Good Morning! Things have been picking up like crazy for me lately. Juggling quite a lot. Business at Ember & Alma has picked up like crazy over the last few weeks, thankfully, and despite some personnel setbacks, I don’t think we have ever produced the level of quality we are currently doing both in service and food/drinks.

Content projects are starting to heat up as well, and soon I will be getting to do some pretty fun projects, hopefully.

I have sent out 90 orders of In Good Spirits merchandise over the last week, and today is the LAST DAY to order a hoodie before this design is retired for good. Tonight at midnight, I will close the pre-order and that’ll be it. Thank you all for your patience for me to get these out, but I am almost done sending out all of the original orders. And if you ordered one you should be receiving it soon.

I also posted this video this week, on 3 Hidden Gem Tequilas no one is talking about…. yet

Anyway, lets get on with this weeks newsletter!

Oh Great. Another Tariff On The Booze World…

Well, folks, it’s happened again. Just days after tariffs on steel and aluminum sparked chaos for spirits brands (RIP, that $40k tequila startup bill we talked about last week), the White House has upped the ante. This time? A proposed 200% tariff on European wine, cognac, and other alcohol imports. Let’s unpack this without the melodrama.

The Spark

• The EU’s Move: In response to U.S. steel/aluminum tariffs, the EU planned retaliatory taxes on American whiskey (yes, bourbon is in the crosshairs).

• Trump’s Counter: The administration fired back with a threat to tax European spirits at 200%, sending markets into a tailspin. The S&P 500 slid into correction territory, and importers began sweating over their spreadsheets.

• Canada’s Role: Our northern neighbors, major aluminum suppliers, are also pushing back, pulling U.S. bourbon from shelves and filing a WTO complaint.

Why This Matters for Your Glass

1. Price Hikes Are Inevitable: As we warned last week, tariffs will trickle down. European wines and spirits could double or triple in cost. Some brands (shoutout to Suerte Tequila) are absorbing the hit, but most can’t afford to.

2. Jobs at Risk: Distributors, importers, and small retailers face layoffs or closures if costs skyrocket.

3. Global Domino Effect: The EU buys 40% of U.S. spirits exports, while the U.S. imports 31% of EU wine and spirits. A trade war could freeze this flow entirely.

Behind the Scenes

• Industry Panic: Trade groups like SpiritsEurope are pleading for de-escalation: “This cycle of retaliation must end!” U.S. whiskey exporters, still recovering from Trump’s 2017-2021 tariffs, are especially nervous.

• Oddball Tariffs: The EU’s countermeasures include symbolic levies on bathrobes and dental floss, but the 50% tax on bourbon is the real gut punch.

• Dairy Drama: Canada refuses to renegotiate USMCA dairy rules, a sticking point for Trump.

The Bigger Picture

Economists warn that prolonged uncertainty could tip the U.S. into recession. A recent poll found 70% of Americans expect tariffs to raise prices on everyday goods. While the administration claims tariffs will “revitalize U.S. industries,” critics argue they’re destabilizing global supply chains—from coffee to cars.

What’s Next?

Keep an eye on April 2, when Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” on all trading partners could take effect. Until then, cross your fingers and stock up on your favorite European bottles… just in case.

Also, can we be done writing about tariffs? Like I’m bored. This is stupid. But unfortunately it just gets dumber and we need to talk about it because it impacts us all. Even if some people don’t see it yet or are just willfully ignorant…

COVID’s Lasting Food Legacy

Eater recently published a stellar article, How Restaurants and Home Cooking Permanently Changed After the COVID-19 Pandemic, by Jaya Saxena and the Eater Staff. While I strongly recommend reading the full piece (seriously, it’s an incredible food-world analysis), here are the key takeaways — plus my thoughts on what it means for our restaurant life since COVID.

1. Supply Chain Chaos → Permanent Price Hikes

What Happened: Toilet paper hoarding was just the start. COVID exposed fragile supply chains, leading to shortages (RIP, bucatini) and panic buys (why did we all need 20 lbs of flour?).
Lasting Impact:

• Food Prices Up 23.6%: Eggs, pasta, and coffee cost nearly a quarter more than pre-COVID. Blame avian flu, climate disasters, and corporate giants exploiting crises (shoutout to the FTC’s report on grocery greed).

• Restaurant Survival Mode: Small spots added “COVID fees” (now permanent) to offset labor and supply costs. Fast-food chains? They just hiked prices again and blamed “higher wages.”

• Tariffs + Trade Wars: Remember last week’s newsletter on Trump’s 200% alcohol tariffs? COVID’s supply snarls made the industry hyper-vulnerable to today’s trade spats.

2. Pop-Ups: From Side Hustle to Main Course

What Happened: Dining rooms closed, so chefs hit parking lots, breweries, and Instagram to sell birria tacos, bagels, and omakase bento boxes.
Lasting Impact:

• Democratized Dining: Pop-ups surged 105% (2021–2022), giving immigrant chefs and POC creators a low-risk stage. Examples:

  • Inusan Onigiri (Dallas): Started in a coffee shop, now a cult-fave brick-and-mortar.

  • Yellow Paper Burgers (LA): Smashburger pop-up turned permanent food truck.

• Booze Pop-Ups: and it wasn’t just chefs doign pop-ups. Tons of Bartenders and bars created pop-ups and some are using it to test concepts before opening Brick & Mortar locations of their own. Lots of bartenders (and social media bartenders) have also made Pop-Up shifts a mainstay as well.

  Overall though, its a super healthy way to collaborate, create buzz, and test out concepts and ideas. I hope this trend and change is here to stay.

3. Delivery Apps: Convenience vs. Exploitation

What Happened: We DoorDash-ed everything — including Gatorade and sourdough starters. Restaurants begged cities to cap app fees; gig workers fought for fair pay.
Lasting Impact:

• Delivery Is Default: Apps now sell dog toys, Advil, and $200 saké. Grocery delivery? Up 400% since 2020.

• Hidden Costs: Restaurants still lose 30% to app fees. Gig workers? Many still lack benefits, despite hard-won wage laws in NYC and CA.

• Ghost Kitchens: The pandemic birthed delivery-only “restaurants” (often run out of parking garages). Now, 50% of app orders come from these phantom spots.

4. QR Codes: The Unlikely Survivor

What Happened: Menus were deemed “germ vectors.” Enter QR codes — clunky at first, now ubiquitous.
Lasting Impact:

• Good: Eco-friendly (no reprints!), instant menu updates, and allergy info at your fingertips.

• Bad: Killed the romance of a printed wine list. Also, RIP spontaneous convos with servers (“What’s good tonight?”).

• Ugly: Some spots use QR codes to cut staff. Full-service dining? Increasingly a luxury.

5. Home Cooking: From Panic to Power

What Happened: Banana bread, dalgona coffee, and that damn feta-tomato pasta broke TikTok. We became our own chefs, bartenders, and bakers.
Lasting Impact:

• TikTok Food Stars: Home cooks like Justine Doiron (5M followers) outsold Bobby Flay’s cookbooks. No culinary degree? No problem.

• Smarter Shoppers: We now eye grocery prices like hawks — and know the true cost of restaurant labor.

• Home Bars Forever: Sales of cocktail shakers and artisanal bitters still outpace 2019. Shout out to all of y’all who watch my content btw.

6. Outdoor Dining: Parking Patios & Urban Reinvention

What Happened: Streets closed. Parking spots became taco stands. Cities fast-tracked permits for parklets.
Lasting Impact:

• LA’s Hermosillo Bar: Turned a parking lot into a community hub with string lights and IPA-fueled block parties.

• Cities That Get It:

  • Portland: Made “Streateries” permanent.

  • NYC: Kept Open Streets, nixed dining sheds.

  • Ventura, CA: Kicked cars out of downtown.

• The Catch: Many cities reverted to car-centric policies. But the blueprint for people-first spaces? It’s there.

7. Labor Awakening (But Still Broken)

What Happened: “Essential workers” faced high death rates, no sick leave, and paltry pay. We banged pots for them, then… mostly forgot.
Lasting Impact:

• Strikes & Unions: Starbucks workers unionized; CA passed fast-food wage laws. But most restaurant staff still lack healthcare.

• The “Labor Shortage” Myth: Workers didn’t “disappear” — they demanded living wages and quit toxic jobs.

8. The Scallion Effect: Small Joys, Big Shifts

What Happened: We regrew scallions on windowsills, baked bread, and found solace in tiny acts of creation.
Lasting Impact:

• Mindful Consumption: Plant-based diets, DIY kombucha, and “ugly” produce subscriptions boomed.

• Community Gardens: Up 200% since 2020. Even urbanites want to dig in the dirt now.

🥡 The Bottom Line

COVID didn’t just “change dining” — it rewired our relationship with food, exposing systemic flaws and opportunities for creativity. Some changes sting (looking at you, $18 cocktails). Others, like pop-ups and reclaimed streets, hint at a more equitable, joyful future.

If I can relate this to myself for a moment, what I have personally seen running a restaurant and bar since august of 2019, just 6 months before covid hit, one of the biggest changes I’ve seen is this.

People are still going out, but they increasingly want to only spend their money at places that they believe is truly worth their time and money.

Things have changed drastically, things have become more expensive, so many people are cooking more at home, and at a much higher level than before with so many people learning to cook well. Same goes for cocktails. Hell I teach people so many cocktails on my channel, and it stemmed from COVID as well. So the same goes for home bartenders. With all that being said, the best restaurants and bars probably haven’t ever been busier.

People seem to want to make sure that if they ARE going to go out and spend their money, they want to make absolute sure that its worth it. They seem to be wanting more connection, both with bartenders and servers but also they looking for some sense of community. So I still think Restaurants & Bars can survive and possibly thrive by focusing on being different and focusing on providing the best service and being a unique, guest centered experience.

Favorite Video I saw This Week:

I feel like I haven’t posted a cocktail video here in a while, and this one by @she_thebartender really wowed me with its use of Agricole rhum. I really enjoy some of the cocktails she makes! Go give her content a watch!

Quick Hits:

• Our Friend Leandro, The Educated Barfly, Announced the launch of his first cocktail book!

• Our Editor, Dylan Ettinger, wrote an incredible piece on everyone’s favorite tequila brand that no one can find. Want to know why? Dylan gotchu.

• Imbibe published a list of Irish Whiskey Cocktails just in time for St. Paddys Day