Bartender at Large
A veteran bartender interviews guests from creative fields about their crafts, often over a cocktail and a good story.
This is a conversational interview show where veteran bartender Erick Castro talks with guests—often from outside the bar world—about their own craft. The interviews use cocktails and bar culture as a jumping-off point to explore broader topics like writing, comedy, and storytelling. The YouTube channel primarily consists of short, shareable clips from these longer conversations.
“Unlike many cocktail podcasts focused solely on recipes, this show uses the bar as a setting for broader cultural conversations with a diverse range of creative guests. The host's own industry credibility lends weight to the discussions.”
Who hosts this show
The podcast is hosted by Erick Castro, an award-winning bartender and a respected figure in the modern craft cocktail movement. The show is an extension of his 2017 documentary film of the same name, "Bartender at Large," which explored cocktail culture across the globe. The podcast continues these conversations, featuring interviews with authors, comedians, and industry figures about their craft and stories.
Credentials & credits
- Co-founder of acclaimed bars Polite Provisions, Raised by Wolves, and Gilly's House of Cocktails in San Diego.
- Co-founder of the former New York City bar Boilermaker.
- Named one of the Bar World 100: Industry's Most Influential Figures (2021, 2022).
- James Beard Award nominee (Outstanding Bar Program).
- Winner of multiple Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards for his podcast and bars.
- Host and director of the "Bartender at Large" documentary.
Other ventures
- "Bartender at Large" (documentary film).
- Polite Provisions (bar).
- Raised by Wolves (bar).
- Gilly's House of Cocktails (bar).
- Bartender's Weekend (industry event).
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05Seee Library in NYC #newyork #nyc #cocktails #bartenderJun 17, 2026 · 2 min
- 06
- 07
- 08
Notable episodes
- 01The one cocktail bartenders hate making
Features a memorable anecdote about a bar's attempt to discourage orders of the Ramos Gin Fizz backfiring, turning it into a status symbol.
- 02As Hemingway said, "Write drunk, edit sober."
A discussion about the famous (and misattributed) Hemingway quote connects the worlds of writing and drinking.
- 03The biggest mistake in comedy?
A guest comedian shares insights on joke frequency and the balance between being interesting and being funny in long-form storytelling.
What you'll be asked on this show
Erick Castro's interview style is relaxed and non-confrontational. He often lets the guest's anecdotes run, interjecting with laughter or a brief, relevant question that connects their story to a broader cultural touchstone. He creates a casual, bar-side atmosphere where guests feel comfortable sharing personal stories and insights into their creative process.
The show is presented as short, digestible clips on YouTube, taken from longer-form interviews. The style is relaxed and conversational, with host Erick Castro acting as an engaged and reactive listener who builds rapport through shared cultural references and humor.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
1 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
craft
1- Q.01
“Didn't a famous person like Hemingway say 'write drunk and edit sober'?”
The host often uses a well-known (or misattributed) quote to connect a guest's experience to a larger cultural idea.
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show books authors, comedians, distillers, and other creatives who have interesting stories to tell, whether or not they are directly related to the beverage industry.
- Zane Lampreyon The biggest mistake in comedy? Taking too long to get to the punchline.
- Reedon As Hemingway said, "Write drunk, edit sober."
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
No sponsors or ads were identified in the reviewed episodes.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host?
- The host is Erick Castro, a well-known bartender and entrepreneur in the craft cocktail scene, recognized for co-founding award-winning bars like Polite Provisions and Raised by Wolves.
- Is this podcast still active?
- Yes, new episodes, typically short clips from longer interviews, are released weekly on YouTube.
- What is the format of the show?
- It's a conversational interview show where Erick Castro talks with guests about their craft and stories. The YouTube channel primarily features short clips from these longer interviews.
- Is this related to the 'Bartender at Large' movie?
- Yes, the podcast is an extension of the award-winning 2017 documentary of the same name, which was also created by and stars Erick Castro.
- Where can I watch the movie?
- The 'Bartender at Large' movie is available for purchase on the official website, bartenderatlarge.com.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · low confidence
- [01]Bartender at Large - Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [02]Erick Castro, Proprietor, Polite Provisions; Founder, Bartender at Large | Bevvybevvy.co
- [03]Erick Castro - The Tasting Alliancetastingalliance.com
- [04]Bartender at Large Spotlight with Erick Castro | The Perfect Puréeperfectpuree.com
- [05]Next Wave Awards Drinks Professional of the Year: Erick Castro - VinePairvinepair.com
- [06]Meet Erick Castro - the man behind the Bartender at Large podcast - australianbartender.com.auaustralianbartender.com.au
- [07]Bartender at Large - The Movie - Teaseryoutube.com
- [08]The Bartender's Podcast Bartender At Largebartenderatlarge.com
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