One of the more epic episodes for you today gang. Recorded in an old world gin bar in Redfern, Sydney, Charlie Casben, a wonderful bartender and sommelier who owns Moya’s Juniper Lounge and drinks good booze well…
I worked for years with Charlie back in the day when I was tender bar and I knew that in that time I only scratched the surface of his knowledge around the wonderful world of herbalism, botanicals and alcohol. As I got more into the health game I became more and more bored with the flatland commentary that health “leaders" had about alcohol simply being bad and wanted to go deeper into the nature of this substance and continue to do the work to bring an integration between the world of health and booze; I got considerably closer in this interview. If you’re ready to take your health to another level then grab some good booze and strap in for a ride into the old world as we explore the journey herbs and botanicals have taken till we see the current culture emerge around bars and booze, and where we’re going to be able to take it so that a true progression is possible in the way we move forward as an integrated culture.
In this interview we dive deep into:
- The place of alcohol within a modern health context
- Challenging the dichotomy of alcohol restriction within a health fortifying regime
- History of alcohol and its early uses
- Using bitter aperitifs for functional stimulation of digestion
- The wonderful benefits of beer in old and new world culture
- Alcohol as a preservation system
- Fermentation & distillation explained in depth
- Alcohol as a delivery vessel for healthy plant constituents
- The dynamics between the old and new world’s uses of alcohol
- The medicinal properties & historical use of gin, tonic and lime
- Production of fortified wine and its botanical benefits
Taught the basics of cocktail bar tending at fifteen with his sister by a father who's aim was to teach the value of understanding and appreciating good liquor. Cocktails remained a hobby until at eighteen while studying a physics degree he embarked on what was to become a fifteen year career in hospitality. Serving over the bar at several venues in Sydney and abroad wine became the next challenge and certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers the next goal. While studying wine the decision was made to pursue the goal of opening a small bar in Sydney and after several years searching for a suitable site, Moya's Juniper Lounge opened its doors in March 2016.