For those of you who listen to this podcast, you know that we talk a lot about the importance of bars, what they’re for, and what role they play in hosting communities. Few other types of bars show this more starkly than the good ol’ American Dive Bar.

But what is a dive bar? What defines one, and how are they made? These questions aren’t well discussed, but are important as we stand on the brink of a post-pandemic world.

Our host, M...

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 w...

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 bu...

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 bu...

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 w...

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 Est...

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 (a...

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 changing definitions in agave spirits generally to how everything about tequila can be thought of in...reverse?

There is something for both experts and neophytes in this, the first of our two-part conversation with Jesse Estes. Sta...

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 (a...

In this, the second wave of shutdowns across cities due to the shocking rise of Covid-19 cases, the bars in America are bearing an undue burden and forced to make a terrible choice: shut ourselves down and risk our lives, our livelihoods, and those of everyone who works for or around us; or find some way to skirt the rules, stay open, and contribute to the general health crisis that is crippling our country.

If bars in a community f...

Cognac is a category of spirit that is steeped in history, and has been associated with quality in so many different ways for hundreds of years. To many modern drinkers, it has also been steeped in mystery, with governing bodies and definitions that many people, both bartenders and consumers, don’t always have the experience to understand.

To help us get to know the intricacies of Cognac, we reached out to ms. franky marshall. Not o...

This is a live-stream podcast, taken from our nightly “Virtual Bar” on Instagram @thecottonmouthclub. 

The threat of Covid-19 is existential, which is pretty clear, but the risk to the rest of society isn’t always. Here, we have a conversation that breaks down why this time is different. For the second time, we’ve been closed down, but this time, it’s just us.

This conversation was inspired by, of all people, Vice President Mike ...

To support what we’re doing, you can leave a contribution in our virtual tip jar on Venmo at theCottonmouthClub-staff, or at www.paypal.me/michaelneff. Thanks so much.

The city of Houston is the first major city in the United States to reopen its bars and restaurants. Despite the best intentions of many operators and many patrons, there are enough bad actors on both sides of the bar to create an environment that, we believe, is acti...

In Part Two of our conversation with Sly Augustin, we discuss the place his bar, Trailer Happiness in Notting Hill, has in the grand scheme of the Modern Tiki Revival. 

"Is the bar that sparked the Modern Tiki Revival in the UK allowed to be a tiki bar?” - Sly Augustin

“What’s more important for tiki: the drink and the philosophy, or the flotsam?” - Sly Augustin

In this episode, we talked about the history of Trailer Happiness, wh...

The current Covid-19 pandemic has hit the bar industry particularly hard. Bars are gathering places, and people gathering is the threat that necessitated quarantine and sequester orders all across the United States and around the world. This crisis is international, and we wanted to find out if the challenges facing bars in America were similar to those faced in other countries.

To do that, we spoke with Sly Augustin, owner of Trail...

This episode is one in a series of podcasts from our Live Stream Virtual Bar, in which we discuss how the bar industry is really the business of humanity, how that relates to the current social and economic unrest in America, and how bartenders should be trained to insist on the idea that we are all responsible for the lives of every person who comes into our bars.

#blacklivesmatter

Support the show (https://www.paypal.me/michaelneff...

Friday, May 22nd was the day the Governor of Texas declared that bars in the state could re-open after the mandated COVID-19 shutdown up to 25% capacity. We at The Cottonmouth Club thought long and hard about whether or not to do that, and ultimately decided we would, though the safety protocols we instituted were above what was recommended.

In this podcast, edited by our friend Blair Ault of Whiskey Women Podcast, you’ll hear the a...

The Cottonmouth Club Presents promotes bars, bar culture, cocktails and spirits. In this episode, we do a deep dive into American Single Malt Whiskey with Westland Distillery’s Chris Riesbeck.

Our discussion starts with Westland Whiskey, but we ended up talking about so many aspects of whiskey, how it’s produced, and the idea of provenance as it applies to distilled spirits. Some highlights include:

- What is American Single Malt?
- T...

If you would like to leave a virtual tip for the bar staff who helped produce this podcast, you can go to Venmo and contribute to TheCottonmouthClub-Staff. All proceeds go to the staff for food & essentials until we all have some clarity as to how this will all play out.

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 jo...