The Buildout
Every great bar has a story. We’re going behind the scenes with the people who built them: the founders, dreamers, and industry legends shaping the world’s most inspiring drinking destinations. From Maison Premiere to The Dead Rabbit, Long Island Bar, Schmuck, and beyond — this is how the world’s best bars get built. Hosted by VinePair Co-Founder Adam TeeterA podcast from The VinePair podcast network. vinepair.comFollow us @buildoutpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Shinji's
<p>Stepping into Shinji’s feels a bit like tumbling down the rabbit hole.</p><br><p>Drinks arrive inside hollowed-out oranges. A Ramos Gin Fizz appears in seconds instead of minutes. Plumes of dry ice drift across the bar. It’s playful, theatrical, and a little surreal—yet somehow everything still tastes incredible.</p><br><p>The creative force behind it all is Jonathan Adler. On this episode of The Buildout, Adler joins host Adam Teeter to share the story of how Shinji’s came to life and how he designs cocktails that are equal parts spectacle and serious craftsma...
Clover Club
<p>The original idea behind Clover Club was simple: open a great bar closer to home.</p><br><p>What wasn’t simple was the execution. When the bar debuted, no one had yet brought a Manhattan-caliber cocktail experience to Brownstone Brooklyn. Clover Club set out to change that—and in the process helped redefine what a neighborhood bar could be.</p><br><p>Today, Clover Club is an industry icon. But getting there meant years of challenges, from navigating a split with a business partner to surviving a global pandemic.</p><br><p>On this episode of The Buildout, host...
Overstory
<p>Perched high above the clouds, Overstory is unlike anything else in Manhattan.</p><br><p>Launching a refined, high-end cocktail bar in the heart of the Financial District was a bold bet. The neighborhood has long been defined by dive bars, happy hours, and big screens—not destination drinking. Yet Overstory has defied expectations, becoming one of the most celebrated bars in the country.</p><br><p>Co-founder Harrison Ginsberg joins Adam Teeter on The Buildout to share how the idea was born, how the team brought it to life, and why taking a risk on an unconventional location pa...
Martiny's
<p>When Takuma Watanabe left Angel’s Share, he wasn’t just moving on — he was chasing a vision: to build the ultimate Japanese-style cocktail bar in New York City. The result is Martiny’s.</p><br><p>Takuma sits down with Adam to talk about what it took to make the leap from acclaimed bartender to owner, the principles and details that define Martiny’s, and how he translated Japanese craft and hospitality into a bar that already feels like a modern classic.</p><br><p>Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast</p><br><p>Martiny's: https://www.instagram...
Clemente Bar
<p>Why would one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world — Eleven Madison Park — open a cocktail bar? Turns out the answer isn’t “because they can.”</p><br><p>In this episode, Adam sits down with EMP Beverage Director Sebastian Tollius to unpack the story behind Clemente Bar: how it came to life, what it means to build a bar through a three–Michelin-star lens, and the standards that carry over from the dining room to the glass. They also get into the relationship Tollius developed with Chef Daniel Humm — and how that partnership ultimately made the bar possible.</p><...
Superbueno
<p>Mexico’s bar scene has exploded over the past decade — but bartender and owner Nacho Jimenez set his sights on something different: building a New York City bar that feels unmistakably Mexican and unmistakably American.On this episode, Adam Teeter sits down with Jimenez to trace his journey to opening Superbueno, the choices that shaped its identity, and what it takes to build a bar that resonates on both sides of the border. </p><br><p>Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast</p><br><p>Superbueno: https://www.instagram.com/superbuenonyc</p><p>Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez: https://www.insta...
Double Chicken Please
<p>When GN Chan and Faye Chen opened Double Chicken Please, the idea of cocktails that taste like food was still a novelty in New York City. Almost immediately, the bar captured local and national attention—and soon after, international acclaim. Within a year, Double Chicken Please rocketed onto the World’s 50 Best list, and today it draws lines from the moment the doors open until last call.</p><br><p>GN and Faye sit down with Adam to share the story behind the bar’s meteoric rise, tracing their journey from aspiring flair bartenders to taking a leap of faith...
Katana Kitten
<p>Masa Urushido will never take credit for the runaway success of Katana Kitten. Despite the awards and global acclaim, he insists the real story is the community that lifted him up—transforming a shy, awkward newcomer into one of NYC’s most admired bartenders.</p><p>Adam talks with Masa about that journey, and how teaming up with Greg Boehm and James Tune sparked the creation of Katana Kitten, a bar whose Japanese American identity has made it a true standout in the cocktail world.</p><br><p>Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast</p><p>Katana Kitten: http...
Dear Irving
<p>Today, Meaghan Dorman is rightfully considered one of the OGs of New York’s craft cocktail movement—but breaking into the scene wasn’t always so straightforward. Her entry point? Answering a Craigslist ad for a mysterious new speakeasy in Chelsea called Raine’s Law Room. That gig would ultimately lead to Dorman opening an equally—if not more—celebrated bar with her partners a few years later: Dear Irving.</p><p>From reviving and perfecting the Gibson to setting a new standard for guest experience, Dear Irving became an instant classic, eventually expanding to two more locations and solidifying...
Sunken Harbor Club
<p>What began as a weekly pop-up inside the now-shuttered Fort Defiance slowly evolved into one of Brooklyn’s most imaginative cocktail destinations. The Sunken Harbor Club charted its own unlikely course—thanks in part to a shortage of decent drinks near the Downtown Brooklyn courthouses (yes, really), and the sudden availability of one of New York’s most visionary bartenders.</p><p>Adam sits down with St. John Frizell, Ben Schneider, and Garret Richard to unpack the twists of fate, creative risks, and behind-the-scenes hustle that turned a temporary idea into one of the most exciting bars in New York a...
