Two Podcasters Walk into a Bar

Anney and Samantha host a cocktail hour with some of Atlanta's brightest mixologists, sipping on drinks while learning what it takes to be in the biz.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Annie and Samantha, and welcome to stuff.
I never told your protection of iHeartRadio's house to efforts you.
We really should just let you do the music. I
don't know why we're going out of our way to

(00:25):
find professional music. We've got a professional musician right here.
Obviously I'm the talent, and everybody's just auto. I turned
it off and we're done. I don't know what that was.
I guess that's over. I don't want any part of it.
So sorry. Sorry, It's always good to start right right
with an apology, of course. Yes, well, this episode is

(00:48):
kind of the part two slash continuation that we were
talking about in our last episode about women in the
alcohol industry. This is where I made my dreams come true.
Did a drinking oligen it would serve me. It was
very tasteful, tasty tasteful. It was tasteful. That was a

(01:09):
mixture of tasty and delightful. So I'm gonna just leave
it alone. Yes, you really worked to make this happen.
It was beautiful. It was, and we should probably say
off the top, if you have any problems with alcohol,
this is not that episode for you, because it's sort
of a Cocktail Hour. It is episode because we wanted
to bring in a bunch of awesome women doing amazing

(01:31):
things in the bar scene in Atlanta and have them
make cocktails and then talk about what it's like, what's
going on? Um and uh. It was very funny because
our wonderful office manager to Mika, she asked us what
do they need? And we weren't very helpful because not

(01:52):
at all. We gave her a list, but it was
of stuff that was very I guess, not your usual alcohols. Second,
they are the professionals and so therefore they have very
specific ingredients to make theirs whatever signature cocktails or whatnot.
And so when we were like Khalula, no, no, okay,
and she bought a fifth of everything, which was quite hilarious.

(02:15):
We have a lot of this in the office right
now and it's yes, a delight. We did not drink
at all. We have not surprised. Um. Yeah, and we we.
This is a continuation of me meeting Tiffany at Atlanta
Food and Wine and her introducing me to a bunch
of amazing women in this industry, and it's something we

(02:36):
want to return to because we're hoping to do a
Sminty themed cocktail. Yes, So if anyone listening is you know,
curious or has any talent or want to experiment with
a drink, dude, we're looking for a sminty drink. We
are looking for a sminty drink. And just so you know,
Andy and I are big fans of Gin, Yes, very

(02:57):
big fans of Gin. Also would love a non alcoholic
for Yeah, everyone can partake. We would love a mock till.
Yes um, and just adds up before we get into this,
Samantha and I will be at she podcast live. That
was that was a new one. See how cool we
are that you can experience that coolness. Yes, live the

(03:18):
entire time. Andy, We'll be talking and I'll just be
doing the music. You welcome. You won't have our superproducer
Andrew to edit, so it'll be very exciting. Yeah, we'll
be there this Friday, this Friday being the eleventh October
the eleventh, because I don't know when you're listening to
this because they people do like to throw back. So yes,

(03:39):
um at twelve pm and we'll we'll be talking about
women supporting women and what that looks like. And then
we will also be with our friends over at unladylike
the pasco host and Forever creator. Um, we're gonna be
participating in what sounds like a game show where we're
going to look like we're going I'm going to go
in as a character. Oh, I don't know what character yet.

(04:00):
All as we were talking about alcohol right now, I
will be. I already told Caroline that I would be
sitting with a beverage in my hand and she was like,
all good, that would be the better. Oh is that allowed?
Oh yeah, perfect. She's like, why wouldn't you. I was like,
they're perfect, And we'll be We'll be at a bunch
of other events that are happening there. So there's a
few parties happening. You should be there and join us

(04:20):
and come say hate us. So if you're interested, come
check it out. But in the meantime, we think you'll
definitely enjoy this cocktail our, which before we even get
into shout out to super producer Andrew and also guest
super producer dj D because he was running around with

(04:40):
the shotgun mind right as we were having a conversation.
So dude had to run around. We owe him, yeah,
we owe him big. Because no one paused everybody just
kept talking and get going from one person and we
had about what went with the four, five, six of us. Yeah,
um sitting around and having a conversation, which, by the way,
it got really awesome because at one point they started
asking each other questions, which was fantastic. I was like,

(05:02):
oh sweet, I'm just gonna sit here and listen to
all of this good conversation because they were trying to
talk to each other about how how to support each
other and what it looks like to support each other.
So it was really fun and really fantastic to um
be a part of that conversation. It got really honest
and real and and that's just one of my favorite
parts of talking to people anyway, me too. So without

(05:23):
a further adieu, as they say, UM, let's let them
introduce themselves. But I guess first let's take a quick
break for word from a sponsor, and we're back. Thank

(05:46):
you sponsored. All right, let's get into this interview slash
cocktail hour. Let's do this. My name is Tokiwa Tokyo
was Sears. Everyone calls me Tokey, most people call me token.
I have the privilege of running the bar program at

(06:07):
Bar Marco and the Four Seasons Hotel. I'm pretty much
a native Atlantin. I guess I'm probably the most northern
loving nade of at Lantin most people will know. Okay,
girls and Stone Mountain, how did you get into bartending?

(06:31):
I'm just drinking and then like learning about drinking and
learning about drinks, And honestly, I always fought bartenders were
just like so cool, like that would be so cool
to be a bartender, you know, look at him going
and so I just had this love affair with food

(06:51):
and beverage and I just love bartending or bartenders would
made me want to bartend. And here we are ten
years later, Helen have even been in the industry. I've
been in the industry probably closer to twenty years, but
I've been bartending for ten years. Okay. We love food
and beverage, love cocktoau, culture, connecting, getting creative, having fun.

(07:18):
I love it. So what are you creating for us
upper here? I'm just keeping it simple, well, I mean
outside of having to hand juice that doesn't seem simple.
Making gimblets one of my favorites. I love making them
at home. Um, and I figured why not just go
with a tried and true and do something nice and

(07:40):
clean and refreshing and delicious. Yes, and gin love Gin
love Gin. We love Jim Okay. And we're also joined
by miss I am Tiffany berry A rhymes with Perryer
those that have never known how to say my last name.

(08:01):
I am a cocktail fanatic. Um, I'm so engulfed in
history and I really honestly love to drink. And you
put those two together, and then they caught you the
drinking coach. That's my nickname in these streets. Before there
was an I g before I had a hatchtag. Um,

(08:21):
I have lived, I have, I've lived, I've worked, I've
was raised where I've lived and I've worked. Um, there's
a story behind that too. But I I grew up
in a drinking family and casually drink and entertained family
over and played cards and music and cocktails. Um. I
come from a family who loves a punch. Just make

(08:42):
it happen. Um. We drank and we shared and we
laughed and no one was every belligerent or fighting and
things like that. So I thought it was so cool,
like they were doing this thing and they were so
fun and smiling, And I'm like I can't wait to drink,
like I want to do that too, So I I
did drink young an age, I'm sipping, but what's just

(09:03):
my family And so it was just fun to see
like something that you could take in and make you happier. Um,
I won't say my age, but drugs are bad and
dare came out and I was like, I'll never do that,
but I will definitely drink so um. I mean it

(09:25):
was a thing like McGruff and the fire guy was
like telling you don't do these things, but they didn't
say it don't drink. They didn't say the Amazon rate
Nancy Reagan. Um. And I was like, I'm not gonna
do those things. And my family drank and they were cool.
So as I got older, I wanted to be cool too,

(09:46):
so I started drinking. But the cool thing about it
is I was tasting all kind of cool stuff because
my parents kept a nice, cute situation at home. So
I stayed in the cabinet. I sipped it all and
I got up bartending job and bartended until I got
fed up with people asking me, are you going to

(10:06):
get a real job? And I was like, man, like
I'm coming to work is this not a real job.
The acceptance with family and friends are like, you can't
do this forever, and you can do it forever. So
it bartending identified who I was. I don't know if
I was having identity crisis, but bartending let me say,
let me feel okay to be lobbly, Okay, to have

(10:28):
a cocktail, Okay, I have a different palette, and okay
to be nice to people. So you're not necessarily a
bartender right now? What is because the bartender? You're a bartender?
I do not have I apologize. I do not have
a bar home. Um that is my choice. I have

(10:49):
been in this city working with some really, really cool people.
I really highlight the word hospitality because using your resources
and hospitality is really fun. And we all need each
other in different oxigories. There's so many categories of what
we do, and I loved doing all of the things.
And when you work at one bar, or one chef,

(11:10):
or one brand or one city, it gets boring. So
I said, screw that. Um, I want to do everything,
and thus far three years strong, self employ independent tender.
It's creepy and scary, but my heart is so into
it that I'm not broke. And and I'm never sober now.

(11:31):
I'm just it's good. It's it's a blessing for sure,
to really look at the industry that we're in and
figure out because we're all. A bartender is a brand,
you know, this personality that you are is a brand.
So I'm like, I can brand myself. And so many
brands and bars and chefs and farmers want to do

(11:53):
cool stuff. I want to do cool stuff. I say,
you're kind of a big name when it comes to
cocktail craft drinking industry. I but I heard that's the
rumor on the streets. I'm likable. I really feel that
my success rate is because of my work ethic. And

(12:13):
I'm likable. Some people are not likable to work with.
Some people fail on multiple checkboxes on just doing a job.
I'm punctual, I'm fun. I listen, I don't listen. Sometimes
I say what I want to say. We make it happen.
It's just cocktails. So I feel my success rate is
my work ethic. Did I say it was fun? I

(12:35):
heard that, Yeah, And I'm really fun to hang out with.
Sometimes you can hear it in your voice were sitting
here talking obviously. H Yeah, people want that people want
to work with fun people. And so I know Katie
through her current kind of get you a little before
because I was in the beer world. One of the
things that I was saying to her earlier, like, I

(12:56):
saw the picture of you guys already hanging out doing
so many things. What are some of the events that
you heard? You were a judge for a couple of contests, contests,
the contest competitions. That's a better competitions. UM. What are
some of the things that you are involved in? What
are some things that you are bigger part of, whether
it's group, different types of groups or whatnot. UM, I'm

(13:19):
learning how to be really proud of some things I've done. UM.
Currently on the advisory board Beverage advisory board for James Beard.
Big stuff, okay, kind of a big deal. James Beard
is the Oscar Awards, the pinnacle of food and beverage.
It's really chef driven. UM. And they sometimes leave the

(13:40):
liquid side, the front of the house side out of it.
And so I'm on that board and I get to
make some kind of decisions here and there and actually
keep this hospitable. UM. I also sit on Atlanta Food
and Wines Board for now nine years. My one of
my favorite festivals ever. Again, just having an opinion and

(14:00):
being present um a minority, UM and all levels, gender
and race. I ghost right for a couple of brands
and cocktail creations, um not alcohol and alcohol. And I
do judge competitions and recently I was into competitions. Yeah,

(14:21):
I just want to see well I was kind of
weird about it, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do
make great cocktails. I write them a lot now and
I typed them up and submit them. But actually making
them on the bars, besides my house is not what
I do. So I get a chance to just show
some presents and be a little a little twinkle star sometimes.

(14:42):
So can we just hang out and you just make
drinks for me? Please hang out? Can we do this?
I'll bring all of the food. I'm not gonna cook anything,
but I'll bring them. There's no reefs, yes exactly. That's
my favorite thing in the whole life world. So I'll
bring some fried chicken if you'll just done. This is
being recorded, so that chicken like chicken. Um. So yeah,

(15:03):
it's cool to be Uh, I'm not old in the game.
Just before I cocked well, I'm old in the game. Um,
I don't really know if I if Yeah, I'm just older.
I've been around enough to pay attention to the growth
of it but also keep it rooted. Um. Sometimes the word,
you know, the words, the bourbage get all thrown all

(15:25):
all over the place, and people are cool because of
likes or maybe the chef, they work for the brand
and that and they are like for that. But representing
the hospitable side of it is my fang. Frank. So,
some of the questions we would ask before and would
love everyone's feedback was, Um, do you feel because we

(15:45):
were talking about some of the things that are happening
in the industry, whether it's uh, sexual harassment or inclusivity,
do you feel like those situations, especially like let's say
the me too era, and we know some of the
things that happened within big restaurant industries are big name chefs.
Do you feel like that's being addressed more and more
or do you think that's still something that's obviously need
to be maybe more voice or whatever whatnot. Yeah, I

(16:09):
mean make too movement is all over every industry is
me too movement, and we have been pretty quiet about
what we do because we're working in a very fun environment.
We say behind you and in front of you and
on the side of you, and we say a lot
of things together within our own comfort of being in
a very tight space that's high, you know, very very busy, um.

(16:30):
And we keep our personalities in a place so we
can give it to the guest. And I think that
we have have things happen while we're at work that
we're okay with and they're not okay. UM. So yeah,
there's always going to be room for more me. Two's
always more room, um. But actually owning it, you know,
I I've seen it and then I've seen it hushed.

(16:52):
But the our community for sure has a voice as
well on what's acceptable in what isn't um, because there's
still some hotlands around. And then again another question and
all of y'all because we kind of talked about it before.
I mean, it's good they did say that inclusivity when
it comes to the involving women people of color was

(17:12):
l g B, t q I community. How do you
think is there a better way or what else can
they do to be more inclusive in this industry? Hire
more people of color and more women and that well,
I think um. For one, this is deep for me.
This is my opinion on people of color in the industry.
At a very heavy conversation with the young lady who

(17:34):
said to me, she doesn't feel like people of color
should be in the service industry because we've been serving
for so long, so why would you want to do
it now? Me being me, I'm like, okay, facts that
that's facts. Nevertheless, when you think about the history of
service and you think about, yes, we were we were
serving some our people, our whether they were Hispanic, um Asian,

(17:57):
or black, the people that they were serving were pretty profound.
But these profound rich people who hired this help also
hired the most articulate and the prettiest and the most
educated and queen and the etiquette was so tight. We
own service, so own it, like stop suppressing it and

(18:18):
be like, you know what, Actually, I do know how
to make the best I almost cursed old fashioned because
because I've been making this old fashioned. I've been making
this soul fashion that my grandpa's house for for the
preacher of our church. Or I know how to pour
a glass of wine properly, I know what a polished
glass layer. I know these things because Unfortunately, my ancestors,
my mom, my grandma's, my aunties, we did this. We

(18:41):
did this thing as little girls or little boys, like
we know how to serve, so own it, own it
all the way. So when I hear like hire more
people of color, some people of color don't want to
do it. However, there are some really talented. I'm speaking
on the chef's side, black chefs, women, and menton um
for the women. Most malchefs of color always say, you know,

(19:04):
my mom taught me, my grandma taught me, my aunt
taught me. But there's no women in kitchens. So I'm like, soul,
what's up a mom's recipe that year in here? Fixing?
So I think more people of color that actually honor
it with some history and some substance would fix it.
As far as women on the bars, or women in
the kitchens, or women in the restaurant in general. Like
women don't have to be the host in the eye candy,

(19:25):
women don't have to wear a certain kind of outfit. Yes,
we are nicer, we have estrogen, and of course we're nicer.
We know our role, but don't hire the woman for
this role. So I would love to see more women
and other roles like maybe you put a woman on fry,
she might really like to be down on fire on
the grill, or put a guy as a host, and
like women want to see a nice hands some guy

(19:46):
when they walk in. And as far as the gays,
I mean, we need the gaze everywhere. Come on like
l G B t q I is a thing. Um,
we've been hitten, We've been um put for entertainment purposes. Um,
but we have bills and they to be paid too,
So honor thy neighbor who sorry to thank you too.

(20:19):
I also want to add to that as well. UM.
I have heard that before as far as um black
people people of color saying okay, well we were we
were you know, serving people, etcetera, etcetera. UM around the time,
you know, especially when bartending actually became a real profession,

(20:40):
it was actually a very very noble profession. I think
that one of the ways to kind of, um build
more inclusion and bringing more people of color, more women,
I mean, into into more professional serving career options is
to also open up the education to where they see

(21:02):
it as a viable career option instead of you know,
we all worked extremely hard, we're extremely you know, talented
and knowledgeable, and we just weren't that way just because
like we've worked hard, we've read, we sit at bars,
we asked questions, we've gone through the ranks of getting certified,

(21:23):
and all of these different things that we wouldn't be
able to be a successful independent bartender or you know,
run bar programs in five star hotels without having that
structure of of your knowledge and and working along these
chefs and just basically working hard. So I also think
that opening it up to where it's shown as a

(21:46):
viable career instead of being shown as something you do
when you're in college, or something you do because you
don't have any other choices. This is what I chose
to do. UM, I think that would help as well. UM.
I do often have people approach me, you know, how
did you how are you afforded the opportunity to, you know,

(22:08):
be on this show or be in this magazine. It's
like it's because I you know, you see like the
you think it's glamorous. You don't see the hard work involved.
You don't see you know, me cleaning the bar every night.
You don't see, um me being able to have to
adjust my personality and in my verbage per guests, per guests,

(22:28):
per guest, per guests, and try to cater that experience,
um individually. You don't see all the books I've read.
You don't see you know, the network of these bartenders
that we all know all over this country, all over
the world. They don't see all of that. And then
when you say we'll do these things, read these books,
check out bar smarts, check out these avenues to grow

(22:50):
as a skill set. And then they're like, wait what
because they think it's easy, right, I think it's easy.
It's like, oh, Okay, you're cute. Wow you did this. Cool.
It's like, you know, I've been like doing this like
through yeah, like I've been grinding. I've I've had to
you know, be very resilient through these years. I've been

(23:11):
that only woman bartender behind the bar. I've been bullied,
I've been this and been that. I had to stay
extremely strong and put together to make it to where
I wanted to be in my career. So I think
showing it as a viable career option and showing the
work that's involved, because as far as especially African Americans
are concerned, you want to talk about you know, labor

(23:34):
and in in trades and skill sets. You know, after slavery,
we had a majority of those skill sets, whether it's welding, bartending, cooking, whatever,
we had those skill sets. It's just another skill set.
It's a viable there's nothing wrong with it. It's a
great trade job wattle reward, and it's fun and it

(23:56):
pays the bills and it pays the um. Since you
brought up and each time we said service, which obviously
there's a reason for that being a hang up, do
you think it would make a difference, not only for
people of color, but for people in general, like you
were saying, getting people to realize that it's an actual

(24:18):
career if we stopped calling it the service industry and
and talked about it as hospitality, because that's what you
were putting a nail on, Like, no, it's hospitality. It's
me making you the drink that I know how to
make the best because I know you're going to enjoy it,
and like me having taking the time to make you
have a good night versus I think it's purely just

(24:42):
the way people think about it. It's like service makes
it sound like it's worked, like it's a job, but
which and I mean like two us work that you
don't want to do, like it's not anything to enjoy
versus hospitality has a has a more positive ringtone. And
I wonder if people would have a different perception of
what we're doing if we change, like if we quit

(25:03):
calling at that. I'm just curious. Um, great question, Katie.
I do think that the wordplay is a very thin
line between like the word play, um, the actual definition
of service, the actual definition of hospitality. They're clearly going
to be something different. Um. There are universities that have

(25:23):
a hospitality department because people that I've met that have
a degree in hospitality, And I'm like, you went to
school for this. You went, you went to school, you
spent money on this when it's quote unquote the hard
knocked life, Like it's the principle of life. Like what
we do for service, I'd say, is it's a natural

(25:45):
like you want to do it, you just happen to,
just like being nice to people, are giving to people,
or you know, just get Yeah, there's no other word,
like I enjoy this gift of humanity. Um. I oh,
if you um spill service in cursive hospitality, you know,

(26:07):
I don't. I think it would be very good survey
to say, you know, do you feel like services the
old church hum of work, or it's hospitality, Like I
went to school for this, I know, because those people
didn't do it naturally. I mean maybe they did, but
we would be acing every class with like triple A

(26:29):
plus is in hospitality school? Well, I think maybe hospitality
school is more like the technical aspects, right, like like
like refining your verbage management track. You know, um um,
you know a lot of people don't know how to
set a table, where is the where does the dessert

(26:50):
spoon go? Where does your water glasgow? You know, those
kinds of things. I think also maybe I'm not sure
I'm a college dropout. I'm not sure. I'm just I'm
assuming that right. But not a lot of people don't
know that etiquette. People don't know etiquette. People don't know etiquette.

(27:10):
But I do think that there is a difference between
service and hospitality. And I also think that hospitality that
I tend to see that term geared more towards um,
like the resort, the hotel kind of avenue of what
we do, because hospitality meaning more so like okay, welcome

(27:33):
to it. The four seasons you're at home for the
next four nights that you're here, and I have to
do everything possible to make you really feel like this
is your home, you know, versus you know, coming into
a standalone restaurant enjoying a meal for a couple of hours.
When I work to the Emeralds, it is definitely hospitality heavy,

(27:54):
but we also service heavy, because my man just said,
hospital like the setting the tables, when you two forks
all the water, you know, what's the water glass or whatever.
But our service was how we made those people feel
like we anticipate in their needs, how we take care
of them, how we're nice to them, how we meet,
like to say in their name over and them again.
That was part of the service part. The hospitality I
part was making them feel welcome. So it goes hand

(28:17):
in hand. I mean, I don't think it should change.
I don't feel like it puts any damn for downgrade
my what I do. It's just kind of like a
It's just like one transition another. You could be in
hospitality and all you do sit at the death of
the concierge service, but services when you take care of
those people and you want to do and you go like, hey,
Mr Robinson, welcome back, and we have this for you.

(28:38):
We want to make sure you're taking care of our
That's where the service parts come from me and I
don't I don't take that. They don't think they're mutually exclusive.
I just feel like they're just just one they one
needs to to the other thing. It just kind of
rolls right in their intend them. They just go together
just regardless of whether you say it one way or
do something else. There's your hospitality is welcome them in

(28:58):
the services, how well you take care of the so
it kind of leads into that. So yeah, I don't
think you need to the bourbons shouldn't change. Um, it's
I've never felt like that made me feel like I
was a servant. You know, I'm giving great service and
that means I'm going to make sure you're taken care of.
And that's just really it. It shouldn't. It's not really

(29:18):
a big deal. I mean, if somebody feels that way,
then you are in a wrong business. Friend. I just
kind of just don't even because if it's if that's
something that small bothers you about being in the service industry,
then Jesus you have a lot Yeah, because do you
know you're here to take care of people, You're here
to make them great things, here to do great things
for them. You can't be bothered by something that's not
directly on the house. I could put it. But it's

(29:41):
a noble it's a noble industry to be in. Right, No, no, no, no.
You take pride in what you do and and it's
a it's a it is a noble industry to be in.
And not everybody can do this, and people that look
try to look down on someone in the service industry.
We're not supposed to curse, but they can kicks. I

(30:03):
am in my forties and my mother still goes, are
you trying to go to that university? I'm like, do
you know you know doing this? I'm like, she's still
even when I have like articles or whatever it's written,
I'm doing stuff, she still doesn't believe it's a Really
I'm like, I don't even show anymore if I'm doing
something or whatever, because I'm like, she's been I'm like

(30:23):
the hope of hopes, and I appreciate and I love
you for wishing that even at this old age. I mean,
there's still I've never had to leave I mean, besides
the usual family support, it's a great this is as
soon as she's teached, um has done me good service.
Like I love what I do. I make money at it,

(30:44):
I've moved my way up, worked hard at it, and
you know, again, people still some people still don't see
it every day. It's I mean, definitely old school. They
still want to see go back and finish that law degree, like,
but there's this here. I couldn't do that. So that
is another good question because I know they've just been
talking with you guys, and I'm asking you, like, how

(31:06):
do you feel about the you know, sexual harassment stuff
people in the service industry and people in the hospitality industry,
people being a part in Women specifically have to have
really really thick skins, and you guys go through some
hard So one of the questions one of the things
I would ask, let's say we're bringing in young uh
young women, are those who identify as female coming in

(31:26):
and be like, you know what, I do want to
be a part of this industry because I'm fascinated about
the alchemy aspect of creating something different or doing something perfectly,
or or learning or being in competitions. What would be
a piece of advice you could give to them as
a warning, warning, advice or warning. I mean, okay, so

(31:48):
sexual harassment is in a lot of industries. I don't
think that it's something that the service industry has. I
guess it's open for you. Maybe I think you're at
a bar, you've kind of like more of a free
flow and kind of situations. But no, I mean that
may be a way to look at it, if I

(32:10):
were to say one piece of advice to anyone, Because
I don't necessarily I've known men to be sexual harassed.
It's not it's just not a woman's struggle. Learn how
to say no and mean it with a smile. Yeah,
I kind of want to pay you back on what
Tokey just said. Not necessarily related to harassment necessarily of

(32:34):
any sort or like inappropriate behavior, but learning to say
no in general. Because as much as this industry has
done for us and given us and parted us up,
I don't think any of us can argue that it
is also an industry that can take advantage of your
time and your personal well, like how much you have
to give. You can't like getting paid time off is

(32:57):
not really a thing at a bar like things like that,
and if somebody calls out and there's only two people there,
like you, someone has to feel like you can make
it work. But it's not a place where it's like,
oh it's fine, you couldn't can't make it on far
day or whatever. Um, but like if you're gonna stay,
learning to say no and like learning to not if

(33:17):
you're like I think many of us are not, feel
guilty about me like no, I can't pick that chipped up,
I cannot work this eighth day in a row for you.
I cannot do such and such like I have to
go home and sit with my dog. So two different
knows like a customer no, or like a coworker not
of like please do not touch me, and I know
of like this is my time, like I gotta go,

(33:39):
like this is not my whole life. I love it here,
I love what we do, but I won't tomorrow if
you don't let me go home right now. Yeah, I
had to learning that was important for me because I did.
I felt guilty when like if you're relied on if
you say no, like, oh, they're not going to rely
on me anymore. Like if I if I don't just
like I know that's true, but the feeling, but the

(34:01):
feeling of being like if I say no now, well
then I'm not going to get it next time or whatever.
I think. I think, not me, but I think most
women are raised to be as appeasing and nice and

(34:22):
accommodating as possible, right, So I think that that's kind
of where that issue comes from, saying no, like you
said no, you told a man no, Like no, sir.
Please don't call me sugar. Um. My name is to
a time like a yeah or whatever. Yeah, both of

(34:47):
those things. My name is not little lady. Um, my
name is TOKEI what may I offer you to drink?
I mean I'm six ft two, I'm not anyway. Um.
I think knowing yourself walking into it is really important

(35:08):
because we do have to put on the ritz when
you get to work. You do have to put on
the show, and we all don't wake up as bright
and bubbly as we think unless sometimes you're me and
it's kind of creepy. Um, why am I so happy?
Because I'm blessed? But I think knowing who you are,
like we're different people at home than we are at work,

(35:29):
or you might be the same person at home and
at work. Um, I've worked alongside Tokey before and I've
seen her get it together. I've worked with a long
with Keisha before and she's like, we're doing this like
it's a it's a flow, and if Katie as well.
It's just you just kind of click into your your
quote unquote role, your acting role, your character, your work ethic.

(35:50):
But I think knowing who you actually are after work
and at work is very very It's a good safe
stone to say, this is what I'm doing, this is
what I'm to represent, this is what I'm putting out there.
Also what able? What what you're also able to accept?
You know, if you are going through things at home,
you know, getting to work, you might get you know,

(36:12):
you might expound a little too much and be too
sensitive and it could mess up the way you work,
or vice versa. Maybe work is a horrible place and
the home is a great place and you get to
work and you're just get in angry face. So I
think knowing who you are as an individual, which do
we really know who we are? Sometimes? But I think
knowing who we are when you get another car or

(36:34):
I did get a little deep, but I think about
that because um, we work in the industry that is
giving all the time. So you have to be rooted
in something um like your personality or your brand or
the actual goal while you're working there, not just money, money, money, money, money.
You Definitely a lot of people don't know who they are,

(36:54):
but it helps. It definitely helps. When I first out
in this industry, believe it or not, I was scared
to death to talk to people that I didn't know,
like trembling, scared, like you're a stranger. I don't like it,
terrified me. Long story short, The point I'm trying to

(37:15):
make is that if you let it, and if you
work hard and you really allow this industry, it will
teach you so much about yourself in that you're learning
about other people if you're paying attention, and it will
if you allow it, it will allow you to chisel

(37:36):
away and it almost trained you to bring out the
best qualities of yourself, like when you have to, like
when you need to you know, I'm having a bad day,
like get it together, and you kind of learn how
to manage yourself and manage your emotions and manage your
you manage you because it's not about you, unfortunately, like

(37:58):
when I'm when I'm at work, it's not about me.
Do I have the hospitality exactly? And it lets you
like that's the It's almost like it's strange, but it's
almost therapeutic. But it's like you give so much to others.
It's not about you, but in that you learned so
much about yourself and how to manage yourself and how

(38:20):
to um manage your feelings. And it's not the end
of the world. That's it. Life is good, though it's
not the end of the world. When I thought about
what to bring, I knew that my sisters here, we're
going to bring stuff, and I was like, I don't know.
I'm kind of in a brain fart. What am I

(38:42):
gonna make? Blah blah blah blah blah. Because when I'm
not bartending, I do have a life. I do other things,
and I do have a full bar in my truck.
I grew up again in a very fun family where
it's a party anywhere, and are what we do is
it's a lifestyle. But because of what I do, it's
a lifestyle. Then there's times that you could be at

(39:03):
an event and we're short of glassware, we're short of
who needs a barspoon or like whatever. I it's like
a big person. I'm like, let me look at my
person and see what I got. Um. But I have
I keep a flask on me at all times. I
have since I was twenty one. My grandfather had a flask.
I just thought it was so cool. He would just

(39:24):
put out a flask and take a swig, and I'm like,
that is the coolest thing ever that you have liquor
on you at all time. But as I got nerdier
and got more educated into the industry and booze and
you know, different components of this industry, the flask was
something that I used to hide. Like if people see

(39:45):
you drink and they're like, oh my god, you've been
drinking of it all day and I might have been,
or um, it just may be there, for it doesn't
flask do not hold that much alcohol, And yeah if
I do, if anyone ever does see me with my
flask and I kind of look at me like, oh,
I'm like, did you want something like And I'm not like,

(40:05):
did you want someone like you know, like, yeah, you know,
breaking case of emergencies. Um, But I am always safe. Um.
But the flask was created by a woman, and I
hate Once I found that out, I was like general,
like in general, no most flask, Um, let's go right, yeah, um,

(40:27):
flask would curve. This is prohibition time. Look at my
trustees sister pulling a flask out of her bag right now.
The curvature on a flask was supposed to be placed
in a hip, hence the hip flask or the side
of the bosom or maybe sometimes in the arm. Prohibition
was crazy, Like could you imagine right now if the
government told us, all right, guys, we ain't drinking no more.

(40:52):
That's like one day they're saying, hey, guys, pork is
no longer available in the States. And I used pork
a lot because people are like work, I think we're
gonna die. Um, but if the were all just if
America's the rule was no more alcohol and that was
back then, Um, this is you know, post World War one,
like this is this is America being built and then
they stopped the liquor. Um. So just knowing, like just

(41:18):
thinking about who I would be or where my upbringing
would be if there was no alcohol, I feel like
it'd be kind of strange. Any who um speak, easier
to being created and there's mills and women and having um,
they're still having drinks. But smuggling is real. And women
were not searched, they were not checked on, and it

(41:38):
wasn't even appropriate for a woman to be in the
behind less she was in the arms of her man.
So what did her man do, Hey, bib, meet me
at the bar. I'll bring this club soda and you
bring this liquor. And that's exactly what they did. And
so smuggling alcohol was um behind the scenes, but it

(42:00):
was you know, it was definitely embedded for women to
not look the part because a woman would dare not
have liquor on her unless it was the Thursday. Well
it's ladies Night from Yeah, that's where the Ladies Night
comes from. Yeah, on Thursdays, they would let women into bars,

(42:23):
so they were loaded in alcohol. They were smuggling in
those pretty bustles and petticoats and all that good stuff.
So once I found that out, I carried to flask
with me at all times in honor of me, with
the honor of my ancestors. But I just I think
it's cool. So I bought a flask of tequila. The

(42:45):
good sugar um, some of the best and I thought
i'd share with you. Thanks. We're talking about like women
just starting booze. Um that that's if no, when he
knows that women were also the original brewers. Uh. And

(43:05):
that's also where the stereotype of a witch comes from. Yeah,
so before men and specifically Christian men. Thanks Catholics. Um,
I grew up Catholic. That's fine. Realized a mostly that
you could make money off of brewing. Brewing, whether it

(43:27):
was beer or cider or whatever, was mostly and in
the home practice or in your small community practice. And
it was pretty much only women that did it. And
ale wives would wear tall pointed hats to be so
that you could spot them in a crowd and be
like that lady has the beer. Um. They would put

(43:49):
a broom on the top of their sign or like
their door post or whatever to say, hey, y'all, the
batch is ready, like you can come over now, and
often had cats because where there is grain, as rats,
dost cats. Um. And so then when dudes were like
wait but money and also just general control, which at
the time the easiest way to get to control people

(44:12):
was to tell them they were going to go to hell. Um,
they turned they demonized it and I was like, oh no,
that's that's what a witch looks like. So when like
witch hunting became a thing, like they picked up that
image to kill the female industry of making booze and
also to push it into a more industrialized space. That

(44:34):
exact same story goes for moonshiners, UM and whiskey makers.
Because to what you said about cats, Um, where they're
are grains, there are cats and the women the quote
unquote catwoman, the lady with a bunch of cats. That
was like, it's pretty much de womanized or make us
weirdos um, But that was to protect her. I did

(44:59):
not know that. That is really cool. The organizer of
the James and Drags beer festival that celebrates the original UM,
he wanted to have me partake this year, but it
didn't work out. He's like, let's work on something for
next year. And I was like, can I just like
I have a tiny, one person booth that's just me

(45:20):
in a pointy hat, kindly yelling at guests to the
festival about where beer started and why which is are
a thing. He's like, yeah, totally, Like okay, cools can't wait.
That's totally I'm looking forward to. I was totally standing
and be like, yell more stuff at me about stuff

(45:42):
that a year span of time to do some really
in depth three s. One of the things that's so
cool about this industry and what we do and beer, wine,
liquor cocktails, it's like, you never know, there's no way
anyone knows everything about this, Like it's so many different
layers and culture and it ties into so many different

(46:05):
things and people and cult it's just crazy. That's really cool.
I didn't know that that's cool. I'm sorry. Look at
us learning over a couple of jury. I mean, I
think that's to what you said, Yeah, it is really cool.
It does bring back to the trade job of like, yeah,
to make alcohol is not easy, like it's not making

(46:27):
a cup of coffee, like when you're brewing or you
are macerating or fermentating or like carrying things in a wagon,
you know, towns over and all that stuff like that
was that was their choice, and that was like a
really hard job choice. And the fact that you know
it's male and female together, I mean from history putting
it down and smell and female. Um, it's really nice

(46:51):
to see more women accepted to what you said, earlier
with having the knowledge of it and having the face
and the approachability to be like actually with drink, I
have a I have a small story. All these liquor
stories are told over liquor. We don't know how true
all of it is, but some people wrote it down.
Some of these scientists and these brewers wrote the recipes down.

(47:11):
And um, that's so cool, smart guys during the Great Depression.
Thanks guys. Thanks. We have some more of our conversation,
but first we have one more group break for work
from our sponsor. And we're back. Thank you sponsor. Let's

(47:43):
get back into it all right, like so we're gonna
slowly wrap it up. One. We have a lot of
fruits in here and jin and things, and I want
to like we should create one just for now of something.
What can we do right now with what you see? Ladies,
you put your magic touch to this. We've got wine
somewhere in here are things somewhere. There's not really that much,

(48:06):
but we love gin and there's there's fruit. There's tonics,
and just drink gin tonics like the Spanish too. How
did I drink how Iberian style in a wine glass
with a shipload of garnishes. Sorry I cursed, my apologies,

(48:29):
but yeah, no, that's I'm totally into how the Spanish
drink their gin tonics, like really really good tonic, good gin,
big fat wine glass like giant, and then just throwing
fruits and herbs and berries and like most like we
only have one goblet though I did this year, and yeah, basically, basically,

(48:52):
you you depending on the gen you used, if you
knew the botanicals of that gin, you garnished the glass
with those botanicals. So you've got like the orange vest
in there and lemons that you got some coriander floriding flirting.
It's it's flirting with the juniper berries inside, and you know,
you have this lime wedge that's not squeeze, it's just
in there. It's in this beautiful goblet and it's absolutely

(49:16):
gorgeous and you're just drinking it. When I went to
London Cocktail Week and I was like, I'm doing G
and T because I'm English, do this, you know, I
go I'm like I was like, I was like, G
and T please, And it became out always in a
big thing with all the stuff. I was like, this
is my drink of the week. Everywhere I went, I
was even doing it wrong that so alsoarkins don't really

(49:40):
seem to be on that train, and I really like it.
I think when I was doing that thing with the
cocktail thing at CNN and we told my vodka, I
was like, you know, if you want to flavor vodka,
just go ahead and orders GM. It's totally right there.
You can't. Don't ask me for it. Sit you on.
Don't get me wrong, bo gets a bad rap. But

(50:02):
so that's with some extra special bobka. If you don't
want to open your paler up to something cool and
amazing like gin, then I don't know what else to
tell you. All Right, we got goblets. We're gonna try this.
I feel like we need to definitely do the gent
and tonic that style, yes, because I will drink that
all day. Um. Yes, that's what you know. Every time

(50:25):
I see you at council will be asking yes, and
it'll be different every time I have an idea, you do. Oh,
we got ideas. So let's on top of that. Um,
if where can we find you? Social media wise? Give
us your tags, give all of those things so we
can come and hunt you and stock you down. Um.
I am the drinking Coach spelled correctly v V not

(50:50):
and drinking not drinking Coach. I'm on I G and
on LinkedIn. I'm on Facebook and Twitter, and I'm on
the streets. You can't find me the Home bar, but
if you do follow me on i G you can
follow me and see where I pop up at. Um.
I am at Miss Libration on Instagram. You can find

(51:13):
me on Facebook Tokywa Sears that's my name. What else.
I don't really do Twitter like that, but I'm at
Miss Libration on Twitter as well. Um, and you can
find me on LinkedIn as well. And you can also
find me at the best cocktail bars in the city,

(51:34):
best restaurants in the city. I'm at home Kisha starus um.
I guess you can find me on Instagram is Wino
It's spilled Wine. Oh yeah, that's my life. Team up
Wino and I also loved Wino. That's so on Instagram.
I don't do uh and Facebook. Um yeah. And if

(51:57):
you're ever round you want to get dumb, there to
day I will get joystick, video games and cocktails. We
even don looks like the Divy Bar and it is.
I mean, we can still make you a proper drink,
so do not be afraid. It's always fun. So check
me out. Thanks guys. I am at one more round

(52:18):
on Instagram, one underscore more around. Um. I do not Facebook,
just Instagram and you can find me on the bar
at s box Car in the West End in Atlanta. Yes,
in Atlanta, Yes, yeah, all these restats in Atlanta. So
if you come to Atlanta, please come and say hello
to these beautiful, beautiful ladies with their fine, fine concoctions

(52:42):
and of course the fine they're fine cells as well.
So um, anything else, I don't want to ask anything else.
We want to add drink responsibly, Yes, do drink responsibly,
and do drink gin and tip well and tip often.
And I think I said it before, but Tiffany always

(53:03):
says it. Don't order what you always order or something
new train stuff. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Just real quick,
real quick, real quick. Don't go to bars and order
things that you make at home to drink. Let the
bartender give you an experience. Don't go to bars and

(53:26):
look at a cocktail menu and ask the bartender what's good.
Let us know a little bit more about you and
we can guide you in the right direction. And if
you're at the right bar, we can create something for
you to cater to your mood or to you or
how you're feeling, or whatever the case may be. But

(53:47):
let's think, think a little bit deeper, because we wouldn't
put drinks on the menu if we didn't think they
were good. That's all I have. Commandments of cocktails bar etiquette. Um.
My one liner, maybe two one liners are, if you
don't like the way alcohol taste, please don't drink it.

(54:08):
You don't have to. It's okay. You don't like it,
if it burns, if it does something that you please,
don't feel like you have to do it. It's it's okay. Um.
And if you are lost at the bar and you
don't know what to do, look at that awesome person
that's getting paid to do the job and say, just
make me something, even though we're gonna look at you

(54:30):
and ask a few questions, but just kind of what
you like. And it's easy to start off saying what
you don't like. That brings us to the end of
this our first cocktail hour, but hopefully we will have
another one. Yes, So thank you to them to come
and just speaking with us about all of the trials

(54:50):
and all of the goodness of being in the alcohol
industry and also sharing with her with us delightful tasting drinks. Yes,
and um, the a conversation honestly could have kept going.
Everyone was sort of like, well we have to stop. Yeah,
I did keep going. We were like, oh, well, they
try to get home, man. Yeah, but we were hoping

(55:14):
to do another one and again come up with that
menty themed cocktails when other people come up with and
they were There were certain other interviewees that we wanted,
but we're competing in competitions, cocktail competitions, so they could
have come. So um, maybe we will revisit this in
the future. But in the meantime, thank you so much

(55:35):
to all of them and thanks to you for listening.
You can again check us out Sheet Podcast live this Friday,
October the eleven in Atlanta in Atlanta. That's also to
thank you. Um and uh yeah, we would love to
hear from you. You can email us at Stuff Media, Mom,
Stuff at iHeart media dot com. You can find us
on Twitter all Stuff Podcasts, or on Instagram at stuff.

(55:59):
I'm never to all do I don't know why samanthis
laughing at me but anyway, thanks It's always to our
super producer Andrew Howard with help from guest superproducer DJ
da J Dave, And thanks you for listening. Son never
told you's protection of I R Radios how STEPP works.
For more podcasts from My High Radio, visit the hire

(56:20):
Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.