On & Off

How to Handle Visibly Intoxicated Customers

Studies have found that the national rate of bars and restaurants or retail stores serving alcohol to a visibly intoxicated customer is 80%. That alarming statistic represents a large number of consumers who could potentially harm themselves or someone else due to overconsumption, helped along by business employees who then become liable for any negative outcomes. Looking to help correct this dangerous issue, the Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control recently conducted an undercover operation (funded by a NABCA grant) to test state businesses on how they handled visibly intoxicated customers. How did the state perform? And what kind of server training is Mississippi designing following their study? Tune in for our interview with with Pat Daily, Chief of Enforcement for the Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control Bureau of Enforcement, and Senior Agent Kurt Alexander.

All About Legal Cannabis and Cannabis Beverages

In this episode we talk with Seth Goldberg, who serves as team lead for the Duane Morris Cannabis industry group law firm. Seth provides a deep dive into the current state of the legal cannabis industry, why cannabis beverages have taken off, and what's next in terms of federal oversight of legal cannabis. Also in this episode, cohost Melissa Dowling reveals that she's more of an edible person.

A Deep Dive into French Wine

Want to know everything about the current state of French wine? This episode is for you! In this podcast we interview Robert Cavanaugh, wine educator and marketing director for the wine marketing company Adventure Wine. Cavanaugh dives into the trendiest French wine regions and varietals, and explores unsung and underrated areas and grapes as well. We also talk about how French wine branding has improved to educate consumers, the affects of global warming, how much growth is left for rosé, the category depth of French sparklers, and clear up some common misconceptions about French wine.

Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Wine

In the second part of our series on improving diversity and inclusion in the alcohol industry, we speak with TJ Douglas, cofounder and CEO of The Urban Grape wine store in Boston. Douglas and his wife Hadley are behind the Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color at Boston University to support those in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community interested in careers in the wine industry. The Urban Grape also received the 2021 Dream Big Small Business of the Year Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. We talk with Douglas about the scholarship, improving D&I, and the national recognition as a leading small business in America.

Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Craft Beer

How can the craft beer industry improve diversity and inclusion? In this episode, we interview is Jamal Robinson, director of sales and marketing at New England Brewing Company in Connecticut. Robinson is behind the NEBCO African American Brewers Scholarship and The Connecticut Brewers Guild African American Brewing Scholarship in Connecticut. The discussion focuses on Robinson’s efforts, plus how the industry as a whole can improve. Other topics include: the state of regional breweries, unicorns pooping rainbows and debating the best Jewish delicatessen in Connecticut.

How CORE Helped On-Premise in the Pandemic

Editors Melissa Dowling and Kyle Swartz discuss an important nonprofit organization in the beverage alcohol industry, Children of Restaurant Employees, or (CORE). Our guest is CORE executive director Sheila Bennett. She delves into how CORE and its many partners helped on-premise employees and their families during the Covid-19 crisis. Also, she outlines how you, too, can help those in need.

What Is Sustainable Wine?

What’s the difference between organic and sustainable wine? If you don’t know the answer, then you must listen to our latest podcast with Allison Jordan, Executive Director of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance. Jordan explains the fine details of sustainably certified wine, along with the long history of the CSWA, how and where sustainable wine education happens, and why more consumers care about these kinds of products. And if you did know the answer to our question, well, tune in anyways for a deeper dive into an important topic. Cheers!

Cordials & Liqueurs: Trends and History

On the latest episode of On & Off, Editors Melissa Dowling and Kyle Swartz dive into cordials and liqueurs. They discuss the history of this category, recent growth trends, why the pandemic likely buoyed the category, and what modern innovations have helped drive growth. Also, Melissa and Kyle show off their lack of movie trivia knowledge and critique their boss' homemade cookies.