The Cottonmouth Club Presents: Bars, Bar Culture, Cocktails & Spirits

Training for Mastery takes years of work and dedication, and after a certain point there is no road map in any industry that helps the novice graduate to the journeyman, and the journeyman transform into the master.

In our continuing Bartending Masterclass, host & Master Bartender Michael J. Neff, discussed the different phases of mastery. This time, we’re focusing on Mastery of the Heart with special guest Ms. Yael Vengroff (aka Yael Stormborn).
Yael is a long-time bartender who cut her teeth in some of the most storied bars in Houston (Grand Prize) & New York City (Pegu Club, Painkiller) before moving to Los Angeles to take over as Bar Director for The Spare Room in the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood and Genghis Coen. The group also has bars in Seattle and Nashville, which Yael helms, as well.
She has many accomplishments to her name, including winning the women-only charity speed competition Speed Rack, as well as being named Best American Bartender at the prestigious Tales of the Cocktail.
Some highlights from Part 1 of our conversation:
“Our biggest mountain to climb after (COVID) is, how do we keep the sexy, how do we keep the romanticism, how do we keep all these things.”
“Vulnerability breeds vulnerability. It means accountability. It means admittance. It means transparency.”
“If you’re not a bartender-owner, your top-tier management better be that soldier that is so intuitive and that leads back to vulnerability. People without vulnerability don’t know how to listen.”
“The reason that I can do what I do, and that I do what I do, is that I’m not afraid to talk about my weaknesses. And my shortcomings. And my mistakes.”
Weird-tempo Banjo Tune: Katy Hill

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In this episode, General Manager & Distiller of George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey Nicole Austin talks with us about the traditions in Tennessee Whiskey, the idea of imbibing a place, and why she doesn’t use the title “Master Distiller.”
A wonderful primer into the nuances of whiskey-making in general, Nicole offers insights into the art of distilling, and how to make choices based on both tradition and the drive to succeed as a business. In the meantime, she dispels some myths about the whiskeys of Tennessee and talks about its relation to bourbon.
This is Part Two of our two-part conversation. We hope you enjoy it—you can find part one or check out our other Spirit School entries on our website (https://thecottonmouthclubpresents.com), or browse conversations with some of the world’s best bar professionals in our Masterclass Series.
Nicole Austin came up in Kings County Distillery in the early days of the Craft Spirits movement, breaking into the business with a degree in Chemical Engineering and a desire to work in spirits.
From her interview with The Tennessean: “I didn’t have the right last name to work in Kentucky or the right degree for Scotland, so I was like, ‘What am I going to do?’ ” Austin said. “In 2010, Kings County got the license to distill ... and I basically knocked on their door and was like, 'I’m going to work for you now. I’m done asking, I’m telling.’ ”
After working for the consulting company of the legendary late distiller Dave Pickerell, she took a job with Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey before being tapped for the top-job at Cascase Hollow Distillery, maker of George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey.
An advocate for the craft spirits movement, Ms. Austin helped found the American Craft Spirits Association, New York Distillers Guild, and helped create the idea of Empire Rye.
Weirdo-Paced Banjo Music: “Lady Gray”

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Here, for your listening pleasure, we’ve arranged all of our stings into one soundscape. Do not listen to this if you’re looking for anything that makes sense, but put it on while you’re doing the dishes, and remember what it feels like to be in a bar watching a bunch of idiots have a really good time.

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Training for Mastery takes years of work and dedication, and after a certain point there is no road map in any industry that helps the novice graduate to the journeyman, and the journeyman transform into the master.

In our continuing Bartending Masterclass, host & Master Bartender Michael J. Neff, discusses the different phases of mastery with some of the finest bartenders from around the world. In this episode, we’re talking with Modern Bartender, ms. franky marshall.
Ms. marshall has been a bartender for a hot minute—both before the modern cocktail movement in nightclubs & dive bars around New York, and after at such storied cocktail bars as The Holiday Cocktail Lounge, Clover Club & The Dead Rabbit.
She has also traveled around the world studying spirits, cocktails, and the culture that surrounds them. Her insights in this, the first part of our conversation, are valuable to anyone with an interest in life on either side of the bar.
Some highlights include:
“You have to put as much effort into making that vodka soda as you do in making a Japanese Whisky Highall.... You should be taking pride in your work, so that every single drink you make, even the simplest one, is going to be great.”
“As a trainer, you need to be able to give and you need to be generous with your knowledge.”
“(Relating to people is) why you need to read books, or travel, or look at art, so you have other things to to give to people across that bar.”

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In this episode, Tequila Ocho Global Brand Ambassador Jesse Estes joins us to talk all about agave spirits, diving specifically into Tequila! This isn’t your average tequila talk—our topics range from the two categories of Tequila and the process of making Tequila Ocho to “What is a diffuser and why is it controversial?”
There is something for both experts and neophytes in this, the second of our two-part conversation with Jesse Estes. Stay tuned for Part Two.
In the meantime, check out our other Spirit School entries on our website (https://thecottonmouthclubpresents.com), or browse conversation with some of the world’s best bar professionals in our Masterclass Series.
Jesse Estes is a London-based spirits educator, author, and former award-winning bartender. He has worked behind the bar at establishments like The Lonsdale, Green & Red, All Star Lanes, CalloohCallay, and The Luggage Room, as well as performing guest bartending shifts around the world. He has won a number of cocktail competitions and regularly acts as a judge and chairman for various cocktail competitions and spirits awards including the Drinks International's International Spirit Challenge and the Tequila Masters.

In 2013, Jesse developed the bar program for London's first 'agavería' – a bar specializing in Agave Spirits – El Nivel. That same year, Jesse was named one of London's Best Bartenders by the Huffington Post. He is often consulted as an expert on agave spirits, and has been interviewed or featured in publications such as: Imbibe, Esquire, Shortlist, Spirits Business, Forbes and Drinks International, among others. In 2019, Jesse was one of the first people to sit the WSET Level 3 in Spirits, which he passed with Merit.

Jesse is now the Global Brand Ambassador for Tequila Ocho and can be found leading seminars, tastings, and masterclasses on tequila and other agave spirits across the world. He is also the author of two cocktail books, Tequila Beyond Sunrise and From Dram to Manhattan, and regularly contributes articles to trade publications. Jesse recently became the Agave Spirits Curator for Spirits Kiosk, a craft online spirits retailer directed at discerning drinkers.

Get in touch at [email protected]
Weirdo-paced Banjo Tune: “East Virginia”

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