Episodes

  • Ryes Above

    Ryes Above
    Oct 31 2025

    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 whiskey, and his Modern Ancient Spirits label is dabbling in all manner of off-the-wall distillations. He sits down with the band to noodle out his ultimate philosophy of distillation, agriculture and environmentalism, how they all intersect, and what he’s looking forward to working on next.

    PLUS, happy Mother-Loving Halloween everybody! Greg, Sother and Damon discuss what side of the bar they prefer to be on for this spookiest of holidays and break down some of their greatest costumed triumphs and one spectacular failure.

    Follow Workhorse Rye & Modern Ancient on Instagram at @workhorserye


    LINKS

    • Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars
    • For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
    • The Sauced Kickstarter: kickstarter.com/projects/timmckirdy/sauced-the-podcast
    • The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
    • Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.


    Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

    🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business.

    FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

    Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

    Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

    FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio


    Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    55 mins
  • It’s the Write Time

    It’s the Write Time
    Oct 24 2025
    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 Emma Janzen takes a break from all the irons she has in the fire to talk about collaborating with drinks luminaries on her host of cocktail books, her creative process, and how what she wants to report from the world’s barstools has changed over the years. She also digs into a recent article of hers about how ICE raids are affecting the restaurant industry, and what some organizers are doing to fight back.PLUS, what do you call a bar that’s not quite a legacy bar, but isn’t new enough to have a halo of buzz around it? And does being a well-regarded spot with a decade or so behind you put you in a perilous spot? As the owner of one such place, Sother weighs in.Follow Emma on Instagram at @emmajanzenLINKSEmma’s Article on ICE and the service industry:punchdrink.com/articles/ice-immigration-resources-bars-restaurants/Preorder Emma’s book “The Classic Cocktail Sessions”: a.co/d/9spILZ1Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegularsFor resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.PodcastCheck out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:Damon Boelte @DamonBoelteSother Teague @CreativeDrunkGreg Benson @100ProofGregSpeakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcastFOLLOW US ON TWITTER:Sother Teague @CreativeDrunkSpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadioHeritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    49 mins
  • ROKC On!

    ROKC On!
    Oct 17 2025

    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 alumnus of Manhattan’s legendary Angel’s Share, Shige went on to found ROKC, a beloved ramen and oyster spot in Harlem, and NR, it’s spiritual successor on the Upper East Side. He sits down with the band to discuss how food influences his cocktails, drawing inspiration from Japan, and what it’s like to close down one iconic bar while simultaneously making plans to open a new one.


    PLUS, the founder of Maine Beer Co is running for senate and… maybe we don’t want the people who run our tap rooms running the country. Greg weighs in on whether or not he feels those skills translate.


    Follow NR on Instagram at @nr_nyc

    Follow Love Thy Neighbor at @lovethyneighbornyc


    LINKS

    Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars


    For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance


    The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast


    Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.


    Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

    🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business.

    FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

    Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

    Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

    FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio


    Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Yes We Can!

    Yes We Can!
    Oct 10 2025

    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 Jorts! Aaron Baker and Evan Butteris from Dale’s sit down with Greg and Damon to talk about educating drinkers that IPAs can in fact come in cans, why denim just felt like the right brand move, and what they’re doing with the US curling team. They also talk about the current state of microbrewing, and what to make of the last few years of lower sales and brewery closures.


    PLUS is an orderly single file line at a bar a bad thing and why is the answer yes? Greg has a theory about why we built the chaos that way.


    Follow Dale’s on Instagram at @drinkdales


    Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars


    For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance


    The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast


    Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.


    Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

    🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business.

    FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

    Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

    Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

    FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio


    Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Intent to Distribute

    Intent to Distribute
    Oct 3 2025
    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 here to pull back the curtain on the often murky, sometimes deliberately opaque distribution system for alcohol in this country. She sits down with the band to talk about the three-tier system, building a brand, what a brand needs to do to get acquired, as well as some straight whiskey talk. What are people doing to keep this storied category innovative. And did the industry really make progress towards equity with the MeToo movement? Or did it just look like it did? Angela weighs in on what it’s like to be a woman in what can often be the boys club of rye and bourbonPLUS it’s our first show of October and you know what that means. It’s time for pumpkin spice everything! But is it also time for a redemption arc for this much maligned gourd? Greg makes the case that pumpkin is poised for a comeback.Follow Whiskey Row on Instagram at @whiskeyrowbourbonFollow Angela at @garnish_and_gownBecome a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegularsFor resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.PodcastCheck out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. 🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:Damon Boelte @DamonBoelteSother Teague @CreativeDrunkGreg Benson @100ProofGregSpeakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcastFOLLOW US ON TWITTER:Sother Teague @CreativeDrunkSpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadioHeritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr
  • Gimme a Second

    Gimme a Second
    Sep 26 2025

    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 strength or full NA, but directly in the middle. She sits down with Greg and Damon to talk about designing a gin that still packs a punch at half the strength (with the help of two giants in the industry) the power and the point of freezer door martinis, and how low ABV drinks are the future because, sadly, we’re none of us as young as we used to be.


    Follow Sharelle on Instagram at @sharelle.klaus

    Follow Second Sip Gin at @secondsipgin


    LINKS

    Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars


    For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance


    The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast


    Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.



    Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

    🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business.

    FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

    Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

    Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

    FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio


    Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
    Show More Show Less
    58 mins
  • Foodies on TVs (And Podcasts)

    Foodies on TVs (And Podcasts)
    Sep 19 2025

    Greg and Sother sit down with David Page, creator of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to talk about his new podcast “Culinary Characters Unlocked.” The conversation goes out of our usual wheelhouse and all over the place as they discuss obscure regional dishes, the flattening of American culture, and how cooking is surprisingly like television… in that everyone kind of thinks they can do it.


    Plus, Espresso Martini Week is upon us! Does this mean the wave has finally crested? Tune in to find out where Greg and Sother stand.


    Follow the podcast on Instagram at @culinary_characters_unlocked


    LINKS

    Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars

    Check out the craft beer episode of Back Bar: heritageradionetwork.org/episode/microbrew-killed-the-macrobrew-star/


    For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance


    The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast


    Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.



    Don’t forget to click SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can.

    🔥🔥Join us each week as industry leaders, Damon Boelte and Sother Teague, sit down with a wide range of hospitality and spirits experts from around the world to discuss everything that impacts our business.

    FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:

    Damon Boelte @DamonBoelte

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    Greg Benson @100ProofGreg

    Speakeasy Podcast @SpeakeasyPodcast

    FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:

    Sother Teague @CreativeDrunk

    SpeakeasyRadio @SpeakeasyRadio


    Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Going For the Wynn

    Going For the Wynn
    Sep 12 2025

    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 Mercer-Boarini fits that bill. The master mixologist for Wynn Resorts North America talks through her thought process for running beverage programs from Boston to Macao, the intense infrastructure she’s built in her hometown of Las Vegas to keep all her locations humming, and an upcoming street festival featuring a number of Speakeasy alumni. She also gets into her side projects highlighting buzz buttons, a naturally occurring compound that does a number on your taste buds. We can not fully endorse trying it while on air.


    Plus, it’s Curbside Dining Week! Or at least… it was. Greg and Sother process their feelings about this relic of the pandemic and how sometimes even if you love something, you have to let it go.


    Follow Mariena on Instagram at @mariena_the_wanderlush_

    Follow Electric Dust at @_electricdust_


    LINKS

    Become a Regular: patreon.com/SpeakeasyRegulars

    Check out Electric Dust: electricdust.shop


    For resources on dealing with ICE agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance


    The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast


    Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.


    Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support The Speakeasy by becoming a member!

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
    Show More Show Less
    46 mins