Back Bar Heritage Radio Network

The City of Nashville gets hot. Really hot. So it makes sense that this is where the competition for the finals of USBG’s World Class Presented by Diageo would heat up. On this special episode of Back Bar, Greg dives into the history of this weird and wonderful southern city, its relationship with heat in all its many forms - including its chicken - and one incredible heated bartending competition. He also follows first time competitor Jessi Pollak as she prepares for the speed round, re-invents one of her grandmother’s classic recipes and even tries to summon the dead. (Spoiler alert: she takes home the gold!)

Without a lot of fanfare in the early 1980s a fledgling cable channel called MTV launched in New Jersey. No one knew it at the time but it was the start of something big, a sea change in American society that would break the big traditional values of the 50s and 60s down into specialized, bite sized chunks ready to be gobbled up by enthusiasts, fanboys and hop heads for the next several decades. At the same time microbreweries were steadily growing in popularity from a niche interest into a national powerhouse that only continues to expand to this day. But does all this specialization just mean more fun for everybody? Or does it come at a cost?

Joining us on this episode are Theresa McCulla, curator of the American brewing history initiative at the National Museum of American History, and Alan Newman, co-founder of Magic Hat Brewing in Burlington, VT. We’re also joined by the one and only Colin Connor who’s nice enough to add a little pizzazz to the landmark 1995 essay “Bowling Alone” by Robert Putnam.

Women have been making cider and brandy for centuries - so where are they in the history books? A look at who gets written into and out of history through the lens of one of the most enduring apple brandy cocktails of all time, the Jack Rose.

-

In ancient times making alcohol was seen as a mystic art, something done to commune with the divine and heal the sick. In colonial America, it was done to preserve surplus harvests and keep produce from going to waste. In each case, and every millennium in between, the work was done by women. Now we see alcohol as a male-dominated field, both when it comes to producing and serving. By looking at the Jack Rose, which has changed in its own way over the years, Greg and his co-host Jess look at how women were written out of the story and how they could be written back.

-

Our guests on this episode are Dr. Nicola Nice of the Women’s Cocktail Collective, Diane Flynt of Foggy Ridge Cider in Virginia, Jen Querbes of Brandy St. Louise, and Lisa Laird Dunn, a ninth-generation apple brandy distiller from New Jersey. And you can find more amazing music from Jess, who wrote the music for and performed the eua de vie recipe here!

-

The books referenced on this show were Imbibe by David Wondrich, Meehan’s Bartending Guide by Jim Meehan, and Jones Complete Bar Guide by Stan Jones.

A look inside the Old Fashioned episode with David Wondrich, author of "Imbibe" and Dale DeGroff, author of "The Craft of the Cocktail." Go behind the scenes of Back Bar and discover what these two guests from our last episode have to say about bartending in London, getting your start in New York City and drinking whiskey at 30,000 feet.

Please SUBSCRIBE and RATE the show if you can. Join us as we talk about history's favorite drinks and how what we drink shapes history. To see what's coming next follow Greg on instagram @100ProofGreg. #drinkinghistory

The story of the very first cocktail - where it came from, the strong opinions it breeds and what the way we drink it says about us.

The word “cocktail” was first defined in print in 1806 with a simple recipe - strong spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters. Since then the specs have morphed to include brandy, rum, whiskey (and whisky), rum, vermouth, absinthe, amaro, campari, lime juice, even pickled mushrooms. The list goes on and on. And as the years have gone by the way we make and stir and argue over this drink has shaped the cocktail world forever - but perhaps it’s shaped us even more.

We’re joined on this episode by David Wondrich, author of “Punch!” and “Imbibe” and by Dale DeGroff, former head bartender of the Rainbow Room and author of “The Craft of the Cocktail.” Our actors today are Chris Stinson and Mary Myers. Music by Ryan Laney, research assistance by Zoe Denckla, logo by Alicia Qian.

An Italian favorite and the curious intersection of bitter times with bitter flavors.

The Negroni doesn’t have a rise and fall and rise again story. It pops up here and there, peculiarly always in the wake of tragedy. Why do we gravitate towards this sharp, botanical beverage in times of rebuilding and what can it tell us about bitter flavors as a whole? Special guests this week are Naren Young, founding beverage director of Dante NYC, and Natasha David.