Episode notes
What started as a bar opened by some of Mexico City’s most famous party promoters has become one of the world’s great cocktail institutions. On today’s episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with Limantour founding bartender José Luis to tell the story of the bar’s rise—and to explore how Mexico City became one of the premier cocktail destinations anywhere in the world. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast Limantour: https://www.instagram.com/limantourmx José Luis Leon: https://www.instagram.com/joseluisleon VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair Hosted by VinePair…
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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 be
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S1 · E23 · 22 Apr 2026 · 58 min
Bar Goto
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. On this episode of The Buildout, Kenta sits down with Adam to talk about taking…
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S1 · E22 · 15 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Cure
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. 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. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast Cure: https://www.instagram.com/curenola Neal…
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S1 · E21 · 8 Apr 2026 · 59 min
Yacht Club
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. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast Yacht Club: https://www.instagram.com/yachtclubbar Mary Allison Wright: https://www.instagram.com/eatdrinkbemaryandmclain McLain Hedges:…
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S1 · E20 · 1 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 29 min
De Vie
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 like the right city to do it in, and how they built a place designed to…
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S1 · E19 · 25 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
Sip & Guzzle
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…
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S1 · E17 · 11 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
Death & Company
Death & Company is one of the most influential bars of the modern cocktail era. It helped establish the East Village as a true cocktail destination, launched the careers of many of today’s best-known bartenders, and evolved into an internationally recognized brand with locations beyond New York. On today’s episode, Adam sits down with the founders to talk about how it all started. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast Death & Co: https://www.instagram.com/deathandcompany David Kaplan: https://www.instagram.com/dkproprietors Alex Day: https://www.instagram.com/apday VinePair:…
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S1 · E16 · 4 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
Attaboy
How do you inherit a room as legendary as Milk & Honey—and still make it unmistakably yours? On this episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy to unpack the pivotal moment when they persuaded Sasha Petraske to let them hold onto the space as he prepared to move on. They talk through the philosophy behind Attaboy—what it carried forward, what it deliberately changed, and how it became its own institution. Plus: expanding into new markets, and why the “magic of the room” might be the most important ingredient in building a bar people can’t stop coming back to.…
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S1 · E15 · 25 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
Pouring Ribbons
On this episode of The Buildout, Adam sits down with acclaimed bartender Joaquin Simo to tell the full story of Pouring Ribbons—from the early buildout days and opening buzz to the hard realities of running a modern cocktail bar. Together they unpack what made the place special, what ultimately led Joaquin to close its doors for good, and why he’s not sure he’ll ever open another bar again. Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast Joaquin Simo: https://www.instagram.com/simojoaquin VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair Hosted by VinePair Co-Founder:…
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S1 · E14 · 18 Feb 2026 · 59 min
Shinji's
Stepping into Shinji’s feels a bit like tumbling down the rabbit hole. 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. 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 craftsmanship. Follow us:…
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S1 · E13 · 11 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
Clover Club
The original idea behind Clover Club was simple: open a great bar closer to home. 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. 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. On this episode of The Buildout, host Adam Teeter sits down with owners Julie Reiner, Susan Fedroff,…
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