453: Hinterland Sober Bar - Brewing a New Society in 2025

Enter Hinterland sober bar, “the realm beyond what’s known”… And meet founders Sanghadhara and Stephen Jeffreys in their cosy, cool, poetic, liminal space for a cocktail and meaningful conversation about how Buddhism and the Dharma can inform modern culture—and people’s social lives—in new ways. 

Hinterland has been a passion project from the start. And on this busy Friday evening on one of the busiest nights of the year in one of the hippest areas of Manchester, UK, we hear that passion come pouring through as we discuss ethical work in 2025; and how anyone can impact society by building an entrepreneurial business that is also a commercially counter-cultural social enterprise. 

For any building makeover heads out there, we hear how transformative interior and graphic design can express some of our deepest values. And, of course in a sober bar, how the look and feel of a social space can also support recovery through helping us shift how we perceive and experience the world—with no alcohol required.

It’s clear talking with Stephen and Sanghadhara that working together can both challenge and enhance a personal friendship, taking it to the next level. And in terms of specifically Buddhist practice, what an amazing testing ground Hinterland has been for the work of attending to their mental states and trying to serve the happiness of others with their energies and their work.

Join us over sophisticated hemp and root spirits and delicious vegan food to explore how a bar that attempts to blend an industrial aesthetic with animist sensibilities (through the lens of Japanese minimalism) can be a ground for depth of connection, art and Dharma. And how a drink with friends or strangers can open up a way into new possibilities in our lives when we have that sense of wanting to change…

This celebratory tale of inspired Buddhist practice is the perfect podcast to help you rekindle your own new year’s resolutions. Cheers! 🍸🍹

Show Notes
Hinterland Bar (Instagram)

Wholesome Junkies (Instagram)

The Pathfinder (Non-Alcoholic Spirit)

The Tale of Tipus’ Tiger (podcast episode)

Dark Mountain Manifesto: “The end of the world as we know it is not the end of the world full stop. Together, we will find the hope beyond hope, the paths which lead to the unknown world ahead of us.”

Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction

Santa’s Slaay Cocktail
50ml Pathfinder Hemp and Root Non-Alcoholic Distilled Spirit 

20ml Santa Syrup (apple and cinnamon syrup, make your own if you like!)

10ml Lemon juice 

Top (75-100ml) with ginger beer

Optional splash of sparkling water

Fill a hurricane glass with ice

Add Pathfinder, Santa syrup, ginger beer and then sparkling water.

Garnish with mini candy cane… 

See the Santa’s Slaay cocktail for presentation ideas… ✨

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Theme music by Ackport! Used with kind permission.