Austin’s Sebas Cajas has had an interesting journey through the jungle, basketball courts, and mezcalerias of Ecuador. After a fateful gap in gigs, and motherly advice, he left Quito to start a new chapter in Austin. Here he has found love, friends, and most recently of all a deeper love of agave. After many years working behind the global spirits specialty restaurant/bar Veracruz, Sebas now takes on his biggest challenge yet with La Mezca, an intimate mecaleria style cocktail bar with lovely ambience and intimacy. We chat NBA GOAT, Nike’s, feeling part of a community, and more.
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Ep 351 – Rich Bailey: Exploration Is Evolution
Houston native Rich Bailey has embraced kindness, openness, and a steady journey into self-empowerment. What at first was a path leading into practicing psychology soon turned into a path about self exploration. Years and many bar shifts later, Rich has recently moved to Austin, Tx to begin a new chapter as Bacardi’s LGTBQ+ ambassador. The role is a perfect extension of Rich’s embracing of diversity and the vacillating identities that we all experience. We chat Japan, Scotch, art, and more.
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Ep 330 – Kate Perry: Travel the World, and the 7 Seas
Kate Perry landed her dream job with La Maison & Velier after years of travel, years of pouring rum, and years of simply exploring the world. To many she is known as the Queen of Rum, but regardless of the moniker, she is certainly one of the foremost experts of Rum production around the world. But what has lined this serpentine road to rum? We chat about spontaneity, internalizing, and Hampden Estate.
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Ep 318 – Alexandra Dorda: Getting Back to Your Roots
Alexandra Dorda has spent her entire life in the hospitality and spirits industry. Her family created and produces the much lauded Chopin Vodka. After a departure for academia and the finance industry, a healthy creative bug threw Alexandra back into the world of spirits. The resulting Kasama Rum is a homage to Alexandra’s love and connection with the Philippines. A delicious rum with beautiful tropical notes, Kasama Rum launched right before the world changed with COVID, but now, the momentum is building back up as Alexandra travels the states sharing her beautiful spirit. We chat inspiration, art, and travel.
