The Cocktail Academy

• Emma Janzen: Translating Bartender Brilliance into the Written Word

  This week Damian is joined by Emma Janzen, an award-winning journalist and drinks writer whose byline has become a fixture in the cocktail world. What started as a happy accident — cocktail classes in Austin, Texas, and a story pitch at her local newspaper — turned into a decade-plus career exploring drinks, design, and the culture surrounding them.Emma shares how she transitioned from multimedia work at a paper into drinks journalism, eventually becoming digital editor at Imbibe magazine before striking out on her own to focus on spirits, cocktails, and book projects. Along the way, she became a trusted collaborator for some of the biggest names in bartending, including Julia Momose (The Way of the Cocktail), Toby Maloney (The Bartender’s Manifesto), and Jim Meehan (The Bartender’s Pantry).In this conversation we cover:Emma’s unconventional path into the industry — from design writing to drinks journalism.The cocktail classes and first visit to Tales of the Cocktail that sparked her passion.Lessons from seven years at Imbibe and how that shaped her perspective on drinks writing.Moving into co-authoring books with leading bartenders and how her role flexes from writer to editor to project manager.Behind the scenes of The Bartender’s Manifesto and the challenge of translating Toby Maloney’s teaching into a book format.Why The Bartender’s Pantry feels like a pattern interrupt in cocktail publishing — with its focus on ingredients, culture, and ethics.Emma’s philosophy on what makes a book worth writing (and worth reading) in an industry full of recipe collections.Advice for bartenders and operators thinking about writing a book — from finding your niche to doing the research, and the realities of time, money, and motivation.Her favourite drinks books that continue to inspire her writing and thinking.What styles of cocktail books she’s ready to see less of.Emma also talks honestly about the craft of writing — how she bridges the gap between a bartender’s knowledge and what readers actually need — and why books in this space are best viewed as a service to the community.📲 Connect with Emma: Instagram @emmajanzen 🎧 Listen to more episodes & Lock-In sessions: thecocktailacademy.com 📩 Get in touch with Damian: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• Lost Irish: The Tim Herlihy Interview

  This week on The Cocktail Academy Podcast, Damian welcomes back Tim Herlihy, co-founder of Lost Irish Whiskey, storyteller, and longtime champion of Irish hospitality.Tim’s journey is anything but ordinary — from working on his family’s egg farm in Termonfeckin, County Louth, to becoming U.S. Ambassador for Tullamore D.E.W., and now building a modern Irish whiskey brand that celebrates the global Irish diaspora.In this episode we cover:The buzz of the Irish House takeover at Tales of the Cocktail and why it marked such a powerful moment for Ireland’s bartenders, brands, and hospitality.Tim’s leap from farming to whiskey through the Bord Bia Fellowship and his early work with Cooley Distillery.Nearly a decade with Tullamore D.E.W., helping the brand grow across the U.S. and beyond.The spark behind Lost Irish Whiskey — how the concept of the Irish diaspora became both the story and the liquid.Sourcing casks from six continents, blending challenges, and the unexpected flavours that shaped the final whiskey.Why bottle design details like grip, cork acoustics, and visibility on the back bar were crucial to the brand’s identity.Insights from co-authoring From Barley to Blarney with the Dead Rabbit team, and how it influenced Tim’s approach to storytelling.What makes Irish pubs such enduring cultural spaces — unpretentiousness, community, and conversation.Tim also shares his quickfire takes:Banished forever: Aquafaba in cocktails.Favourite cocktail experience: Irish Coffees at the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco.Best pint of Guinness in Ireland: The Palace Bar, Dublin.Best pint abroad: Graces Bar on 14th Street, New York City.📩 To get in touch with Tim:Instagram: @lostirishtimInstagram (brand): @lostirishwhiskey🎧 Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.📩 To get in touch with Damian: [email protected] 📲 Follow us on Instagram @welovecocktails Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• How to Taste with Mandy Naglich: Unlocking Flavor, Aroma & becoming a better taster

  This week Damian is joined by Mandy Naglich, an Advanced Cicerone®, certified taster, drinks writer, and author of How to Taste. Mandy’s journey into the world of flavor started with homebrewing, where she won a gold medal at the National Homebrew Competition in 2016, and led her into the deep study of sensory science, fermentation, and tasting.In this episode, Mandy shares:How she went from winning a homebrew medal to becoming an Advanced Cicerone® and certified taster.Why fermentation underpins so many flavors we love—from chocolate and cheese to beer, wine, and spirits.Her take on the crossovers between beer, wine, and cocktails, and why cocktails are leading the charge in embracing science and chemistry.The biggest misconceptions about tasting—and why anyone can become a better taster with practice.Damian’s firsthand experience of the super taster test at Tales of the Cocktail, and what our genes reveal about how we each perceive flavor differently.The crucial role of aroma and retronasal smell in shaping what we taste.How sight, texture, and expectation can make or break the drinking experience.Tips for building your own flavor vocabulary and why note-taking helps train your palate.The surprising ways memory and context shape tasting, from German Hefeweizen to holiday meals.Mandy’s passion shines through as she shows how taste is not just biology—it’s memory, context, and practice. Whether you’re a bartender, a drinks enthusiast, or just curious about why things taste the way they do, this episode will give you tools to taste with more clarity, confidence, and joy.👉 Follow Mandy: @drinkswithmandy 📖 Her book: How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life🎙️ Lock-In Sessions Want more? Each episode continues in The Cocktail Academy Lock-In—exclusive, industry-focused conversations for bartenders, operators, and serious drinks fans. You can listen to Mandy’s Lock-In session and all previous extras for FREE at thecocktailacademy.com.📩 Connect with DamianInstagram: @welovecocktailsTikTok: @welovecocktailsxFacebook: @welovecocktailsxEmail: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• The Whiskey Bible with Noah Rothbaum

  This week, we sit down with one of the most influential voices in modern drinks journalism — Noah Rothbaum, author, editor, historian, and the man behind some of the most important cocktail publications of the last 20 years.From bringing a mystery bottle to Dale DeGroff, to co-editing The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails with David Wondrich, Noah shares his personal journey through the golden age of modern cocktail writing — and gives us a peek behind the curtain at his latest release, The Whiskey Bible.We talk about the pivotal role of bars like Pegu Club and the Rainbow Room, how Irish whiskey fell (and rose again), and why Black Bush and Redbreast 12 still punch well above their weight.Whether you're a bartender, bookworm, or spirits nerd — this one’s for you.📚 About Noah Rothbaum:Noah Rothbaum is a renowned drinks writer and editor. He is the Chief Cocktail Correspondent for Flaviar, former Managing Editor of Half Full at The Daily Beast, and founding Editor-in-Chief of Liquor.com.He’s the author of:The Business of Spirits (2007)The Art of American Whiskey (2015)The Whiskey Bible (2025) And co-editor (with David Wondrich) of the essential Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails.He’s won multiple Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, hosted the podcast Life Behind Bars, and continues to shape the way the world writes and thinks about booze.🥃 What We Cover:Getting his start at Food & Wine under Pete WellsEarly stories with Dale DeGroff and Audrey SaundersWhy the Oxford Companion took 8 years to completeHow The Whiskey Bible came to life — and what makes it differentThe fall and rise of Irish whiskey (spoiler: the Coffey still matters)Why hospitality is the trend we should never loseAffordable, underrated spirits you should be serving nowAnd why Redbreast 12 is the ultimate convert-maker📌 Referenced in the Episode:The Oxford Companion to Spirits & CocktailsThe Art of American WhiskeyThe Whiskey Bible (Workman Publishing) - buy it here Life Behind Bars Podcast📲 Connect with Noah Rothbaum:Instagram: @noah_rothbaum📚 Noah’s Top 3 Books for Bartenders:The Craft of the Cocktail – Dale DeGroffImbibe! – David WondrichThe Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails – Eds. Wondrich & Rothbaum🔐 Want More?Listen to the Lock-In bonus episode on www.thecocktailacademy.com — where Noah joins us for a more relaxed chat about drinks trends, undervalued spirits, and the eternal battle between snobbery and hospitality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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• David Wondrich: From Imbibe! to the Oxford Companion and beyond.

  This week I’m joined by none other than David Wondrich – cocktail historian, author, and one of the most influential voices in the modern drinks world. If you’ve ever picked up Imbibe!, mixed a punch bowl from his recipes, or thumbed through the monumental Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, you’ll know why this conversation was such a treat.We dive into David’s journey from punk-era bass player, to English professor, to Esquire’s drinks guy, and ultimately to becoming one of the leading authorities on cocktail history. He shares stories of working alongside legends like Gary Regan, Dale DeGroff, and Sasha Petraske, and reflects on how those relationships shaped both his career and the wider cocktail revival.David takes us behind the scenes of Imbibe!, the groundbreaking book that helped ignite the craft cocktail renaissance and explains how new technology and dogged research made it possible to reconstruct Jerry Thomas’s world. We also talk about the epic scale of The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails: curating 1,200 entries with 165 contributors, and the challenges of making a truly global reference work.Along the way, David opens up about the art of hospitality, why history and storytelling matter just as much as specs and technique, and his excitement for his upcoming comic book history of the cocktail, due for release this September.This one’s packed with wisdom, humour, and more than a few great bar stories.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeHow David fell into drinks writing via Esquire magazine and ended up travelling the world covering bars and spirits.The origins of Imbibe! and why Jerry Thomas deserved a serious biography.The research process that unearthed forgotten ingredients, measurements, and recipes.The scale and ambition behind The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails.Why understanding the history and cultural context of drinks matters for bartenders today.The enduring importance of hospitality in an era of batched cocktails and avant-garde menus.A sneak peek at David’s next book a graphic novel-style history of cocktails.Connect with David WondrichTwitter: @DavidWondrichBooks: Imbibe! | Punch | The Oxford Companion to Spirits and CocktailsConnect with The Cocktail AcademyInstagram: @welovecocktailsTikTok: @welovecocktailsxWebsite: www.thecocktailacademy.comEmail: [email protected]🎧 For bonus content and the full Lock-In session with David, head to thecocktailacademy.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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