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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Leyenda
<p>What does it mean to mourn a bar? When a place becomes more than a business — a home for its staff, a gathering place for its regulars, and a defining chapter in a city’s cocktail culture — how do you come to terms with closing the door for good?</p><br><p>On this episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with Ivy Mix, co-founder of the beloved Brooklyn bar Leyenda, to talk about the full arc of the venue: how it began, what made it matter, and the difficult decision to ultimately close it. Ivy reflects on the grief...
Banshee
<p>At a time when many new cocktail bars are chasing acclaim with high-tech techniques and elaborate presentations, Jen Murphy went in the opposite direction: perfectly poured Guinness, ice-cold martinis, and the kind of easy hospitality that makes a bar feel instantly essential. The result is Banshee, a true East Village neighborhood bar built on simplicity, precision, and a very clear point of view. On this episode of The Buildout, Jen joins Adam to talk about why New York needed a bar like Banshee, how she found her business partner, and why the perfect pint is anything but simple.</p><...
Amor y Amargo
<p>Amor y Amargo was only supposed to be a six-month pop-up. Instead, it became one of the most influential bars of the modern era—a place with a distinct philosophy, a fiercely loyal audience, and a legacy that still matters.</p><br><p>On this episode of The Buildout, Sother Teague joins Adam to tell the story of Amor y Amargo, explain why the drinks are always stirred and never shaken, and reflect on legacy, longevity, and why it still feels important for the bar to exist today.</p><br><p>Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast</p><br...
Kees
<p>Jeff Bell may be best known for PDT, but as much as the bar reflects his influence, it wasn’t something he built from the ground up. That bar is Kees. A deeply personal project, Kees gave Jeff the chance to create something entirely his own—and to do it under the weight of expectations that come with being so closely associated with one of the most famous bars in the world.</p><br><p>On this episode of The Buildout, Jeff joins Adam to talk about his second act, the pressure of opening a new bar when your name...
Trick Dog
<p>People come up with bar names and cocktail ideas in all kinds of ways, but for Josh Harris, inspiration often comes from memory, art, and whatever happens to spark something bigger. That creative instinct helped turn Trick Dog into one of the most influential bars of its generation. But Josh wasn’t always sure the bar—or even his place in the industry—would work out that way.</p><br><p>On this episode of The Buildout, Josh joins Adam to talk about what it really takes to build a great bar, how to create a team culture that encour...
Bar Goto
<p>When Kenta Goto left Pegu Club to open his own place on the Lower East Side, he was stepping into unfamiliar territory. He knew how to run a great bar program — but building a business from the ground up was something else entirely. So he did what came naturally: he studied. Kenta read everything he could about owning and operating a business, and that preparation paid off. From day one, Bar Goto clicked, eventually growing into one of the city’s most beloved bars and expanding with a second location in Brooklyn.</p><br><p>On this episode of The...
Cure
<p>When Cure opened, Neal Bodenheimer had a simple goal: create a great neighborhood bar. He did that—and then some. Over the years, Cure has grown into one of the country’s most celebrated drinking destinations, a New Orleans modern classic, and a must-visit for anyone in search of an exceptional Sazerac.</p><br><p>On this episode of The Buildout, Neal joins Adam to share the story behind Cure, why he returned to New Orleans to open it, and how the bar became an institution far beyond its neighborhood.</p><br><p>Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buil...
Yacht Club
<p>What makes Yacht Club one of the most fun bars in America? A lot of it comes down to the energy behind it: owners Mary and McLain are clearly having a blast. On this episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with the duo to talk about how two Southerners ended up in Denver, why they traded the music business for the bar business, and how they built one of the country’s most joyful places to drink.</p><br><p>Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast</p><br><p>Yacht Club: https://www.instagram.com/yachtclubbar</p><p>...
De Vie
<p>The founders of De Vie met while working at Paris’s legendary Little Red Door, where they began to imagine a bar of their own—one that carried forward everything they’d learned there, but stripped away some of the operational headaches that come with running a bar that has lines that form before the doors even open. The result is De Vie, one of the most exciting new openings in Paris. On today’s episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with the founders to talk about what it takes to open a bar in Europe, why Paris felt lik...
Sip & Guzzle
<p>Shingo Gokan and Steve Schneider may not seem like an obvious bartending duo at first—but that’s exactly why they work so well together. Shingo is rooted in the precise, classic style of Japanese bartending, while Steve comes from the high-energy, hospitality-driven world of Employees Only. After years of friendship and collaboration, the two joined forces to open Sip & Guzzle in New York’s West Village. On today’s episode of The Buildout, Adam Teeter talks with both bartenders about the dynamic that makes their partnership click, how their different styles sharpen each other, and how one of the city...
