Cocktails To-Go, Weirdo Alcohol and the Nuances of Bar Ownership with Chall Gray

Chall Gray is the founder of three companies with experience in hospitality, real estate, and entrepreneurship. His Slings & Arrows Consulting bar projects have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Whiskey Advocate, and more. Chall is the co-owner and Booze Jockey of the acclaimed local bar, Little Jumbo in Asheville, NC, and the author of The Cocktail Bar: Notes for an Owner & Operator, covering everything from choosing an initial bar concept to the day-to-day business operations of running a bar.

Chall Gray is the founder of three companies with experience in hospitality, real estate, and entrepreneurship. His Slings & Arrows Consulting bar projects have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Whiskey Advocate, and more. Chall is the co-owner and Booze Jockey of the acclaimed local bar, Little Jumbo in Asheville, NC, and the author of The Cocktail Bar: Notes for an Owner & Operator, covering everything from choosing an initial bar concept to the day-to-day business operations of running a bar.

Chall joins me today to share the inspiration behind his cocktails to-go concept and how it helped keep his bar afloat during the pandemic. He reveals what’s next for his Little Jumbo bar and the latest bar design projects of his Slings & Arrows Consulting company. Chall shares the artistry and chemistry in pre-batching cocktails and why efficient service doesn't have to stifle cocktail creativity. He also shares the inspiration behind the name for his bar, why your ice machine is an essential purchase and the common pitfalls of bar ownership.

This week on Consuming the Craft:

●     How Chall and his team navigated through the challenges of the pandemic

●     What inspired Chall’s idea for ‘cocktails to go’

●     What’s next for the Little Jumbo bar now that it’s reopened

●     Chall’s latest projects with Slings & Arrows Consulting

●     The artistry of pre-batching cocktails

●     Why efficient service doesn’t have to affect cocktail creativity

●     The inspiration behind the name ‘Little Jumbo’

●     Booze Clues: Vermouth Barrel-Aged Aphrodisia - Superstition Meadery

●     The importance of choosing the best ice machine

●     The markers of a great bar… and a bad one

●     Common pitfalls of bar ownership

Resources Mentioned:

●     Kold - Draft Ice Machines

●     Hoshizaki Ice Machines

Connect with Chall Gray:

●     Little Jumbo Bar

●     Little Jumbo Bar on Instagram

●     Little Jumbo Bar on Facebook

●     Little Jumbo Bar on Twitter

●     Nest Realty

●     Slings & Arrows Consulting

●     Chall Gray on LinkedIn

●     Book: The Cocktail Bar: Notes for an Owner & Operator

This episode is brought to you by…

McConnell Farms - Taste the Way You Remember. Enjoy homemade ciders and ice cream made from only the best produce on the market. Visit the McConnell Farms website to learn more about our seasonal inventory and delicious creations you can make with our homegrown produce.

Consuming the Craft

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