Pre-Batch Podcast

Pre-Batch

Welcome to Pre-Batch Podcast, where hospitality’s pioneers sit down for unfiltered, no-BS conversations. Hosted by Gavin Wrigley, this podcast dives deep into the industry, its highs, lows, and everything in between. No scripts, no fluff, just real talk, insider stories, and the occasional industry secret you weren’t supposed to hear. Whether you're behind the bar, running the floor, or just love the world of food and drink, PreBatch Podcast brings you the voices shaping hospitality today. Cheers.

Episodios

  1. 16 jul

    Pre-Batch #11 - Giuseppe Gallo

    Episode #S2E4 is live on Pre-Batch Podcast. In this episode, host Gavin Wrigley sits down with Giuseppe Gallo, founder of Italicus and Savoia, co-founder of the Barcelona Cocktail Fest, and one of the first global brand ambassadors ever hired by the Bacardi-Martini Group. From working the bar at London’s Sanderson Hotel to building one of the fastest-growing spirits brands of the last decade, this is an unfiltered masterclass on what it actually takes to build something real in this industry. They dive into real, behind-the-bar conversations around: - The Brand Ambassador Illusion: Giuseppe breaks down the difference between a real brand ambassador — one brand, full-time, education-first — and the current trend of brands paying famous bartenders to claim a title for products they’ve never even stocked behind their own bar. - Bar Shows Became a Circus: A direct challenge to the modern trade show format, questioning whether bartenders actually go to learn anymore, or just to drink for free while the real education gets drowned out by DJ sets and shot promos. - The €6.99 Prosecco Problem: Giuseppe’s take on how Italy repeatedly undersells its own heritage — commercializing categories like Prosecco and Limoncello into race-to-the-bottom pricing instead of premiumizing them the way France did with Champagne. - Reviving a Category Erased by World War II: The real story of Rosolio — a liqueur category wiped from Italian shelves after WWII — and the three years it took Giuseppe to re-educate an entire industry before Italicus could exist. - Owning Your Face as a Founder: An honest look at the tradeoff of being the public face of your own brand — the 24/7 availability, the shrinking private life — and why Giuseppe believes it built more trust than any hired spokesperson could. - Innovating vs. Duplicating: The single rule behind every Italicus and Savoia release — never launch something that already exists on a shelf, from the world’s first vermouth made with orange wine to reviving a forgotten liqueur style. Cocktails discussed: - Italicus Spritz: One part Italicus, topped with Prosecco, ice, and three green olives — a modern classic built on a 1904 Rosolio recipe revived with Sicilian cedro and Calabrian bergamot. - Savoia Rosso Americano: A bitter-style vermouth at a deliberate 18.6% ABV — a direct reference to 1861, the year Italy was unified under the House of Savoy. - Savoia Orancio: The first-ever vermouth made with orange wine, built around Marco Polo’s 21-year round trip from Venice to China — hence the 21 botanicals. Subscribe and follow for weekly conversations on bartending, mixology, spirits education, and hospitality industry insights. 🎧 Watch the full episode also on: Youtube → https://www.youtube.com/@prebatchpodcast Follow us for more behind-the-bar conversations: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/prebatchpodcast/

    Pre-Batch #11 - Giuseppe Gallo
  2. 28 may

    Pre-Batch #10 - François Monti

    Episode #10 is live on Pre-Batch Podcast. In this episode, Gavin Wrigley sits down with François Monti, legendary drinks writer, vermouth historian, and the 50 Best Bars Academy Chair for Spain and Portugal. They dive into real, behind-the-bar conversations around: - The Michelin vs. Tortilla Trap: François breaks down the economic flaw of the modern cocktail renaissance, comparing high-margin, high-volume local "tortilla places" to low-margin, hyper-complex Michelin-style operations where bars focus entirely on technical flexing instead of profitable execution. - The Shampoo Salesmen Paradigm: A blistering look at the major corporate disconnect where trade marketing executives manage legendary spirit brands like commercial shampoo, relying on flawed Nielsen polling data to advance their personal careers instead of acting as true custodians of the product. - Awards, Lobbying, and Vote Trading: The unfiltered reality behind international awards lists, the hidden politics of vote-trading cliques where peers trade favors behind the scenes, and why expensive guest shifts can alienate your neighborhood regulars. - The Gen Z Sobriety Metric Illusion: Dismantling the media panic around younger generation sobriety, revealing how early metrics completely failed to factor in underage demographics, and why modern consumption shifts are driven entirely by inflation and the rising cost of living. - Trend Saturation and Over-Engineering: Why François is entirely done with the obsession over technical trends, calling out bars that double-clarify spirits just to show off, when consumers really just want a well-made classic drink they can smash. Cocktails discussed: Vermouth Cassis: A historic, balanced French cafe classic built with vermouth, fruit liqueur, and soda, which François highlights as an incredible, refreshing hangover savior. Ron Collins: A dynamic Cuban spin on the classic Collins formula where the rich depth of rum completely alters the traditional drink structure. Dry Martini: François's personal go-to choice and what he considers the absolute fastest, most cost-effective spec for guests looking to drink higher-quality volume for less money. Subscribe and follow for weekly conversations on bartending, mixology, spirits education, and hospitality industry insights. 🎧 Watch the full episode also on: Youtube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@prebatchpodcast ⁠⁠⁠Follow us for more behind-the-bar conversations: Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/prebatchpodcast/ ⁠⁠⁠ TikTok → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@prebatchpodcast/ ⁠⁠⁠ Facebook → ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/prebatchpodcast/

    Pre-Batch #10 - François Monti
  3. 19 abr

    Pre-Batch #9 - Kate Gerwin

    Episode #9 is live on Pre-Batch Podcast. In this episode, host Gavin Wrigley sits down with Kate Gerwin, owner of the award-winning Happy Accidents in Albuquerque and a standout competitor from Netflix’s Drink Masters. They dive into real, behind-the-bar conversations around: - The Drink Masters Experience: Kate reveals the grueling reality of competing on Netflix, including the strict 90-minute "hard stop" time frames and the "learning curve" for producers who initially treated cocktails like pastry . - Representing the Craft: Why Kate joined the show to demonstrate the deep study, production knowledge, and humanity required in bartending, aiming to give bartenders the same professional respect as celebrity chefs . - The TV Reality Check: Kate shares her unfiltered experience on Bar Rescue and why the famous "Butt Funnel" was actually a design mistake rebranded to "sound smart" for TV . - The $750 Distiller’s Loophole: How Kate bypassed a $500,000 liquor license by opening her bar under a distiller’s license . - Team-First Hospitality: Why Kate intentionally designs her bar for the team, not the guest , and the real-world impact of providing a safety net like health insurance for her staff . - The Death of Flavor: Why Kate is "so sick" of the clarification and RotoVap trends that she believes strip the soul and color out of modern cocktails . Cocktails discussed: - Bitter Courage: A "smashable" gin and Aperol classic Kate used to win world titles . - The Adult Chocolate Martini: Swapping Hershey’s syrup for Cacao Vodka and PX Sherry to educate small-market palates . - Oreo Negroni: A nostalgic, distilled twist on a classic designed specifically for non-Negroni drinkers . Subscribe and follow for weekly conversations on bartending, mixology, spirits education, and hospitality industry insights. 🎧 Watch the full episode also on: Youtube → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@prebatchpodcast ⁠⁠⁠ Follow us for more behind-the-bar conversations: Instagram → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/prebatchpodcast/ ⁠⁠⁠ TikTok → ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@prebatchpodcast/ ⁠⁠⁠ Facebook → ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/prebatchpodcast/⁠⁠

    Pre-Batch #9 - Kate Gerwin
  4. 20/10/2025

    Pre-Batch #5 - Ludo Ducrocq

    🎙 ¡Episode 5 is here! All about whisky with Ludo Ducrocq. In this episode of the PreBatch Podcast, we’re joined by whisky expert Ludo Ducrocq, Brand Ambassador at Whyte & Mackay, for a deep dive into the fascinating world of Scotch whisky. You’ll learn about: How Scotch whisky is produced The truth behind No-Age-Statement whiskies Chill filtration and cask strength Types of oak, cask finishes, and sherry aging European vs American oak differences What makes a great aged whisky Drinks featured in the episode: 🥃 Whyte & Mackay Blended Scotch 🥃 Dalmore 15 🍸 Dalmore 15 Cocktail Perfect for bartenders, spirits professionals, and whisky lovers. 🎧 Press play now and let this conversation fuel your bartending journey. Hit Follow so you never miss an episode. 🙌 0:00 Intro 1:50 Ludo's Career 3:30 How do you get into Scotch Whisky? 8:30 What do Brand Ambassadors do? 18:09 On Trade vs Off Trade 24:40 Drink 1 - Whyte & Mackay Blended Scotch 28:03 Grain Whisky vs Malt Whisky 37:18 Japanese Blended Whisky differences 39:00 Whyte and Mackay 42:25 Whisky Distilleries work as a team 46:22 How the timeline works in the process of making Whisky 49: 30 Single Malt Whiskies 53:35 The steps on making Whisky 1:08:40 Drink 2 - Dalmore 15 1:13:23 How to taste Whisky? 1:21:08 Chill Filtration 1:26:28 Most of the cost in Whisky making is in maturation 1:29:14 Casks 1:41:34 Why Scotch Whisky became so successful 1:43:10 Drink 3 - Dalmore 15 Cocktail 1:46:35 No age statement 1:58:00 Experimental Maturation 2:05:55 Flash photography in distilleries 2:10:18 Key differences between Japanese whisky and Scotch Whisky

    Pre-Batch #5 - Ludo Ducrocq

Acerca de

Welcome to Pre-Batch Podcast, where hospitality’s pioneers sit down for unfiltered, no-BS conversations. Hosted by Gavin Wrigley, this podcast dives deep into the industry, its highs, lows, and everything in between. No scripts, no fluff, just real talk, insider stories, and the occasional industry secret you weren’t supposed to hear. Whether you're behind the bar, running the floor, or just love the world of food and drink, PreBatch Podcast brings you the voices shaping hospitality today. Cheers.

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