More Good Drinks

About More Good Drinks

NZ's home of beverage and bar chat from brand, bartenders, the best in the business alongside producers, distillers and the generally great humans that make More Good Drinks. www.moregooddrinks.com (https://www.moregooddrinks.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Tash McGill

Category

arts · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Nov 2023

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

31 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Kira & Coco’s Want You To Fall In Love with Negroni

   Look, there’s no two ways about it, the Negroni can be divisive. It’s blistering simple but paradoxically complex. It still has an air of “my friends told me this was cool” about it, when you see someone ordering for the first time. So talking with Kira Mance Freire (https://nz.linkedin.com/in/kira-mance-freire-264b2310a) about serving a few dozen Negronis a night, the magical Negroni menu, the reactions and joy of the dining abuzz with Italian love letters.. well, you don’t get any closer to real life than that. You’ll fall in love with Kira’s love of service, Coco’s contagious and effervescent personality and mostly, be reminded of why the Negroni is a bittersweet icon. Stay tuned for more Negroni this week and head to Coco’s to celebrate. Get full access to More Good Drinks at www.moregooddrinks.com/subscribe (https://www.moregooddrinks.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   11 Sept 2026

   Time & Rye: NZ Whisky Maker Michael Byars Is About To Take You By Surprise

   About a year ago, I’d just finished up at a pretty serious whisky operation in Central Otago. But head out to the coast, you’ll find Victorian Oamaru and a pile of NZ whisky history, myth and legends. I’ll let you decide which is which. I just about fell over backwards to taste some remarkable liquid straight from the barrel, in a bondstore which has previously struggled to find it’s way, despite valiant efforts. New Zealand whisky is getting rewritten in a cold warehouse in Oamaru, where it matures after being fermented (for a wildly long time) then distilled at Speights Brewery, and Michael Byers is the winemaker-turned-distiller behind some of the most exciting spirit coming out of the South Island. If you think you know what New Zealand whisky tastes like (especially NZ Whisky Collection whisky), this conversation will make you look again. Opening a bottle of the latest releases will go even further. Michael joins Tash to unpack the unlikely path that took him from German wineries and Lincoln University to Helsinki, Dunedin, and Oamaru, where he now crafts whisky with a patience most distillers can’t dream of - stuck in a yield-driven mode of 72hr ferments. But Michael’s result is spirit with real grain character, depth, and a texture that surprises even at cask strength. You’ll discover: * Why Michael believes fermentation timing changes everything in whisky * How he thinks moon phases, atmospheric pressure, and cold conditions can influence long ferments * What long fermentation and slower distillation do for flavour and mouthfeel * How soil provenance can show up in whisky, just like it does in wine * Why 55-litre casks are changing the conversation around spirit-to-oak ratio We break down the cask programme too, from ex-bourbon and ex-rye to ex-wheat, and why each one brings something distinct to the liquid. Michael explains how American oak, first-fill barrels, and the previous life of a cask can shape everything from tropical fruit and clover honey to linseed oil, spearmint, hazelnut, and that unmistakable wet-stone mineral edge. Tash tastes through a standout 3-quarter ex-rye, 1-quarter ex-bourbon expression and makes the case for why this is one of the most compelling whiskies in New Zealand right now. Michael also shares why he’s obsessed with older barrels, why he won’t throw any cask away too quickly, and why New Zealand whisky should be bigger than just red wine finishes. If you care about flavour, barrel strategy, provenance, and what makes a whisky feel genuinely alive, this is essential listening. A smart, candid, deeply sensory conversation for whisky lovers, spirit geeks, and anyone curious about where New Zealand whisky is heading next.*AI was used to transcribe sections of this podcast for notes. Opinions are strictly my own. Thanks for engaging with More Good Drinks. We need more stories about what’s good so people drink better. Your support goes a long way to that. Get full access to More Good Drinks at www.moregooddrinks.com/subscribe (https://www.moregooddrinks.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   5 Sept 2026

   Alex Hudson Wants You To Say Please When You Order A Drink.

   I sit down with Alex Hudson of WonderHorse and Neat (ad so many more) to trace a career built on service, discovery, and a distinctly Hamilton point of view. Alex’s style of service is bold, well-intentioned and he almost always has something to try for the first time. Perhaps it’s his own continual exploration of flavour. But he wants you to keep exploring and to drink better, including with better manners. Which is why he’ll make you say please, bringing the humanity back to the centre of every hospitality experience. This conversation covers how Alex shaped his approach to hospitality, why he pushes guests toward better drinks, and how the Waikato’s food and drink culture has evolved around him.In this episode, Alex shares how early autonomy, strong bar experiences, and a love of service shaped his career, from Grand Central to Wonder Horse and beyond. We also discuss Hamilton’s hospitality identity, the role of Neat as a learning-driven venue, and how fatherhood changed Alex’s perspective on leadership and priorities.“You sometimes need to make them do something.” “This is an interaction, not a dispensing robot.” “Always hot never bothered.” Key topics * Alex’s path into hospitality, from university dropout to getting pulled into bar work and service * The formative impact of late nights at Suite bar and the first time he encountered a truly serious back bar * How working with the Phoenix Group at Grand Central gave him unusual autonomy and helped define his style * Why Wonder Horse was born from a mix of youthful confidence, ambition, and a desire to build a bar he would want to drink in * The evolution of his service style from blunt, directive, and “bully-ish” to more gentle, but still firm and opinionated * Why Alex believes guests often need a push toward discovery rather than being given exactly what they already know * How his approach to drinks is shaped by body language, conversation, and reading the room * The cultural shift in Hamilton and the Waikato, including the move from a rougher night scene to a more connected, sophisticated hospitality ecosystem * Why opening multiple venues became both a response to post-COVID pressures and a way to create more pathways for staff and guests * How Neat came together as a more formal expression of his philosophy around education, tasting, retail, and drinking better * The challenge of building a venue with broad knowledge, precision, and accessibility, without losing the fun * How becoming a father sharpened his focus, changed his management style, and made trust and delegation more important *AI was used to transcribe this interview and provide captions. More Good Drinks is here to democratise drinks media in New Zealand, giving you real stories instead of just press releases. Help the cause by choosing to pay for a story. Get full access to More Good Drinks at www.moregooddrinks.com/subscribe (https://www.moregooddrinks.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings