The Curious Bartender Podcast
Episodes
#71 Kami Newton - Flavour Perception, Sensory Science, How to Taste Spirits
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Kami Newton is a flavour expert, sensory analyst, and founder of Sensory Advantage, whose career took him from wine shelves at Oddbins to leading tast...
#70 Padraig Fox - Guinness: History, Production, Quality Control, Advertising, 0.0, Global
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Padraig Fox has spent 21 years at Guinness, starting out as a tour guide at the Storehouse in Dublin and working his way through sales, quality, and t...
#69 Hannah & Siobhán - London Cocktail Week, The Pinnacle Guide, London, Community
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhán Payne are the co-founders of London Cocktail Week and the Pinnacle Guide. Having launched London Cocktail Week 16 year...
#68 Agostino Perrone - Connaught Bar, Creativity, Italian Hospitality, Career, Photography
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Agostino Perrone is the Director of Mixology at The Connaught Bar in London — one of the most acclaimed bar programmes in the world, and the only ba...
#67 Tom Oliver - Cider & Perry Making, Orchards, Varieties, Fermentation, Cider Appreciation, Herefordshire, Agriculture
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Oliver is one of the UK’s most respected cider and perry makers, based in Herefordshire. A farmer first and foremost, he works with traditional ...
#66 Julian & Matilda Temperley - Somerset Cider Brandy, Craft Distilling Since 1987, PGI, Apples, Agriculture
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The Temperley family oversee the Somerset Cider Brandy Company, which became the UK's first independent distillery in living memory when it commen...
#65 Henry Jeffreys - Drinking the British Empire, Churchill, Fortified Wine, Bordeaux, Rum, Gin, Cider, Legendary Drinkers
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Henry Jeffreys is a drinks writer and historian. On this episode we talk about how deeply the British Empire shaped the way the world drinks. We start...
#64 Tom Dyer - Flair Bartending: History, Culture, Training, Competition, Legends of Flair
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Dyer is a flair bartender, founder of the World Flair Association, and a bartending educator. Tom rose through the ranks of the flair bartending ...
#63 Sunny Hodge - Wine Cynicism, Debunking Terroir, Soil Science, Rootstocks, Wine Education, Diogenes The Dog, Cynicism,
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Sunny Hodge is an author, bar owner, and wine educator. He is the founder of two London wine bars: Diogenes The Dog and Aspen & Meursault. Sunny r...
#62 Peter Dorelli - Savoy Hotel, Being a Fugitive, Lessons from 65 Years, Harry Craddock, Retiring
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Dorelli has worked in UK hospitality for 65 years, having moved from Rome in the 1950's when he was 18. He is best known as the sixth head b...
#61 Claire Warner - Non-Alc, Social Connection, Healthspan, Happiness, Dry January
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Spotify will now include a video version of the podcast 🎉 Which also means I've done away with the introduction (probably also a 🎉 for most ...
#60 Will Hawkes - 500 Best Pubs, Pub History, Cask Ale, Craft Beer, Guinness
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is the British pub dying?In this episode I’m joined by beer and pub writer Will Hawkes, who has spent years travelling the country and visiting thou...
#59 Rémy Savage - Are Drinks Art? Bar Concepts, Philosophy of Creativity, AI in Hospitality, Designing Drinks, Motivation, Baguettes
05 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Rémy is the founder and co-founder of some of the most talked-about venues of the last five years, including A Bar with Shapes for a Name, Bar Nouv...
#58 Best of 2025 - 12 Conversations that Shaped My Thinking
29 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Big thanks to all of my guests this year - every one of you brought amazing things to the conversation and I am incredible grateful to you all. Here t...
#57 Gabe Cook - How Cider is Made, Appreciating Cider, Cider History, Growing Apples, Cider Producers, English Cider, American Cider
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gabe Cook (aka Ciderologist) is a cider expert and educator based in the UK. On the episode (recorded at Haywood Cider Farm in Cornwall) we take a dee...
#56 Simon Difford - Diffordsguide.com, CLASS Mag, 28 Years of Publishing, Influential Bars & Bartenders, London, Sauce Guides, Jiggers, Daiquiris
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Simon is a writer, publisher and business entrepreneur. He is the founder of Diffordsguide.com, Class Magazine and Difford's Guide to Cocktails bo...
#55 Dr. Johnny Drain - Hacking Flavour, Microbes, Food Systems, Gut Health, Chocolate without Cocoa, Future of Food
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Johnny Drain is a materials scientist turned fermentation obsessive, flavour innovator, and co-founder of the cocoa-free chocolate company pushing...
Richard Seale - Barbados Rum, Foursquare Distillery, Rum Distillation, Rum History, Rum Fermentation
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Richard Seale of Foursquare Distillery joins me for a fast-moving deep dive into the history, culture and technology of rum — from ...
#53 Jeffrey Morgenthaler - Writing & Educating, Clyde Common, 50 Best Bars, Trends, Cocktail Culture Old & New,
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Morgenthaler has been a defining voice in the bar world for more than two decades. Bartender, blogger, and author, he’s shaped modern drinks cu...
#52 Jota Tanaka - Japanese Whisky, History, Fuji Gotemba, Four Roses, Distillation, Mizunara
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Curious Bartender Podcast, we welcome Jota Tanaka, Master Blender for Kirin’s Fuji Gotemba Distillery and Executive Fellow, ...
#51 Camper English - San Francisco Bars, Making Clear Ice, Alcohol as Medicine, Water Sommeliers
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Camper English is a San Francisco–based drinks writer and educator, best known for his long-running website Alcademics.com, an invaluable resource f...
#50 Dr. Harold McGee - Science of Food & Drink, Smell & Aroma, Foundations of Flavour, Tea, Writng
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Harold McGee is a man that requires no introduction if you are someone who has worked in food and drink in any capacity at all. In 1984 he published M...
#49 Serge Valentin - Whisky Fun, Scoring Whisky, Brora & Clynelish, Independent Bottlers, Weird Whisky, Wine Casks, Maturation
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I am speaking with Serge Valentin. Serge is a whisky expert and the founder of a whiskyfun.com - which is widely regarded as the go-to review re...
#48 Lance Winters - St George Spirits, Eau de Vie, Gin, Absinthe, Whisky, Distillation, Provenance, Experimentation
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode, I’m joined by one of the true mavericks of American distilling — Lance Winters of St. George Spirits. This is a journey that...
#47 Charles Denby - Future of Brewing, Yeast Genetics, Brewing 0% ABV Beer, Beer for Health
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Denby is the co-founder and CEO of Berkeley Yeast, a company that’s reimagining fermentation through genetics. With a PhD in molecular and c...
#46 Megs Miller - Agave Spirits Exploration, Terpenes for Mood Enhancement, Sotol, Mezcal, Salon de Agave, Durango
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Megs Miller is a bartender, educator, and all-round agave obsessive — whose journey has taken her across multiple continents but most recently to Me...
#45 Richard Hart - Sourdough, Bread Culture, Cereals, Copenhagen, Perfection, Sandwiches, Mexico City, Green Rhino
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Hart is one of the world’s most respected bakers and a celebrated author. He first rose to prominence in the early 2000s while working at th...
#44 Dave Broom - Whisky Writing, World Whisky, Terroir in Spirits, Culture, The Whisky Market, Best Dram
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Broom is one of the most prominent and influential voices in the world of whisky and over the course of his career he has written some of the mos...
#43 Nick Strangeway - Dick Bradsell, Martinis, Punches, Hawksmoor, Restaurant Bars, Hepple Gin, Absolut Craft, No Regrets Bar
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week I’m joined by Nick Strangeway, one of the most influential British bartenders of the modern era. With almost 40 years in and around the Lo...
#42 Henrietta Lovell - Tea Masterclass, How To Brew Tea, Tea Agriculture, Economics, Communities, Rare Tea, Matcha
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Henrietta Lovell is the founder and CEO of The Rare Tea company, a tea educator and author of the book Infused: Adventures in Tea. Over a career of mo...
#41 Dale DeGroff - King of Cocktails, Bars & Restaurants, Rainbow Room, Jazz, NYC History
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dale is a bartender, author, brand owner, and the co-founder of the Museum of the American cocktail. In the late 90’s working at NYC’s Rainbow Roo...
#40 Alexandre Gabriel - Planteray, Maison Ferrand, WIRD, How Cognac is Made, Jamaican Rum, Barbados, History, Brand Building
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I am speaking with Alexandre Gabriel. Alexandre is the founder of Maison Ferrand, Citadelle Gin, and Plantation—now Planetary—Rum. Expect t...
#39 Sandor Katz - How to Ferment, Koji, Sake, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Wild Fermentation, Kefir, Kombucha, Cultures
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sandor Katz is ften called a “fermentation revivalist,” Sandor has spent decades exploring how microbes shape our food, our drinks, our culture, a...
#38 Toby Cecchini - Inventing the Cosmopolitan, NYC Bars, Andy Warhol, Long Island Bar, Guest Shifts
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Toby Cecchini is a bartender of some 40 years, the author of Cosmopolitan which remains the best memoir on the life of a bartender, but perhaps best k...
#37 Joy Spence - World's First Female Master Blender, Jamaica Rum, Appleton Estate, Rum Chemistry
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Joy is a true legend of the spirits industry. As Master Blender at Appleton Estate in Jamaica, she holds the historic distinction of being the first w...
#36 Esteban Morales - Agave Spirits History, Mezcal, Raicilla, Challenges, Community, Tequila
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Esteban is the founder of Casa Endemica which is a stable of brands that includes La Venenosa Raicilla, Derumbes Mezcal, La Higuera Sotol. He has been...
#35 François Thibault - Creator of Grey Goose, Maître de Chai, Vodka Market, How Vodka is Made, Wheat, France, Cognac
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Francois Thibault is the co-creator of Grey Goose vodka, which launched in 1997 quickly became the world’s most respected super premium vodka bran...
#34 Dr. Anastasia Miller & Jared Brown - Rewriting Gin History, G&T's, History of Distillation, The Gin Craze, Female Distillers, London Dry Gin, Old Tom
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jared Brown and Anastasia Miller are internationally acclaimed authors, historians, distillers. They are the co-founders of Mixellany Limited, they ha...
#33 Professor David Mabberley - Citrus Fruit, The End of Citrus, History, Citrus Hybrids, Cultivation, Morphology, Medicine, Biology
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor David Mabberley is a world renowned botanist, writer and public speaker, who specialises in the taxonomy of tropical plants. Over more than ...
#32 Kevin Armstrong - Satan's Whiskers, Drinks Knowledge, Match Bar Group, Cocktail Gripes, Awards
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Armstrong is a bartender, bar owner, spirits and cocktail educator and the author of Round Building, a manual for the professional bartender. Ke...
#31 Dr. Iván Saldaña - Agave Biology, Mezcal & Tequila Production, Lewis Hamilton, Lenny Kravitz, Mexican Whisky
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Iván Saldaña is a Mexican biologist and internationally recognised expert on agave spirits. With a PhD from the University of Sussex, his research f...
#30 Luca Gargano - Godfather of Rum, Classification, Haiti, Caroni, Nomad Project, Velier
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Luca Gargano, CEO of Velier, is one of the most influential figures in rum, known for transforming the rum category globally. Based in Genoa, Italy, L...
#29 Desmond Payne MBE - Beefeater Master Distiller, 50 Years Making Gin, How To Make Gin, Gin Category
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Desmond Payne MBE is Master Distiller Emeritus of Beefeater, one of the world's best loved and most respected gin brands. He is the longest servin...
#28 Jonathan Downey - Milk & Honey London, Sasha Petraske, Dick Bradsell, Success, Disaster, Street Feast, Vodka
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan, known to his friends as JD, is a bar and restaurant operator of nearly 30 years who has been responsible for some of the best loved and most...
#27 Jaime Orendain - Tequila, Regulation, Family History, Tequila Arette Production, Agave Economics
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jaime Orendain is a tequilero based at the El Llano Distillery in Tequila Town, Mexico. The Orendain family are considered one of the four founding fa...
#26 Ed Hughes - Beer Sommelier, Beer Styles, Sharps Brewery
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Hughes is a certified beer sommelier, the author of Just add Beer - a book about beer and food pairing - and also one of my oldest friends. Based i...
#25 David Gluckman - Inventor of Bailey's, Tanqueray Ten, Smirnoff Black, The Singleton, etc. Innovation, Non-Alc, Design
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Gluckman is a retired brand and advertising consultant and author, who over a 40 year career working in the drinks industry created the ideas be...
#24 Jake Burger - Who/What is the Greatest Bartender, Bar, Cocktail Book & Cocktail Of All Time?
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jake Burger is a bartender, gin producer and amateur (his own words) drinks historian. I gave him just four questions - who is the greatest bartender ...
#23 Jamie Baxter - 100+ Distilleries Built, How To Make Gin, Baijiu
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jamie Baxter is a Distillery Consultant who has designed and built more than 100 distilleries over the past 15 years. He setup the Chase Vodka Distill...
#22 Alessandro Palazzi - Dukes Hotel, Martinis, Ian Fleming, 50 Years of Bartending
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alessandro Palazzi is the Head Bartender at Dukes Hotel in London where this episode was filmed. In a career spanning 50 years, he has made possibly m...
#21 Dawn Davies MW - Wine Masterclass: Regions, Varieties, Terroir, Biodynamic, Natural, Tasting, Closures, Storage, Enjoyment
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dawn Davies is a certified master of wine, former sommelier to the star, former head wine and spirits buyer for Selfridges, and has been the head wine...
#20 Lyndon Higginson - UK's Greatest Bar Entrepreneur, Dive Bars, Inspiration, Rum, Manchester
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lyndon is the designer a co-founder of more than 20 bars, pubs and restaurants in the UK including Crazy Pedros, Bunny Jackson’s, Junkyard Golf, Can...
#19 Ian Stirling - Building a Vertical Distillery, Port of Leith, Fermentation, Regeneration, Sherry, Legacy
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ian Stirling is the co-founder of the Port of Leith Distillery, located in the historic port of Leith, Scotland. He’s also the co-founder of Lind &a...
#18 Charles MacLean MBE - The Scotchfather, Writing, How To Taste, Favourite Drams, Luxury Scotch, Historic Whisky, Charity, Legacy
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Charles Maclean is a renowned Scottish whisky writer, expert, and author. He has written numerous books on the subject, including Whisky: The Water of...
#17 Jack Stein - Rick Stein, Television, What Chefs Eat, Fishing Industry, Cornwall
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Stein is a chef, author, and TV personality. He is the executive head chef of Rick Stein Group including the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Cornw...
#16 Isabel Graham-Yooll - Whisky Detective, Counterfeits, Secondary Market, Valuation, Whisky Investment
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Isabel Graham-Yooll is a leading expert in the world of fine spirits and the secondary market. She was the director of Whisky.Auction and before that,...
#15 Salvatore Calabrese - The Maestro, Record Breaking Cocktails, Dukes Martini, Celebrity
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Salvatore Calabrese has remained one of the leading figures in global cocktail culture for at least forty years. He has served kings, queens, presiden...
#14 Antonio Amorim - How Corks Are Made, Cork Performance, Cork Taint, Sustainability
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Antonio Amorim is the CEO of Amorim Cork, who over a 155 year history have become the world’s biggest producer of cork and cork products. Amorim p...
#13 James Hoffmann - Coffee, Caffeine, World Barista Championships, Coffee Economics, YouTube
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
James Hoffmann is the best known coffee person in the world. He is the author of the World Atlas of Coffee, co-founder of Square Mile Coffee Roasters,...
#12 Andreia Esteves - History of Drinking Vessels, Egypt, Wine, Greek Symposium, Poison
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andreia is an archaeologist and museum curator, working principally with the Art of Drinking Museum at the World of Wine in Porto, which holds more th...
#11 Ryan Chetiyawardana - Mr Lyan, Language of Drinking, Magic of Bars, Fermentation, Top Whiskies, Sustainability
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Chetiyawardana aka Ryan Cheti, aka Mr Lyan, is a bartender, bar operator, and author, known for his unique creative style and multi award winni...
#10 Dr. Nick Wykes - Setting Goals, Motivation, Internal Dialogue & Perspective
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Wykes is a former bartender and drinks consultant turned professional sport psychologist who holds a Master’s degree in Sport Psychology and a ...
#9 Adrian Bridge - CEO of Taylor's Port, History, Challenges & Innovation, Port Tourism
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Adrian Bridge is the CEO of Taylor’s, Croft, and Fonseca Port Wine brands, a hotelier, museum owner, and holder of perhaps the greatest collection o...
#8 Angus Winchester - 36 Years of Bars, Tanqueray Ambassador, Classic Cocktails, Ukraine
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Angus Winchester is a 36 year legend of the hospitality and drinks industry who has worked with bars and bartenders across the world. He was the ambas...
#7 Vikram Achanta - Indigenous Indian Spirits, Indian Bar Culture, Indian Whisky, Awards
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Vikram Achanta who is a 25 year veteran of the India bar and drinks industry. He is the founder of Tulleeho, one of the country’s premiere educati...
#6 Arielle Johnson - Food Chemistry, Fermentation, Molecules, Evolution, NOMA
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Arielle Johnson is a chemist, biologist and food scientist. She was the science advisor to Alton Brown on the TV show good eats, is a director’s...
#5 Colin Dunn - Japanese Whisky, Islay, £19m casks, Brora, Port Ellen
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Colin Dunn is a whisky educator and collector and one of the best known ambassadors for malt whisky in the UK. This is a wide ranging conversation abo...
#4 Sean Finter - The Hospitality Business, Succeeding, Sustainability, Motivation
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Finter is a hospitality coach and mentor who has worked with hundreds of clients over the past 20 years to help them improve profitability, hire ...
#3 Ian Burrell - Rum Classification, Controversy, Spiced Rum, Origin Stories, Bars
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ian Burrell is a bartender, brand owner, and rum ambassador. He is best known as The Rum Ambassador and as the founder of RumFest, as well as the co-f...
#2 Charles Spence - The Multisensory Science of Flavour
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Charles is a professor of experimental psychology at Oxford University, the author of Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating, and the head of the Th...
#1 Alice Lascelles - The Martini, Journalism, Non-Alc, Tea Competitions, Drinks Trends
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Please subscribe wherever you watch or listen to podcasts as it helps support the show. Alice Lascelles is an award-winning drinks journalist, author...