Into The Barchive

Into The Barchive

Into The Barchive is a cocktail history and education podcast that explores the stories, traditions, and techniques behind the world’s most iconic drinks. Hosted by historian and spirits educator Dr. Blake Jones alongside cocktail enthusiast Tim Wright, each episode breaks down classic cocktail families, their origins, and how to make them at home. Equal parts history lesson and hands-on bar class, Into The Barchive helps listeners drink smarter, understand what’s in their glass, and appreciate the culture behind every pour.

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  1. The Sazerac | The Official Cocktail of New Orleans

    17시간 전

    The Sazerac | The Official Cocktail of New Orleans

    This week on Into The Barchive, the beads are flying, the brass bands are rolling, and Mardi Gras is in full swing. So there is only one drink that makes sense to tackle. The official cocktail of New Orleans. The Sazerac. Blake and Tim dive deep into the history, myth, and ritual behind one of America’s oldest cocktails, a drink that sits right at the crossroads of medicine, culture, and celebration. Long before Hurricanes and hand grenades took over Bourbon Street, the Sazerac was already defining how New Orleans drank. In this episode, you’ll get two builds and two philosophies:🥃 Blake’s historically grounded all-rye Sazerac🥃 Tim’s controversial split-base rye and cognac version Along the way, they unpack:• The apothecary roots of Antoine Amédée Peychaud and why Peychaud’s bitters started as medicine• How cognac gave way to rye during the phylloxera crisis• Why absinthe was banned and replaced with Herbsaint• The difference between a rinse, a spritz, and a garnish• Why the Sazerac is legally recognized as the official cocktail of New Orleans• And how this simple spirit, sugar, and bitters template became pure ritual in a glass No giant cups. No frozen mixes. No shortcuts. Just careful stirring, a chilled glass, a whisper of anise, and a lemon peel expressed over the top. Because the Sazerac is not about excess.It is about intention. If you’re celebrating Mardi Gras at home, mix one up and toast the Crescent City. Tag us with your build or email podcast@intothebarchive.com. Next time, we slow things down with nightcaps like the Rusty Nail and the Godfather, minimalist pours made for the last conversation of the evening.

    35분
  2. Heat, History, and the Art of Hot Cocktails

    2월 5일

    Heat, History, and the Art of Hot Cocktails

    February can feel like the longest month of winter: cold, dark, and still a ways from spring. In Episode 8 of Into the Barchive, Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright turn up the heat and explore the often overlooked world of hot cocktails, drinks that long predate cheap ice, refrigeration, and even the word “cocktail.”Blake builds the classic Hot Toddy, a comfort-first template that started as simple spirit, sugar, and water, and still shows up today as a little “medicine” when winter hits hard. Along the way he covers smart hot-drink technique, including tempering glassware, using a bartender’s bain-marie to warm ingredients, and why higher-proof whiskey can hold up better when you lengthen a drink with hot water.Tim follows with Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s modern take on the Kiyoki Coffee, a rich and balanced hot coffee cocktail with brandy, dark crème de cacao, a touch of rich demerara syrup, and a float of lightly whipped cream. The guys dig into the Kiyoki’s mid-century origins, how it evolved from a sugar-bomb recipe into a “warm hug in a glass,” and why ingredient quality matters when coffee is doing the heavy lifting.Then they zoom out and “build the context”:- Why hot drinks came before cold drinks- How heat changes sweetness, bitterness, and aroma- Why lemon oil works better than lemon juice in a hot toddy- How glassware size and shape can make or break the balance and experience of warm cocktails- Why small servings win, so the drink stays hot from first sip to lastHave a favorite warm cocktail recipe for winter nights? Tag us on Instagram or email us at podcast@intothebarchive.com.Watch on YouTube, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share.Next time: we swap hot glasses for rocks glasses and head to New Orleans to explore the Sazerac, the official cocktail of the city, and the myths, medicine, and ritual behind it.

    37분
  3. Non-Alcoholic Cocktails That Don’t Feel Like Compromises

    1월 29일

    Non-Alcoholic Cocktails That Don’t Feel Like Compromises

    Usually on Into the Barchive, we talk about spirits like gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey, the ingredients that give cocktails their backbone. But as Dry January winds down, Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright ask a different question.What makes a cocktail a cocktail when you take the alcohol out?In Episode 7, Blake and Tim explore the rise of non-alcoholic cocktails, not as an afterthought or a “kids drink,” but as a real part of modern bar culture. They break NA drinks into two approaches.- Technique-driven NA cocktails built from structure, using citrus, tea, syrup, tonic, egg white, and proper dilution, without trying to replicate booze.- NA spirit-driven cocktails that use purpose-built zero-proof spirits to recreate the role alcohol normally plays.On the menu today:- The Grey Fox, inspired by Anders Erickson: Earl Grey syrup plus lemon plus egg white plus tonic for a bright, frothy, cocktail-like experience, no NA spirit required.- The Wandering Path, based on Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s recipe: Pathfinder NA “Amaro” plus grapefruit plus lemon plus rich simple syrup plus egg white for a complex, bitter-leaning zero-proof sour.Along the way, they trace the deeper history behind alcohol-free drinking, from shrubs, switchels, and small beer, to the temperance movement, soda fountains, and how today’s craft cocktail revival finally gives NA drinks the same attention to balance, bitterness, texture, and ritual.Because NA cocktails are not just about restriction. They are about choice, hospitality, inclusion, and good design.Questions or want to share what you’re mixing at home? Email: podcast@intothebarchive.comTag us on Instagram with your NA builds and zebra-striping nights.Next time, we turn up the heat with hot drinks, including Hot Toddies, coffee cocktails, and how warmth changes everything.

    49분
  4. The Flip — Cocktails as Dessert, Texture, + Indulgence (and whole eggs!)

    1월 22일

    The Flip — Cocktails as Dessert, Texture, + Indulgence (and whole eggs!)

    In Episode 6 of Into The Barchive, Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright close out their inaugural cocktail family series with the richest, most decadent template of them all: the Flip.If sours and daisies are about balancing sweet and sour, flips are about balancing alcohol, sweetness, and richness to create a cocktail that drinks like dessert. That richness comes from a key ingredient many people still hesitate to use: the whole egg. Tim admits he is uneasy about eggs in general, but even he cannot deny how incredible a well-made flip can taste once you get past the idea.To bring the template to life, the guys build two very different flips:- The historic Coffee Cocktail from Jerry Thomas (1887). Despite the name, there is no coffee in it. It earns the name because it looks like coffee and cream, and it drinks with that same smooth, cozy richness. Built with cognac, tawny port, simple syrup, a whole egg, and finished with freshly grated nutmeg.- The modern cult classic Death Flip, a bold combination of blanco tequila, yellow Chartreuse, Jägermeister, simple syrup, and a whole egg, crowned with nutmeg. It is polarizing on paper, surprisingly balanced in the glass, and one of the only modern-era flips to break into “classic” status.After the shaking and straining, Blake and Tim dig into the origins of the flip, tracing it back to late 1600s England, when flips were communal hot drinks frothed with a heated iron “flip dog” plunged into rum, beer, and sugar. As drinking culture shifted toward single servings, the egg became the new engine for that frothy, luscious texture, and the flip evolved into the chilled, silky dessert cocktail we know today.This episode also covers:- Why egg whites create lift and foam, and why the yolk creates body and custard-like texture- The reverse dry shake technique and why it helps flips emulsify cleanly- How flips declined due to safety concerns and changing lifestyles, then returned during the cocktail renaissance- How flips relate to eggnog and the broader world of cream and dessert cocktails- A simple starting template for making flips at home and how to adjust sweetness when you split the base- To wrap the series, the hosts zoom out and connect the idea of cocktail families to the long tradition of bartenders thinking in structure, from Jerry Thomas to “root recipes” and modern cocktail codex thinking. The goal stays the same across centuries: understanding why drinks work, not just memorizing how to make them.Make a flip at home, tag your results on Instagram, or reach out at podcast@intothebarchive.com. Keep your coupes cold and your nutmeg fresh. See you next time, back in Into The Barchive. Cheers. 🥃

    38분
  5. The Highball - Simple, Sessionable, and Surprisingly Deep

    1월 15일

    The Highball - Simple, Sessionable, and Surprisingly Deep

    In Episode 5 of Into The Barchive, Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright tackle the cocktail template most people overlook because it seems too easy: the Highball.At first glance, it is just “spirit plus mixer.” A Jack and Coke. A rum and soda. A gin and tonic. But this episode makes the case that the highball is one of the most culturally important drinks in the world, and when it is done with intention, it can be deceptively complex and genuinely transcendent.To prove it, the guys build two highball classics:- A Gin and Tonic with Monkey 47 and a carefully chosen tonic, showing how gin style, tonic character, and garnish can completely reshape the drink- A Japanese Whisky Highball, where precision, ice craftsmanship, temperature, and carbonation preservation turn a two-ingredient drink into an art formFrom there, the conversation goes beyond the glass. They explore how highballs evolved from early hangover cures into the dominant way spirits have been consumed globally, with examples from around the world like the Paloma, Fernet and Cola, and other regional favorites. They also break down the “hidden” details that separate a forgettable highball from an unforgettable one, including glassware shape, chilled ingredients, ice size and smoothness, carbonation chemistry, mixer quality, and even straw placement near the garnish for maximum aroma.In this episode, you will learn:- Why the highball counts as a cocktail in the modern sense- How carbonation, temperature, and ice shape affect flavor and fizz- Why mixer quality matters when most of your drink is not alcohol- How Japanese technique elevated the highball into craft cocktail territory- How balance in a highball is about dilution rather than sweet vs sourTry a highball at home with fresh ice, a cold glass, and a quality mixer, then experiment until you find your perfect ratio. Tag your creations, or email questions to podcast@intothebarchive.comNext episode: The Flip, where cocktails slow down and indulgence takes over with eggs, dairy, sugar, and spirit. Cheers. 🥃

    39분
  6. The Daisy - The Sour’s More Colorful Cousin

    1월 8일

    The Daisy - The Sour’s More Colorful Cousin

    In Episode 4 of Into The Barchive, Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright keep the cocktail template journey rolling with one of the most important building blocks in the canon: the Daisy. If the Sour is spirit, citrus, and sweetener, the Daisy takes that familiar balance and adds a new layer of complexity with a modifier, usually a liqueur. That extra ingredient can bring orange, floral, spice, fruit, or herbal character, while also contributing sweetness and shaping the overall balance. The result is a cocktail family that is still approachable, but far more customizable than it first appears. To bring the template to life, the guys shake up two classic Daisy expressions: The Sidecar, a cognac-driven icon of the Daisy family, built with citrus, orange liqueur, and a touch of syrup for a smooth, rounded finishA vintage-inspired Tequila Daisy, often considered the proto-margarita, featuring blanco tequila, orange liqueur, lemon, and a splash of soda water as a nod to 1800s Daisy traditions Once the drinks are built, they dig into the history, tracing the Daisy back to Jerry Thomas and the earliest cocktail guides, then following its Prohibition-era evolution through France and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Along the way, they break down why liqueur choice matters so much, how sweetness and proof can change dramatically depending on what you pour, and why this template is one of the best playgrounds for home experimentation. In this episode, you will learn: What makes a Daisy different from a SourHow modifiers work and why they matterHow to balance base spirit, citrus, liqueur, and optional sweetenerWhy some classic Daisies used soda water, and why many modern versions do notHow the Daisy template paved the way for crowd favorites like the Margarita Build your own Daisy riffs at home, tag your creations, and let us know what you come up with. Next episode: The Highball, a deceptively simple template with a surprisingly rich history. Cheers. 🍹

    26분
  7. The Manhattan and the Martini

    1월 2일

    The Manhattan and the Martini

    In Episode 3 of Into The Barchive, Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright continue their exploration of classic cocktail families by diving into two of the most iconic and influential drinks of all time: the Manhattan and the Martini. This episode proves that simplicity can be the ultimate form of sophistication. With just a handful of ingredients, these cocktails showcase balance, restraint, and the power of great spirits paired with fortified wines. Blake and Tim walk step by step through building both drinks, starting with the Manhattan, the elder statesman of this family. You will learn why rye whiskey remains the classic choice, how sweet vermouth transformed American cocktails in the late 19th century, and how the memorable “212” ratio makes the Manhattan easy to remember and endlessly adaptable. From there, the conversation shifts to the Martini, a cocktail so romanticized by pop culture that its history is often misunderstood. The hosts break down traditional martini specs, explain the role of dry vermouth and orange bitters, and explore how the drink evolved over time into the ultra-dry versions many people order today. Along the way, they discuss gin styles, garnish choices, presentation, and why proper vermouth storage matters more than most people realize. This episode also covers: - How vermouth changed cocktail history and expanded flavor possibilities - The evolution from the Manhattan to the Martinez to the modern Martini - Why balance matters more than trends when adjusting ratios - How bitters function as the finishing touch in spirit-forward cocktails - How to experiment confidently using the Manhattan and Martini templates Whether you are refining your go-to Manhattan, rethinking how you build a Martini, or exploring new variations with different spirits and fortified wines, this episode gives you the tools and context to drink with intention. Next episode: The Daisy template, the colorful and lively family that paved the way for classics like the Sidecar and the Margarita. Cheers. 🍸 Manhattan 2 oz Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey 1 oz Carpano Classico Sweet Vermouth 2 dashes Angostura Bitters Garnish: Amarena Cherry Martini 2 oz Tanqueray No.10 Gin 1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth 2 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters Garnish: Lemon Peel

    34분
  8. Sours — Balance, Brightness, and Simplicity

    1월 1일

    Sours — Balance, Brightness, and Simplicity

    In Episode 2 of Into The Barchive, hosts Dr. Blake Jones and Tim Wright dive into one of the most refreshing and foundational cocktail families: the Sour. Building on the cocktail framework introduced in Episode 1, this episode explores how the Sour strips things down to three essential elements: spirit, citrus, and sweetener. Simple on paper, mastering the Sour is all about balance, precision, and intention. Blake and Tim waste no time getting hands-on, demonstrating two classic expressions of the Sour template: The Daiquiri, often called the bartender’s handshake, showcasing how rum, lime, and sugar reveal both skill and philosophy behind the bar The Bee’s Knees, a Prohibition-era favorite that pairs gin, lemon, and honey syrup to transform harsh spirits into something smooth and elegant From there, the episode digs deeper into history, tracing the Sour back to punch and explaining how single-serving cocktails emerged from communal bowls. They also explore how the quality of ingredients declined after Prohibition with the rise of sour mix, and how the modern cocktail renaissance has brought fresh citrus, house-made syrups, and classic techniques back into focus. Listeners will learn: - Why fresh citrus matters and how acidity shapes a drink - How sweeteners add more than sweetness, contributing texture and balance - When and why egg whites appear in certain sours - How to adjust ratios and ingredients using the “Mr. Potato Head” approach -How one template can unlock countless variations using what you already have at home Whether you are making a Daiquiri, a Bee’s Knees, or experimenting with your own riffs, this episode equips you with practical knowledge and historical context to elevate your home cocktail game. Next episode: The martini and the Manhattan, where citrus steps aside and the spirit takes center stage. Cheers. 🍸

    31분
  9. What is a Cocktail?

    1월 1일

    What is a Cocktail?

    Welcome to the very first episode of Into The Barchive, the podcast where history, culture, and great drinks come together. Hosted by historian and certified spirits specialist Dr. Blake Jones alongside with cocktail enthusiast Tim Wright, this new series brings the classroom and the bar to you. In this debut episode, Blake and Tim tackle a deceptively simple question: What is a cocktail? From an 1806 newspaper definition in upstate New York to some of the most colorful and surprising theories behind the word’s origin, they explore how cocktails evolved from early morning pick-me-ups into the ritual drinks we know today. Along the way, you will learn: - The original four-ingredient definition of a cocktail and why it still matters - How cocktail families and drink templates simplify cocktail making - Why the Old Fashioned is one of the most important drinks in history - How bartenders think in structures rather than memorizing endless recipes The episode also goes hands-on, with Blake and Tim demonstrating two classic builds: a Holland Gin cocktail and a Whiskey Cocktail, also known today as the Old Fashioned. They break down the role of spirits, sugar, water, ice, and bitters, and show how small changes can create endless variations. Whether you are brand new to cocktails or a seasoned home bartender, Into The Barchive is designed to help you drink smarter, understand what is in your glass, and appreciate the stories behind it all. Next episode: Sours, a study in balance, brightness, and simplicity in a glass. Pour yourself something good and join us. Cheers. 🥃

    36분

소개

Into The Barchive is a cocktail history and education podcast that explores the stories, traditions, and techniques behind the world’s most iconic drinks. Hosted by historian and spirits educator Dr. Blake Jones alongside cocktail enthusiast Tim Wright, each episode breaks down classic cocktail families, their origins, and how to make them at home. Equal parts history lesson and hands-on bar class, Into The Barchive helps listeners drink smarter, understand what’s in their glass, and appreciate the culture behind every pour.