NOLADrinks – 2-2-17 – On Location at Bakery Bar!

On this edition of the NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we have our monthly broadcast on location at Bakery Bar! We welcome a bunch of guests talking about the bartending, cocktail, and service industry in New Orleans and beyond with a dash of humor, drinks, and lots of fun thrown in!

Pictured above from left – Bryan Dias of NOLADrinks and Jeff Schwartz of Bakery Bar.

NOLADrinks – 2-2-17 – On Location at Bakery Bar

We kick-off the show with a couple events happening around town. We also talk a bit about last week’s show on the restaurant business and some tie-ins to this edition.

We then do the rest of the show on location at Bakery Bar while they do their regular Tuesday brunch service, which is popular with members of the New Orleans service industry. It gives us a chance to see who drops by, pops on the show, and see where the conversation leads!

Pictured at left, from left – Benton Bourgeois of HuHu’s Ginger Brew and Jeff Schwartz of Bakery Bar.

First off, the gang from HuHu’s Ginger Brew, a locally owned and operated producer, stops in and talks about their program. Jeff Schwartz, GM of Bakery Bar, then pops into the ginger beer segment. He whips up the famous cocktail, “The Suffering Bastard,” and tells us the fascinating story connected to World War II behind it. Jeff then talks King Cake, the iconic New Orleans Carnival season food and the surprising run on Bakery Bar’s version.

Then, Mark Schettler, GM of Bar Tonique and President of the New Orleans Chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBG NOLA), and Nathan Dalton, Food and Beverage Director at the Catahoula Hotel join the show. We have an interesting chat about Pisco and Mezcal and talk about some of the ramifications of the growing popularity of these two deeply culturally connected spirits. Mark then sticks around and we talk about some current USBG NOLA activities and how they are much than just a “how-to-make-a-drink” organization.

Jeff then comes back on and we’re joined also by Steve Yamada of Twelve Mile Limit. We talk about some Carnival drinks and drinking (yeah, we do that here…), including the mysterious “Ojen Cocktail.” Steve stays on and Mark joins us again to close out the show. We talk about some of the pitfalls and problems with the persistent trend of “listicles” – heat maps, top ten lists, etc. – that often shortchange the visiting, eating, and drinking experience in a city.

Below the map that highlights some of the locations we discuss on the show, you can stream, download, and subscribe to the NOLADrinks Show podcast. Tell a friend!

Cheers, You All!