Good Morning! Happy Friday, and I hope you folks are having a good week. I will be posting a recommendations video for the holidays over the next few days but in the meantime, this past week I posted a video where I drank and ranked 30+ Tequila Brands! Give it a watch! Or don’t whatever lol. Anyway! on to this weeks newsletter

Are Listening Lounges the Next Big Cocktail Bar Trend?

Well they sure seem to be in Boston.

Last week, I talked about bars needing to adapt and change and to offer something more, and it seems like the Boston bar scene has found the way it wants to grow and try something new.

Listening bars are taking Boston by storm, offering music lovers a refuge from noisy crowds and Top 40 hits. These intimate venues prioritize high-quality audio and curated tunes, creating an immersive experience for enjoying music. Boston's bar scene is hitting all the right notes with a fresh wave of cool: listening bars.

It's like they heard my call for something more than just great cocktails and cranked it up to eleven (but in a chill, sophisticated way, of course). These intimate bars are trading the thumping bass and top 40 hits for top-notch sound systems and carefully curated tunes.

This isn't just a passing fad, either. A whole bunch of listening lounges have sprung up just this year across the city, each with its own unique flavor:

• Temple Records: This Downtown Crossing hotspot from renowned chef Jamie Bissonnette is a triple threat, combining a listening bar with a Korean restaurant and a sushi counter. Imagine savoring delectable bites while immersing yourself in sonic bliss.

• Trillium Brewing: The beloved Fort Point brewery is jumping on the bandwagon, transforming its second floor into a haven for audiophiles. Because what pairs better with a craft brew than some quality tunes?

• Desnuda Cocina e Bar: Moody, vibey and latin & asian fusion inspired, very modern yet somehow old school feeling bar is the latest addition to the cities Listening Lounge collection.

• Spy Bar: This South End gem adds a touch of intrigue to the mix, inviting you to unwind with a handcrafted cocktail and a soundtrack that's as smooth as its ambiance.

But hold on a sec, what exactly is a listening bar? 🤔

Imagine this: you settle into a plush armchair, a perfectly crafted cocktail in hand, and let the music wash over you. No distractions, just pure sonic enjoyment. That's the essence of a listening bar, where the focus is on high-fidelity sound and thoughtfully curated playlists. While they might be a novelty in Boston, these "hi-fi bars" have been a staple in Japan since the 1950s.

Why are listening bars suddenly so hot?

In our hyper-connected world, where noise and distractions are constant, these spaces offer a welcome respite. They provide an opportunity to truly connect with music on a deeper level, to appreciate the nuances and intricacies that often get lost in the din of a typical bar. Plus, with the resurgence of vinyl, listening bars tap into that nostalgic feeling of savoring an album from beginning to end. But also I think something deeper might be happening with this trend.

Our Take:

It's not just about the music; it's about the community. Listening bars are trying to foster a new kind of social experience, where people can bond over a shared love of music. And to add something new to the mix of bars and restaurants just serving food and drinks, its serving ambiance and experience.

It's about escaping the ordinary and embracing something more meaningful. I predict we'll see even more bars adopting this community-oriented approach, transforming themselves into spaces where people can connect, converse, and create lasting memories, even if it doesn’t involve Spinning Vinyl records.

I think people will continue looking for more ways to bring that community aspect into their bars and restaurants and personally I’m all here for it.

$1 Million Worth of Guy Fieri & Sammy Hagars Tequila, Santo Fino, STOLEN or was it? 🤔

In a tale that could have been ripped from a Hollywood screenplay, celebrity chef (and my personal friend) Guy Fieri and rock legend Sammy Hagar found themselves at the center of a tequila-fueled drama. It all began with the alleged hijacking of two freight trucks laden with over $1 million worth of their Santo Spirits tequila. The trucks, carrying over 4,000 cases (24,240 bottles) of premium tequila, vanished on November 9th in Laredo, Texas, shortly after crossing the US border.

Some content creators reported on this this week because there was also apparently some single barrel editions that they were supposed to get.

Authorities suspect a sophisticated organized crime ring is behind the theft. It's believed the thieves employed GPS emulators to spoof the trucks' tracking signals, throwing investigators off their trail.

Fieri, understandably frustrated, speculated that the double heist was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the brand's meteoric rise. "Stealing two trucks requires double the manpower and planning," he pointed out. "It's a huge risk."

However, the Laredo Police Department (the city where the hijacking apparently took place) soon stepped in to clarify the situation, injecting a dose of reality into the sensationalized narrative. The "hijacking," they explained, was a case of miscommunication and logistical confusion, not a daring heist orchestrated by tequila bandits.

It turns out the tequila, valued closer to $385,000, was legitimately picked up by a carrier but rerouted from its original destination of Pennsylvania to California due to unforeseen complications. This change in course, coupled with initial reports of stolen trucks, fueled the "hijacking" narrative in the media.

Determined to recover their precious cargo, Fieri has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen tequila, particularly the Extra Añejo, which he calls the "crown jewel" of Santo Spirits.

"You can't replicate something that takes four years to make," Fieri emphasized. "This is a real-life nightmare."

So what exactly is happening with this? Did someone target my friend Guy, or did the truck just go somewhere else? Either way, interesting times in the Tequila industry.

Best Video I Saw This Week

Earlier this year when Leandro and I launched our short lived podcast, Behind the Stick our very first guest was Chris, known on social media as @NotJustABartender. And something he said really stuck with me – he loved Anthony Bourdain. Totally got it, Bourdain was a legend. So many of us in the industry and out of it respect Bourdain for who he was, and for what he did for the industry. Chris even said he wanted to be the 'Anthony Bourdain of bartending,' which I thought was very cool.

See, what I loved about Bourdain was how he could transport you to a different world. He had this way of connecting with people, making them the heart and soul of his stories. And how easily he brought you along to a new place. How he talked to people and made them be the focus of so many amazing pieces he made. And I think Chris nailed that same vibe in just a few minutes.

For some reason the Newsletter app wont let me embed this video but ill leave the link right here.

www.instagram.com/reel/DCm_90AzgJu

I shot him a message, told him how much I loved it, and how I seriously wanted more. Three minutes just wasn't enough. I was hooked. I wanted to dive deeper into those Nevada towns, hang out in those bars, hear more stories from the locals.

I wanted to watch Chris eat something at those bars and talk about the overall vibe in each one and what makes them so special and how they fit into a larger narrative about life in Nevada. And how those bars became what they did.

Using a local favorite cocktail and telling a story and painting a picture like that is amazing. And I know so many people have tried, hell I've tried, to capture some of that Bourdain magic but I genuinely think Chris is on to something special here.

Here's to hoping we get more of this, because this is the kind of cocktail content I can't get enough of.