Episode 222 - Porchlight and Puppetry with Nicholas Bennett

In this wide-ranging conversation with Porchlight Beverage Director Nicholas Bennett, some of the topics we discuss include: Nick's journey from a beer and shot bar near Montauk to a supper club in Brooklyn, and on through some of the most legendary beverage programs in Manhattan, including Booker & Dax and Amor y Amargo. How making his mom's friend the worst cocktail she'd ever had kick-started an epic journey into education, experimentation, and creativity that has defined his upward trajectory in the hospitality business. Why Nick has embraced miniatures of himself in lego figurines and a puppet named Bennett, and how these avatars figure into the way Nick goes about educating and creating enthusiasm around cocktail trends he cares about. Of course, we also talk about the fantastic beverage program at Porchlight, which is a Union Square Hospitality Group venue. It's a place where Nick has been able to experiment with lots of fun riffs on drinks from the cocktail dark ages, and he's excited to share with us what's on tap for 2022. Along the way, we explore why Nick is a Blue Curacao apologist, the Proustian memory of his great-aunt's shaken Manhattan with spoiled vermouth, who one might encounter when questing for the Underberg of Destiny and the Centrifuge of Truth, and much, much more. This episode is brought to you by Near Country Provisions . If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life. Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.