I'm Levy Dalton and this is all drink to that where we get behind the scenes of the wine business. Oh, Charles Proustick on the show today. Hey Charles,

I'm here, Charles, nice to see you.

Thanks, Levy.

Charles has recently assumed the Beverage Director position over at Luper.

How's it going? It's going really well, thanks. recently assumed the Beverage Director position over at Lupea.

How's it going?

It's going really well, thanks.

I was fortunate enough to be at Lupea for about a year

before I was handed this opportunity so you know you were like bartending yeah I was behind the bar

You found some cocktail stuff right you were helping out what the problem? You know, it's not exactly the most

cocktail friendly setup over there. You're talking about a restaurant that is 13 years old and sort of predates the

you know the classic cocktail revival really that's a good point I didn't think

about that and so this set setup the physical space behind the bar pretty small, a little limiting.

So what I've tried to do is repurpose, you know, the cocktailist towards Aperitivi, which I think really in the Italian setting, that's how cocktails should focus.

So things like Nogronies but a little different.

Yeah absolutely because you know it's supposed to get you ready for the meal ahead and certainly every once in a

while we're gonna have somebody who might want to drink cocktails all the way

through their meal, but the Italian table is food and wine

and those things together.

So ideally if people are going to come in and really hopefully have the whole experience,

maybe they'll start with a nachroni. I mean, there's almost no better cocktail, in my opinion,

to prime your palate and really get you excited for the meal ahead.

...