804: Toby Maloney Made Half a Million Cocktails. Emma Janzen Was Taking Notes.

804: Toby Maloney Made Half a Million Cocktails. Emma Janzen Was Taking Notes.

From This Is TASTE by Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard

July 10, 2026 · 1h 5m

About this episode

Toby Maloney discusses his extensive experience in bartending and his new book on classic cocktails.

Bartender and author Toby Maloney has made somewhere north of half a million cocktails over thirty-plus years, from Milk & Honey and Pegu Club to the Violet Hour in Chicago and the Elbow Room in Vancouver, Washington. His new book with coauthor and drinks journalist Emma Janzen, The Classic Cocktail Sessions, is a deep-dive master class on 61 classic drinks: not their histories but their inner workings. In this episode, we talk about the daiquiri that changed Toby’s life and the difference between mastering a classic and making it yours. Also on the show Matt shares a few final thoughts on the Summer Fancy Food Show including a first look at rugelach from Manischewitz, how Jangin is a new Korean food brand that you should keep your eye on, and a look at Lapos NA aperitivo. Also: Juggad It from Spicewalla and cool things happening at Raazi Tea. Also see: This Is TASTE 801: We Went to the Summer Fancy Food Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Matt Rodbard

Guest: Toby Maloney

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Milk & Honey, Pegu Club, Manischewitz, Jangin, Spicewalla, Raazi Tea

Books & works: The Classic Cocktail Sessions

Places: Vancouver, Washington

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