Dive Bar Jukebox with Daniel de la Nuez
"Then one fine mornin' she turns on a New York station. She doesn't believe what she hears at all."
Dive Bar Jukebox is a LAST CALL Paid Subscriber Exclusive. Please consider upgrading to a Paid Subscription to keep the tunes spinning on this reader-supported newsletter.
Note: Next Monday’s usually scheduled LAST CALL dispatch will drop on Tuesday, April 4.
Welcome back to Dive Bar Jukebox, where every Friday bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a host of dynamic people answer the question: If we were hanging out together at a bar and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? The answers reveal thoughts on their favorite dive bars along with a hand-picked, annotated 10-song playlist for your weekend listening pleasure.
Please welcome today’s special guest…
Daniel de la Nuez
Daniel de la Nuez and Aaron Sing Fox founded Forthave Spirits In 2016, launching with their signature Marseille Amaro, which you’ve likely seen (it’s hard to miss with its beaked plague doctor mask design on the label, illustrated by Fox) in bottle shops and backbars and some of the best bars and restaurants around New York City and beyond. From their production facility (aka “The Lab”) in the old Pfizer building on the border of Bed-Stuy and South Williamsburg, Forthave produces a portfolio of botanical-driven spirits and liqueurs, including amaro, aperitivo, gin, coffee liqueur, nocino, and génépi.
De la Nuez grew up in Brooklyn Heights and spent many years going back and forth between Brooklyn and Barcelona. He started out managing restaurants and night clubs throughout New York City and that’s where he began his deep dive into the world of wine and spirits. After spending time as a writer and independent film producer he then partnered with Fox to utilize the duo’s deep background in the restaurant and bar industry, and their mutual love of experimenting with macerations, infusions, and aromatized, botanical-driven spirits into a full-time business.
Daniel is one of the hardest-working guys I know—he’s up early, works late—but he’s always there to reach out to in good times and bad, or to grab an early-morning cortado and conversation on the Brooklyn Promenade. His passion for so many things—amaro, wine, travel, late-night dinners, and music—is balanced with his seemingly always chill demeanor. I’m lucky he’s just a text away.
For his Dive Bar Jukebox debut, Daniel takes us on an emotional journey of highs and lows (what else would you expect talking about dive bars?) and a heartfelt and eclectic playlist with memorable needle drops from De La Soul, The Ramones, Cannonball Adderley, Brian Eno, and more.