#155, Tobin Ellis, veteran bartender, author of “Bar Design Essentials", champion flair bartender, principal of Barmagic design studios (Las Vegas & New York) 30 March 2026

God help me, I've known Tobin for thirty years now, having met when we both competed in flair bartending contests, starting with the legendary Quest for the Best in Orlando many moons ago. Tobin went on to co-found the Flair Bartenders Association (FBA) and later moved to Las Vegas, where he still (mostly) hangs his hat. He went all-in on bar design decades ago, and has completed a book, "Bar Design Essentials" that he started writing in 2007, and which is as seminal and definitive for bar design as "Roundbuilding" is for making rounds of cocktails, and as "The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails" is for, well, spirits and cocktails. If we design bars better, so bartenders can work faster, better and injury-free, we're setting those bartenders up to be true hospitalitarians - so why don't we?We down all the rabbit holes we could find, and then invented a few more, from the complexity of modern cocktails to cotton candy machines, his favorite bar shape, the redheaded stepchild of hospo, the state of training these days and his many, many injuries - enjoy!Buy "Bar Design Essentials": https://www.amazon.com/Bar-Design-Essentials-Bars-Everyone/dp/1732648255/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3C0RU5C7EQITE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wCArtZBcOpz-miH-Y7KqWRgbb0njE3tMWljJBB7TxcUccMb9qb2TxdLoiUq4ZCfjzyemQLFQz-S1aHy3DYykR1QPkyI0m0nshOeKlgSmx-Mt27wsBAkV7b01g7W3GkbJ.7-ENn58hVESjGOMFLpJwszH7mpptAujNNUioZHWxd5E&dib_tag=se&keywords=tobin+ellis&qid=1774708898&sprefix=tobin+ell%2Caps%2C229&sr=8-1Follow Tobin on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tobinellisdesign/Check out Studio Barmagic: https://www.barmagic.com/ (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

I met Andrew several years ago when he came to hang out at an Old Duff Genever evening I was hosting at Berlin’s marvellous Zyankali Bar, and the good people of Rachel Harrison Communications recently recommended I get him on, which struck me as an excellent idea. Turns out he’s fourth-generation American liquor royalty, with a mother from the Hiram Walker family, a great-grandfather who bootlegged during Prohibition, a grandfather who legalised the business, and his father, who built US liquor distribution juggernaut Breakthru Beverage Group. As well as a lifelong love of hospitality that started with a teenage stage at the three-Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park, Andrew was very successful as an investor, in startups that included Seven Rooms reservations & CRM software, which had a lucrative exit. We chat Chinola, Empirical, Great Jones Distilling, his time at Proximo , the liquor and hospitality biz and a lot more - enjoy!  (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

TJ Lynch is one of the most genuinely hilarious people I know, but the success he and business partner Richard Knapp have had with cocktail dive bar Mother's Ruin - four branches, a fifth and sixth on the way, plus separate concepts in Folly Beach and Johns Island South Carolina - is no joke. And it all started with a little bar on Spring Street in Manhattan that they opened in 2011 for the princely sum of $185, 000. We talk about his switch into bartending from cooking, then into management, then ownership, what's changed since the first Mother's in 2011, his and Richard's philosophies for running a bar, reinventing the slushie, and how they deal with investors. It's terrible audio quality because TJ was on location helping some of his staff revamp yet another bar, but it really rewards a listen - enjoy!TJ on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tjismyhero/Mother's Ruin NY: https://www.instagram.com/mothersruinnyc/Lowlife Bar: https://www.instagram.com/lowlifebar/Lost Isle restaurant: https://www.instagram.com/lostislejohnsisland/ (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

David’s a great guy I met through Jillian Vose, ex-supremo of mixology at Dead Rabbit and all-round bar goddess. Badger Bevs is a gorgeous range of premium mixers, and David IS ALL IN on the on-premise, so I badly wanted to sit down and hear his story, and it did not disappoint - enjoy! Badger Bevs on IG: https://www.instagram.com/badgerbevs?igsh=cTMzYjlrZndteDg2 (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

The Bitter Truth cocktail bitters launched in 2006, after German bartenders Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck visited London Bar Show, had a drink in Sketch bar, and decided to go for it. This year TBT celebrates 20 years, so it was time to sit down with Stephan and Alexander to talk about how a couple of bartenders making extinct bitters in their garage entered a centuries-old category and carved out a thriving business that's expanded to include rare liqueurs, Tiki Lovers rum and Pink Gin, exported all around the world and proudly served in the world's best bars.  I've been following their journey since day 1, have known the guys since they were still bartending back in the day, and what they've done is really impressive - enjoy!The Bitter Truth on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thebittertruthcompany/The Bitter Truth: https://the-bitter-truth.com/bitters/The Bitter Truth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebittertruthcompany (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Jeff's best-known for being a mainstay of New York's world-famous speakeasy-behind-a-phone-booth Please Don't Tell (PDT), where he was hired by Jim Meehan and has worked since 2010, and which post-pandemic he bought from its founder Brian Shebairo along with the hotdog stand it's housed inside, Crif Dogs. In a city where bartenders hop around jobs willy-nilly, Jeff credits his tenure at a single bar with helping him gain the trust of investors (Apres Cru Hospitality) and become an owner. I've known Jeff since 2011, when he was a world finalist in the G'Vine Gin Connoisseur Program, a contest I created and executed for several years; we had a lot of fun that Finals week in Cognac, France!This is a really great episode: we talked about starting his career in Seattle, his break into NY bartending, working at PDT, how he became an owner, his new businesses Tacos 1986, Cocteleria Mixteca (with fellow longtime PDT bartender Victor Lopez) and elegant speakeasy Kees (where we recorded), how he scaled back his travel to spend more time with his wife and children, helping Hilton reopen the Waldorf-Astoria's historic Peacock Alley bar and Lex Yard restaurant, keeping Jet Blue airline supplied with cocktails, and a bunch more of really thoughtful, insightful stuff. Classic Jeff. Enjoy!Jeff on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreymbell/Apres Cru Hospitality: https://www.aprescru.com/PDT: https://www.instagram.com/pdtnyc/Crif Dogs: https://www.instagram.com/crifdogs/Mixteca: https://www.instagram.com/cocteleriamixteca/Kees: https://www.instagram.com/seekkeesnyc/ (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Marcio is very much Our Man In Brazil, an old friend and (during Bar Convent Brazil) I’ve visited his previous, much-vaunted bar Guilhotina. Marcio was in NY to do a MasterCard-backed pop-up of his Sao Paolo bar, Eximia, at New York’s Dante, so we carved out a few hours to hang out and catch up. Enjoy!  (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Tom and Marco are legendary flair competitors, multiple-times world champions, teachers, contest judges - and now, authors of the 501-page (!) “The Flair Bartending Book”.Its unquestionably the most definitive tome ever written on this chapter in bartending, from flair’s origins in the 1600s to Jerry Thomas & co.’s flamboyant 1800s mixology to TGI Friday’s Bartender Olympics in 1984, THAT movie in 1988, the rise of well-run contests, the emergence of a professional contest circuit, and the state of play nowadays. If you have any interest in bartending at all, you have to own this book. We talked about all things flair, Marco and Tom’s own routes into bartending, the oft-forgotten speed and freepouring elements of major contests, and a whole bunch more - enjoy! Buy the book (USA): https://barproducts.com/products/flair-bartending-by-marco-canova-tom-dyer?variant=42885994479705&fbclid=PAVERFWAP2sjxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaebEZGlsHDF7Oa7V2JzE8DjHsZbMTF6WMwUeVebgYyKcMcrBOs8BA0JDavgCA_aem_e3c9RQ0XQHt3urXf5Y09ywBuy the book (rest of world): https://www.flairbartendingbook.com/The book on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theflairbartendingbook?igsh=ZGV1d2I1b2lhNnp0Tom on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tomdyerflairbartender?igsh=MTVxa2p3aGJubHJjaQ==Marco on IG: https://www.instagram.com/marcocanova_83?igsh=cDJkbDc3bXI2OGpkShaken And Stirred - The Flair Bartending Movie: https://www.shakenandstirredthemovie.com/dash#:~:text=Flair%20Bartending%20Documentary%20%7C%20Shaken%20and%20Stirred%20The%20Movie (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Paul's been a a friend for ages; he's former London bartender and bar owner, taught seminars for the WSET and Diageo, has lived all over the world* as a conservation biologist - and founded Everleaf. *And is currently wrapping up several years living in Iceland!We chatted about his many careers, the bar biz, learning Chinese, being part of Diageo's Distill Ventures brand incubator program, the state of non-alc, and a whole lot more. Enjoy!Paul on IG: https://www.instagram.com/everleaf_paul/?hl=enEverleaf on IG: https://www.instagram.com/everleafdrinks/?hl=en (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...

Ruben’s an old friend from Amsterdam, a native Aruban who bartended in Amsterdam and London, and whose life was changed by a Diplomatico rum training he attended while working as a flair bartender at London’s famed Roadhouse. (That training was given by none other than Declan McGurk, himself a former flair bartender, who went on to become Director of Bars at The Savoy, leading them to a #1 spot on W50BB, and is now  Commercial Director for Boatyard Gin) Ruben went back to Amsterdam with rum in his heart and started Spirited Union rum, inventing “botanical rum”as a category in the process, delivering orders in person, on his bicycle, for the first few years. He then crowdfunded (!) buying the former Our/Vodka distillery & bar from Pernod-Ricard, whose bar, cocktail classes and rum blending workshops have made it the #1 activity in the Netherlands on TripAdvisor.  (Last week’s episode was with Brendan Bartley, btw, who bought the Our/Vodka NY bar & distillery and reopened it as Hello Hello Cafe & Bar and Silent Alibi distillery, making 11th Hour Coffee liqueur and more). Ruben’s gone from strength to strength with Spirited Union rum, exporting across Europe, to the UK, and to five states in the US (where their first customer was Whole Foods!) and recently started Pineapple Drinks Club to import & distribute founder-led brands in the Netherlands. Enjoy! Ruben on IG: https://www.instagram.com/the_rubenmaduro?igsh=MWJtaTFwYnB5d2ljbA==Ruben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruben-maduroSpirited Union on IG: https://www.instagram.com/spirited_union_rum?igsh=MWFxbGxxYTJvZ3E5bg==Pineapple Drinks Club on IG: https://www.instagram.com/pineappledrinksclub?igsh=bDg5NXNvZjRmOGN5 (Get in touch with Duff!Podcast business enquiries:  [email protected] (PR friends: we’re only interested in having your client on if they can talk for a couple of hours about OTHER things besides their prepared speaking points or their new thing, whatever that is. They need to be able to hang. Oh, plus we don't edit, we won’t supply prepared or sample questions, nor listener or “reach” stats, either, and no, you can't sit in on the interview (or lurk on the Zoom.) Retain Philip’s consulting firm, Liquid Solutions, specialised in on-trade engagement & education, liquor brand creation and repositioning: [email protected] on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philipsduff/ Philip on Facebook: Philip Duff Philip on X/Twitter: Philip Duff (@philipduff) / Twitter Philip on LinkedIn: linkedin.com Old Duff Genever on Instagram: Old Duff Genever (@oldduffgenever) • Instagram photos and videos Old Duff Genever on Facebook: facebook.com Old Duff Genever on X/Twitter: ...