May 26, 2022
In this audio essay, Eric examines mergers and acquisitions in the spirits world, using several case studies to explore how brands rise, fall, or become acquired.
The case studies are:
- The recent acquisition of Picon Aperitif from Diageo by the Campari Group
- The sale of Blue Coat Gin to Heaven Hill, as part of...
May 6, 2022
In this fusion update / mini-esssay episode, Eric covers some new developments at Modern Bar Cart, including:
- A website redesign
- New calendar and wholesale portal features
- The return of Embitterment Bitters variety packs
- A new polling initiative with benefits, and
- A free, private event taking place in New Orleans at...
Apr 21, 2022
In this single-barrel conversation with entrepreneur and spirits educator OJ Lima, co-founder of Taste Select Repeat, some of the topics we cover include:
- How OJ and his business partner Pierre battled a pandemic and a notoriously thorny government bureaucracy to found and scale their modern liquor store concept.
- The...
Apr 15, 2022
In this flavorful, botanically-robust interview and gin tasting with Duncan Coltharp and Jewel Murray, some of the topics we discuss include:
- The process of creating a gin from scratch - at least the way they did it at Mt. Defiance - which involved a boozy rendition of vision boarding, tinctures, eyedroppers,...
Apr 1, 2022
This is Part II of an extensive audio essay on the history and mechanics of the Margarita cocktail. In Part I, we examined the origins of sour taste perception and tracked a number of the Margarita's precursors, including grog, the Crusta, and the Daisy.
In this installment, we explore sugar, the Margarita's chief...