Chris Cardone - Continuous Bev
#71 The Award-Winning Sober Bartender's Guide to Non-Alc Spirits
Play Time:
70 Minutes
Listen/Watch on all major platforms (and most of the little ones too)
QUICK QUOTES:
“I could still do the job I love because, at the core for me, bartending is not about what's in a cocktail, it's about the experience.”
“Because this isn't really a trend right, this is going to become normalised, where every bar you go to will have non-alcoholic cocktail options.”
Chris Cardone is a beverage consultant, chief mixologist and career bartender who, despite being sober for nearly 10 years, has continued to work in the hospitality drinks industry and help make the bar scene more inclusive for those seeking alternative ways to drink.
He is the winner of Bartender of the Year, a four-time national flair bartending finalist, and has even taught celebrities like Tom Holland how to flair bartend.
From Chris’s terrifying brain chemistry causing terrifying hallucinogenic reactions to even small amounts of alcohol to the naysayers claiming a sober bartender couldn't succeed, this story is incredible.
And, of course, he also shares invaluable insights into what makes quality alcohol-free spirits, the education gap in the industry, why non-alcoholic options deserve their place (and price point) alongside traditional cocktails, and how to make the most of non-alc spirits at home.
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WE CHAT ABOUT
0:00 Meeting Chris Cardone
1:54 The importance of hospitality
3:37 Chris' story
5:33 Hallucinogenic episodes
8:08 A life changing question
9:10 Staying in hospitality sober
12:05 A chemical reaction?
14:14 Being a sober career bartender
17:38 People thought I was sick
19:27 They told me to shut the fuck up
23:38 Watching the birth of a culture
27:30 What Chris thinks of Seedlip & Co
29:02 This isn't a trend
30:09 The good, the bad & the ugly of non-alc spirits
33:22 The alcohol-free cocktail experience
35:22 Where brands go wrong
36:47 Excited by Sylva & Ben Branson
38:46 The lack of education around non-alc spirits
42:22 The power of the bartender
43:32 Understanding the value of non-alc
48:31 A call to brands: Teach us!
52:13 Making alcohol-free cocktails at home
53:51 Tip 2: Start with a classic
54:43 Tip 3: Tinker & test
57:41 The Continuous Bev Consultancy
58:49 Creating a balanced cocktail menu
59:37 The cost of NOT having a non-alc offer
1:02:06 Corporate event consulting
1:03:55 Finding Chris
1:04:46 The BBQ-Q
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