The Speakeasy
Episodes
You'll Never Find a More Pleasant Hive of Vibes and Hospitality with Patrick Shanahan
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In another Boomerang! episode from Raleigh, North Carolina Greg sits down with Patrick Shanahan in his new bar space Rosebud to talk about the space, ...
Texas v. Kentucky: Battle of the Bourbons! with Heather Greene
13 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What is Texification, and why do it to Kentucky whiskey? Heather Greene, Master Blender of Milam & Greene hops on with Greg and Sother to answer t...
Triple Barrel-Aged Tequila with Natasha Sofia
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Ever age tequila in oak, cherry AND acacia barrels? Mijenta Tequila has and Natasha Sofia, their Global Advocacy Director, is here to tell us about it...
The Menu with 2,500 Cocktails with Tao Zrafi
27 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Tao Zrafi claims he “broke cocktail menus forever” with his small bar in Illinois that boasts a menu of over 2,500 drinks. And yet it’s far from...
Hennessy After Dark with Sean Johnson
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In a special late night edition of The Speakeasy Hennessy Ambassador Sean Johnson joins Greg and Sother to talk about the historic cognac brand’s le...
Washington, Drink City with Nycci Nellis
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Who are better customers, Democrats or Republicans? Nycci Nellis, longtime Washington, DC food and drinks writer, radio host, consultant and more sits...
That Lifestyle Brand Lifestyle with Rashaun Hall
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Is Branded Content the future of journalism? Or put another way, does a news outlet that springs out of a lifestyle brand hold the keys for jour...
Northern Exposure with Kristin Rose Pike
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Canadian Whisky? Heck yeah. Canadian Gin? I mean sure, why not? Canadian Wine??? Now we’re getting weird. Kristin Rose Pike, Founder of Northern Ros...
Vinyl Fantasy with Paul Finn
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What’s more punk rock than opening a cocktail bar in a strip mall? A psychedelic harp maybe? Bartender and lifelong musician Paul Finn knows a littl...
A Picture of Durian Gray
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Rob Lam-Burns has bartended all over the world: Thailand, Hong Kong, Maison Premiere and now LenLen, a new Thai spot in the Flatiron district. He join...
Lansing, Michigan: NOT the Worst Town in America 2026
09 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
New Year, New Us! We were awfully mean to the good people of Lansing, MI and in 2026 we’re going to do better, starting today. To help us make good ...
Quarter Century Crisis
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In their annual year end wrap-up show Greg, Sother and Damon sit down to talk about what the heck just happened. They unpack some of the leading trend...
Boomerang! from Strong Water in Anaheim
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Boomerang! episode Greg travels to the Second City of Anaheim, where he meets with Strong Water’s “Fleet Commander” Ying Chang. They dis...
The Illustrated Man with David Wondrich
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David Wondrich is one of the few people in the world of spirits and cocktails that truly needs no introduction. The James Beard and Spirited Award-win...
Boomerang! from Woody Creek Distillers
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this Boomerang! episode Greg sits down with Stephen Julander, Senior Ops Manager at Woody Creek Distillers to talk about his new gig, what it’s l...
Chain Keep Us Together
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you put a barrel inside a barrel? That’s the question Dixon Dedman looked to solve when he founded 2XO, a Kentucky Straight Bourbon brand tha...
Boomerang! from Til Death in Kansas City
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second Boomerang episode from Kansas City Greg sits down with Phil Worden and Andrew Loos of Til Death, the famous speakeasy located below a fu...
Boomerang! from J. Rieger & Co. in Kansas City
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greg travels to Kansas City to chat with Ryan Maybee, Co-Founder and keeper of history about rediscovering and re-founding KC's famous long-lost disti...
Cranberry Sauced!
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Think about some of the world's most iconic dishes: Beef Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Penne alla Vodka. What do they all share in common? Not only do we l...
The Green Party
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a certain, very specific green liqueur that’s become difficult to find in the past few years… impossible in some places. Jessica Leigh G...
Ice Week! with Chase Haider
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ice Week 2025 is going strong as Chase Haider joins Greg and Sother to discuss Klaris, the company he spearheads that makes crystal clear ice cubes an...
Ice Week! with Jill Cockson
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ice Week continues with Jill Cockson of Kansas City's own Chartreuse Saloon and Swordfish Tom's, both of which use crystal clear ice that Jill makes i...
Ice Week! with Richard Boccato
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ice Week 2025 continues with Richard Boccato, an alumni of Milk & Honey and founder of Hundredweight, a bespoke ice vendor operating out of NYC. R...
Ice Week! with Camper English
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ice Week 2025 kicks off with Camper English, author of "The Ice Book" and winner of the Spirited Award for Best New Cocktail Book in 2024. Camper and ...
Speakeasy’s 11
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hidden just off the casino floor of The Bellagio is a tiny, ornate 50 seat cocktail bar called “The Vault.” Craig Schoettler, Executive Director o...
Boulevardier, Je T’aime
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What would you do with a long lost Ernest Hemingway story? Print it? Sell it? Or resurrect the 99 year old magazine it originally came in with a host ...
Ryes Above
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No one else in spirits really thinks the way Rob Easter does. His Workhorse Rye brand is based on heirloom grains sourced specifically to make great w...
It’s the Write Time
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Being a full-time spirits writer is barely a job that exists anymore, so if you’re gonna be one you gotta stay sharp. Multi-award-winning author Emm...
ROKC On!
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How is New York City like 19th century Japan? There might be more similarities than you think and Shige Kabashima wants to show them to you. An alumnu...
Yes We Can!
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
22 years ago the minds behind Dale’s pioneered good beer in a can. Today they’re taking it one step further and serving those cans with a side of ...
Intent to Distribute
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We talk a lot about how whiskey is made, mixed, marketed and just generally talked about. But not how it’s distributed. Fortunately Angela Bosco is ...
Gimme a Second
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why drink a gin that clocks in at only 20% ABV? That’s the question Sharelle Klaus wanted to answer with Second Sip Gin, a gin that isn’t full str...
Foodies on TVs (And Podcasts)
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greg and Sother sit down with David Page, creator of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to talk about his new podcast “Culinary Characters Unlocked.”...
Going For the Wynn
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you scale a molecular mixology program up from one property to several dozen? The first step is to love being busy and fortunately Mariena Merc...
The Sherry on Top
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If people know one thing about Sherry, they usually think they don’t like it. But Daniel Azarkman likes it so much he opened El Lopo, a San Francisc...
Aguardiente Al Dente
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is the world ready for a mesquite-smoked Aguardiente? John Campbell sure seems to think so, which is why he’s bringing his Warbringer Aguardiente to...
Mezcocktail Mezcollege
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are we loving mezcal to death? That’s just one of the questions Tim McKirdy set out to answer when he began working on a mezcal docuseries for his o...
Boomerang! with Amir Babayoff
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In our final Boomerang! from Tales of the Cocktail Greg and Phil sit down with Amir Babayoff, beverage director at Ophelia in NYC. The conversation ta...
Boomerang! with Sahil Bari of Australian Bitters Co.
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Live from Tales of the Cocktail 2025 Greg and Phil sit down with Sahil Bari of Australian Bitters Co. Together they discuss the creation of a bitters ...
Boomerang! with the Authors of The Rum Never Sets
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a second live poolcast from Tales of the Cocktail Greg and Phil return to talk to Alexandre Gabriel and Matt Pietrek about their new book "The Rum ...
Boomerang! with Procera Gin
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a special live poolcast from Tales of the Cocktail 2025 Greg Benson and Phil Duff of the Philip Duff show take a dip with Guy Brennan and Alan Muru...
To Sip or To Guzzle?
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The high/low, upstairs/downstairs, elevated dive concept has been in the news and on peoples’ minds for a while now, but you know who’s really tak...
In the Weeds
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
THC drinks have come a long way - they don’t taste like someone put a joint out in a beer anymore! Darnell Smith, consultant and entrepreneur, saw t...
Boomerang! with Lalo of Lalo Tequila
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Live from BCB Brooklyn and Industry City Greg and Damon catch up with Lalo González of Lalo Tequila. They stop by Lalo’s booth to discuss the boomi...
In the First Place…
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s so much more to Korean drinking culture than just soju and Haera Shin wants to tell everyone all about it. From the distinctive (and uniform...
Sparkling Conversations
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Steve Jackson stopped drinking in 2023 he noticed something odd. As much as non-alc drinks have improved over the past twenty years no one was ma...
Drawing a Blanco
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Marcelo Chasi has led a lot of lives: bartender, soldier, fight club enthusiast, salsa dancer (yes, really). And now he’s sitting down with Greg and...
The Speakeasy Live! 600th Episode Spectacular
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Wow, the last fourteen years just flew by didn’t they? Greg, Sother and Damon sit down together at Fort Hamilton Distillery in Brooklyn’s Industry...
Boomerang! from Baobab Lounge in Savannah
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greg continues his trek across Savannah's riverfront, venturing into Baobab Lounge. Built inside of a former power plant, Baobab's food and beverage p...
Boomerang! from Bootlegger in Savannah
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the second Boomerang! installment from Savannah Greg ventures to the riverfront district to talk with Brittany, aka Bugsy of the Bootlegger bar. Th...
Boomerang! from Club Bardo in Savannah
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Greg returns with another Boomerang episode, this one live from Savannah's Club Bardo with industry luminary Eben Klemm. The two discuss trends in hig...
Gotta Be BCB
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jackie Williams is the brains behind Bar Convent Brooklyn, or as we like to call it, BCB. Tasked with running one of the largest cocktail conventions ...
Don’t Sweat the Technique
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Adler is a triple threat. Michelin-starred chef, certified sommelier, and now a 50 Best rated mixologist. His latest venture is Shinji’s in...
Barley and Botanicals
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s a Scotch distillery doing making gin? For that matter, what’s a Scotch distillery doing making an unbelievably peated single malt in packag...
Easy Squeezey
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is the world ready for a Southside RTD? How are you gonna handle the minty flavor? What the hell is a southside supposed to taste like anyway? These w...
Barrelling Forward
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wanted a barrel of whiskey delivered directly to your living room? George Koutsakis can’t provide that exactly, but he can definitely find one ...
That’s Wonderous Bruv
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Speakeasy fave (and let’s be honest, everybody fave) Colin Asare-Appiah returns to the show to talk about Ajabu, the cocktail and spirits festival h...
Barely Ilegal
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gilbert Marquez, the literal face of Ilegal, remembers a time when it was gauche to mix Mezcal into a cocktail. Today he sits down with Greg to talk a...
A Whiskey Investment
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The fundamental nature of whiskey poses a problem for new distillers - namely that you can’t sell it for at least three years after you make it. Ent...
Bitterwater
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“You can’t deny climate change when you live in New Orleans” So says Christa Cotton, CEO of El Guapo bitters as she describes her company’s co...
Double Doubling Down
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015 a happy accident at the Woodford Reserve rickhouse led to the first batch of their coveted Double Double Oaked bourbon. Ten years later, newly...
Classically Trained
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alba Huerta has seen a lot over the past eleven years in Houston. She sits down with the band to discuss the evolution of her bar Julep, from a founda...
46 Years in a Barrel
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1978, whiskey makers at Bushmills laid down two barrels. 46 years later, they’re ready to taste. Alex Thomas, the Master Blender at Bushmill’s ...
Mummy Amaro or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dirty Fig Leaves
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ektoras Binikos has had quite a life in the New York cocktail scene. From Sugar Monk up in Harlem (which was recently named a 50 Best Discovery) to Bi...
Take the Money and Rum
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shannon Mustipher, VP of Brands and Trade Development at Privateer Rum has a lot on her mind when it comes to the state of the industry and the state ...
Live from Chicago!
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sother goes on the road to the Windy City to talk to Jeremy Barrett of Lemon, Judy Velez from Diageo and Josh Davis of Brown & Balanced. Tune in f...
I Can Be Your Hero Baby
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Five years ago, Hero opened its doors in Nairobi Kenya as the first bar with a dedicated cocktail laboratory in east Africa. The idea was the be the s...
A Pisco My Heart
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it take to launch a Pisco brand in a country that looooooves Pisco, vs. a country that’s still figuring out what to make of it. That’s w...
Seasn’s Greetings!
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Ben Branson started Seasn Bitters he knew what he wanted to do: get intense, complex, very specific flavors into a bottle of bitters without usin...
Cuckoo for Coconuts
24 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dani Zig is back for the first time since the pandemic to talk about what she’s been working on at Coconut Cartel! Since last we left our hero she’...
Bonus! What You Can Do To Help LA
19 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've all seen the news, now what can we do to help? Amanda Gunderson, CEO and founder of Another Round Another Rally and native Angeleno sits down wi...
God of Thunder
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chris and Damola from Spearhead Spirits stop by to talk about their quest to bring African spirits out of obscurity and onto the back bar. With a vodk...
I Left My Heart in Des Moines, Iowa
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New Year, Same Show, New Apologies! There’s a certain city we’ve been picking on a lot on this show and it’s time to set the record straight, an...
One For ‘24
21 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s time once again for the Speakeasy’s multi-platinum critically acclaimed year end wrap up show! Greg, Sother & Damon sit down with each ot...
Stay Angry My Friends
13 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Queer Activist and Cultural Advisor Chris Cabrera joins Greg and Damon to unpack the fallout from the November election. They discuss what this means ...
Buried Treasure
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Outlawed until 1992, Bacanora is an ancestral Mexican agave spirit that’s making a play to join tequila and mezcal in the limelight. Rodrigo Bojorqu...
True That
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sergio Mendoza’s family has been farming agave in the highlands of Jalisco for five generations. Five. And now he’s partnered with Jim Ruane to br...
Talking Türkiye
15 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Live from the Turkish Coast, Shavinraj Gopinath joins Damon and Greg to talk about his gig as Group Beverage Manager for Maxx Royal Resorts, which sou...
Gin Living Color
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Feeling “ginspired” by the French Riviera? Tom Nichol and Matthieu Perrin sure were when they created the Gardener Gin, a bright, refreshing spiri...
Deep Dive Into the Hive
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Claire Marin started out the way all distillers do - by keeping bees. The founder of Pollinator Spirits sits down with the band to talk about her firs...
Step Up for Asheville
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A few weeks ago the city of Asheville, North Carolina was hit by a devastating hurricane. Lives were lost and the damage topped $50 billion. Danny Boy...
The Sweet Scent of Success
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A collector’s set with a blanco, a reposado, and an añejo? Yeah, we’ve seen it before. A fragrance collector’s set with those three varie...
This is Rumming
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When it turned out everything he knew about Navy Rum was wrong, Alexandre Gabriel sailed out to set the record straight… and start making his own. T...
A Tip Top Bonus Episode
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Ross, Joaquin Simo and Miles McQuarrie of Tip Top cocktails swung by the studio and we just couldn't say no to having them on! Tune in as they dis...
Spooky Megan
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get your ten-foot Home Depot skeleton out on the lawn because it’s Spooky season y’all! Megan Rickerson, the owner of Brooklyn’s Someday Bar joi...
Not Full Yet
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Named for the first woman ever to head the bar program at London’s Savoy Hotel, the Ada Coleman project provides a resource to shed a spotlight on w...
Bittermilk and Beyond
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bittermilk founders Joe and MariElena talk to us about the hurdles involved in creating brand of shelf stable cocktail compounds, switching branding t...
Finish the Bottle!
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Baijiu is the world’s most popular spirit by volume, easily. And yet most Americans don’t know what it is. Derek Sandhaus is on a mission to chang...
From Chaos to Clarity
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Hunter started his first company at twenty-five, which makes sense once you hear what it was. The multi-time entrepreneur and creative force beh...
Irish Wristwatch
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ireland is in the house! It’s a Hibernian takeover of the Speakeasy as Daragh Flanagan of Bord Bia, Tim Herlihy of Lost Irish and Andy Ferreira of C...
There's Always Money in the Banana Stand
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ben Jones of Rhum Clement and Rhum JM beams into the show to talk about the rhums of St. Lucia and Martinique - what makes them distinct, what makes t...
Have a Conniption
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From gin-soaked martini olive connoisseur to distillery owner, Melissa Katrincic and gin go way back. This week she sits down with Greg and Sother to ...
Katz Outta the Bag
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Allen Katz of New York Distilling Co. sits down with his old buddy Damon to discuss the state of modern distilling, what he’s up to at his shop in B...
Big In Japan
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Nakayama sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about Nikaido Shochu. Paul's journey into the world of shochu began with a 12-hour boat ride to a...
Obviously You're Not a Golfer
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Golf. It’s a sport enjoyed by millions of people and it can also be almost as divisive as modern politics. Can it only be enjoyed by the landed gent...
Cristal Clear
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cristalino. What is it? Why is it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it taste like? Jaime Salas, Head of Agave Advocacy at Proximo Spirits sits ...
Bringing Up Baby Jane
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hot dogs, white dog, and so much more comes up when Michele Clark and Sienna Jevremov sit down with Greg & Damon for a special Fourth of July epis...
Forage Ahead
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two of Suncliffe gins founders Ryan Lawrence and Tom Giddings join us to discuss how infusing vodka with items foraged in the Arizona desert during th...
Sapphe Space
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Austa Somvichian-Clausen didn’t see a space for her and her former partner, she decided to make one. The creator of Grotto, a sapphic pop-up in...
Night of Trouble
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s June and Pride is popping up and popping off! Joining the band live from Mexico City Michael Aredes jumps in to talk about his journey in the s...