The Count, The Cooper And A Nip Of Courage

Behind every cocktail bar and liquor cabinet is a wealth of history and elaborate effort. On this week’s show, we take a look at some hidden elements of the cocktail industry.

First, we meet Master Cooper Ger Buckley of Jameson, one of only four master coopers in Ireland, who creates and repairs whiskey barrels using age-old techniques. Ger tells us about his relationship to the craft and how he learned the art of the barrel.

Master Cooper Ger Buckley

Next, we hop over to the Continent and speak with Count Eduardo Branca, sixth-generation purveyor of Fernet-Branca, an Italian digestif. Eduardo describes the incredible history of his family’s 170-year-old business.

Then, we take a trip Down Under to meet two unique craft spirit experts. Kathleen Davies, founder and distributor at Nip Of Courage, recalls how she took on Australia’s seemingly impossible liquor laws to form a constellation of craft distillers across the world's sixth-largest country.

And we speak with Mikey Enright, award-winning proprietor of The Barber Shop in Sydney, Australia. With haircuts in the front and an expansive cocktail lounge in the back, Mikey is blurring the lines between barber and bartender!