In Part 1 of my two-part conversation with bar consultant and spirits expert Philip Duff, some of the topics we discuss include:
How a small Irish town of 5,000 people played host to the busiest pub in all of Ireland thanks, in part, to a trip to Texas, some stained glass, and knack for documenting its drink recipes
The shift in consumer consciousness from fun, flair-driven pours to more complex and serious cocktails with the opening of the Atlantic Bar and Grill in London in 1995.
How real estate moguls, hotel chains, and venture capitalists radically transformed the rules of the game and opened the doors for mid- and high-end bar and restaurant chains in the 90s and 2000s.
And what it takes to train and retain a high-quality bar staff in the wake of a pandemic that decimated the talent pool available to our industry..
Along the way, we cover the design similarities between Air Force One and certain bar programs, the heavy-hitting Spillstop 28550 Pour Spout, how to say "hamburger" in Italian, and much, much more.
