WHEN DID YOU START WRITING
AND POSTING ABOUT MIXOLOGY?
I was a writer in the music indus-
try for 13 years. About eight years
ago I got burnt out on writing. The
industry was changing, and I realized
I was never going to make my mark,
to get that GQ cover. I started getting
into digital marketing; I saw it as a
way of doing storytelling for brands.
I was working for TV networks and
traveling a lot for work. Instead of
a table for two, I would eat dinner
at the bar and talk to the bartend-
ers. That inspired me to write and
post cocktail “porn photos” on social
media. I started reading sites for
the liquor and spirits and food indus-
try — liquor.com, thirstymag.com,
foodbeast.com. I thought, “Why
not reach out to them and write for
them?” You always hear that chefs
are crazy, but the hospitality indus-
try is a very welcoming industry. It
helped that I had a writing back-
ground. I wasn’t cold calling.
YOUR FATHER AND UNCLES HAVE
OWNED CLUB CHESTER, A BAR ON THE
CORNER OF BROADWAY AND CHESTER
IN NORTH NEWARK, FOR DECADES.
WHAT IS IT LIKE?
When I was growing up, it was
your typical mom and pop dive bar,
very much a neighborhood bar, a
beer-and-shots kind of place. I spent
a lot of my time off there. I used to
help out, stock the shelves. It had all
the characters you’d expect to find
in a traditional dive bar. One of the
older patrons had a wiener dog and
he’d lay all day on the foot of the bar
rail. He would stretch occasionally,
not much else. The neighborhood
has definitely changed over the years,
but there are still a lot of regulars.
The clientele is younger and much
more multicultural, but they are very
respectful.
DID YOU EVER CONSIDER RUNNING
A BAR YOURSELF?
I never thought I’d be a part of
the business; I wanted to be a writer
from an early age. But I’ve been
influenced by bar culture. My dad’s
YOUR CO-HOST, LUCINDA STERLING,
ALSO GREW UP IN BAR CULTURE. HOW
DID YOU TWO CONNECT?
Hall recording
his podcast.
bar was the kind of bar that I’ve
started to appreciate and fall in love
with. I’ve met so many people from
so many walks of life and have been
able to have conversations, whether
with a bartender or another patron,
and take something away. No matter
who you are or what your beliefs,
spirit, politics, you can sit down and
have a drink next to someone even
if you don’t know them and have a
conversation that is civil. I love that
about bars.
WHAT ABOUT BEING A BARTENDER?
I’ve taken a bartending class or
two and I don’t have the speed or
depth to do it professionally. Plus,
though I enjoy going to bars, I could
easily get burned out as a bartender.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE
IDEA FOR YOUR PODCAST?
I’m a huge fan of podcasts of all
genres; I’ve been obsessed with them
for a year and a half. There were no
podcasts that talked about what I was
interested in, the spirits space and
where it converges with pop culture.
I was kicking around the idea for
the podcast and talked to Juleyka
Lantigua-Williams, the executive pro-
ducer of Shot Caller, who I worked
with at Giant, the music magazine.
She said, “You know this stuff but
you have a very dry voice. You’re flat.
You need someone to balance you.
You need a female voice, someone
in the spirits space.” She introduced
me to Lucinda, who’d been thinking
about doing a podcast herself, and
we just clicked. We have similar
narratives.
WHO IS THE MARKET FOR YOUR
PODCAST?
We call our listener the “pro-
sumer” (or “pro-consumer”): You
enjoy the cocktail culture, you know
the difference between whiskey and
bourbon, but also love music and
entertainment and books and movies.
HOW HAS YOUR PODCAST BEEN
RECEIVED? IS IT A PROFITABLE
VENTURE?
We’ve been surprised by the recep-
tion. We have some deals locked in
with beer and spirits brands for spon-
sorships and branded content. Last
season, we partnered with a company
that makes a reusable, environmen-
tally friendly stainless-steel stirrer.
We’re definitely not making a million
dollars, though. The podcast is a pas-
sion project. I love when someone
says, “I love your podcasts,” and
quotes something funny or says
they learned something. ■
HALL’S INSIDER TIP FOR LOW-STRESS,
HIGH-SPIRITED HOLIDAY PARTIES
Rashaun Hall has one word for bartending at holiday house parties: Batching.
Batching means mixing big pitchers of cocktails ahead of time and storing them in the
fridge for two hours or until cold. At party time, just pull them out and let guests help
themselves.
Or, he says, use a punch bowl with an ice ring, just like your parents — or grandparents —
did. “Punch culture is definitely something that’s coming back,” he says.
Hall gives his wife credit for converting him to batching. “I like to make cocktails one-by-
one, but my wife says I need to be enjoying the party and not be behind the bar or in the
kitchen the whole time,” he says. “She said it kind of aggressively.”
MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2018
29