The Philip Duff Show

Philip Duff
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Liquor, bars, cocktails: the people and companies who make them, sell them and drink them, plus everything & everyone in-between, with your host, globetrotting spirits guy and escaped bartender, Philip Duff. 

  1. #156, Sven Almenning, founder, Behind Bars agency (Australia), and Australian cocktail bars Eau de Vie, Nick & Nora’s, The Roosevelt, The Sanderson, Pearl Diver & Mjolner Viking steakhouses, 13 April 2026

    6 DAYS AGO

    #156, Sven Almenning, founder, Behind Bars agency (Australia), and Australian cocktail bars Eau de Vie, Nick & Nora’s, The Roosevelt, The Sanderson, Pearl Diver & Mjolner Viking steakhouses, 13 April 2026

    What can you say about the extravagantly-bearded Norwegian Sven Almenning, who at one stage owned the world's largest bar agency, based in Sydney, running best-in-class bartender engagement programs at scale, and has since morphed into a tycoon of the Australian cocktail bar scene, with 8 or so top-notch venues in Sydney, Melbourne and the like? Well, quite a lot it seems! We talked about savant vibes master Max Greco (quite a bit, in fact), what it takes to create a great bar now in Australia vs 16 years ago, banter becoming an endangered species, the death of staff-hugging, what changed with bartender contests, and how he bribed his kids with screen time if they did exercise, only to see them regulate their own screen time as they began to enjoy exercising more and more, while the IG they created (link below) to share family High Intensity workouts exploded to 644, 000 followers, with another 260, 000 on Facebook (link also below).  It's a great chat with an old friend, recorded while we were both in the same time zone, thank God.  Sven's Speakeasy Group: https://speakeasygroup.com.au/ Family HIIT workouts on IG: https://www.instagram.com/fam_hiit_squad/ Family HIIT workouts on FB: https://www.facebook.com/TheRealFamHIITSquad/ (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    1hr 34min
  2. #155, Tobin Ellis, veteran bartender, author of “Bar Design Essentials", champion flair bartender, principal of Barmagic design studios (Las Vegas & New York) 30 March 2026

    30 MAR

    #155, Tobin Ellis, veteran bartender, author of “Bar Design Essentials", champion flair bartender, principal of Barmagic design studios (Las Vegas & New York) 30 March 2026

    God help me, I've known Tobin for thirty years now, having met when we both competed in flair bartending contests, starting with the legendary Quest for the Best in Orlando many moons ago. Tobin went on to co-found the Flair Bartenders Association (FBA) and later moved to Las Vegas, where he still (mostly) hangs his hat.  He went all-in on bar design decades ago, and has completed a book, "Bar Design Essentials" that he started writing in 2007, and which is as seminal and definitive for bar design as "Roundbuilding" is for making rounds of cocktails, and as "The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails" is for, well, spirits and cocktails.  If we design bars better, so bartenders can work faster, better and injury-free, we're setting those bartenders up to be true hospitalitarians - so why don't we? We down all the rabbit holes we could find, and then invented a few more, from the complexity of modern cocktails to cotton candy machines, his favorite bar shape, the redheaded stepchild of hospo, the state of training these days and his many, many injuries - enjoy! Buy "Bar Design Essentials": https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Design-Essentials-Bars-Everyone/dp/1732648255/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3C0RU5C7EQITE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wCArtZBcOpz-miH-Y7KqWRgbb0njE3tMWljJBB7TxcUccMb9qb2TxdLoiUq4ZCfjzyemQLFQz-S1aHy3DYykR1QPkyI0m0nshOeKlgSmx-Mt27wsBAkV7b01g7W3GkbJ.7-ENn58hVESjGOMFLpJwszH7mpptAujNNUioZHWxd5E&dib_tag=se&keywords=tobin+ellis&qid=1774708898&sprefix=tobin+ell%2Caps%2C229&sr=8-1 Follow Tobin on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tobinellisdesign/ Check out Studio Barmagic: https://www.barmagic.com/ (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    2h 9m
  3. #154, Andrew Merinoff, Co-founder & Investor Chinola Liqueur, Coconut Cartel, Empirical Spirits, Matchbook Distilling, Seven Rooms, & more

    23 MAR

    #154, Andrew Merinoff, Co-founder & Investor Chinola Liqueur, Coconut Cartel, Empirical Spirits, Matchbook Distilling, Seven Rooms, & more

    I met Andrew several years ago when he came to hang out at an Old Duff Genever evening I was hosting at Berlin’s marvellous Zyankali Bar, and the good people of Rachel Harrison Communications recently recommended I get him on, which struck me as an excellent idea.  Turns out he’s fourth-generation American liquor royalty, with a mother from the Hiram Walker family, a great-grandfather who bootlegged during Prohibition, a grandfather who legalised the business, and his father, who built US liquor distribution juggernaut Breakthru Beverage Group.  As well as a lifelong love of hospitality that started with a teenage stage at the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, Andrew was very successful as an investor, in startups that included Seven Rooms reservations & CRM software, which had a lucrative exit.  We chat Chinola, Empirical, Great Jones Distilling, his time at Proximo , the liquor and hospitality biz and a lot more - enjoy!  (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    2h 8m
  4. #153, TJ Lynch, co-founder Mother’s Ruin (NY, Austin, Nashville, Chicago), Lowlife Bar and Lost Isle restaurant (South Carolina)

    16 MAR

    #153, TJ Lynch, co-founder Mother’s Ruin (NY, Austin, Nashville, Chicago), Lowlife Bar and Lost Isle restaurant (South Carolina)

    TJ Lynch is one of the most genuinely hilarious people I know, but the success he and business partner Richard Knapp have had with cocktail dive bar Mother's Ruin - four branches, a fifth and sixth on the way, plus separate concepts in Folly Beach and Johns Island South Carolina - is no joke.  And it all started with a little bar on Spring Street in Manhattan that they opened in 2011 for the princely sum of $185, 000.  We talk about his switch into bartending from cooking, then into management, then ownership, what's changed since the first Mother's in 2011, his and Richard's philosophies for running a bar, reinventing the slushie, and how they deal with investors.  It's terrible audio quality because TJ was on location helping some of his staff revamp yet another bar, but it really rewards a listen - enjoy! TJ on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tjismyhero/ Mother's Ruin NY: https://www.instagram.com/mothersruinnyc/ Lowlife Bar: https://www.instagram.com/lowlifebar/ Lost Isle restaurant: https://www.instagram.com/lostislejohnsisland/ (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    1hr 34min
  5. #152, David Vogel, founder, Badger Bevs premium mixers, 9 March

    9 MAR

    #152, David Vogel, founder, Badger Bevs premium mixers, 9 March

    David’s a great guy I met through Jillian Vose, ex-supremo of mixology at Dead Rabbit and all-round bar goddess. Badger Bevs is a gorgeous range of premium mixers, and David IS ALL IN on the on-premise, so I badly wanted to sit down and hear his story, and it did not disappoint - enjoy!  Badger Bevs on IG: https://www.instagram.com/badgerbevs?igsh=cTMzYjlrZndteDg2 (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    1hr 17min
  6. #151, Stephan Berg & Alexander Hauck, founders, The Bitter Truth cocktail bitters, liqueurs & spirits

    2 MAR

    #151, Stephan Berg & Alexander Hauck, founders, The Bitter Truth cocktail bitters, liqueurs & spirits

    The Bitter Truth cocktail bitters launched in 2006, after German bartenders Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck visited London Bar Show, had a drink in Sketch bar, and decided to go for it.  This year TBT celebrates 20 years, so it was time to sit down with Stephan and Alexander to talk about how a couple of bartenders making extinct bitters in their garage entered a centuries-old category and carved out a thriving business that's expanded to include rare liqueurs, Tiki Lovers rum and Pink Gin, exported all around the world and proudly served in the world's best bars.   I've been following their journey since day 1, have known the guys since they were still bartending back in the day, and what they've done is really impressive - enjoy! The Bitter Truth on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebittertruthcompany/ The Bitter Truth: https://the-bitter-truth.com/bitters/ The Bitter Truth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebittertruthcompany (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    1hr 12min
  7. #150, Jeff Bell, owner-partner PDT, Crif Dogs, Tacos 1986, Mixteca and Kees, New York City

    23 FEB

    #150, Jeff Bell, owner-partner PDT, Crif Dogs, Tacos 1986, Mixteca and Kees, New York City

    Jeff's best-known for being a mainstay of New York's world-famous speakeasy-behind-a-phone-booth Please Don't Tell (PDT), where he was hired by Jim Meehan and has worked since 2010, and which post-pandemic he bought from its founder Brian Shebairo along with the hotdog stand it's housed inside, Crif Dogs.  In a city where bartenders hop around jobs willy-nilly, Jeff credits his tenure at a single bar with helping him gain the trust of investors (Apres Cru Hospitality) and become an owner.  I've known Jeff since 2011, when he was a world finalist in the G'Vine Gin Connoisseur Program, a contest I created and executed for several years; we had a lot of fun that Finals week in Cognac, France! This is a really great episode: we talked about starting his career in Seattle, his break into NY bartending, working at PDT, how he became an owner, his new businesses Tacos 1986, Cocteleria Mixteca (with fellow longtime PDT bartender Victor Lopez) and elegant speakeasy Kees (where we recorded), how he scaled back his travel to spend more time with his wife and children, helping Hilton reopen the Waldorf-Astoria's historic Peacock Alley bar and Lex Yard restaurant, keeping Jet Blue airline supplied with cocktails, and a bunch more of really thoughtful, insightful stuff.  Classic Jeff.  Enjoy! Jeff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreymbell/ Apres Cru Hospitality: https://www.aprescru.com/ PDT: https://www.instagram.com/pdtnyc/ Crif Dogs: https://www.instagram.com/crifdogs/ Mixteca: https://www.instagram.com/cocteleriamixteca/ Kees: https://www.instagram.com/seekkeesnyc/ (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    1hr 53min
  8. #149, Marcio Silva, founder, Eximia bar Sao Paolo, 16 February 2026

    16 FEB

    #149, Marcio Silva, founder, Eximia bar Sao Paolo, 16 February 2026

    Marcio is very much Our Man In Brazil, an old friend and (during Bar Convent Brazil) I’ve visited his previous, much-vaunted bar Guilhotina.  Marcio was in NY to do a MasterCard-backed pop-up of his Sao Paolo bar, Eximia, at New York’s Dante, so we carved out a few hours to hang out and catch up.  Enjoy!  (Get in touch with Duff! Podcast business enquiries:  consulting@liquidsolutions.org  (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.)   And we automatically pitch emails that are written using AI.  Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: philip@liquidsolutions.org Philip on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: ...

    1hr 20min
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About

Liquor, bars, cocktails: the people and companies who make them, sell them and drink them, plus everything & everyone in-between, with your host, globetrotting spirits guy and escaped bartender, Philip Duff. 

Information

  • Creator
    Philip Duff
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    156
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Philip Duff Show
  • Show Website
    The Philip Duff Show

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