Direct from Denver Part II: WSWA Access LIVE 2025 (S4 E6)

#AI Transcript: WASA Part 2

SPEAKER_00:
Jonathan Pogash is the cocktail guru, a mixologist and hospitality expert. See? You know big words. Dude, I'm the cocktail guru. Cheers. Jeffrey's his dad, a wine and spirits author, historian, and consultant.

SPEAKER_13:
I do my homework.

SPEAKER_00:
With decades of experience, they're always looking for the next big thing. Join this father and son duo for a few laughs as they explore the hottest trends in hospitality with the service industry's leading trailblazers and tastemakers. Welcome to the Cocktail Guru Show.

SPEAKER_13:
Look who we ran into, dad. It's amazing, Jonathan. When you're at an event like WSWA, you never know who you're gonna run into. Never know, so these two- Look what the cat dragged in.

SPEAKER_11:
Literally, these two guys I've known forever. Chad Michael George is a Denver mixologist, a staple in the industry as a whole in the United States. Jeffrey Morgenthaler, of course, Portland, Oregon-based, and also a staple in the worldwide cocktail experience that we have within our, and we're here to chat about? Judging. Yes, judging. Have you ever judged spirits or cocktail competition? Yes, I have.

SPEAKER_13:
Yes, I judged for Anthony Dias Blue at various WSWA events and other events around the country. So yes, I have been a judge. I was a judge for a Bloody Mary event as well, which is one of my favorite drinks.

SPEAKER_11:
That is, yes. That was a really tough competition. That was a tough one.

SPEAKER_13:
Because of the garnish.

SPEAKER_11:
Of course, the lunch. So you guys are both judging the spirits tasting, spirits competition. Chad, can you talk a little bit about, you know, what is judging when it comes to what we do in our industry, spirits and cocktails?

SPEAKER_08:
Yeah, we're presented with dozens, I mean, literally, you know, 60 plus different spirits that we're blindly tasting. We know the category and we're judging it on its merit, on the quality of production. At an event like this, it's really important for these brands. They're trying to gain some recognition, so you gather you know, a bunch of staples like Jeffrey and I in a room and, and, uh, staples, staples.

SPEAKER_11:
Why are we saying, why did I say staple twice? I introduced both of you guys as staples of the industry. What am I talking about?

SPEAKER_13:
We're icons of the industry.

SPEAKER_08:
I like icons better. I wish that's, you know, just trying to stay relevant.

SPEAKER_13:
Let me just throw in my two cents judging for you. to defend you, you who are judges, it's an exhausting endeavor.

SPEAKER_11:
People don't realize that. It's intense. Jeffrey, how is it exhausting?

SPEAKER_07:
You know, this one was actually pretty easy because, you know, like Chad said, we only had 65 or so spirits to judge. That's not bad. That's not bad. When I do, I'm the head judge of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition as well. Right. And we taste probably close to 300 over the course of the weekend.

SPEAKER_11:
Over the course of two full days? Or is it like three days? Two and a half days.

SPEAKER_07:
Yeah, it's very intense.

SPEAKER_11:
How do you moderate what you're tasting?

SPEAKER_07:
You obviously spit. Yes. I think a lot of people, especially consumers, don't realize that. They think that we're just like drinking.

SPEAKER_13:
No, we don't. It's all spitting.

SPEAKER_08:
Yeah. All about spitting. I don't know if WSWA even knows that because they didn't want me to drive here. I'm like, I'm judging. I'm not drinking. Right.

SPEAKER_13:
 Even if you spit you're still absorbing some of it.

SPEAKER_11:
They actually told me that was because you're just a terrible driver Terribly aggressive Wow, yeah So what about the mechanics of tasting? You know, what what what kind of goes through your mind? What drives that tasting process?

SPEAKER_07:
I mean for for me, you know, we we first ascertain what it is we're judging. We get some information, it's vodka, it's gin, it's single barrel bourbon, we get a proof statement always, and we get an age statement if there is one, any other really pertinent information outside of you know, anything that's like super identifying. And with that in mind, then we proceed, you know, we know what's really great, we were just talking about bourbon, you know, small batch bourbon. We know what really great small batch bourbon tastes like. It's supposed to taste like. It's supposed to taste like because we've in our lives tasted thousands of whiskeys. And we kind of use that as a yardstick against things.

SPEAKER_13:
And you can't really be a great judge unless you've had that many years worth of experience. You have to know the category very well before you can tell.

SPEAKER_07:
I had been in the bar for 15, close to 15 years when I started judging for the first time. So I had tasted, you know, everything already.

SPEAKER_11:
And I know both of you guys are also well-versed on wine, but Chad, the difference between wine tasting and spirits tasting, is there a difference or are you kind of going through the same checklist in your mind?

SPEAKER_08:
It's the same checklist. And we actually, this was pretty cool because at WSWA we, All judged wine and spirits for the the sweepstakes like the the double golds the you know, the crew.

SPEAKER_11:
Oh, that's different.

SPEAKER_08:
That's different Yeah, so today we tasted white wine best white wine best sake best red wine. Um Best vermouth which you know, but it's the same. It's the same process. Um, you know, I started in the wine world actually and then kind of moved behind the bar, but Still love tasting wine, but it's it's honestly I feel like there's more nuance in wine, but it's easier to taste a lot of wine, I think, than spirits, just because of the alcohol content.

SPEAKER_11:
And your palate gets a little numb.

SPEAKER_07:
Palate fatigue is a very real thing. Palate fatigue. What is palate fatigue? Literally what it sounds like.

SPEAKER_13:
You go kind of numb a little bit after. Numb, yeah. The palate, the tongue, the palate is numb. And you can't really differentiate between different wines and spirits.

SPEAKER_08:
Lots of crackers, lots of soda water, cheese, water.

SPEAKER_13:
But even so, you reach a certain point. For me, it was when, if I was tasting a hundred different products, usually wine, that was kind of the limit. Then you really had to take a long break, like a day or two.

SPEAKER_07:
Yeah. We start with vodka always because that's got the most sort of nuance to it. And then proceed, you know, by the end of the, end of the day or end of the weekend, that's when you're doing cask-proof bourbon, things like that.

SPEAKER_08:
It's also easier to calibrate your palate, I feel, with the clear spirits. My group started with gin yesterday. We had, I think, nine or ten gins, and that was you know that was the one group that I literally tasted all the way through it three times to really just kind of like acclimate myself to sitting down and doing this and like what am I looking for what am I not you know what's what's important here.

SPEAKER_11:
And lastly how have you guys seen the spirits that you're tasting evolve throughout the years that you've since you've started tasting?

SPEAKER_07:
I mean, it's crazy, right? It's gotten so much better. So much better. Leaps and bounds.

SPEAKER_11:
The quality, you can tell the craftsmanship has improved.

SPEAKER_07:
Well, there's so many more options. And a lot of options, yeah.

SPEAKER_13:
And the same with wine. I've been organizing wine tasting since 1974. And the quality of the wine itself, you can't really, in my opinion, you can't really find bad wine anymore. the technology doesn't allow for bad wine.

SPEAKER_07:
I can find some. Well, I have a hard time. I mean, if I really, if I looked hard, maybe I could. There's a kitchen space next door.

SPEAKER_13:
I bet they got some bad wine. But I'll tell you, the technology doesn't really allow for bad wine if you know what, if you're competent, if you're a competent winemaker.

SPEAKER_08:
We've gotten to that point in spirits, and I think wine to a degree, that we were like with craft beer a decade ago. The market got flooded and now the, you know, it's, the bad stuff has weeded itself out. It just, it has failed. You know, this competition, this year versus the mid-2010s, the spirits that we're tasting are just night and day difference.

SPEAKER_11:
Wow. Wow. That's awesome. Well, I love this insight and it was so great to run into you guys. Yeah, you too. Thanks. Good to see you. Great to see you both. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_13:
Yeah.

SPEAKER_11:
Cheers. Again, another amazing guest that we just ran into. Here we are. Here live.

SPEAKER_13:
Once again, they just keep coming, don't they?

SPEAKER_11:
Yeah, WSWA Access Live in Denver. Will Elger, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_06:
Thank you for having me. A huge fan of the Cocktail Guru Show.

SPEAKER_11:
Wow. Thank you very much. Our first fan of the show.

SPEAKER_06:
Yes, huge fan.

SPEAKER_11:
Our first and only fan. And we're big fans of tequila as well.

SPEAKER_06:
Oh, excellent.

SPEAKER_11:
And you happen to have one that you brought here today.

SPEAKER_06:
Hermosa Organic Tequila. And Hermosa translates to beautiful.

SPEAKER_11:
I say that dad is Hermosa every morning when we wake up. I say, good morning, Hermosa.

SPEAKER_13:
Well, thank you very much, Jonathan. I will do the same tomorrow morning.

SPEAKER_11:
That's okay. So the tequila itself has an interesting story. You were just telling us there's a 1939 connection.

SPEAKER_06:
It was started in 1939 and we resurrected the brand. So using the same recipe, we were able to bring the brand back alive.

SPEAKER_11:
Wow. And how did you find it? How did you find the brand or how did it come to your footsteps?

SPEAKER_06:
That's a long story, but I was born and raised in Mexico. My father managed hotels and then he was given a bottle of the original Hermosa organic tequila by one of his employees that went home for vacation, came back and give him a bottle. And so he had it and it was an idea and then one day it came to fruition.

SPEAKER_13:
And how long had it been dormant?

SPEAKER_06:
Probably 50 years. That long? Close to 50 years. It's a great story, the authenticity, being able to recreate the brand using organic, single-estate agave. No pesticides, no herbicides, no synthetic fertilizers, no chemicals. And then through the five-step process where You harvest the agave, and then you cook it in the orno. We use a traditional orno. We don't use autoclaves or diffusers. And then we use an old trapeze roller mill. So we go through the roller mill, and then it goes into the fermentation tanks. And we do not use yeast. It's all open-air fermentation. So yeast adds aroma and flavor. This is just super clean.

SPEAKER_13:
So let's taste. We're going to taste the silver. And as far as yeast is concerned, Will, there is natural yeast involved.

SPEAKER_06:
Natural airborne yeast. You're right, Jeffrey. You know what you're talking about. So from the surrounding areas of the distillery, there's mango trees and citrus trees and avocados, and you get all these natural airborne yeasts. that ferment the tequila. But it's a very clean process. It's not like you're adding commercial yeast, which has like, maybe it's a bread yeast or a champagne yeast, and it has added aromas and flavors. This is really, when you taste it, you'll see it's crisp, it's clean, it's got all that.

SPEAKER_11:
Let's give it a taste.

SPEAKER_06:
Salud. Beautiful.

SPEAKER_13:
Salud.

SPEAKER_11:
Cheers. Salud. Did you see what I just did? I went to smell my microphone. I thought that that's what I was, I thought, yeah, okay. Yes, that's the tequila. You haven't even had that much tequila. I have not had that much tequila. That's really nice. Isn't that clean? Crisp, clean. Actually, you were just mentioning, we were tasting a tequila earlier and I thought it was good and he was like, I don't really like that tequila. So, you know, once you put tequila side by side, then you'll really be able to taste all of those nuances and the quality of the spirit itself.

SPEAKER_13:
Well, this tequila has the agave, the rich agave flavor that I'm looking for. It's very clean. It's almost... to my palate, minty, a little minty in flavor. And that tequila agave character really comes through.

SPEAKER_06:
Jeffrey, you know what you're talking about, because those are all- You're really buttering me up. No, I'm telling you, those are all little hints and stuff that you get from an organic agave. Yeah, there are subtleties. You get that mint in there, you get those subtleties. And those, I mean, you nailed it, 100%. Jonathan, I love you just as much.

SPEAKER_11:
Okay, fine, thanks. And let's not forget- I'm not playing favorites here. My head is shrinking while his is blowing up.

SPEAKER_13:
Let's not forget the term that we do use, and it's a very positive term, wet cement. Yes, we do. We often do use that term to describe tequila, well-made tequila.

SPEAKER_06:
And so if you don't mind, we also do a Reposado. Reposado, as you all know, it's aged from two months to a year, ours is eight months in the barrel. And then the Añejo, which is Añejo aged over a year. to three years, and ours is 18 months in a barrel. Okay. And I can't wait to be back on your show tasting those. Any final words, Dad?

SPEAKER_13:
No, just I love the tequila. It's wonderful. Thank you very much for bringing it to our attention and for resurrecting it. Yes. It's in 20 states?

SPEAKER_06:
We're in 20 states, and here we're at WSWA, so we're hoping to get another 10. Another 10? Okay, that's a lofty goal. And what about stores? Stores, like the nationwide ones that everybody knows about, we're in BevMacs, we're in Total Wine & More. Oh, you are?

SPEAKER_13:
That's my local wine shop.

SPEAKER_06:
That is your local wine shop. And then we're online at Reserve Bar and some of those online places. So if there is a state that we're not carried in, You can just order it from reserve bar more than likely you can get it at 38 beautiful. Yeah, perfect Thank you so much for getting me on the cocktail guru show. I am a huge fan Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Well, I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_13:
Thank you so much for your time For bringing this tequila to us. It is wonderful and for joining us and spending the time to talk about hermosa tequila Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_11:
Thank you. Thank you. Cheers Dad, we're back in action here in Denver, Colorado at WSWA Access Live.

SPEAKER_13:
Jonathan, we're always in action. Yes. And we always find great guests to interview.

SPEAKER_11:
Yes, we do. We just so happen to run into Matt from Creamy Creation. We've known each other for several years now, and it's really great to see you. So thank you so much for joining us on the Cocktail Guru Show. Thanks for having me. Can you tell us a little bit about, so Creamy Creation is the name of a company that actually creates delicious cream-based products. Can you tell us a little bit about what is Creamy Creation? What do you do for other businesses?

SPEAKER_01:
Sure. So we're a B2B company. I think that's important to get out there. We don't have any of our own brands. What we do is we develop in our lab in New Jersey and the Netherlands cream-based products, also oats, other emulsified beverages, and we produce them for companies around the globe.

SPEAKER_11:
Oftentimes when you are drinking your favorite cream-based liqueur, there are multiple components involved in that. It's not just a product that is created from that company. They're using other companies that create that farm that give you the dairy, that give you the flavors, all of that stuff. So a lot of people don't understand those components that are involved.

SPEAKER_01:
Exactly, and it's a complex product to make, so that's why most people don't do it themselves. We have a technology, we've been around since 1979, producing cream liqueurs and other alcoholic emulsified beverages. So that's really our specialty, and that's why we do it for other brands, since either they don't have the capabilities or they don't want to invest in those capabilities.

SPEAKER_13:
 And it's also important to note that your cream, delicious creamy drinks and liqueurs have real cream in them.

SPEAKER_01:
Correct. So we work with a dairy cooperative in New York, which is right next to our production facility in Batavia, New York. And it all comes from that cooperative, which is about 150 mile radius in upstate New York, right between Buffalo and Rochester.

SPEAKER_11:
That's awesome. And I've really seen innovation in the cream based realm the last several years. Have you seen some, you know, you guys are at the head of the innovation, a lot of that. And what sort of innovations have you seen in the last few years?

SPEAKER_01:
Sure. So the cream category, I think, has become a little bit more innovative over time, but we have to push that a little bit. We see that as our role to some extent as the largest global B2B cream liqueur developer and producer. So we've gone out and we've produced and innovated things over the past couple of years, like an oats liqueur, a vegan liqueur, vegan coconut, a low calorie base, et cetera, and tried to promote those and push those into the market to help our customers come out with innovative products. I think our customers have taken to some of those more than others, of course, but you definitely see some change where, you know, those standard Irish cream flavor products are still popular, but you see people trying to deviate and become a little bit more creative with those.

SPEAKER_13:
 And your drinks, I think, based on what I'm hearing, seem to be a bit more natural than some of those other products that we just mentioned.

SPEAKER_01:
Exactly. And that's, you know, that's at the core of what we do is that dairy component. But as mentioned, you know, we have an oats and vegan product as well, but those also come from natural bases like our oats base. So kind of keep it in the family.

SPEAKER_11:
Yeah, and I was first introduced to the product, I don't know how many years ago, or to you guys, from judging the WSWA spirits competition, because you always enter multiple products in that, and you guys do really, really well. And I know from my experiences that other mixologists at my table, other bartenders that are judging these different spirits, their favorite, the products that they're always actually drinking and not spitting are the cream liqueurs. Well, it's good to know they're not spitting them out. They're not. They're like holding on to them and wanting to keep drinking them. And you guys just this year won something. Is that right?

SPEAKER_01:
Yeah. So we won a double gold best in show for apple fritter on our oats base, as previously mentioned.

SPEAKER_11:
Apple fritter. So that is a non-dairy product. Correct. It's completely vegan. Wow. And you have some products that you brought here with us. We did. Let's taste them. Can we taste them?

SPEAKER_01:
Sure.

SPEAKER_11:
Okay, I'm gonna crack, what do you want me to start with? So we've got the espresso cream cocktail in the bottle, and then we have the classic coffee RTD in the can. Dealer's choice. Okay, let's do the espresso, oh, it's honey, it's not even, okay, honey coconut and, oh my gosh, guys. There's a honey coconut espresso and maple caramel bread pudding.

SPEAKER_01:
Bread pudding?

SPEAKER_11:
Yes, let's do the bread pudding first. I can try to open it. Thank you. Yes, that's how we do it in a bar. We just slide the plastic off.

SPEAKER_01:
I already used my teeth, but that's impressive.

SPEAKER_11:
Oh, wow. Okay. Thank you. Sure. Thank you.

SPEAKER_13:
Okay. Okay. Oh, the intensity. I've tasted some of these products ahead of time, of course. The intensity is just incredible. Oh, the maple, oh my. It's very nutty in the nose. I haven't even tasted it yet.

SPEAKER_11:
That has a very nostalgic flavor to it, which I really love, you know, probably because of the maple syrup and like pancakes. Wow. It basically tastes like a pancake.

SPEAKER_13:
It tastes like maple walnut to me. There's no nut, but.

SPEAKER_11:
No, but it tastes. I understand what you're saying. I see where you're coming from, dad. Thank you. Let's go ahead and taste the honey coconut espresso cream. Let's. So as far as the alcohol content, it looks like these are about, they're 15% ABV. Which is very reasonable.

SPEAKER_01:
Yeah, we generally go between about 12, 13% all the way up to 20. If you go past 20, you get some product instability. So keep it under that. It's really kind of dependent on what you're going for. Some people like it. Oh, sorry. Some people like it a little bit higher. Some people like it lower.

SPEAKER_11:
And what about shelf stableness?

SPEAKER_01:
So these products are all shelf-stable for at least 12 months. Realistically, physically, they'll be stable much longer. After 12 months, the flavor will start to fade out a little bit. But the physical and microstability will be much longer.

SPEAKER_11:
Now the nose on this is literally like having an espresso freshly brewed. I'm serious. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05:
Mm. Mm.

SPEAKER_11:
And then you get that honey coating. Wake me up in the morning with this. Oh yeah, this is incredible. That's lovely. That's very good too. And what about, what do you suggest once opened? A cream-based product.

SPEAKER_01:
So I think the natural tendency is to put it in the fridge. Yes. It's not required. Really? It's microbiologically stable. Did you know that, though?

SPEAKER_13:
So for a year, you could leave it out? Yeah. Well, that's incredible. No, I didn't know that.

SPEAKER_01:
Yeah. I will say, though, that I think it's better to put it in the fridge just because it tastes better chilled. Yeah, it is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_11:
 And if you're at a bar and a cream-based product is left out at the bar, you might have some of those fruit flies kind of gathering around because it is, you know, kind of there.

SPEAKER_13:
But these two I would drink at any temperature.

SPEAKER_01:
Yeah.

SPEAKER_13:
Warm, cold. or anything in between. And Matt, what would you serve if you were pairing these with food? What would you serve these with?

SPEAKER_12:
That's a good question.

SPEAKER_13:
I mean, that's always something I do. No matter what I'm drinking, whether it's a spirit or a wine or a liqueur, inevitably at some point, I may be drinking it by myself on its own by itself, but I also love to pair things with food.

SPEAKER_01:
Yeah, this might sound gluttonous, but I mean, usually you compare it with another dessert. It's kind of a double combo, but there's also a lot of people who just prefer it as a little after dinner drink. Sure, on its own. You get your sweet tooth.

SPEAKER_11:
Let's talk briefly about RTDs and that trend because when we were at some of these seminars, the graphs and the pie charts are all telling us that this is a category that is just blowing all the other categories out of the water. RTDs, ready to drink. So this one is your coffee.

SPEAKER_13:
Wow. That's just straight coffee, it's called?

SPEAKER_11:
Well, it is alcoholic. It's half the proof, so it's diluted a bit to be in that can.

SPEAKER_13:
And what is it called? Coffee?

SPEAKER_11:
Classic coffee.

SPEAKER_13:
Just classic coffee.

SPEAKER_01:
Yeah, so the interesting thing about this concept is it uses technology that basically means that it only needs to be pasteurized. I won't go into all the background, but there's a... A blind spot in the supply chain where to do a lower ABV coffee, or sorry, cream product, you need to do what's called a retort process, which is what they do with dairy products. So it's really heavy, high intensity heat. That's almost impossible to find in the US, someplace that has an alcohol license, that capability and capacity. So we developed this, which is similar, but it has a little higher total solids and it can be used on a pasteurization line, which is much more available in the market. So this allows our customers an avenue to do this from a packaging perspective without having to do that retort. You know what I love about these, John? Please, what?

SPEAKER_13:
What? The balance. They're beautifully balanced. Very nicely balanced, yep. All the different flavors that are supposed to be there are there in harmony and not one stands out too much.

SPEAKER_11:
Right, right.

SPEAKER_13:
They're just, they're beautifully blended.

SPEAKER_11:
So we're running out of time, but this limoncello I'd like to try because that's, you brought that. This is vegan now.

SPEAKER_13:
Take me back to Italy. Non-dairy.

SPEAKER_11:
Cheers.

SPEAKER_01:
And just on that point, I'd like to give a little shout out to our R&D team because all of this wouldn't be possible without them. They're the ones, the girls back in the lab in New Jersey who are creating these and really doing the flavor work. And they're the ones who get that balance and make sure that they're getting the right aspects in the notes.

SPEAKER_11:
I can attest to the fact that they are very hardworking after going there to the facilities a couple years ago. Hey, wait a second.

SPEAKER_13:
This is the place I was supposed to go to. It's now all coming back to me, isn't it? You were supposed to go there?

SPEAKER_11:
With me?

SPEAKER_13:
One day. And you didn't? No, we never made it together. Okay. Next time.

SPEAKER_11:
There's always time.

SPEAKER_13:
Open invitation. Thank you very much, Matt.

SPEAKER_11:
So, wow, yeah, these are delicious and I've loved your products for a very long time. And then just on a personal note, your employees, you, Georgia, everyone from your team, you guys are just like really good people. And I love that. I look for that when I'm pushing products and supporting other products.

SPEAKER_13:
And that is hard to find in today's world, folks.

SPEAKER_11:
We appreciate that. So on that note, thanks, Matt. Good to see you. And do you, so people, average consumers, is there a way to find out information about your company that just an average consumer, not a business, can go to, or is there a website, or can they do some research?

SPEAKER_01:
They can always go to our website, which is just creamycreation.com, find out a little about what we do. We don't work with individuals typically, unless you're an entrepreneur and coming up with something.

SPEAKER_11:
And what's the best way for a spirits producer to reach out to you if they want a product made?

SPEAKER_01:
I would say the same way. We have a contact us form there or, you know, give us a call. Our phone number is on there as well. Always like to see new people looking at the cream space.

SPEAKER_13:
Awesome. Matt Benny, Creamy Creations. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_09:
Thank you. Cheers. Thanks. Look who's surrounding us. Hold on, please. The best part of the entire day. All these beautiful women. Oh, God. So dad is in rare form right now.

SPEAKER_11:
But here's what it's the end of the day at Access Live.

SPEAKER_02:
Open up.

SPEAKER_11:
 We're in HR.

SPEAKER_03:
We need HR.

SPEAKER_11:
Okay, hold on. So first, we're going to introduce people here. Okay. So to my right is Christine Wiseman. Hi, Christine.

SPEAKER_04:
Hello.

SPEAKER_11:
Christine, can you let everyone know where you're from and what you do for work?

SPEAKER_04:
 I live in Miami, Florida, and currently my job is beach, and I'm enjoying my life.

SPEAKER_11:
I love that. To my left is Laura Cullen, also Miami and New York, I believe. Please tell us what are you doing for work these days?

SPEAKER_03:
That's an excellent question. I'm just finishing up a four-year tenure with Diageo. I've been living in Louisville, and at the end of this month, I will be moving back to Miami.

SPEAKER_10:
Miami misses you. Do you agree with that?

SPEAKER_09:
Yes, yes, yes. And guess who we have to my left? Everybody guess. Tiffany. Tiffany Berriere.

SPEAKER_11:
And for those fans of the Cocktail Guru show, they know that we did a full episode with Tiffany season one. Yes, we did. This is season four.

SPEAKER_02:
Day one right here. Day one Guru. The OG. OG, Capri.

SPEAKER_11:
OG. And Tiffany, well, all three of these ladies are meaningful people in the industry.

SPEAKER_09:
Yes, Tiffany has to tell us what she does.

SPEAKER_02:
I do everything. I wear a lot of hats, but I like to say I'm a spirit and cocktail. Educating. Yes. Philanthropist. Activist. Speaker. Storyteller. Researcher. Lady.

SPEAKER_11:
Tiffany, you just recently... Hey. What? You just made that you don't want me to say?

SPEAKER_02:
Yeah, go for it.

SPEAKER_10:
My position with Jails of the Cocktail, is that not right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:
I did. I did. I'm Judgy McJobbers Judgerson. Yeah. Can you say that again? Judgy Mc... MC, Judgerson. No, a huge platform for our industry. I'm in the space of looking at everything, judging but not judging, but making sure we are doing right by those who need to be right done. If you know the tech. We do. Shining the light in the right direction. I'm just going to be a guideline. I can't fix it overnight. I can see, and I have readers now, so I can see.

SPEAKER_03:
She's already magnifying the issues. She's already magnifying the issues.

SPEAKER_04:
We're writing a book. All of us are writing a book in sorts. We have a really good idea for a book. Yeah, we'll do the illustrations. For sure.

SPEAKER_03:
Small photography, Polaroids only. Polaroids, yes. That's the second project that Christine and I will be working on together.

SPEAKER_10:
Yes, I heard something about a bar. Are you guys opening up a bar? No.

SPEAKER_04:
Rumors. The correct answer is no. Rumors. Ask us later.

SPEAKER_11:
But Christine, you've elevated the Miami bar scene from something small to something large. Can you talk a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_04:
Well, I would say that I'm definitely not the one that elevated it. I am coming in. I had a great time. I've been there for three and a half years. And really kind of just hoping to round out the scene that's happening there. And I am going to open my own bar. And then maybe an additional one or two. Who knows? We don't know. I'm in.

SPEAKER_10:
I'll open one too.

SPEAKER_04:
But I am working on my own project currently for Miami. So I think it's going to fill a really good hole there.

SPEAKER_03:
I think that Christina's being modest as an OG cocktailian from the Miami area. I think that she injected energy into that cocktail scene at a time when Miami could have gone in several directions and she stewarded what had been done and really relaunched what was possible. And so Miami is better for having her.

SPEAKER_04:
Wow. Okay, no tears on it. You're here. I agree. I mean, you know, I I'm like, I talked about every day outside.

SPEAKER_00:
I have Laura's moving back.

SPEAKER_04:
And she's always been like, my North Star, but maybe it's maybe towards the Which way we don't know up or down, but I'm your south star. She's like, yes, she's my south star. So I'm just like, so happy to have her back in my life. And all we need to take away from that is basically that I'm a star.

SPEAKER_03:
Well, listen, I'm not sure if your audience at home was able to extract that from what Christine just said, but the essence of it is

SPEAKER_11:
Seriously, Laura, you're an inspiration to a lot of folks in the industry. You're a mentor. Peace. You're a mentor. And can you just talk about your Miami roots? And I think there's some Irish bub situation happening early years.

SPEAKER_03:
Yeah, that's just me. Yeah, you know, I was born and raised in New York City in Greenwich Village, and I grew up in a bar, and my dad owned a bar there for 45 years, and I moved down to Miami to go to school. I never expected to stay there. And I worked in the wholesale wine and spirits industry for about 10 years. And then one day I decided that I wanted less time, less sleep, and more stress, and I opened a bar. And honestly, it was the best thing that I've ever done, because some of the most meaningful relationships I have in my life today were solidified at that bar.

SPEAKER_13:
Well, we're in the presence of icons, Jonathan.

SPEAKER_12:
Industry icons. I think we should bow down to these writers. This is a very special interview.

SPEAKER_04:
I wish more people would see how they're in our presence.

SPEAKER_02:
The ones that pay the bills, actually. Those are the ones we're looking for, to say that. We do a lot of work. I think, look at us all, make that reaction of icons, as I said with Kodash himself. We've just been very dedicated and committed to what we love to do. And sadly, we don't always submit it. We like people. We like giving them what they want. We like being with their personalities. We're with the shits. I said the shits. It's a good thing. But we just really enjoy watching it even when it's not going as best. We still see a way to pivot through with what we have and that's kind of iconic.

SPEAKER_04:
And just like keep building and growing our communities and like we're trying to make sure that we're leaving them with like good stuff because I feel like it's the work is continual. And you know, a lot of people, you know, pay this so much stuff, but it's like, we're on the, like that, like the bare minimum of what is really started and needs to be talked about. And it's, it's hard to navigate, like, how to do it, when to do it, when's the right time as someone going, you know, it's, it's, it's a difficult time to try to figure out When's the right time to keep speaking up, but it's but it's definitely now.

SPEAKER_12:
I think it's well May I say the you ladies are doing an amazing job. However, you didn't have your work cut out for you In the future

SPEAKER_03:
I think we're at a period in time that is fraught with fear and also opportunity. And so we surround ourselves with people who are committed to celebrating the highs and helping our entire community navigate the lows. And it's going to be a scary few years. This industry is going to get hit really hard by a lot of the nonsense that's going on. And we're going to be here at the end of it, through the middle of it. Yeah, we're here at the beginning of the problem.

SPEAKER_10:
We're not gonna stop and we're we're shepherds, you know we're helping work up the consumers and also the industry kind of get through the hard times and staying positive and putting out good shit and giving them people what they want and the hospitality and and

SPEAKER_02:
I think the four walls that we're in, whatever building that is, whatever business, whatever corporation or whatever you're doing in our industry, it's just not looked at how quickly we pivot. And honestly, how emotionally intelligent we are to everything. We naturally know what to do. So when things aren't how they are, we go there. Even if you talk about mental health, and sustainability, and money, and politics, and racial issues, we still know how to get it in there, and it happens to be four walls in the class. But those were the conversations that were had. They've been had. They've been had over liquid. They've been had over marijuana. They've been had over church. I just feel that we are still the vessels of humanity.

SPEAKER_03:
That's amazing. I think we want to stay positive without being Pollyanna. So we need to understand that we stay positive and we keep ourselves strong, but if we have to kick some fucking doors down, we're going to do it.

SPEAKER_10:
Let's all say, let's kick some fucking doors down. Yeah, let's kick some fucking doors down. Kick them down, baby. And some asses. And some asses. On that note, peace out, everybody. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_13:
 Tipple Time is brought to you by Stoombras.

SPEAKER_11:
Okay, coming at you again from Denver, Colorado, Mile High City. How many times am I gonna say Mile High City? Infinite numbers of time. But this is a vodka cocktail that I wanted to introduce you to. It's not like anything I've ever come up with before, and that's because of these unique ingredients. So first of all, this is a highball style cocktail, which is very hot these days. Basically an alcoholic beverage lengthened with soda water or something bubbly. Also, this is vodka based and Stumbras is a Lithuanian vodka that I'm going to be using in this cocktail. It is 100% organic. It has some interesting historical heritage in the region of where Lithuania is. And it's just, I love the story and it's a really good product. And I'm going to use this as the base. And I'll show you the other ingredients as I start building this drink. So, I'm starting with my highball glass here. I'm going to do one ounce of the Stoombrus. Now generally when you're doing a cocktail, you're doing an ounce and a half or two ounces. Another big trend is lower ABV or low proof cocktails. And that's because some people may not want that high amount of alcohol. They're maybe trying to dial it down. Maybe they went through dry January and they kind of want to continue in a moderate way. And it's always great to drink in moderation. I am 100% for that. I'm just going to put this bottle aside for the moment. I'm going to add some pomegranate juice to my mixing or to my highball glass. We're doing three quarters of an ounce of the pomegranate juice. And now I'm going to add my ice. Just some regular old-fashioned ice from your refrigerator works really well in this. And I'm using this interesting product called Aplos, which is a, well, this one is their Ume Spritz, so it's a non-alcoholic cocktail in a can. And it has nortropics, so these are ingredients that are to promote health in some capacity. Again, non-alcoholic, but I'm kind of spiking it a little bit with the Stoombras Vodka. And, oh, it's overflowing. Looks kind of pretty. And I'm just going to give that a little bit of a stir. And of course, our garnish. And I have these beautiful little pieces of mini cucumber pieces. And we'll just put three, just like that. Ooh, that is nice. That's the Lithuanian spritz. There it is. Oh, I smell that cucumber right off the bat. It's great. Mmm, very refreshing. I could drink more than one. That's what makes this cocktail so great. And it was lovely, as always, to be able to make this Tipple Time cocktail for you. Till next time. Cheers.

SPEAKER_13:
Tipple Time has been brought to you by Stoombras.

SPEAKER_00:
That's a wrap. If you enjoy what we do, please rate, review, and subscribe to the show and our newsletter. To watch or listen to today's episode, or to see the show notes, visit thecocktailgurushow.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, YouTube, X, Instagram, or TikTok. The Cocktail Guru Show is produced by First Real Entertainment and is available via YouTube, Spotify, Zencastr, Apple, Amazon, eatsdrinkstv.com, Galaxy Global on Comcast, and wherever you enjoy your favorite shows.