Drink & Learn Podcast: Recent Episodes
Elizabeth Pearce
Join drinks historian Elizabeth Pearce and bartender extraordinaire Abigail Gullo as they discuss booze history and culture with a little drinking advice thrown in for good measure. Best way to learn, ever.
It's our annual round-up of drink themed gifts for loved ones (or yourself, if you need an excuse)
Elizabeth's List
Amaro Monte
Zero Proof book
Electric Juicer
Abigail's List
Support a bartender!
Cocktail Illustrations
Train your nose
Complete Whiskey Course
https://www.babybarrels.com
Elizabeth and Abigail return with two listener questions. We offer advice on how best to store all your alcohol and Abigail share her bartending journey.
Here's a list of some items to help save your alcohol:
Sizzler Bottle Cap
Air Cork
Champagne Bottle Stopper
Elizabeth and Abigail are joined by bartender Rachel Urbelis from Cielo on Sanibel Island, FL to discuss what it was like during a pandemic. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't great.
Abigail waxes poetic on her love for sherry and shares here favorites. Elizabeth admits the history is cool and remains a fan of PX.
References:
SHERRY COBBLER aka the Pretty Ricky from Compere Lapin
1 ¾ oz Amontillado Sherry
1/2 oz Dark Rum (high proof)
¼ oz Lemon Juice
¼ oz Oleo (sugar syrup made with lemon and orange peels)
1tsp of preserves (any will do)
1 dash angostura bitters
Whip shake above ingredients w/2 cubes
Pour into a Rocks glass or julep cup over Crushed ice
Make it pretty.
With mint, berries, orange wheel and powdered sugar
Top Sherries are:
- El Maestro Sierra
- González-Byass (Tio Pepe)
- La Cigarrera(These ones have the pretty ladies on them from vintage cigar boxes, their Manzanilla is excellent)
- Lustau - Excellent house across the board..makes very fine sherry in all categories.
Elizabeth and Abigail discuss Cognac and Armagnac, their origins and differences and suggest some to try.
Resources we talked about:
Charles Neal
By the Smoke and the Smell: My Search for the Rare and Sublime on the Spirits Trail
Brandys to try:
Martell Caractere Cognac
D’USSÉ Cognac
Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac
Claude Chatelier Cognac VS
Castarède Armagnac
Domaine Boingnères Armagnac (imported by Charles Neal)
Elizabeth and Abigail share the history of Charles Henry Ramos, the creator of this famous Gin Fizz and offer advice if you are making it at home.
Elizabeth and Abigail offer their annual list of boozy inspired gifts to give (and get!)
Links:
Books:
Spirits of Latin America: A Celebration of Culture & Cocktails, with 100 Recipes from Leyenda & Beyond by Ivy Mix
Camp Cocktails: Easy, Fun, and Delicious Drinks for the Great Outdoors by Emily Vikre
The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist, with 500 Recipes by Dale Degroff
Drink Dat New Orleans: A Guide to the Best Cocktail Bars, Neighborhood Pubs, and All-Night Dives by Elizabeth Pearce
Gear
Vintage Mr. Bartender Sets
Vintage Travel Bar Sets
Products
Monthly Cocktail subscription
shakerandspoon.com
Grenadines:(Do a taste off and report your findings!)
Liber & Co
Stirrings
Pratt
BG
Orgeat:
Jeff Berry's Orgeat
Splurge:
This article mentions several companies that offer home bars
https://vinepair.com/articles/prebuilt-bars-instagram-covid-19
Support Bartenders
BarLM Cocktail Subscription: venmo @linday-matteson with the phrase "cocktail subscription" and your email address. Donation starts at $1 per cocktail, but try to be generous.
Shameless Promotion:
Drink & Learn Virtual Happy Hours www.drinkandlearn.com
Abigail's 12 days of Christmas, check out her instagram for more info @Abigailgullo
Elizabeth and Abigail explore the history of Champagne and share some of their favorites.
Mentions include:
Wine Folly
When Champagne Became French
Aubry Brut Rose
Perrier Jouet
Elizabeth asks Abigail for advice on the best basic tools for outfitting your bar. She shares her favorites for mixing and shaking. Elizabeth learns other uses for her mixing glasses and Abigail is delighted to learn about a valued characteristic of historic glass. Some brands mentioned:
The Yari Mixing Glass
The Koriko Shaker (Abigail said Noriko on the podcast but it's Koriko)
The Parisian Shaker
An example of a silver animal cocktail shaker. This one weights 3.5 pounds!
Elizabeth and Abigail discuss the history of Pisco and how it became so popular in San Fransisco in the 19th century.
Mentions:
History of Pisco in San Francisco: A Scrapbook of First Hand Accounts
Small Hands Food
Pisco en el siglo XIX
Elizabeth and Abigail explore the rich and complex history of absinthe's popularity, especially in 19th century France, and offer ways to use it in cocktails today.
Mentioned in the show:
Hideous Absinthe: A History of the Devil in a Bottle by Jad Adams
Absinthe Frappè Sheet Music
Absinthe Frappè lyrics
From the 1904 Broadway comic operetta 'It Happened In Nordland'
Music by Victor Herbert (founder of ASCAP)
Lyrics by Glen MacDonough
Verse
When Life seems grey and dark the dawn
And you are through,
There is, they say, on such a morn
One thing to do:
Rise up and ring, a bell-boy call
To you straight-way,
And bid him bring a cold and tall
Absinthe frappè!
Chorus
It will free you first from the burning thirst
That is born of a night of the bowl,
Like a sun 'twill rise through the inky skies
That so heavily hang o'er your soul.
At the first cool sip on your fevered lip
You determine to live through the day,
Life's again worthwhile as with a dawning smile
You imbibe your absinthe frappè.
Verse
The deed is done so waste no woe o'er yestereen.
Nor swear to shun a year or so the festive scene.
Remorse will pass, despair will fade with speed away
Before a glass of rightly made absinthe frappè!
Chorus
It will free you first from the burning thirst
That is born of a night of the bowl,
Like a sun 'twill rise through the inky skies
That so heavily hang o'er your soul.
At the first cool sip on your fevered lip
You determine to live through the day,
Life's again worthwhile as with a dawning smile
You imbibe your absinthe frappè.
Elizabeth and Abigail discuss the history and uses of liqueurs and justify a listener's affection for amaretto .
Sources mentioned:
The Picayune's Creole Cookbook
The Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy by Odile Redon, Francoise Sabban, Silvano Serventi
Dishes and Beverages from the Old South by Martha McCulloch-Williams
Jeffrey Morgenthaler's Best Amaretto Sour in the World
Tales of the Cocktail 2020 Youtube Playlist
Season Three features episode requests from listeners. Elizabeth shares some bitters history and Abigail gives counsel on which ones to buy if you are just starting your cocktail journey as well as some more unusual flavors to try.
Elizabeth and Abigail get you ready for summer. Learn about the history of the blender and get some advice on making your best frozen drinks including daiquiris of all kinds, ice cream based concoctions, and frosé !
Here are some links/recipes referenced in the episode:
Fix the Pumps by Darcy O'Neil (about the history of soda fountains)
https://www.amazon.com/Fix-Pumps-Darcy-S-ONeil/dp/0981175910
Brix Refractometer (measuring sugar content)
https://www.amazon.com/Brix-Refractometer-ATC-Dual-Scale/dp/B01LW2ZU6R
Fred Waring and Pennsylvanians
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFFPrM7bxWM
Mint Syrup
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water and sugar just to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Add the mint leaves. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, without stirring, until the syrup is slightly reduced and syrupy, about 10 minutes.Transfer the syrup to a small metal bowl and let stand to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Discard the mint leaves. You can use the syrup immediately, or let it cool to room temperature. Store in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator for up to six months.
Frozen Margarita for Two4 oz Blanco Tequila
2 oz fresh Lime Juice 2 oz Triple Sec
2 oz Agave Nectar Generous pinch of salt 4 cups of ice
Mix all ingredients in a blender and then blend to desired consistency. Serve immediately.
— PRO TIPS —
Start blender on lowest setting and then work your way up to high
Chill all ingredients beforehand
Increase liquid ingredient portions to prevent excessive dilution.
Author Robert Simonson joins Elizabeth to discuss his book The Old Fashioned, which traces the origins and evolution of this classic cocktail.
Follow him on Instagram is @robertosimonson
If you feel like treating yourself, check out The Simonson Old Fashioned Kit from Cocktail Kingdom.
https://www.cocktailkingdom.com/simonson-old-fashioned-kit
Elizabeth speaks with Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, the author of Hungover: The Morning After and One Man's Quest for the Cure about hangovers, of course, but also the journey he took in researching and writing the book. They discuss the merits of waking up hungover in New Orleans and what, if any, are the benefits of hangovers. Elizabeth wonders why no one has invented a cure yet and if it's because we all feel we deserve them.
Elizabeth and Abigail offer tips to clear out the "clutter" from your home bar and also answer some listener questions. Abigail also introduces us to the idea of "infinity bottles" which are not part of the Harry Potter Wizarding World, no matter how much you think they should be.
References include:
Seedlip drinks
Jacques Pepin's recipe for Fromage Fort
Peg Bracken's I Hate to Cook Cookbook
Hannah Griggs joins Elizabeth to talk about her website, Intemperance.org where she mapped 1,000 Prohibition raids that occurred in New Orleans throughout The Great Mistake. She discusses her findings and takes listeners on a virtual tour of drinking life in New Orleans back then, one data point at a time.
Other references include:
Tanya Marie Sanchez' work on women bootleggers in New Orleans.
Lisa Lindquist Dorr's book A Thousand Thirsty Beaches
Langston Hughes' autobiography, The Big Sea.
Elizabeth and Abigail address the ways drinking has been impacted by the Corona virus. Elizabeth talks about how whiskey was used in treating the influenza epidemic of 1918 and she and Abigail explore ways to drink mindfully and well while the world is staying at home. Even if the American Medical Association doesn't count alcohol as medicinal anymore, it can still be good for the soul.
Mentioned in the episode is the Glencairn whisk(e)y glass.
If you wish to join the Drink & Learn Book Club, you can do so at the Drink & Learn Revelers Facebook page.
Elizabeth and Abigail trace the evolution of St Patrick's Day celebrations and offer some whisky drinking advice for the day. Much of the information on the day comes from The Wearing of the Green: A History of St. Patrick's Day by Michael Cronin and Daryl Adair. to listen to the history of Irish Whisky, visit A Story of Irish Whisky podcast. Abigail recommends making a punch using Irish Whisky featured on her blog. The recipe is below:
Irish Channel Punch
Satsuma is a local Louisiana citrus in season in the fall. Its bright and bitter citrus flavor is perfect match with the subtle golden spiciness of the Irish whiskey.
Satsuma Punch
MAKES 9½ CUPS
INGREDIENTS
8 oz. fresh satsuma juice, plus zest
8 oz. fresh lemon juice, plus zest
8 oz sugar
750 ml strong Assam tea
1 (750 ml) bottle Irish whiskey
2 oz. Amer Hiver (Bitter orange and cinnamon liqueur)
1 oz. rosewater syrup*
Freshly grated nutmeg, for serving
Satsuma peel, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
-
In a large punch bowl, toss the satsuma zest and lemon zest with the turbinado sugar and muddle well. Let sit for one hour.
-
Add satsuma juice, lemon juice, tea, whiskey, liqueur, and rosewater syrup; stir until sugar has dissolved. Strain, chill, and serve with a dash of grated nutmeg. Garnish with satsuma peel, if you like.
Rosewater syrup can be found in some specialty stores. Or you can make a simple syrup and ad a few drops of rosewater to taste.
Elizabeth and Abigail discuss what makes drinking during Carnival so particular to that festive time. They also offer advice if you want to throw your own Carnival party, no matter where you live. Punch Recipe discussed in the episode is below. Make sure to alter for the number of servings you need.
Fountain Punch from The Hangover Handbook: 101 Cures for Humanity’s Oldest Malady by Nic van Oudtshoom
1150 litres/254 gallons of brandy
1135 litres/249 gallons Malaga wine
90 litres/19.8 gallons of lime juice
591 kg/1300 lb of brown sugar
2500 lemons
2 kg/4.4 lb of grated nutmeg
500 liters of water
Cut the lemons into quarters and mix all the ingredients together in one outdoor fountain or small pool, using the oars of a boat to stir until all the ingredients are dissolved. Drink with several thousand friends.
In honor of the upcoming Valentine holiday, Elizabeth and Abigail explore the bizarre (and dubious) history of aphrodisiac drinks. While doing so, they end up creating a pretty good tasting concoction but make no promises of its efficacy.
Author Tom Standage joins Elizabeth to discuss his book A History of the World in Six Glasses. From the beer that fueled early agriculture to world dominating Coca Cola, they cover several thousand years of human drinking history.
Other books referenced include:
For God, Country and Coca-Cola by Mark Pendergrast
The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage
Writing on the Wall: Social Media -The First 2,000 Years by Tom Standage
Elizabeth and Abigail discuss the merits and drawbacks of giving up drinking for the month of January and also explore some alternatives. Abigail offers suggestions of tasty non alcoholic and low proof options.
Low proof cocktails include the Adonis, the Bamboo, an upside down Manhattan and the Americano.
Non alcoholic sips are: Sanbitter, Blutul, Ritual Gin, Seedlip
Elizabeth and Abigail offer some favorite picks for anyone on your holiday gift list (including yourself!) They end with talking about a beloved gift they have received and sharing a holiday drink recipe for the season.
.
Mentions are listed below:
Books:
A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage
Imbibe and Punch by David Wondrich
The Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler
How to Mix Drinks or the Bon Vivant's Companion by Jerry Thomas
The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Cradock
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David A. Embury
The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg
America Walks Into a Bar by Christine Sismondo
Tools:
Travel Bar
Cocktail Kingdom (https://www.cocktailkingdom.com/)
Bar Products (barproducts.com)
Liqueurs and modifiers
Orgeat Syrup, Maraschino, Curacao, Creole Shrub, Luxardo Cherries
https://www.liberandcompany.com/
http://www.giffard.com/
https://www.elguapobitters.com/
http://maisonferrand.com/en/content/pf-dry-curacao-1/
http://www.rhumclementusa.com/creole_shrubb.htm
https://www.luxardo.it/liqueurs-and-distillates/maraschino-originale/
https://www.luxardo.it/liqueurs-and-distillates/original-maraschino-cherries/
Elizabeth’s drink The Fall Spritz from Bon Appetit
1 part Averna
4 parts Dry Hard Cider.
Pour over ice and stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
Abigail’s drink, The Mistletoe1/2 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce lime
1/2 ounce chartreuse
1/2 ounce maraschino
Shake together and top with sparkling wine. Drink it at 3am.
Elizabeth is joined by food historian Jane Levi to chat about 18th century fortified wine drinking. You'll hear about the excesses of the Georgian Era and find out what George Washington's favorite tipple was. Midway through Elizabeth references a TV show she couldn't remember the name of. It's Lords and Ladles and it's on Amazon.
Elizabeth and Abigail explain what exactly bitters and amaros are and talk a bit about their history. They explore the many roles they can fill in a glass, whether as a spirit enhancer or as the star of the show. In case your Italian is a little shaky, here are the names of some of the amaros mentioned: Averna, Monte Negro, Don Figlio, Cynar.
Elizabeth is joined by Kate Perry, for a deep dive into Clairin, the sugar cane spirit of Haiti. Only recently available in the United States, Clairin is not just another rum. We learn how and why it is different from other sugar cane based spirits and how that taste represents the story of Haiti.
Elizabeth and Abigail take you back to the origins of vodka, then break down its current incarnations, flavors and the marketing that drives them. Abigail suggests trying a Vesper to channel your inner James Bond.
Elizabeth and Abigail explain what fortified wines are, trace their history and discuss a few of their favorites. Abigail shares her recipe for the Adonis Cocktail, and they both recommend the book The Art of the Shim by Dinah Sanders for lots of inspiration of how to use many of the wines they talk about.
Elizabeth and Abigail take you through the many spirits made with agave (tequila, mezcal, raicilla, etc) and explain their differences in flavor and styles. Abigail paints a vivid picture of production based on her visits to two different distilleries in Oaxaca and Guadalajara. We pepper the discussion with advice about what to to look for when buying these beautiful spirits and end with some recipes.
Tiki authority and author Jeff Berry takes Elizabeth on a rich and complex journey, trading the rise and fall (and rise) of tiki. From the sugarcane fields of the Caribbean to glamorous 1940s Hollywood, we hear how Donn the Beachcomber and Trader Vic created a new way of drinking for Americans and how those drinks made their way across the globe.
Elizabeth and Abigail trace the origins of gin and how its flavors have changed over time. Its expansion through colonialism, its popularity during Prohibition and its new resurgence are also explored.
Pirates? Check. American Revolution? Check. Prohibition? Check. Eilzabeth chats with rum expert Wayne Curtis, author of And A Bottle of Rum, about rum's history in the New World.
Happy Fourth of July! Elizabeth and Abigail trace the origins of rum from the Caribbean to colonial America. Elizabeth says it's rum not tea that caused the American Revolution. Abigail pays homage to the Revolutionary War in her drink, The First Salute (24:00 min).
Drinking wine from a common cup has been an integral part of communion practices in Christianity from its earliest days. However, in the late 19th century, many Protestant churches reconsidered this tradition, with some replacing the wine with grape juice and swapping one cup for many individual ones. In this fascinating episode, Elizabeth interviews Daniel Sack, the author of Whitebread Protestants. They explore how influences of Prohibition, worries about sanitation and health, anxiety about immigration, and above all, a desire for authenticity in religious practice led to changes in this drinking ritual. Regardless of your religious beliefs, this episode provides a remarkable way of understanding forces that shaped America over the last one hundred years.
Elizabeth and Abigail trace the long and storied path of American whiskey, from sea to shining sea. American whiskey has been a presence in this country from early colonial times but really hits its stride after the American Revolution. They discuss the creation of Bourbon, its downfall during Prohibition and its eventual resurgence as a premier spirit.
Elizabeth chats with Nancy Maveety, author of the book Gavel and Glass: The US Supreme Court and Alcohol. Maveety uses alcohol as a lens to look at Supreme Court decisions regarding privacy, commerce, states' rights and personal liberty. And yes, of course, lots of talk about Prohibition and its residual effects on our lives today. An incredibly entertaining way to understand our judicial branch.
Elizabeth and Abigail take you through several hundred years of Old World whisk(e)y production, with a few reminisces about time spent drinking there. Abigail offers you a cocktail to kick off baseball season.
Elizabeth and Abigail are back! This season they take you through the world of spirits, doing their best to explain what makes each spirit unique. In this episode about brandy, they not only talk about its origins, development, and various incarnations, they also share two recipes. One comes from the 19th century (30:00) and one is modern (33:00) but both are delicious and have great stories.
Elizabeth chats with Cole Newton, owner of New Orleans bar Twelve Mile Limit, about some likely (and improbable) drinking trends predicted for 2019.
There's so much holiday history in these drinks but I think our favorite part involves an apple tree god. BRING BACK THE APPLE TREE GOD!!! Abigail shares Charles Dickens punch recipe and a Puerto Rican version of eggnog. Why not make them all?!
Lots of discussion about how to make it, and who was making it before it even got a name. Also we manage to give you yet another drink to sip by the pool, just in time for winter.
Elizabeth and Abigail get in the "spirit" of Halloween with a spooooooky look at the origins of spirits, from the kind that you drink to the ones that go bump in the night. Elizabeth makes her funeral plans and Abigail instructs you how to enjoy absinthe.
H. L. Mencken called the Martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet." Elizabeth and Abigail mostly agree. This episode is full of pop culture references as long as your definition of pop culture includes things from 1901. New Orleans artist Frankie Ford sings the boozy Christmas song. Yes, there's a Christmas song.
We'll take Manhattan! There's lots of legends here, and Abigail and Elizabeth do their best to separate the probably true from the definitely false. Abigail gives you permission to have both a lemon twist and a cherry!
So much more than the sum of its parts. Elizabeth and Abigail discuss tonic's origins, and muse on the merits of both the traditional version of this ubiquitous summer drink as well as the bountiful option so popular in Spain.
Abigail and Elizabeth surprise each other with some amazing facts about the official cocktail of New Orleans. Abigail makes the drink at 53:30
Yes, it's named for a real person. No, his name wasn't Tom Collins. It's complicated. Abigail and Elizabeth talk gin, dope-fiend soda jerks, and throw in a 19th century humorous song to boot!
Elizabeth and Abigail spend a little time on the border, exploring the history of the Margarita. Abigail gives advice on how to make a classic version as well as some variations on this drink.
Elizabeth and Abigail talk daiquiri history and offer suggestions of how to create your go-to recipe and variations.
Elizabeth and Abigail discuss the history and evolution of this classic drink and Abigail teaches you how to make a great one at home.
Drinks historian Elizabeth Pearce and bartender Abigail Gullo introduce you to their new show which focuses on their favorite activities: drinking and learning.