The Buildout

Death & Company is one of the most influential bars of the modern cocktail era. It helped establish the East Village as a true cocktail destination, launched the careers of many of today’s best-known bartenders, and evolved into an internationally recognized brand with locations beyond New York. On today’s episode, Adam sits down with the founders to talk about how it all started.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastDeath & Co: https://www.instagram.com/deathandcompanyDavid Kaplan: https://www.instagram.com/dkproprietorsAlex Day: https://www.instagram.com/apdayVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you inherit a room as legendary as Milk & Honey—and still make it unmistakably yours? On this episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy to unpack the pivotal moment when they persuaded Sasha Petraske to let them hold onto the space as he prepared to move on. They talk through the philosophy behind Attaboy—what it carried forward, what it deliberately changed, and how it became its own institution. Plus: expanding into new markets, and why the “magic of the room” might be the most important ingredient in building a bar people can’t stop coming back to.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastAttaboy: https://www.instagram.com/attaboy134Sam Ross: https://www.instagram.com/samueljoelrossMichael McIlroy: https://www.instagram.com/attaboy_mcilroyVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with acclaimed bartender Joaquin Simo to tell the full story of Pouring Ribbons—from the early buildout days and opening buzz to the hard realities of running a modern cocktail bar. Together they unpack what made the place special, what ultimately led Joaquin to close its doors for good, and why he’s not sure he’ll ever open another bar again.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastJoaquin Simo: https://www.instagram.com/simojoaquinVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stepping into Shinji’s feels a bit like tumbling down the rabbit hole.Drinks arrive inside hollowed-out oranges. A Ramos Gin Fizz appears in seconds instead of minutes. Plumes of dry ice drift across the bar. It’s playful, theatrical, and a little surreal—yet somehow everything still tastes incredible.The creative force behind it all is Jonathan Adler. On this episode of The Buildout, Adler joins host Adam Teeter to share the story of how Shinji’s came to life and how he designs cocktails that are equal parts spectacle and serious craftsmanship.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastShinji's: https://www.instagram.com/shinjisbarJonathan Adler: https://www.instagram.com/jonservesdrinksVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The original idea behind Clover Club was simple: open a great bar closer to home.What wasn’t simple was the execution. When the bar debuted, no one had yet brought a Manhattan-caliber cocktail experience to Brownstone Brooklyn. Clover Club set out to change that—and in the process helped redefine what a neighborhood bar could be.Today, Clover Club is an industry icon. But getting there meant years of challenges, from navigating a split with a business partner to surviving a global pandemic.On this episode of The Buildout, host Adam Teeter sits down with owners Julie Reiner, Susan Fedroff, and Christine Williams to hear the full story behind building one of Brooklyn’s most influential bars.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastClover Club: https://www.instagram.com/cloverclubnyVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Perched high above the clouds, Overstory is unlike anything else in Manhattan.Launching a refined, high-end cocktail bar in the heart of the Financial District was a bold bet. The neighborhood has long been defined by dive bars, happy hours, and big screens—not destination drinking. Yet Overstory has defied expectations, becoming one of the most celebrated bars in the country.Co-founder Harrison Ginsberg joins Adam Teeter on The Buildout to share how the idea was born, how the team brought it to life, and why taking a risk on an unconventional location paid off.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastOverstory: https://www.instagram.com/overstoryHarrison Ginsberg: https://www.instagram.com/harrison.ginsbergVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Takuma Watanabe left Angel’s Share, he wasn’t just moving on — he was chasing a vision: to build the ultimate Japanese-style cocktail bar in New York City. The result is Martiny’s.Takuma sits down with Adam to talk about what it took to make the leap from acclaimed bartender to owner, the principles and details that define Martiny’s, and how he translated Japanese craft and hospitality into a bar that already feels like a modern classic.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastMartiny's: https://www.instagram.com/martinys_nycTakuma Watanabe: https://www.instagram.com/takuma0wVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why would one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world — Eleven Madison Park — open a cocktail bar? Turns out the answer isn’t “because they can.”In this episode, Adam sits down with EMP Beverage Director Sebastian Tollius to unpack the story behind Clemente Bar: how it came to life, what it means to build a bar through a three–Michelin-star lens, and the standards that carry over from the dining room to the glass. They also get into the relationship Tollius developed with Chef Daniel Humm — and how that partnership ultimately made the bar possible.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastClemente Bar: https://www.instagram.com/theclementebarSebastian Tollius: https://www.instagram.com/tollius_VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mexico’s bar scene has exploded over the past decade — but bartender and owner Nacho Jimenez set his sights on something different: building a New York City bar that feels unmistakably Mexican and unmistakably American.On this episode, Adam Teeter sits down with Jimenez to trace his journey to opening Superbueno, the choices that shaped its identity, and what it takes to build a bar that resonates on both sides of the border. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastSuperbueno: https://www.instagram.com/superbuenonycIgnacio "Nacho" Jimenez: https://www.instagram.com/ignacio_nacho_jimenezVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When GN Chan and Faye Chen opened Double Chicken Please, the idea of cocktails that taste like food was still a novelty in New York City. Almost immediately, the bar captured local and national attention—and soon after, international acclaim. Within a year, Double Chicken Please rocketed onto the World’s 50 Best list, and today it draws lines from the moment the doors open until last call.GN and Faye sit down with Adam to share the story behind the bar’s meteoric rise, tracing their journey from aspiring flair bartenders to taking a leap of faith that brought them from Taiwan to New York City. They talk about risk, creativity, and what it really took to build one of the most influential cocktail bars in the world.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastDouble Chicken Please: https://www.instagram.com/doublechickenpleasenycFaye Chen: https://www.instagram.com/fayechen_dcpGN Chan: https://www.instagram.com/ggnchanVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Masa Urushido will never take credit for the runaway success of Katana Kitten. Despite the awards and global acclaim, he insists the real story is the community that lifted him up—transforming a shy, awkward newcomer into one of NYC’s most admired bartenders.Adam talks with Masa about that journey, and how teaming up with Greg Boehm and James Tune sparked the creation of Katana Kitten, a bar whose Japanese American identity has made it a true standout in the cocktail world.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastKatana Kitten: https://www.instagram.com/katanakitten_nycMasa Urushido: https://www.instagram.com/masanycVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Meaghan Dorman is rightfully considered one of the OGs of New York’s craft cocktail movement—but breaking into the scene wasn’t always so straightforward. Her entry point? Answering a Craigslist ad for a mysterious new speakeasy in Chelsea called Raine’s Law Room. That gig would ultimately lead to Dorman opening an equally—if not more—celebrated bar with her partners a few years later: Dear Irving.From reviving and perfecting the Gibson to setting a new standard for guest experience, Dear Irving became an instant classic, eventually expanding to two more locations and solidifying Dorman’s reputation as one of the city’s great hospitality minds.Meaghan joins Adam in the studio to share how it all started, how the bar evolved over the years, and what she’s learned from building one of NYC’s most beloved cocktail institutions.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastDear Irving: https://www.instagram.com/dearirvingMeaghan Dorman: https://www.instagram.com/gingerrickeyVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What began as a weekly pop-up inside the now-shuttered Fort Defiance slowly evolved into one of Brooklyn’s most imaginative cocktail destinations. The Sunken Harbor Club charted its own unlikely course—thanks in part to a shortage of decent drinks near the Downtown Brooklyn courthouses (yes, really), and the sudden availability of one of New York’s most visionary bartenders.Adam sits down with St. John Frizell, Ben Schneider, and Garret Richard to unpack the twists of fate, creative risks, and behind-the-scenes hustle that turned a temporary idea into one of the most exciting bars in New York and beyond.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastSunken Harbor Club: https://www.instagram.com/sunkenharborclubnycGarret Richard: https://www.instagram.com/garretjrichardSt. John Frizell: https://www.instagram.com/stjohnfrizellBen Schneider: https://www.instagram.com/benisclovisVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ask most drinks writers to name their favorite New York City bar, and chances are you’ll hear the same answer: The Long Island Bar. But the story of how Toby Cecchini and Joel Tompkins finally opened this now-iconic spot is far more complicated than its easygoing vibe suggests—complete with notes slipped under doors, late-night window peeking, and a perfectly timed chance encounter.Adam sits down with Toby and Joel to unpack how this beloved Brooklyn bar almost never happened, and what gives it its enduring magic.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastLong Island Bar: https://www.instagram.com/longislandbarVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2011, industry veterans Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka quietly opened Maison Premiere on a then-sleepy stretch of Bedford Avenue—far from the bustling hotspot it would later become. The bar didn’t stay quiet for long. Its immersive, transportive design and exceptional cocktails quickly drew crowds and set a new standard for New York hospitality. Adam sits down with Joshua to unpack the near-miss funding that almost kept the bar from opening, the rapid rise that followed, and where the Maison Premiere brand is headed next.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastMaison Premiere: https://www.instagram.com/maisonpremiereVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2013, two celebrated bartenders from Belfast arrived in New York with a single goal: to open the world’s best bar, proudly rooted in Irish heritage. Adam sits down with co-founder Jack McGarry to unpack how they made that vision a reality—and where this now-iconic brand is headed next.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastThe Dead Rabbit: https://www.instagram.com/thedeadrabbitnyJack McGarry: https://www.instagram.com/jackmcgarry1VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They built one of Europe’s most celebrated bars. But when it came time to open in New York City, how did Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy make sure the follow-up didn’t just live up to the original — it surpassed it?In this episode of the buildout they tell Adam their story.Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcastschmuck.: https://www.instagram.com/schmuck.nyVinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepairHosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeterProduced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing The Buildout — launching next week.Every great bar has a story. We’re going behind the scenes with the people who built them: the founders, dreamers, and industry legends shaping the world’s most inspiring drinking destinations. From Maison Premiere to The Dead Rabbit, Long Island Bar, Schmuck, and beyond — this is how the world’s best bars get built.Follow us @buildoutpodcastHosted by VinePair Co-Founder @adamteeterProduced and edited by @dolldoctor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After hundreds of cocktails, countless techniques, and one unforgettable journey through the art of mixology, Cocktail College is closing the tab. For our final session, we’re doing something a little different: Tim is stepping into the guest seat to share his personal Martini recipe and reflect on what makes the Martini such an iconic cocktail. If you’d like to follow Tim’s next chapter, you can find him on Instagram @timmckirdy. In the meantime, let’s enjoy one last Martini together!  Tim McKirdy's Martini Recipe  - 3 ½ ounces London Dry gin, such Tanqueray or Ford’s - ½ ounce Dolin dry vermouth - 2 dashes Regans’ orange bitters - Garnish: lemon twist  Directions  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice. 2. Stir until well chilled. 3. Strain into a frozen Coupe glass. 4. Express and discard lemon twist to garnish.  📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com  🍸Follow us:  - VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair/ - Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timmckirdy/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the Gibson a garnish, a riff, or a true standalone cocktail? In this episode, Sother Teague returns to Cocktail College to unpack his favorite pickled-onion Martini. From origins and oddities to the art of pickling itself, we explore what makes the Gibson unique — and why it’s become both a personal and community touchstone for Sother. Listen on (or read below) to discover Sother's Gibson recipe — and don't forget to leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts!  Sother Teague's Gibson Recipe - 2 ½ ounces London Dry gin, such as Hayman's- ½ ounce Dolin dry vermouth- 1-2 bar spoons Rakkyo brine- Garnish: 3 pickled rakkyosDirections  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice.2. Stir until well chilled.3. Strain into a frozen Nick & Nora or Coupe glass.4. Garnish with 1-3 pickled and chilled rakkyos.  📧Get in touch: cocktailcollege@vinepair.com 🎧 Related episodes: (7) The Gibson (54) Dirty Martini  🍸Follow us:  - VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair/ - Tim: https://www.instagram.com/timmckirdy/ - Sother: https://www.instagram.com/creativedrunk/- Amor y Amargo: https://www.instagram.com/amoryamargo/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.