On Radio and Podcast
Check out the NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias bi-weekly. Get the podcast on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Android, TuneIn Radio, Blubrry, Deezer, and Nitty Grits Podcasts! Or, right here on NOLADrinks.com!
Join the Conversation
Let us know what you think! Join us as we explore the world of drink, food, and culture in New Orleans and beyond… Use #NOLADrinks on social media…
Sustainability Series
The NOLADrinks Show “Sustainability Series” brings you important conversations connected to the world of drink, food, and culture. Topics include environmental issues, social justice, and health and wellness. The series looks at these themes as they relate to the liquor industry, the hospitality industry, food and food production, cultural preservation, and much more.
Wines of Georgia
Join us as we explore the fascinating wine story from the country of Georgia. Over the course of three episodes, we discuss the 8,000-year history of winemaking, explore various regions, sample different expressions, and much more!
French Quarter Fest Series
Check out our French Quarter Fest Series! We interview musicians who play French Quarter Fest, Satchmo Summerfest, and more! Interviews are taped live at Louisiana Music Factory. We talk music, drink, food, culture, and more!
This time around on The #NOLADrinks Show, we chat with the co-founders of Cure Co., Kirk Estopinal and Neal Bodenheimer. Both have been on the program individually a handful of times, but never together! As Cure, their inaugural New Orleans hospitality spot, approaches its fifteenth anniversary and Cane & Table, their second spot, celebrates its ten year, it’s a great time to talk with them about their story. We cover a lot of ground from the earliest days at Cure to the present day operating a full-blown hospitality group!
To see more about this episode and to get the podcast from our site or your favorite podcast network, just click the link in our bio! Cheers and Be Well, You All!
Guess what week it is! It’s #OldFashionedWeek benefiting the Southern Smoke Foundation and their work to support the hospitality industry. Can you guess what our latest show is all about? Old Fashioned Week! Where we chat with Lynn House of Elijah Craig and Caroline Nabors of Southern Smoke. Guess that wasn’t a real difficult question… Link in bio.
Visit a participating bar, like we did at NOLA’s Barrel Proof, (you can find a link in our show notes to search for one near you) and order and Old Fashioned. One dollar will go to the cause and you’re supporting a local hospitality venue to boot! Cheers and Be Well, You All!☮️❤️🥃
New show! On this edition of The NOLADrinks Show, we’re once again talking Elijah Craig’s Old Fashioned Week happening from October 13th thru the 22nd! It’s easy to participate as either a hospitality spot or as a patron and it’s all a benefit for the wonderful Southern Smoke Foundation, supporting the hospitality industry with mental health and wellness and emergency relief programs. We welcome Lynn House, national spirits specialist and portfolio mixologist for Heaven Hill, and Caroline Nabors, director of marketing and development for Southern Smoke.
To see more on this show and get it from our site or your favorite podcast platform, just click the link in our bio! Cheers and Be Well, You All!☮️❤️🥃
We’re back with a new show! This time around, we are at the terrific Uptown sushi spot and izakaya, Sukeban, talking saké and Japanese cuisine. We’re joined by New Orleans saké expert, Shaun Williams, and Sukeban’s chef/owner, Jacqueline Blanchard. This is a fun and interesting show! It’s a deep dive into the world of saké. Of course, we sip on some expressions, talk pairings, and let you know about Sukeban!
Connect with Shaun - @ricegirlrich
Connect with Sukeban - @barsukeban
To see more about this show and to get the podcast from our website or favorite podcast platform, click the link in our bio! Cheers and Be Well, You All!☮️❤️🍶
On this edition of The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we once again speak to an author from the terrific book series “Iconic New Orleans Cocktails” by LSU Press. This time around, we talk with John DeMers, a native of New Orleans, who recently penned a book on the classic Vieux Carré cocktail.
We discuss the fascinating history of this important New Orleans drink and the folks connected to it. Invented by Walter Bergeron at the famous French Quarter hotel, the Hotel Monteleone, after Prohibition, the Vieux Carré’s story has roots stretching back long before. Of course, we talk about the drink itself, how it is made, and much more!
To see more on this episode and get the podcast on your favorite platform or from our site, just click the link in our bio. Cheers and Be Well, You All!☮️❤️🍸️
This time around on The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we talk with the organizers of the New Orleans Spirits Competition presented by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation! Our guests are Wayne Curtis, Andrew Faulkner, and Matthew Sharpe. We let you know all about the competition, its history, and, of course, about this year’s version which culminated with the winners being named at the recent Tales of the Cocktail 2023 in New Orleans.
Check out @nolaspiritscomp and @tales_of_the_cocktail for more!
You can see more on this show and get the podcast from our site or your favorite podcast platform by using the link in our bio. Cheers and Be Well, You All!☮️❤️🍸️
Hey All! I am proud and excited to announce that I have been chosen as the new president of the Raising Spirits Society – the charitable beneficiary and organizer of the New Orleans Bourbon Festival! Raising Spirits Society (RSS) is our new name with a new mission – providing resources, experiences, and opportunities in support of young adults in the hospitality industry.
Initially, our primary focus will be around the Greater New Orleans area with the hopes of growing from there. Additionally, we will seek to expand our partnerships and opportunities with brands, hospitality venues, and other non-profit organizations with a similar mission (I’ve already been hitting some of you up on that front!) Another important goal is to broaden and diversify our board and committees. Lastly (for now), we will be looking to increase our presence with year-round activities and programming while all still culminating, of course, with the festival during the third week of March.
I am honored to be entrusted with this role and look forward to building on the New Orleans Bourbon Festival, already one of the premier whiskey festivals on the planet, to push things even further with the Raising Spirits Society and our terrific partners present and future. Please feel free to hit me up to talk shop and stay tuned for more from the fest and RSS!
Check out @nolabourbonfest for more! Cheers and Be Well, You All! ~ Bryan☮️❤️🥃
We closed out Tales of the Cocktail 2023 with a lot of fun stuff – more tasting rooms, parties, The Spirited Awards, laughs, friends, and more! Here’s some action from last Thursday, the event’s penultimate day. Back with Friday fun soon! #TOTC2023 #imbibegram #drinkstagram #cocktails #drinksbusiness #NOLA #hospitalityindustry
Well, Tales of the Cocktail ’23 is a wrap, but we’ve got a bit more to share! It was a great time and terrific to see so many good friends – and make new ones! We’ll have one more round soon! If you don’t already, we’d love to have you check out our podcast, The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias. You can get it from our website – NOLADrinks.com or wherever you get your podcasts! Cheers and Be Well, You All! #TOTC2023 #imbibegram #drinkstagram #cocktails #drinksbusiness #NOLA #hospitalityindustry
On this edition of The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we are chatting with our friends, once again, from Turning Tables bringing you our annual show on this amazing organization! They do critical and trailblazing work advocating for equity for black and brown persons in the drinks, bartending, and hospitality industries. We discuss the evolution of Turning Tables from a few years ago to the force it has become today garnering national and international recognition for their work. Of course, we also have some great laughs along the way!
Connect with Turning Tables – @turningtablesnola
To see more on this episode and to get the podcast from our site or your favorite platform, just click the link in our bio! Cheers and Be Well, You All!☮️❤️🍸️
Hey, All! Tales of the Cocktail is just around the corner! Sure, it’s gonna be hot – it is New Orleans in the summertime after all. But it is certainly going to be a fun and interesting time! If you’re coming from out of town for the event, we’re thrilled to have you here! And ICYMI, our annual Tales preview show is out now! Check out our conversation with Tales of the Cocktail Foundation CEO, Eileen Wayner, where we let you know the skinny on the event and the organization. We cover just about everything you need to know whether you are attending as an industry pro or an enthusiast or you just want to learn more about what Tales is all about.
To get the show from our website or your favorite podcast platform, just click the link in our bio! If you see us at Tales, be sure to say “hi!” Cheers and Be Well, You All!☮️❤️🍸️
Hey, All! Tales of the Cocktail is turning 21 this year and we’ve got our annual preview for you! It’s always one of our favorite shows every year! Joining us as she has before is our friend Eileen Wayner, CEO of the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation. We discuss this year’s seminal event and many of its connected activities. Of course, we let you know how you can participate whether you are a drinks business industry professional or an enthusiast.
To see more on the show and get the podcast from our website or your favorite podcast platform, click the link in our bio! Cheers and Be Well, You All!✌️❤️🍸️
Hey All – ICYMI – We’re back with new shows and our latest is out now! It’s all about the classic New Orleans cocktail – the absinthe frappé! We interview author Marielle Songy about her book on the iconic drink. There is so much to the story, as you might imagine. She covers the history of absinthe, the implications of prohibition, lots of New Orleans drinking history, and much more!
To get the show from our site or your favorite podcast platform, just click the link in our bio. Also, if you are in the NOLA area, be sure to check out Marielle’s cool event in the French Quarter tomorrow evening (Thursday, July 6 from 6-8pm) that will feature a presentation, a book signing, and even an absinthe tasting! We have a link in our show notes (again, link in bio) where you can get tickets and more info. We will be back in a few days with our next show – our annual Tales of the Cocktail preview! Cheers and Be Well, You All!✌️❤️🍸️
And… We’re back! After some time off (perhaps, an understatement!🤣), we’re back with new episodes of The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias. We welcome author Marielle Songy who recently penned a book on the famous New Orleans cocktail – the absinthe frappé. The book also covers the oft notorious and myth-laden history of absinthe, prohibition, and much more!
Check the link in our bio to see more on the show, get the podcast from our site or your fave podcast network, how to connect with Marielle online, and more! Cheers and Be Well, You All!✌️❤️🍸️
Alright, everybody! Our first significant hospo stop after we arrived in Madrid at the beginning of our trip was 1862 Dry Bar (taking its name, in part, from the year that famed bartender and cocktail author, Jerry Thomas published his touchstone Bar-Tender’s Guide). And, what a great first visit it was! Owner Alberto Martínez, seasoned bartender Angel, and the rest of the team were amazing! It’s a great bar and a must-stop if you happen to find yourself in Madrid.
They run the gamut featuring great executions of classic cocktails as well as some terrific house specialties! The upstairs, where the main bar lives, is classic and comfortable. But, also, the downstairs basement is super-cool – modern, old-school, and cozy all at the same time (be sure to check out the spirits collection!) Of course, we felt right at home when Alberto busted out some Chartreuse expressions (pictured here) and we talked drinks, the bar scenes in NOLA and Madrid, and about mutual friends! Thanks to @1862drybar for a great time – can’t wait to go back and see our new friends again!
Oh yeah, and they are no.49 on the list of the world’s @top500bars! Shout-out to @pastis-swayze and @geegedeegan for the great rec! More soon…✌️❤️🍸️🇪🇸
Hey, All! I hope everyone is doing great! Back from our wonderful trip to Spain and Italy… Yes, I know I said I would post some of our visits along the way. But there were just too many great spots, good drinks, delicious food, and some pretty solid sightseeing to take time away for social 😅 (priorities, friends)! But we’ll roll-out some things in the coming days – had the chance to visit some tremendous spots where the hospitality was off-the-charts! We’ll also be getting back to bringing you new shows, too. Stay tuned!
Pictured here – enjoying some fine vino rosso in Venice, Italy – Ciao!
If you’re looking to help some great New Orleans non-profit organizations that are doing important work here on Give NOLA Day, visit GiveNOLA.org. Here are a couple of suggestions near-and-dear to my heart:
Turning Tables NOLA - @turningtablesnola
The Southern Food & Beverage Museum - @eatdrinksofab
Of course, there are many other very worthy groups out there. You can also donate to the “Lagniappe Fund,” which shares the money with all participating organizations. Your donations go further today with matching. So, if you can, please help out!
Cheers and Be Well, You All!
~ Bryan
Hey, All! Long time, no see/hear! I hope everyone is doing great! In case you missed our latest episode from the end of last year or hadn’t heard it from me elsewhere, we’ve been taking a bit of a break from doing The NOLADrinks Show. And, we’re making some changes, to boot! I went into this in greater detail during the last show. But long story short, we have made the move to being a podcast-only program! I decided to pull the radio version of the show from the station, as, among other things, its values and presentation were not in-line with mine. This was a long time coming!
But it’s all good! We’re now focusing our efforts on the Nitty Grits Podcast Network – the podcast network of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, of which, yours truly, is an executive producer. It’s a growing collection of great, like-minded shows centered broadly around food, drink, and culture. If you haven’t already, please check it out – visit SouthernFood.org for more! Of course, you can always get all our past shows at NOLADrinks.com (link in bio) or on your favorite podcast network!
We will be back in action soon on the show. In fact, we’ve got a couple of great shows that were taped earlier this year and will be out soon. This includes our annual Turning Tables show as well as great conversations with cocktail luminaries, Dale DeGroff, Philip Greene, Chris Hannah, and Abigail Gullo. So, be on the lookout for that! After doing a regular, weekly radio show and podcast for several years with only a few breaks here and there, I decided to take some time to chill out, retool some things with the show, and work on the Nitty Grits project. As a last hurrah before getting back to it, I am hitting the road for a couple weeks to visit Spain and Italy (I am sure we’ll share some stuff from the trip…) After that, we will be bringing you more episodes in short order.
Thanks to you all for the ongoing support, listenership, and friendship! It is greatly appreciated, and I look forward to bringing you interesting, important, and fun conversations with great guests that “explore the world of drink, food, and culture in New Orleans and beyond!”
Cheers and Be Well, You All!
~ Bryan
On this week’s The #NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we’re joined by three good friends who are experts in the world of wine. We chat with Miriam Matasar and Darrin Ylisto of Spirit Wine, the fine Uptown wine shop, and Noah Bonaparte Pais, a wine industry veteran and terrific sommelier who is currently working with the new Senegalese restaurant, also Uptown, Dakar. We talk about natural wine, food pairing, taste some interesting stuff, and have a fun, wide-ranging chat!
Check out @spiritwinenola!
To see more on this show and get the podcast from your favorite podcast platform or our website, just click the link in our bio! Cheers, Be Well, and Happy Holidays, You All!
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#podcast #wine #winelover #winetime #imbibegram #imbibe #drinsktagram #winetasting #instawine #winepairing #bartender #winemaking #winestagram #winehistory #NOLA #NewOrleans #sommelier #bar #vineyard #winegeek #foodandwine #naturalwine #foodandwinepairing #wineshop #vino #wines #wineoclock #winelove #winelife
On this week’s The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we’re talking Port! Our guest is winemaker, Carla Tiago, of Kopke – the oldest Port wine house in the world, founded in 1638. Carla joins us from Portugal (the land of Port, of course!) We discuss what Port is, the typical grapes that are used, how it is made, their terroir in the Douro, and much more! We also taste through several of their expressions including colheitas, aged Ports, and white Ports! If you love Port or are “Port-curious,” this is the show for you!
To see more on this show and get the podcast from our site or your favorite podcast platform, click the link in our bio! Cheers and Be Well, You All!✌️❤️🍷
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#podcast #wine #winelover #historyofwine #winetime #imbibegram #imbibe #drinsktagram #winetasting #instawine #winepairing #bartender #winemaker #winemaking #winestagram #winehistory #NOLA #NewOrleans #vin #sommelier #bar #vineyard #winegeek #foodandwine #Port #Tawny #WhitePort #Colheita #Portugal #Douro
On this week’s The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we’re back after a bit of a break! We are over at Ecology Beer Creative, a new brewery opening in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans in spring 2023. We’re joined by our good friend (and one half of our “Unpaid Beer Correspondent” duo), Matt Horney. He’s been a regular guest talking brews on the show for years and, if you’re a regular listener, you know he’s an exceptionally talented beermaker. Well, this new brewery is his baby and we hear all about Matt’s new spot and get a taste of what he’ll be up to. Of course, we talk beer and sip on some “archetype” examples of various styles discussing what they are, how he approaches making these types of beers, and much more!
To see more on this show and get the episode, just click the link in our bio. Cheers and Be Well, You All!✌️❤️🍺
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#podcast #NOLA #drinknola #eatnola #cocktail #cocktails #imbibe #imbibegram #cocktailgram #bartender #bartenderlife #mixologist #mixology #drinkstagram #NewOrleans #beer #craftbeer #brewery #instabeer #beerlover #beernerd #beerstagram #brew #beergeek #beeradvocate #beereconomics #beerindustry #liquorindustry #cerveza
On this week’s The #NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we visit with filmmakers, Abby and Jeremey Lavoi. They have recently produced the terrific film documentary “Roots of Fire.” It explores Cajun music and a host of connected topics and ideas – cultural preservation, linguistic preservation, food, and much more! The film, which features terrific musical performances and fascinating interviews, is making the documentary film circuit rounds, including a screening at the upcoming New Orleans Film Festival. We discuss the making of the film, its themes, and more about how you can connect with the documentary and many other components related to it!
To see more on this episode and get the podcast from our site or your favorite podcast network, just click the link in our bio! Cheers and Be Well, You All!✌️❤️🎵
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#NOLA #podcast #drinknola #eatnola #culture #itsyournola #livemusic #culturalpreservation #music #Cajun #Cajunmusic #CajunFrench #film #documentary #musicdocumentary #louisiana #lafayette #Cajunfood #tradition #igersneworleans #musicindustry #cooking #hospitalityindustry #RootsofFire
It’s the last day of Old Fashioned Week. It all benefits the Southern Smoke Foundation supporting folks in the hospitality industry, including providing relief to those affected by Hurricane Ian. It’s easy to participate (and not too late!) – visit a participating bar (visit oldfashionedweek.com to find one near you) or just make one at home, tag @ElijahCraig and use #OldFashionedWeek. They’ll donate $5 per post to the cause! This is a pic from one we made at home – “The Autumnal Old Fashioned” – thanks to @cocktailcourier for providing an awesome drink kit for the cause!
You can also visit our website and check out our recent episode (2022Ep27) talking all about it with Chef Chris Shepherd, co-founder of @southernsmokefoundation, and Lynn House, national mixologist for @heavenhilldistillery (owner of Elijah Craig Bourbon). Cheers and Be Well, You All!
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#NOLADrinks #podcast #classiccocktail #classiccocktails #whiskey #bourbon #hospitalityindustry #serviceindustry #liquorindustry #eatnola #drinknola #imbibegram #drinkstagram #igersnola #bartender #mixologist #mixology #whiskeygram #bourbongram #bourbonenthusiast #oldfashioned #bar #daydrinks #daydrinking #happyhour #hurricaneian #drinks #NOLA #showmeyournola
