The Buildout

Allegory DC was never supposed to become a 50 Best bar. But when Covid hit, the entire team left, and Deke Dunne found himself the last man standing. What followed was a complete transformation: a bar built around storytelling, creativity, and craft. On this episode of The Buildout, Deke joins Adam to talk about how that disruption gave him the chance to create the bar he had envisioned from the start, assemble one of D.C.’s most talented bar teams, and turn Allegory into a destination bar that helped raise the profile of the hotel it’s located in.

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Allegory: https://www.instagram.com/allegory_dc
Deke Dunne: https://www.instagram.com/deke_dc

VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair
Hosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeter
Produced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For many, Dante is the bar that put New York’s modern cocktail scene back on the map. After rising to the top of the World’s 50 Best Bars list in just a few short years, it helped usher in a new era of cocktail culture in the city. But what exactly is Dante? A cocktail bar? A restaurant? Something in between? And how do you grow a brand nationally and internationally without losing the magic that made it special in the first place? On this episode of The Buildout, owner Linden Pride joins Adam to tell the story behind Dante, and how he and his wife and partner, Nathalie, have expanded it beyond anything they first imagined while preserving the spark that made it iconic.

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast

Dante: https://www.instagram.com/dantenewyorkcity
Linden Pride: https://www.instagram.com/lindenpride

VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair
Hosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeter
Produced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a celebrated cocktail journalist and one of the country’s foremost rum authorities join forces? The result is Echo Lake. But opening the bar proved more challenging than either expected. Chloe Frechette had spent her career covering bars, not opening them, while Paul McGee had built his reputation in Chicago, not New York. On this episode of The Buildout, Chloe and Paul join Adam to talk about the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned, and how they created one of the most exciting new additions to the cocktail and rum scenes.

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast

Echo Lake: https://www.instagram.com/echolakebar
Chloe Frechette: https://www.instagram.com/chloefrechette
Paul McGee: https://www.instagram.com/bagchatter

VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair
Hosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeter
Produced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taking over a decades-old family restaurant is daunting enough. Turning it into a cocktail bar in Chicago’s Chinatown — a neighborhood without a high-end cocktail destination — raises the stakes even more. But partners Lily Wang and Joe Briglio embraced the challenge, bringing Lily’s family along for the ride. The result is Nine Bar, one of the most exciting new additions to Chicago’s cocktail scene, drawing drinkers to a neighborhood many had never considered for cocktails. On this episode of The Buildout, Lily and Joe join Adam to share how it came together, from navigating family dynamics to honoring the culture of the neighborhood.

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast

Nine Bar: https://www.instagram.com/ninebarchicago
Lily Wang: https://www.instagram.com/lw4ng
Joe Briglio: https://www.instagram.com/joebrigs

VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair
Hosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeter
Produced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Opened in 2009, The Keefer Bar quickly became one of Vancouver’s essential cocktail destinations. But what happens when a beloved local institution suddenly finds itself on the national—and international—stage? In 2026, Keefer was named Best Bar in Canada, and a new wave of attention followed. On this episode of The Buildout, we tell the story of The Keefer Bar: how it helped shape Vancouver’s cocktail culture, influenced Canada’s bar scene at large, and is now navigating what comes next after reaching the top.

Follow us: https://www.instagram.com/buildoutpodcast

The Keefer Bar: https://www.instagram.com/thekeeferbar
Keenan Hood: https://www.instagram.com/keenanhood
Amber Bruce: https://www.instagram.com/amberbruce

VinePair: https://www.instagram.com/vinepair
Hosted by VinePair Co-Founder: https://www.instagram.com/adamteeter
Produced and edited by: https://www.instagram.com/dolldoctor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.