The Speakeasy

Running a print magazine in the year 2026 is a choice to say the least. Ryan Foley, Publisher of Bartender Magazine sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about how the magazine has changed since his dad started it, what it’s like running a family business with his mom, what sorts of stories readers of a bartending magazine are looking for, and how physical media is staying current in the digital age.PLUS Happy Oktoberfest to all who celebrate! Greg and Sother ring in the season by giving traditional German beer styles their flowers and pointing to a possible example of what craft beer can do to refresh its image. And don’t even get us started on pumpkin beers…Follow Bartender Magazine at @bartendermagazineLINKSBecome a RegularCheck out bartender.com and use promo code Speakeasy for 15% off!For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is on YouTube!Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No one in this industry’s mind works quite like Ektoras Binikos. The man behind Athera Spirits, the distillery that gave us a shisho mastiha and fig leaf liqueur is back on The Speakeasy because he’s gone and done something really radical this time: made a couple of normal base spirits. Ektoras chats with Greg and Sother about what it was like to make gin and a vodka after so many weird creations, how making a London Dry style turned into making two different “twin gins” and how his bars, New York City’s Sugar Monk and Bitter Monk, have evolved as his spirits business has grown.PLUS Greg’s in New York and Sother’s on the road!? See what inspired this bizarre role reversal, what Sother’s doing in North Carolina, and what locally foraged goodies he’s managed to whip up along the way.Follow Atheras Spirits at @atherasspiritsFollow Sugar Monk at @sugarmonknycFollow Bitter Monk at @bittermonkbrooklynLINKSBecome a RegularFor resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is on YouTube!Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How is a bartending competition different from a regular shift? What if there are cameras beaming that competition out to a national audience? And what if NSYNC is in the room watching you make drinks? Those are the conditions Lily Chun and Jena Ellenwood had to contend with on Cocktails Wars, a new competition show on E! and they’re sitting down with Greg and Sother to spill the tea. Hear them talk about the competition (and who won!), what it’s like to show up to a studio call on two hours of sleep, and how someone who’s made a life behind the bar can parlay a media appearance into a second act.PLUS Greg and Sother break their silence on The Last Ditch. Hear what they have to say about America’s most famous (for the moment) bar.Follow Jena on instagram at @jena.laneFollow Lily at @lilsmccLINKSBecome a RegularSupport “Spirited Ladies”For resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is on YouTube!Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are you playing a character behind the bar? Or just being yourself? Actor, author and CocktailTok celebrity Nic Hamilton joins Greg and Sother to talk about his stage and film career, how his first cocktail video got a million views overnight, and what it’s like to move from online content creator to a regular working bartender. They discuss how being being the bar prepares you for a job on camera (and vice versa), how to craft drinks that the algorithm and human beings alike will enjoy and, for the Regulars, they settle once and for all whether or not Zoomers are drinking less.PLUS protein in vodka? It’s real, and it’s spectacular.Follow Nic on Instagram at @nicholas.hamilton and on TikTok at @nic.hamiltonLINKSBecome a RegularOrder Nic’s book, Sipsy-DoozyFor resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is on YouTube!Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does it take to be one of the 50 Best bars? And what does “Best” mean anyway? Emma Sleight from 50 Best sits down with Greg and Sother to discuss how a bar makes the list, whether she’s still impressed with hospitality and what role these kinds of lists play in the hospitality industry at large.PLUS, a line of 20% spirits has hit the market. Is this just fad-chasing or something real? Greg and Sother discuss this latest move by Diageo.Follow The 50 Best Bars at @the50barsLINKSBecome a RegularFollow The 50: the50.comFor resources on dealing with cold, hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycallianceThe Speakeasy is on YouTube!Check out Quiote Imports and use promo code “Speakeasy” for free shipping.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.