threads we pursue include: Who's drinking flavored whiskey and how we can grow that demographic Using chefs, bartenders, and culinary inspiration as fuel for product development Navigating the regulatory grey areas pertaining to flavored whiskey and distilled spirits specialties Optimizing your formulation when using both fresh botanicals and manufactured specialty flavors How to approach branding and product placement of flavored whiskeys within an existing portfolio with other, non-flavored whiskeys. What might set a "high-end" flavored whiskey apart from the perceived "low-brow" options that currently crowd the shelves. And much, much more

Eric presents a "soup-to-nuts" crash course on how to crush your next cocktail competition. If you'd like to view this seminar with slides, you can watch it on YouTube. Some of the topics covered include: How to structure your approach to cocktail competitions so that they can help to advance your career goals An overview of the three main types of cocktail competitions (digital, local, and "the big leagues") Spotlights on technical learning, networking, photo and video capture, & social media Cocktail design strategies and professional presentation techniques And much, much more

In this globe-trotting, Japanofilic conversation with Awamori champion Jeremy Webb of Webb's Grainworks, some of the topics we discuss include: The technical definition of Awamori, especially with respect to how its distillate base, koji treatment, and aging practices differentiate it from Shochu and Japanese Whisky. How the history and culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom - a nation separate from the rest of Japan until the late 1800s - impacted how Awamori developed in relation to other traditional Asian spirits. The special role that materials like ceramics and stainless steel play in the production and service of Awamori. Why Jeremy decided that now is the time to import, blend, and spread the good news of Awamori in the US Market and how his flagship product, Taniguchi Awamori, took home the gold at the 2024 ADI International Spirits Competition. And the best ways to enjoy Awamori, both in a spirits-and-food pairing context and as an ingredient in classic and original cocktails. Along the way, we explore why Okinawans aren’t impressed by American copper stills, Awamori’s pivotal role in the development of the martial art, Karate, the fun and surprising story behind the name “Taniguchi,” and much, much more.