Episode 192

Buck, Yeah!

Play Subscribe

Listen On:

Previous Episode Next Episode

Buck, Yeah!

Episode 192

What’s shakin’ cocktail fans?
Welcome to Episode 192 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!

Thanks for joining us for another interview episode, where we track down the best and brightest minds in the spirits and cocktail world so that we can share their secrets with you.

This time around, we get to hang out with Kenny Richards, founder of Vermont-based Halyard Brewing Co. He’s here to teach us about a centuries-old beverage that was de-boozed because of Prohibition and that he is determined to return to its rightful place in the fermented pantheon. That’s right we’re gonna be tasting and talking about hard ginger beer.

In this wide-ranging conversation with entrepreneur and ginger beer philosopher Kenny Richards, some of the topics we discuss include:

How Kenny left behind a career in academia to resurrect one of America’s most beloved, and yet also most forgotten drinks categories.
What it’s like to scale a brewery from a few barrels to a much more ambitious craft operation, and what implications that has on ingredients, people, and process.
We taste through 4 popular (and very different) expressions of Halyard’s ginger beers, beginning with Nicole’s Extra, followed by Volcano Juice, The Breeze, and Mountain Aid.
We talk about the best ways to use alcoholic ginger beer in cocktails, and especially the numerous opportunities there are to innovate within the buck/mule category.
We discuss what it means to become, be, and remain authentic in the age of peak Hazy IPAs, glitter beer, and hard seltzer.
We cover why Vermonters are constantly stuffing beers in their pockets, the aesthetics of a perfect moonrise, what to drink with Enlightenment philosopher Baruch Spinoza,
And much, much more.

You can find Halyard Brewing Co. products at many Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods locations throughout the Northeast, and you can also ask your favorite liquor store to pick up their ginger beer for the cold case. Follow them on Instagram @halyardbrewing and visit halyardbrewing.us to learn more about their company and purchase some delicious hard ginger beer for your next outing or get-together.

NOMINATE US FOR A SPIRITED AWARD!

It’s time for the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, and we’re here to ask you to nominate The Modern Bar Cart Podcast for “Best Broadcast, Podcast, or Online Video Series.”

This year, the awards are very media-focused because the pandemic crippled bars and restaurants, and we’re really pushing to make the list of finalists. We’ve upped our game substantially this past year, and by helping us to make the final cut for this away, you’ll really expand our reach, which means: bigger and better guests, cool new projects, and the same free, weekly podcast you’ve come to know and love.

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE!

Featured Cocktail: The Sunset Storm

This episode’s featured cocktail is the Sunset Storm. It’s a custom cocktail made using Halyard Brewing Co. Ginger Beer. To make it, you’ll need:

1 oz Dark Rum (Halyard recommends Mt. Gay Black Barrel)
¾ oz Aperol
4 oz Volcano Juice Ginger Beer Shandy
1 oz Orange Juice
½ oz Lemon Juice
5-6 dashes of Angostura Bitters

In a cocktail shaker with ice, combine the rum, Aperol, and citrus juices. Shake vigorously until the ingredients are well chilled, strain into a collins glass with ice, and top up with about 4 oz of the Volcano Juice Shandy. Garnish this cocktail with several dashes of Angostura bitters, which create a stormy-colored gradient as they gradually mix with the drink, and a lemon wheel, which emulates the setting sun.

What we like about the Sunset Storm is that it shows off what Halyard Brewing Co’s ginger beer can do when mixed with other sweeteners and acids. We talk at length later in the episode about just what creates these really complex sweetness and acid profiles, but suffice it to say that this drink is a shining example of how they all work together in the glass.

Buck, Yeah!

NOMINATE US FOR A SPIRITED AWARD!

Featured Cocktail: The Sunset Storm

Leave a Reply Cancel reply