StarTender

Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) is the premiere event for any beverage professional! It is a place to learn, meet and share ideas with the very best in the industry as well as with many other novices looking to up their game. Houston Grey Goose brand ambassador Nathan Raffell shares with me how he first ended up at Tales and how it helped him develop within the bar industry. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

This week is Iron Bartender month and my busy schedule with Lockwood Stn. Opening a bar is hard enough, but you add five restaurants to it and....tic toc. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Patrick is a Houston bartender who is also a World Class competitor, bar consultant, and soon to be bar owner. In our conversation we touch on matters of bar culture, competition among other topics. Insta: @openbarexperience Twitter: @daquiri_tv --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Andy Seymour takes us through the process of producing sherry. A fortified wine full of complexity and tradition has a style for all palates. As for me, I have a bone to pick with publications that like to give Houston the cold shoulder even when we win and deserve the recognition. Neat Pour BAR 5 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Dre Masso spent his formative years in the bar industry leaning from some of the best and most legendary bartenders and ambassadors in the 90s London bar scene. The past six years he has been traveling the world with a property design and development agency. After spending some time in Colombia he is headed back to Europe. Visit some of his bars in London, FAM and Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlor Also check out my website: The Open Bar Experience --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Thomas Reyna has a diverse set of experiences in the bar and restaurant industry. He has been able to participate in some of the industries best immersive training programs. Some of these programs allow a very limited amount of attendees into each session. What makes Thomas special is that he does not hoard the information. Instead, he shares it with the Houston chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild of which he serves as Secretary. You can find him: Insta: @treyna31 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Justin Ware is a young talented bartender who heads one of the most creative bar programs in the city of Houston. It boasts  a monthly rotating cocktail menu with as many fresh ingredients as any one staff member can imagine. He talks about his challenges in school and he overcame them, as well as his rise through the cocktail scene in particular with cocktail competitions. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

In this episode I talk about the healthy growth the Bartender Guild has had under the current leadership and of some of the programs and people that are making an incredible contribution to the Houston Bar Scene. Sara Cueno at Poitin Rich Bailey at Johnny Goldbricks Nathan Raffell with Grey Goose All opinions in this podcast are my own and no one else's. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Becoming an entrepreneur is a difficult decision to come to and follow through on, but when it's with people you love and trust then that is different. Here is a couple and family member starting a coffee roasting company in what could have been less than ideal situation. However, their desire to bring to market something unique persevered. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Houston bartender Marla Martinez talks about how she got behind the bar for the first time, her mentor and how she used her love of cooking to create cocktails that helped her through the competition circuit. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Sarah Troxell is headed to one of the most prestigious bartender competition in the nation, SpeedRack. In my conversation with her we talked about how she got into the industry, behind the bar and eventually into the competitive arena. This month several locations in Downtown Houston will become art installations. Get more information at https://www.nbhouston.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Houston is home to some really cool coffee shops with delicious java. The third wave of coffee has made it possible for consumers to experience products from different regions and unique styles of cultivating, washing and roasting. Also, we now have a high quality ingredient for the modern classic in the cocktail world...The Espresso Martini. Plus, coffee shops and bars make for great Third Place in our lives: home, work, coffee/cocktail. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Jojo Martinez is a hospitality professional from the Alamo city. She moved to Houston on the suggestion of a family member. It turned out to be an enriching transition for her professional career. Her desire to create a unique and entertaining experience for her guest guided her to seek out instruction on flair bartending. She furthered her education by entering the competition circuit. By continually seeking to improve into the best version of herself she has been able to garner recognition for grinding in a true H-Town fashion. Insta: @jmartinisvcs --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Wine is delicious. Wine is more fun when you taste from different regions and different producers. Knowing how to read a wine label can instantly expand your enjoyment of the world of wine. More importantly it does it at your price point. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

In the two hour interview we had last week, Mike Raymond and I talked about many topics important to the bartending community. Health and wellness, trends, the fundamentals of the 3rd space... One of those that was of particular to me was the process by which someone finds a space and gets on the same page with their business partner to 'make it happen!' Mike shares with me how he ended up opening his second bar, The Cottonmouth, in an area of downtown that is...developing. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Mike Raymond is the owner of Reserve 101 in Houston Texas. He has been grinding it out in the Space City for several decades in the bar industry. We talked about the many changes the city of Houston has experienced and some of the does and don't of running a bar. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Building a bar is hard work, conceptualizing it...I think that's even harder. In this episode, I interview the business couple of Merchant & Market, Gino & Blanca. They have had several retail shops around the city, renovated homes and build out some of the coolest bars around Houston. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Sheldon Richardson was working at Tmobile when a customer later turned out to be his future boss. Tequila is a category often misunderstood. In this episode I clearify a few of them and talk about tequila production. From agave to spirit. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Making the transition from bartender to brand ambassador can be challenging for some and for others it is not a good career change. He has graduated from the prestigious BAR5 program, a Diageo World Class competitor and a karaoke enthusiast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support

Founder Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix have been traveling the country and sometimes overseas for the last eight years to promote and direct a premier display of bartending skills by women from all over. They visited Houston, Texas in February 2019 for a semifinal heat to choose a competitor that will go to Chicago Style Conference where the national title will be battled for! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/openbar/support