How to Be a Legend with Alessandro Palazzi, Dukes Bar, London

I got chatting to the guy sitting next to me at my Level 2 Wine and Spirit Education Trust class - the place you go when you want to learn about the ins and outs of distillation and the history of some of your favorite spirits. As you do, I sparked up a conversation with the Italian by asking him what he did and then he said I am a bartender at the Connaught Hotel and at that moment I knew we would be friends.I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Yes, that fateful day, about three years ago, I met Giorgio Bargiani, now Head of Mixology at one of the most famous bars in the world, the Connaught Bar in London. We have remained friends ever since and I have longed to have him on the show to learn a little more about my fellow student. Who I found out began his career by polishing plates!Before we begin, you can find links on how to donate to some of your favorite bars during this rough time on the homepage of my website alushlifemanual.com. This week, Giorgio reveals:Why he was polishing platesHow he found his first job in a hotelWhat it’s like working at one of the best bars in the worldWhere he likes to drink when he’s not at the ConnaughtThe Cocktail of the Week is Giorgio’s Flight of NegronisIngredients:750 ml Sipsmith Gin750 ml Martini Rubino750 ml Martini Bitter750 ml Still waterMethod:Mix all the four ingredients together and then split again in four different bottles. Leave 1 bottle untouched for a Classic Negroni. Infuse one bottle with 1-2 whole peels of your favorite citrus fruit for at least a week then start tasting it daily until it’s perfect for you Infuse one bottle with 2 to 3g of your favourite dry spice for at least one hour and then start tasting it hourly until you love it. Giorgio likes Sichuan Pepper.Infuse one bottle with 50g of your favourite fresh herbs for at least one day and then start tasting daily until you love that one too. Giorgio used Eucalyptus!Store in the the fridge and when is very cold enjoy it as you wish, with or without ice. Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

5 Maj 20201h

I met today’s guest under pretty cool circumstances. Picture the sit-down dinner of the UK finals for the Diageo World Class competition - one of the hardest cocktail making competitions in the country. There were eleven finalists and each table of ten was served by one of the competitors for the night. At my table was one of the senior bartenders of the American Bar of the Savoy Hotel - it’s tough to get better than that.I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. Who knew that under that sharp white jacket and smooth persona, Martin Hudák of Maybe Sammy and Global Coffee Ambassador of Mr. Black, has a passion like no other - for coffee and coffee cocktails. He kept it under wraps until winning the World Coffee in Good Spirits Award in 2017. Since then, he’s gone on to move to Australia, open an award winning bar of his own and win the International Bartender of the Year. Through the miracles of modern science, I was finally able to interview him in Australia and discover what led him to go down under and how his coffee loving became spiritual.On today’s program, you’ll discover:When he made his first MartiniWho taught him how to put on a tieWhere his favorite bars in the world areHow to get his special blend of coffeeThe Cocktail of the Week is the La Finca.Ingredients:30ml Mr Black Single Origin Colombia 20ml Oloroso Sherry 10ml Manuka Honey syrup (2:1)Dried or fresh fig Method:Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass with one big ice cube. Garnish with the fig.--You can find this recipe, more recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-make-your-coffee-spiritual ‎Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

28 Apr 202044min

I don’t know who said you should never meet your idols, but they got it wrong this time. My guest today is drinks’ podcasting royalty, and from the first moment I contacted this king of the airwaves, he was raring to join the Lush Life family I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is, Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. As the Fates would have it, Mark Gillespie, the Host and Executive Producer of WhiskyCast, the podcast that wrote the book on how to do a successful drinks podcast, from interviews to news to tastings to events, lives only minutes away from my family’s home in Philadelphia. Those fickle gods kept us apart until last week when Lush Life went virtual.Usually he is the one doing the interviewing, but today is one of the rare occasions when he was interviewed. So, pour yourself a dram, sit back, and enjoy hearing how and why Mark became the man behind WhiskyCast. Stick around to find out what we’re drinking!Before you start, you can find links on how to donate to some of your favorite bars during this rough time on the homepage of my website alushlifemanual.com. The Cocktail of the Week is the Seven & Seven.Ingredients:2 oz Seagram's 7 Crown Whiskey6​ oz 7-Up sodaLemon wheel Method:Add Seagram's 7 in a highball glass filled with ice. Top with 7-Up (or Lemonade). Stir and then garnish with the lemon wheelYou can find this recipe, more easy recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-tell-the-storiesAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

21 Apr 202037min

I always say how much I love the spirit world and now during this crisis they have come together to support each other in ways that would have seemed incomprehensible just a few months ago. From making hand sanitizer, to delivering cocktails at home, to supporting the medical workers worldwide, the hospitality industry has stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. Today we meet two who’ve hit a home run. Sorry for the baseball references, but it’s spring after all and I love baseball!I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and welcome back to Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by everyone in this industry. You can find links on how to donate to some of your favorite bars during this rough time on the homepage of my website which is www.alushlifemanual.com.I always pride myself on meeting my guests face-to-face but obviously while we are self-isolating that is impossible. Therefore I am using an online platform and reliant on wifi, so please, please bear with the slight hiccups you might encounter along the way.Back to our guests today, Both Maxim Schulte, Head Bartender of the American Bar at The Savoy Hotel in London and Jo Last, Senior Bartender at The Beaufort Bar at The Savoy, have had to leave their positions behind the bar to wait out the crisis like the rest of us. Instead of lounging around though, they immediately launched The Booze Brain, an online training platform for brands and industry leaders to continue to educate and keep in touch with each other through FB and Instagram Live.They are already on their fourth week of Booze Brain, and as you’ll hear, everyone in the business jumped at the chance to share their knowledge and know-how with their peers and cocktail enthusiasts like me who can learn right alongside them. Even participate in their IG lives! Pour yourself a cocktail, pick up your phone, laptop or any screen and check out Booze Brain. Here are Maxim and Jo to tell us more.The Cocktail of the Week is the Savoy Martini - in bulk!Ingredients:700 ml Bottle of Gin or Vodka 140 ml Still Water110 ml Dry VermouthMethod:Take a 700ml bottle of gin or vodka that you desire and pour 250ml out of the bottle and store elsewhere or drink! Fill 140ml of still water and 110ml dry vermouth into the bottle. Now put the bottle in the freezer for a couple of hours. Pour the silky liquid straight into your glass. Finish the Martini with a lemon twist or olive, however you like it best.--You can find this recipe, more Martini recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-use-your-downtimeAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here –

14 Apr 202017min

This is a biggie and I am not ashamed to scream out. It’s Lush Life’s 150th episode and if that weren’t exciting enough my guest is Elliot Ball of among many other bars he runs, the Cocktail Trading Co.! What does it take to do 150 eps? The support of all of you who listen to the stories that inspire us to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. The best producer in the business (I am biased!) Evo Terra of Simpler Media Productions and Podcast Pontifications and the participation of all my guests.Why is it so special for me to have Elliot on this monumental occasion? Well if you close your eyes and click your heels three times, you’ll head straight back to my first episode many moons ago. I was pretty new at this and he was so game - it was Andy Mil, not only my first guest of all time but also Elliot’s partner at Cocktail Trading Co... From that moment, I felt a deep connection to them and their bar.With their other partner Olly, their journey those almost 4 years since my first episode has been stratospheric. Now it’s time for Elliot to tell us his story of how he’s used his neuroscience background in the bar and catch up where Andy left off those 4 years ago because a lot has changed.Make sure to listen all the way to the end for a special announcement.Before that, you’ll discover:Why Elliot is so special to Lush LifeHow he met Andy & OllyHow a neuroscience degree can help you become a better bartenderThe right way to send a CV to themMuch, much more The Cocktail of the Week is the Mizuwari's Downfall.Ingredients:3 parts Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky1 part Jalapeño & fennel syrup4 parts Clarified pineapple-cilantro soda Method:Mix, Chill, Carbonate, Pour over ice spear when ready.--You can find this recipe, more whisky recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2TTwLSxAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

24 Mars 202052min

The Bright Young Things were a group of rich, indulgent aristocrats who between the two wars entertained themselves by dressing up, posing and performing. All this gaiety was caught on camera by the incomparable and controversial Cecil Beaton. One thing is for sure, if they were alive now, all their fun would be had at Claridge’s with cocktails conceived by our guest today!Denis Broci makes you feel like a Bright Young Thing when you step into Claridge’s Bar or The Fumoir Bar - two of the glamorous spots in the world.Today we are celebrating the release of the cocktail book, Cecil Beaton: Mixing with the Bright Young Things, which Denis, as Manager of both bars at Claridge’s, curated with a list of sixty-four drinks from the 1920’s and 1930’s, the ‘Golden Age’ of cocktails.But first I had to hear all about Denis and how he found himself at one of the most iconic hotels of all time.In this episode, I discovered:What happened his first week of work that scared him to death What it was like working at Michelin Star restaurantHow he came to curate the new book, Cecil Beaton: Mixing with the Bright Young ThingsHis favorite bar in London and outside of LondonHis Top Tips for the Home BartenderNeedless to say we began with a Bee’s Knees and ended with our cocktail of the week, the Fumoir Negroni!This particular version is Claridge’s signature cocktail in the Fumoir Bar and was created to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Negroni cocktail in 2019. Ingredients:25ml ( 5⁄6 oz) Hepple Gin 25ml ( 5⁄6 oz) Campari 18ml ( 3⁄5 oz) Martini Rosso 7ml ( 1⁄5 oz) Punt e Mes Carpano 3.5g ( 1⁄8 oz) Camomile 3.5g ( 1⁄8 oz) Coffee beans Method:Infuse the gin with camomile for thirty minutes, and the vermouths and bitter with the coffee separately for the same amount of time. Fine strain the infusions into a mixing glass and stir with ice, ensuring that the flavours are well balanced. Fine strain into an old fashioned glass with an ice block. Garnish with orange twist. You can find this recipe and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. Full Episode Details: https://alushlifemanual.com/how-to-be-a-bright-young-thingAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media...

17 Mars 20201h 16min

20 years ago, a bar was born in New York City that changed the way we drink today. Two years after that, it arrived in London. Fast forward those 20 years and Milk & Honey in London is still open and just as cutting edge as it was all those moons ago. Our guest today not only manages that legacy but is creating his own.I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.Pierre-Marie Bisson holds a special place in my heart. Not only is he the General Manager of Milk & Honey, but also a great supporter of Lush Life Cocktail Tours. There is no way I could do the tour without stopping in for a London Calling made by him or his team.Pick up A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson if you want to read all about Milk & Honey and its influence. We’re here to find out everything we can about Pierre and how he made his way to this iconic bar, then he reveals his favorite spots in London and Paris and give us some top tips for the home bartender.In this episode, I discovered: How never to take anything personallyWhat he knew he never wanted to do againWhy you’ve never done everythingHow the Brits differ from the FrenchThe true meaning of hospitality Our cocktail of the week is the London Calling!Ingredients:2 dashes Orange bitters10ml Fino sherry15ml Lemon juice15ml Simple syrup50ml GinGrapefruit twistMethod:Put all the ingredients into a shaker, strain into a coupe, express a grapefruit twist on top and drop it into the cocktail.--You can find this recipe, more gin recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/38knMOcAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

10 Mars 202057min

The idea of sitting in a trendy Parisian bar in the 11th arrondissement, waiting for the author of many of the world’s best selling food books and the first-ever food blogger, could make anyone’s knees slightly tremblant. Then our guest today walked in with a big smile on his face said Bonjour.I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is the Lush Life Podcast. Every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry.David Lebovitz is known to every chef, home cook, baker and lover of Paris. His blog Davidlebovitz.com, as well as many of his books have been luring the uninitiated and old-hats to discover some of the best that Paris has to offer. Now with the publication of his new book Drinking French, just released today, his name with be forever synonymous with everything that goes into a glass, cup or bottle in La République. I was on a mission to discover how he found shaking, stirring and muddling, instead of sifting, kneading and rolling.In this episode, I discovered: Why I’ll never eat a whole bag of potato chips againWhy David decided to write a book about drinkingWhat baking and cocktail making have in common What do white belts have in common with drink’s writersHow baking and cocktail making are similarOur cocktail of the week is the City of Light!Ingredients: Half a lemon wheel, half an orange wheel, and 2 thin slices of cucumber, for garnish11⁄2 oz (45ml) dry vermouth1 oz (30ml) Lillet blanc or Vin d’Orange (page 147)1 oz (30ml) Cointreau1 oz (30ml) dry Prosecco or Crémant Method:Lay the garnishes in the bottom of a footed goblet or large wine glass. Add the vermouth, Lillet, and Cointreau. Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice, stir briefly, and top off with the Prosecco.--You can find this recipe, more vermouth recipes and all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2VsVApZAlways remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!-----If you live for Lush Life would you consider supporting us by buying us a coffee…Just go to buymeacoffee.com/lushlife and you can donate once or monthly to make sure we are still here every Tuesday.Life Merchandise is here – we’re talking t-shirts, mugs, iPhone covers, duvet covers, iPad covers and more covers for everything, and more!Theme music for Lush Life is by Steven Shapiro and used with permission.Lush Life is always and will be forever produced by Evo Terra and Simpler Media Productions.Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸

3 Mars 202052min