“To me, hosting is the ultimate form of respect. One of the most selfless things you can do for your friends is to have a well organized, well run get-together. It’s a form of affection.”
— Alex Luboff
“I used to put a ton of pressure on myself to give people the best drink they’ve ever had…and then I remembered I’m not a professional.”
— Jordan Wicker
In this episode, I sit down with a chat with a couple of my favorite cocktail personalities:
I was actually a guest on their show back in August of 2016, and they’ve been producing consistently great audio content on cocktails and home bartending for over a year and a half now. Since this is episode 1, we discuss the joy of being a home bartender, as well as some of the trials, tribulations, comedic mistakes, and life hacks that will help you decide if building your own home bar or bar cart is a project you’re interested in undertaking.
Some of the things we discuss include:
These fellas are a real pleasure to listen to, and you can find all the various ways to connect with them at the end of the episode…and of course, right here in the show notes.
Finally, despite not being a part of the recorded dialogue, I want to give a huge shout-out to the Speaking Easy Podcast’s fantastic producer, Silent Tyler, without whom this would not have been possible.
So, make yourself a drink (and if you’re not in a place to do that, make yourself a mental drink, and enjoy this awesome kick-off episode with the gents from the Speaking Easy Podcast.
The “Zone of Proximal Drinking” is a term we coined in this episode to describe the type of experimentation and eagerness to learn that drives home bartenders to improve their cocktail game. The key, though, is to remain open to different flavor experiences and not fall into the traps of cocktail snobbery as you learn and develop.
Some of the great joys of home bartending, according to Alex and Jordan:
Some rookie cocktail mistakes according to Alex and Jordan:
The 12 Bottle Bar
Jordan: Vieux Carre
Alex: Sazerac
Jordan: For cocktails, Rye. For sipping, Bourbon.
Alex: For cocktails, Rye. For sipping, Scotch.
Jordan: George Washington, and we’d drink punch made by Martha Washington
Alex: A Blue Blazer made by the Professor, Jerry Thomas
If you want to get in touch with the fellas from the Speaking Easy Podcast, you can connect with them on Twitter (@speakingeasypod) or on Facebook. You can also check out their show wherever you listen to podcasts.
Love this – perfect for newbie’s