Poolcasting at Tales of the Cocktail! - Day 4 with Shawn & Vay from Vandell

Greg and Sother are back in the pool at Tales of the Cocktail 2026! On Day Four they’re joined by Shawn Lickliter and Vay Su, the owners of Vandell in Los Angeles which is up for best new cocktail bar at this year’s Spirited Awards. They discuss what makes Los Angeles different from New York City, their approach to inventing drinks (and when you cease tweaking a classic and start inventing something new) and what the incredible success of their bar has meant to them and their team. Then everyone gets a poolside spritz delivery, courtesy of Luxardo.

PLUS Charlotte returns to talk about her career in the industry, going from bartender to brand rep to her current position at Tales, and what she’s looking forward to in the hospitality industry.

Follow Shawn at @shawninverta

Follow Vay at @bearandstone

Follow Vandell at @vandell.losangeles

Follow Luxardo at @luxardousa

LINKS

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• For resources on dealing with cold hard water agents in your community visit nouswithoutyou.la/ and @thenycalliance
• The Speakeasy is now on YouTube! Tune in to “see” what we’re talking about at youtube.com/@Speakeasy.Podcast
• Learn more about Luxardo at luxardousa.com
• Check out Quiote Imports at quioteimports.com and use promo code “Speakeasy” to get free shipping at checkout.

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